Need to touch-up marred chrome plastic trim

V

Valinote

New member
Hi, fellas. This is my first post.



I have a Performance White colored 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS. I decided to detail it myself and after claying I applied 3M Finesse-it II with a 3M Superbuff wool pad on my makita rotary buffer. The painted sections turned out great and I was trying to be especially careful not to burn the paint by keeping the rpm low and not dwelling too long in one spot.. But somehow the edge of the pad seemed to be too aggressive for the "chrome" plated plastic trim that sits in the moulding that surrounds the car. At first I just thought it was just dried polish that would come off, so when a rag and more finesse-it didn't work, I went for the Goof-Off which has always served me well on both boats and cars. Unfortunately, the Goof-Off was too strong and removed the chrome from the trim like paint thinner. So I stopped immediately realizing that the dull areas were not dried polish, but rather spots where the buffer had removed the fake chrome from the plastic. So I am looking at some sort of touch-up or repaint of those strips. I've read that the brushed-on version of "chrome" paint look more gray than chrome, and that I would get the best results by removing the original paint from the trim and then respraying from a can. So really I have 2 questions:



1. How to I remove *just* the chrome trim pieces (not the entire plastic/rubberized mouldings). I wouldn't want to try to strip/spray with the pieces still on the vehicle.



2. What paint should I use to get the "chromiest" results. Is there *any* brush-on version of the chrome paint that will work? Only about 20% of the trim is damaged, so I could live with slightly less than perfect results and a hell of a lot less labor. If I'm forced to yank the trim and spray, what would be the best product to use.



Thanks kindly in advance for any advice...8-)



-Steve D
 
Check out these products from Eastwood, link below. Maybe the Almost Chrome spray would work for you. Or they have a Liquid Chrome system, a bit expensive and time consuming though.



Chrome - Specialty Coatings



This is why we use masking tape and tape off any trim when compounding, especially with a rotary. You may be able to mask around the trim and spray them on the car instead of removing them. Just be sure to do a very thorough masking job. Good luck!
 
Thanks for responding, RIch. I'm familiar with Eastwood, and I know they're a quality company. But that's a little pricy since only about 20% of the trim is marred. I just wish I knew whether the trim was attached to the molding by adhesive or some type of clip arrangement. It's recessed into the molding so it's hard for me to tell. I'm tempted to try to pry one off, but I should probably resist that urge...8-) Regards...



-Steve D
 
Yeah, you def don't want to pry on the trim without knowing how it's attached. Maybe a Chilton or Hayne's manual for your car would tell you? But I doubt it. I'd suggest finding a forum specifically for your car and see if anyone else has ever removed the trim.



I think I saw that the Almost Chrome spray is only about $15 from Eastwood. Maybe give that a shot.
 
i have very basic knowledge about it... but i wil surely reply u after getting some important info.. hope we will get it soon.. thank you and have a great day...

i think it willl help u to get better choice
 
alicetom222 said:
i have very basic knowledge about it... but i wil surely reply u after getting some important info.. hope we will get it soon.. thank you and have a great day...

i think it willl help u to get better choice
Click to expand...



Ok. Thanks, Tom. That would be great. The chrome strip is recessed into a white plastic molding that wraps around the car in multiple sections. If it's difficult to remove it might be best to just mask it off and spray some touchup with the best reasonably priced paint I can find. I can't imagine that I would get reasonable results with a brush. But right now I'm just trying to determine what my options are. Kindest regards...



-Steve D
 
If the spray does not work I would let a body shop order you the parts you need. Also a junk yard may have the parts. Hope it works out well and welcome to Autopia.
 
Yes, since it's a 2004, a junkyard is a definite possibility. They might even have them on ebay if I knew what they were called. I wish there was a site on the web that had exploded views of card bodies and part numbers.That would really help. Thanks for the helpful ideas. Regards...:smile1:



-Steve D
 
valinote- I'd just bite the bullet and buy new pieces, but it's easy for me to spend your money :chuckle:



I'm a Crown Vic guy, and thus pretty unfamiliar with its Mercury cousin's trim...but heres what I found with a quick look-up for the front door: TascaParts.com . I'm not sure if you need part #2 or #3 but you can probably figure that out. Just back up the search a step or two to find the trim pieces for the other panels.



Oh, and if you're not familiar with 'em, Tasca is a good company to do business with. Zero reservations recommending them.
 
Accumulator, thanks for the pointer to Taska. It's part #2 that I need. They are calling it "Belt w'strip". But the prices...ouch! I've been out of work for a year now since my job went to china, so I have to do this on a budget. I inherited the car from my father-in-law when he passed last winter and I've been trying to make it mint since it only has 22K miles on it.



Well this morning, I just couldn't control myself.. There a small short strip of the same chrome "belting" on each front fender in front of the door. I had alread ruined the chrome on one of them with the Goof-Off so I decided to pry at it gently with a small screwdriver. It's recessed into the molding (#3 in the Taska diagram) so it was difficult to see how it was attached. But with a little prying I could see that it was made of rubber, and that the chrome was just a coating. I could also see that it was merely glued to the moulding via double sided tape. So once I got an edge pried up a bit , I just grabbed it with my fingersand slowly pulled it off. At least now I know what I'm dealing with (not real chrome) and that no amount of compounding, polishing, or buffing is going to restore the damage I did with edge of the Superbuff pad on the rotary buffer. The car had a broken grille when I inherited it, and I was able to find a replacement for on fleabay for $45 with shipping! It was a perfect fit and looks great. So I'm hoping to do the same for these "belts" or maybe a call a junkyard as you suggested.



Anyway thanks to everyone for all your kind advice.



-Steve D
 
For reattachment, AutoZone, OReilly's, etc carry the 3M trim molding,etc. adhesive tape, which is what Ford used to put on the part.

Cut to correct width, remove old tape from part, clean "well" the surface you will be attaching the new tape to and apply.

Use this tape all the time.

Grumpy
 
valinote- Does it look OK with the "chrome" strip simply removed? I'm sure there's a valley where it used to be, but overall maybe it could look decent for real-world purposes.



I understand about keeping it inexpensive; with 22K miles that car should provide all kinds of low-maintenance/low-expense utility for many years.
 
Accumulator, like you mentioned, the chrome strips sit about 1/2" deep in a recessed "valley" of a much wider rubberized white molding that surrounds most of the vehicle. So I either have to replace the damaged sections of belting, or maybe rough them up and airbrush them white to match the rest of the car. I found some 10' sections of the raw 30mm chrome belting on fleabay for ~$22 per piece. That's one option.



Ron, thanks for the pointer to the double-sided adhesive. But if I go the fleabay route I think they come with the 3M adhesive strips already attached.



Decisions, decisions...8-)



-Steve D
 
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