Black Chroming my bumpers today.

[stlfan]

ChildrenOfBodom: Those taillights are awesome. Your LED's will look even better smoked. I wish I had the LED's. The tails on my Yota were on it when I bought it. Not a big fan. Let us know about your decision on the taillights.

:thumb3:

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

ChildrenOfBodom: Those taillights are awesome. Your LED's will look even better smoked. I wish I had the LED's. The tails on my Yota were on it when I bought it. Not a big fan. Let us know about your decision on the taillights.

:thumb3:

Thanks dude, one of the best decisions I think a 4Runner owner can make. I want a glossy finish to them, but also light smoke. The VHT stuff comes out matte... it's not really a big deal anyway, kinda just a way to waste my money lol

 

[GottaBeTRD]

Grille is going to be done. The fender flares are going all black. I saw the bumpers in the sunlight just now and they look blue. Not sure about it. It's cold hear and the package said paint in a temp of 60-95. My garage was around 65 but I had the door open a lil bit for ventilation. :wtf:

yeah thats kind of how my emblems turned out (looking sorta blue) but I think its just the angle of the light and the mix with the color?

for tinting your lights i know i probably sound like a broken record but IMO go with lamin-x you will get the shine instead of the matte look. Plus it will last a long time while protecting your lights!

 

[RHeld24]

Looks great, can't help but think smoked corner tail lights would tie in nice with the black chrome...

 

[stlfan]

RHeld24 : You read my mind. The headlights, markers and corners will be lightly smoked. Not too dark, I still like the contrast.

 

[004Gunner]

Nice work on the bumpers! How's the texture of the bumper now?

The blue tint is probably a combination of the chrome's natural color and the black translucent paint. Black paints are either a blue black or a brown black and that will show in certain conditions under direct sunlight.

 

[stlfan]

How to Black Chrome bumpers using Duplicolor Shadow

OK. I got the bumper problem fixed. The reason it looked blue is because there wasn't enough coats on. Apparently 3 coats is not enough to do a big surface like bumpers. I also waited too long to apply coats. I applied 3 extra coats waiting only 15 minutes this time and they turned out exactly the way I wanted them too.... I will post new pics when it is cleared and dry.

ADVICE: If you are going to do bumpers, apply 5-6 coats instead of 2-3. I think the Duplicolor guys didn't plan on anyone doing bumpers with their product.

Buy 2 kits of Duplicolor Shadow, roughly $40. Prep surface really well with a good wax grease remover. Allow to dry about 5 minutes. Apply base coat evenly in a well lit warm area. Around 60-80 degrees. Wait 15 minutes between coats. After final coat is applied, wait 30 minutes to apply clear coat. 3 coats is all you'll need. Doing more won't hurt though. The clear doesn't really make it shine that much. It's just for protecting your work.
If your have a lot of imperfections in your chrome you'll want to very lightly wet sand with a 2000 grit. This will maintain the smooth shine to your bumpers.:thanks:

 

[stlfan]

Nice work on the bumpers! How's the texture of the bumper now?

The blue tint is probably a combination of the chrome's natural color and the black translucent paint. Black paints are either a blue black or a brown black and that will show in certain conditions under direct sunlight.

I didn't remove the imperfections in the chrome so the texture is not as smooth as I would like, but the look is amazing. So amazing that I overlook the texture.

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

OK. I got the bumper problem fixed. The reason it looked blue is because there wasn't enough coats on. Apparently 3 coats is not enough to do a big surface like bumpers. I also waited too long to apply coats. I applied 3 extra coats waiting only 15 minutes this time and they turned out exactly the way I wanted them too.... I will post new pics when it is cleared and dry.

ADVICE: If you are going to do bumpers, apply 5-6 coats instead of 2-3. I think the Duplicolor guys didn't plan on anyone doing bumpers with their product.

Buy 2 kits of Duplicolor Shadow, roughly $40. Prep surface really well with a good wax grease remover. Allow to dry about 5 minutes. Apply base coat evenly in a well lit warm area. Around 60-80 degrees. Wait 15 minutes between coats. After final coat is applied, wait 30 minutes to apply clear coat. 3 coats is all you'll need. Doing more won't hurt though. The clear doesn't really make it shine that much. It's just for protecting your work.
If your have a lot of imperfections in your chrome you'll want to very lightly wet sand with a 2000 grit. This will maintain the smooth shine to your bumpers.:thanks:

Great! I am awaiting your photos, sir

 

[stlfan]

Here you go

 

[stlfan]

:cheers:

 

[blcktpgsr]

Looks....just like mine.

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

yeah those sure are black! looks good!

 

[004Gunner]

:thumb3:Keep us updated on the durability! A lot of people here have asked about painting their chrome bumpers and this may be a great solution. :hatsoff:

Edit: I like what you did with the grille too. It flows very well with the rest of the front end :thumb3:

 

[SiZ]

On my to-do list. Look good after you put more paint on it.

Its funny though, in the first pictures I was looking at it like "WTF?!" because it looked super thin.

 

[stlfan]

On my to-do list. Look good after you put more paint on it.

Its funny though, in the first pictures I was looking at it like "WTF?!" because it looked super thin.

I know. When I finished the first time I looked at in the sun and was pissed. I was like "this is f*ing blue, wtf !!!!" Needless to say I was pretty pissed. I don't think Duplicolor expected anyone to do bumpers with their product. Light coats on a big flat surface looks way different than light coats on a wheel or valve cover. In the direct sun now it looks more black chrome than just black paint.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

so did you just paint over your clear coat to get it right?
are you a firefighter? (i cant see what the sticker says.)

 

[stlfan]

so did you just paint over your clear coat to get it right?
are you a firefighter? (i cant see what the sticker says.)

Yeah, I painted over the clear because it was still fresh. The texture of it is not as smooth as I would like but I didn't lightly wet sand the surface before I painted. No I'm not a firefighter. I was a volunteer for awhile though. The sticker is a rememberance of a close friend who died in the line of duty. His name was Ryan Hummert of Maplewood, MO FD

 

[stlfan]

Check this out

Dupli-Color posted my 4Runner on their website.

http://www.duplicolor.com/success/stories/JmFHnPCCRB

 

[OCMike]

Ok. I wasn't liking the look of it at 1st. But after you went back and added a few more coats, WOW! Love it. I'm putting this on my list of things to do. I can't stand chrome either. The less, the better. Can't wait to hear how it holds up after a few trail rides.