After checking out numerous photos of Coopers with the aero grille installed, I decided to make the mod on my '04 CS. That said, while I like the look of the matte black grille and trim, I wanted to do something a little different with it. I considered color matching the outer edge or "trim" (where the chrome/plastic used to be) to the body, but I just couldn't seem to get a really good picture of how it would look (which was necessary for me to commit). After browsing the net a bit, I came across the following photo and was sold on the idea.



Anyway, below are a few photos of the results. Granted, I used to do auto body and paint work for a living, this was all done at home with supplies that can be purchased at a local auto parts stores and paint supply shops. The finish on the grille is a base/clear catalyzed urethane finish (just like rest of the car), sprayed completely with spray cans (no pro spraying equipment involved). I have photos, a product/material list and tips on the whole process and can post it if there's enough interest in the info. I like the new "toothless" look but would be interested in hearing other opinions.










Thanks for looking


Regards,
Dave

 

I think it looks much better.I did my arches on my 03's w/aero kit and was contemplating doing the same but,like you, couldn't visulize it so changed my mind.After seeing yours,i'll think i'll go back and do it.How involved is the removal of the grill,as it was installed when i bought her in 04'?Great job!
Bill

 

Wow, that looks amazing! Great job!

I did the straight black on mine but I like the touch of *different* in your approach.

 

If you look at the instructions from MINI that is what they recommend. Funny, since a lot of the cars sold with the kit and used in promotional materials were never done that way.

I am about to get the aero bumper to go with my sideskirts and that was what i am going to do. I have pepper white and have seen photos and liked the look very much. Painting the surround seems to make it move from an add-on to a part that came on the car.

Any Paint tips you can provide would be awesome. I can get the exact matching paint in a spray can but want to make the job come out right. Yours, from your experience, looks factory painted. Amazing!!!

 

I love this look as well, and plan on installing the aero grill this fall when I redo my stripes. I've already done the Joey mod & painted headlight rings, so in my opinion the chrome grill surround no longer works on my car. Would love if you could share more about the process, your car looks great

 

a couple more:

 

The look is nice. I won't do it on my car as I dont want to fuss with custom clear bra for extra painted front facing rock fodder. Anyone have this over a year and not got a bunch of chips. I know with my front aero bumper it looked like the moon after a year - had to repaint and clear bra.

 

Where did you get the colors?

Jack

 

Thats what i wanted to do on my Hyper Blue MCS and its what i will do on my next MINI. Your car is so nice and shiney!

 

Looks good. Could you post the product/material list and the quick how-to please. I need to paint some interior trim body color and this would help.

 

Looks fantastic. Would love to see your expert step-by-step on prep and paint techniques!

 

Looks awesome. PLEASE post your full technique!

 

Looks great, nicely done! I think this is the route I want to go with my car.

 

Mine's been since Jan 2006, I have a few chips but nothing terrible. I drive on the freeways everyday, so it's held up pretty well. Here's an old pic and my original thread.



https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=58196


And I too would love to know what materials you used Chilipepr!

 

omg!! that looks amazing!! great job ; ) !!!!!!!

 

What was the paint code for chili red?

 

chilipepr,

I want to do the same thing. Can you post the parts list and details please? Thanks!

 

I also want to do this mod. Any information would be appreciated!

 

Looks great!!
i would do this if advised how to do the paint part on the chrome trim.
great mod
boxcars

 

Yeah, I think you've got enough interest in this thread to do a step by step, or tips. I plan on adding the aero grill soon, but I think it would be cool to have the surround painted gloss black. By the way, yours looks great !!

 

I would like the info as well please!!

 

Hey guys,

Sorry it took me so long to reply...I know it's been months...sometimes life just has ya by the yam pouch and won't let go.... Anyway, thanks for the comments. Nice looking rides posted as well (Where the hell were you guys with your photos when I needed reference?)

Ok, I'll try to keep this as brief as possible but still give you all the info and photos...and maybe a little more... What I've written here is certainly not the "be all, end all" of refinishing, I'm sure there are as many opinions on how to go about this as there are people doing it. Simply put, this is just my basic approach tailored to anyone attempting to do this on their own without access to a paint booth and high end spraying gear. I did this at home and on the cheap, relatively speaking, and figured maybe someone else might find what's contained herein somewhat useful.

I won't get into the alterations of the upper bumper grille, there are already numerous threads covering this aspect of the aero grille mod. That said, I started out following those threads and kind of ended up doing my own thing. Maybe fodder for another thread in the future...I dunno... Anyway, on to the "meat and taters"...

Material List

• 220 grit sandpaper
• 320 grit sandpaper
• 400 grit sandpaper
• (1) roll 3/4" wide masking tape
• (1) roll 2" wide masking tape
• (1) roll 1/4" fine line tape
• (1) tack rag
• (1) can wax and grease remover - PPG Acryli-Clean DX330
• (1) 12oz. can primer/sealer (non-lacquer base) - Specialty Performance Products (PPG) High Build Flexible Surfacer SXA1044
• (1) 12oz. can flat black enamel paint - SEM Promax general purpose enamel
• (1) 12oz. can Chili Red urethane base coat - mixed with Deltron 2000 (PPG) tints
• (1) 12oz. can catalyzed urethane clear coat - SprayMAX 2K High Gloss Clear Coat 3680061
• masking paper or plastic sheeting
• quantity of clean, lint-free cotton rags

Brands are not really critical with any of these products, however, it pays to use quality materials. All of my tape and sandpaper was 3M brand, I say use what you have access to...but if you buy the really cheap masking tape you may have issues with adhesion (not a problem you want to have, seriously).





First, a little body work...

The aero grille kit is made from black ABS plastic with a textured surface finish, giving it a matte or flat black look out of the box. While I wanted to maintain the matte black honeycomb portion as is, I needed to do a little work with the surrounding trim area before I even thought about applying paint. As mentioned, the grille has a texture to it which really doesn't facilitate matching the texture and sheen of other painted body parts. There are a couple different methods to deal with the texture...you could use a filling primer to level the surface, but I've never been a big fan of applying thick layers of anything if I don't need to, so I decided to sand the texture off instead. Aside from that, ABS plastics can get a little funky when used in making pieces like this grille, particularly on the surface opposite the attachment studs on the back. If you inspect the grille closely, you will notice slight dimples in the surface directly opposite each of those studs. If you paint over these dimples without addressing them, the new shiny paint you apply will only accentuate these imperfections. I figured while I was sanding the texture off, I could do a little extra work and smooth the dimples as well.

Before sanding anything (not just this grille), it's always best to mask off areas you don't want to damage no matter if you're hand or machine sanding. And use multiple layers of tape if you have to, just get things protected well...tape is cheap, new chrome or glass isn't! Nothing fancy but done well enough at the edges so I could thoroughly sand all areas receiving paint and not damage the inner portion of the grille. All sanding was all done by hand though you could use an electric or air powered sander (use with care on small parts like these, variable speed tools are best). Note that before I taped and sanded, I wiped all parts down with wax and grease remover. Be aware that there are different strengths of this product, from the heavy duty that will remove adhesives to stuff we used to call "prep sol" (used just prior to tacking off and refinishing a vehicle, low strength stuff). You don't need anything too strong and whatever you do...DO NOT USE LACQUER THINNER! It will surely make a mess of your new plastic parts, though on the up side, you won't have to worry about the texture anymore...

I started out sanding with 220 grit paper. I could have used something a bit coarser like 180 grit in an attempt to make shorter work of the job, but 220 was the coarsest I had on hand and I felt 180 would have chewed the ABS up a little more than I deemed necessary anyway. Once I removed all of the texture and smoothed out the dimples with the 220, I switched to 320 grit. As a general rule, I never jump more than 100 grit difference when changing paper unless I'm wet sanding a clear coat and using ultra-fine grits like 1800 and 2000. Also, be sure to check the labels on the products you're using. Most, if not all primers, fillers and sealers will have a recommended grit to use before applying, though I would never bother spraying anything without working down to at least 320 first. You don't want sand scratches showing through your paint later on, so it's best not to cut corners on prep work. I used a high build primer (a bit thicker than I had hoped, actually) that recommended sanding with 320 before applying, but I had some 400 laying around and gave the pieces a once over with that before proceeding with finishing. Once you're confident with your sanding job, pull your protective tape off and wipe or blow off the bulk of any sanding dust that has collected on the parts.


Prepping the grille for paint

Ok, the grilles are finish sanded, unmasked and devoid of accumulated sanding dust. Before going further, I wiped the pieces down thoroughly with wax and grease remover again, taking care to remove any residual sanding dust. We're now ready for final masking prior to spraying. You'll note in the next photo that I've started by taping up the backs of the grilles. This might seem odd at first but if you don't do this you run the risk of getting overspray on the honeycomb portion of the grille. The overspray can (and probably will) swirl around the back of the grille and likely end up sticking in this area. Better to be safe, eh?



I then taped off the inner portion of the front side on each grille piece, notice that I didn't tape to where my final paint edge will be. This allows me to apply the finished tape edge on top so I can pull it off easily later on, more on the reason for this to follow. I had planned to use "fine line" tape for my finished tape edge, but unfortunately I couldn't find it when I was masking. Anyone care to guess what I found about 5 minutes after spraying the primer/sealer? Yep, my fine line tape roll...Bastige! Anyway, I opted for some painter's tape I had on hand and it actually worked out quite well...still would have preferred the fine line though...





For those of you not familiar with fine line tape, allow me to elaborate a little. Unlike normal masking tape, it's made of thin plastic with an adhesive back. The fact that it's thin allows for a finer edge of paint where masked, but it also stretches and bends to create tight curved edges without "bunching" (think flame job on deuce coupe) and resists lifting (unless you do bad surface prep or finger up every inch of the adhesive backing). It's cool stuff and is available in numerous widths. The stuff pictured below is 3M brand 1/4" width fine line.



With the masking done, everything's almost ready for paint but some final surface prep is necessary. I gave the parts a final once-over with the wax and grease remover (using a very lightly saturated rag followed by a clean dry one). Once any residual solvents evaporated, I tacked off the parts with very light pressure to remove any remaining dust and fuzzy bits using a tack rag. For those of you not familiar with a tack rag, it's basically cheese cloth impregnated with shellac and works wonders for removing dust from surfaces to be refinished. Be careful if using a fresh tack rag, they can be quite sticky and if you apply too much pressure when wiping you can transfer the shellac to the prepped surface. If this happens, do the wax and grease remover step again, then carefully re-tack.


Painting

There are many factors which contribute to the outcome of a refinishing job, I'll only address those you'll need to worry about using the spray can finishes at home. First off, consider the temperature and humidity of the refinishing area. If it's too hot or cold, or the humidity is high, this can affect your finish as well as the time it takes to apply and dry. When spraying with a spray gun and mixing your own finishes, you can use different reducers, activators and retarders to suit the atmospheric conditions...we don't have that luxury with spray cans but we can still make it work. Check the labels of the products you're using and do your best to follow the temperature recommendations and application times. Surface prep is a big factor, keep the parts clean and as dust free as possible...and that goes for your chosen spraying area as well.

Before applying any color or clear, you want to create a good substrate for the successive layers to adhere to. I used a high-build primer/sealer with good plastic compatibility (especially with ABS). I don't recommend the use of any lacquer-based materials, they don't have anywhere near the adhesion and durability of enamel and urethane products. Numerous cheap spray can primers & paints tend to be lacquer-based, and while these products offer ease of use and fast dry times, the quality and longevity of your refinishing job will suffer if you use them. I sprayed 2 coats of primer/sealer, the first being a light and somewhat dry "tack coat", followed up almost immediately with a full hiding coat. I allowed this to set for the recommended time prior to topcoating, in this case 30 minutes.



At this point, check for any dirt/dust that might have ended up in the primer. You can carefully knock these down with 400 or finer grit paper prior to applying the base. I didn't have any dust, however I did have a few spatter spots thanks to the spray nozzle on the primer can. Once I dispatched of the spatter blobs, I tacked things off again with the tack rag. Even if you don't have any imperfections to deal with, it wouldn't hurt to tack of the parts again just prior to applying the first coat of base.

The base coat I used is a custom mix urethane base coat, just like what is used on the car from the factory. A local paint and body supply shop had the ability to mix the color I needed and supply it in spray can form, I gave them the factory color code and they prepared it within a few minutes. I applied 3 light (but wet) coats of base to achieve hiding, you don't need to "dump" the base on but you do want to make sure that you've fully hidden the primer underneath. I allowed about 10-15 minutes between coats. Don't be alarmed at the flat/matte appearance of the base as it flashes off. This is typical, the base is only to supply the color (and metallics/pearls, if any), the shine comes with the clear...



With the base coat application completed, I was ready for the clear coat. The clear coat I used is very similar to the clear used by the factory and body shops in that it's basically a two part, catalyzed finish...but different in that it came in spray can form. Being catalyzed means that it actually hardens and cures, creating a durable finish just like automotive clears do. I had never seen or used the stuff before but it's pretty cool. The can is actually split into two chambers inside, one filled with clear, the other with activator. You combine the two by using the button supplied to puncture the diaphragm between the chambers (from the bottom of the can), then shake the ever-livin' chit out of it for a couple of minutes to mix. The supply shop had just received it and apparently I was the first person to try it as they asked that I give them a review of the stuff. Well, all I can say is, it worked perfectly and I'd use it again in a New York minute.






Before spraying any clear, check again for any dirt or dust on the surface and remove it. Apply the clear in wet, yet relatively light coats, allowing the appropriate flash time between coats. Be careful not to "hang curtains", i.e. create runs in the clear. You can sand them out later if you do hang a few, though if they're too heavy you'll cut clear layers and have to refinish. I recommend doing three coats, four is really unnecessary but you could get away with as few as two. When you're finished, give things time to cure. Everyone can fall prey to impatience, wanting to get it installed on the car...trust me, let things cure. If you've come this far a few more hours won't hurt. The only thing I did was remove a bit of the masking. You'll recall earlier in the masking process that I applied my final tape line (the one that lines the painted edge) last, or on top of the other masking. Before the clear completely sets up, I like to carefully pull this off. It keeps the clear coat from "bridging" the tape which could result in bits pulling off later on when you unmask, plus it allows the clear coat "edge" to flow just a little before it completely sets, creating a smoother paint edge. Once the clear was tack free, I finished the unmasking and carried the grille bits out in the sun for a good cookin'. Be careful if you do this...make sure the paint surface has set. Apparently, numerous insects are drawn to the odor of a curing automotive finish...you run the risk of end up with little trails in your clear as well as a few dead one's that didn't survive the swim in your new finish (had this happen on a truck tailgate I painted years ago). While the grille baked, I addressed other areas of the retrofit like blacking out the area behind the upper bumper grille on the bumper cover as well as the MFE with the flat black paint. The following morning I finished the installation and the results are as pictured in my original post.




Hope someone finds this useful...even after all this time... Motor on, brothers!

Regards,
Dave

 

excellent write up

 

awesome write up!!
bookmarked and ready to use once summer comes around

 

Seriously, may have some use for this as well. Thanks.