Another Chrome Ring Thread

[SubjecttoChange]

I'm more so seeking advice in this rather than a discussion of sourcing parts or whatnot.

I got in a small accident a month or so ago involving my chrome ring being damaged. It's dented and won't look the same w/o being replaced...

OR

My idea was to remove the ring- sand/fill with something??/paint. Has anyone done this? I'm mostly curious how it will prep for filling/painting ie. if the chrome flakes off, if it sands well etc. I'm planning on painting it black since I had it plasti-dipped before the accident anyway. And I have some good black automotive paint for my airbrush.

Anyone have thoughts or suggestions?

[Drew]

Posting pics of the damage would be helpful. Then you can get more accurate opinions.

[SubjecttoChange]

Yep I was planning on it. I'll get some pics up this afternoon.

Like I said- it's slight. I will say that it's not cracked- and it was appraised by insurance and there's no damage done to the bumper so they were just going to do a replacement. I got $720 for it though... so any $ I can save means more for mods or pay it off sooner!

[BravoZero]

$720 for the trim replacement??? Jesus. I know that includes labor and whatnot, but damn.

You're better off removing it yourself, having it patched up or fixed, get it plastidipped or professionally painted and reinstalling it.

[SubjecttoChange]

My thoughts exactly. I just got the check in the mail and I was stoked! But also in shock for the $$ considering the damage.

Honestly- if the car was 4 or 5 years older... I might not care at all- it's that small. I've done fine paint finish-work before for other applications (never automotive) so I'm not worried about a professional outcome. I just wanted to know if anyone has ever painted one before. I was getting tired of the marks on the plasti-dip anyway!

[BravoZero]

The trim is just painted plastic, don't let the dealership fool you in thinking it's all 100% chromed metal. It isn't even close. Find a reputable shop, have them sand it down and do a nice matte black paint job on it. It'll last much longer than Plastidip and might even look unique in a way.

[SubjecttoChange]

Yep I figured as much. Real metal is too expensive for mitsu anyway...

I'll post my progress here- I'm really thinking about DIY for this one... Worse case is I buy a new one from the stealership if I screw up.

[Drew]

Yep I figured as much. Real metal is too expensive for mitsu anyway...

I'll post my progress here- I'm really thinking about DIY for this one... Worse case is I buy a new one from the stealership if I screw up.

Don't buy one from the dealer. One can be had for less than $300 all day long....

http://www.trademotion.com/parts/2009/MITSUBISHI/LANCER/RALLIART/?siteid=214857&vehicleid=1443553&diagram=6292520&diagramCallOut=28

[BravoZero]

While the part itself is cheaper, the shipping will bring it back up towards the $300 mark. So either way, you're going to be forking out more than $250 for one brand new unless you can find an amazing deal, or free shipping.

[Drew]

Most dealers charge OVER $300. Our local dealer charges $325 That's why I said less than $300. Shipped from the link I was just using as a reference saves you $37 even with shipping. I would personally try to fix the one I have if I were you. but pics would definitely help determine if it's worth the hassle. I don't know what body shops are like where TS is from, but you are going to get close to paying the price of a new one anyway to get them to scuff, fill and paint it, unless you have a good buddy hookup

[SubjecttoChange]

Yeah... I looked for a while and didn't find much. A few part outs from wrecks were going on here and there but shipping made it just as expensive as the dealer. This is the reason the DIY looks tempting.

Located in San Diego. There's plenty of Body Shops around... but no buddies working for any. :(

I'll go snap a pic in a few minutes.

[SubjecttoChange]

Ok Finally Pics.

[rm_you]

Mine was actually snapped in two pieces at around the same point as your dent (on both sides). I took it off, sanded it down a bit, used JBWeld and some metal mending plates to glue it back together, sanded it some more, and was going to plastidip it, but tried putting it back on and found that it was a bit warped, so just gave up. That said, it definitely seemed like more than just paint on the plastic pits -- I haven't dealt with anything chromed before, but it really felt like a thin metal layer on top, as it bent like metal and was sharp like metal. I had always assumed it was just colored plastic, but I don't think so.

Anyway, if it weren't for the warping on mine (I might have been able to fix it with a heat gun, but I was lazy) I think it would have been fine to sand and plastidip, but I never actually tried painting it since it didn't fit right. I'd guess with a few layers it would be unnoticeable.

Edit: Right now I am just running around without a ring on at all, and I honestly don't think it looks that bad (though it doesn't look as nice as the plastidipped ring). My friend suggested I should cut some triangles out of lexan or something and paint them white like teeth, and put them between all of the mountpoints on the top and bottom. Very tempting! :P

[BravoZero]

Be careful driving around without it... the top two small grilles rely on the screws that hold the ring on to stay in place as well. Yes, the grilles snap in place but a nice rock will easily dislodge them.

[rm_you]

Be careful driving around without it... the top two small grilles rely on the screws that hold the ring on to stay in place as well. Yes, the grilles snap in place but a nice rock will easily dislodge them.

Yeah, I noticed that the screws that keep the ring on also secure the top grille pieces, but they are held in place by wires with zip-ties too so unless it was one hell of a rock, it should be OK. It helps that 100% of my driving is on highways and city roads, haven't had a chance to do anything dirt or gravel yet, so not super worried. If I went with my friend's suggestion and did teeth, they'd actually attach ON the bolt points (bolt on teeth!), not in-between as I said above (momentary brain failure).

[BravoZero]

Why not actually having the ring area filled in and painted to match? Might look unique.

[rm_you]

Why not actually having the ring area filled in and painted to match? Might look unique.

As in, replace the original ring with a ring cut out of lexan? :P I'm having trouble visualizing what you're thinking.

[BravoZero]

I meant fill in that area like you would with a dent or hole in the body. AKA, body filler, lol.

Then have the surface sanded down to match the surface of the bumper, have it painted. So where there was a ring before, now looks like the same surface as the rest of the bumper.

[RalliNurse]

Dude..its not that bad...I would suggest to plastidip with a few coats and call it a day...save that extra money for some other MODS! :D

[SubjecttoChange]

Agreed! That's my thought. I may just try a few coats of plastidip before I do any sanding... see how that goes first- and If I'm not happy with that- then I'll sand it down and paint. Planning on doing this during the weekend. If I go crazy and decide to paint I'll post a little write-up on what I did.

Unfortunately I don't have a garage... part of the blessing/curse of living downtown. I haven't gotten to this in as timely manner as I would have liked.

[RalliNurse]

Agreed! That's my thought. I may just try a few coats of plastidip before I do any sanding... see how that goes first- and If I'm not happy with that- then I'll sand it down and paint. Planning on doing this during the weekend. If I go crazy and decide to paint I'll post a little write-up on what I did.

Unfortunately I don't have a garage... part of the blessing/curse of living downtown. I haven't gotten to this in as timely manner as I would have liked.

I have a garage...ill let u borrow it...:D

[SubjecttoChange]

Hahaha! I wish it was that easy! I appreciate the gesture though.

[SubjecttoChange]

Thanks for moving this mods.

Update:
Removed the bumper and the ring for a good cleaning for paint prep and noticed a hairline crack. :(

I used some gorilla glue on the backside of the ring to hold the crack together and ended up using 4 coats of plasti-dip on top. I was kind of concerned about the structural integrity of the ring if I sanded it- so glue and plasti-dip works for now. Permanent solution.... not really...

[rm_you]

Yeah, those things are remarkably fragile. It's like they WANT us to spend a ton of money on replacement parts! :P

[austinhouk802]

Painted mine today in about 3-4 hours. Didn't even take the ring off and it looks great for being my first real DIY project. Got some paint bubbles, but nothing some sandpaper and a quick three sprays cant fix!

http://i47.tinypic.com/2ljrkwg.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/nwwljp.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/oh485s.jpg

And YES I do use old boxer briefs as a paint can holder / tester lol.

[RalliNurse]

That's called recycling...lol

[Rylinkus]

Why does everyone seem to only opt for plasti dip?

[SubjecttoChange]

Less permanent? Kinda cool matte look?

That being said... I really like how austinhouk802's turned out. Next time I have my bumper off I may try using a small metal piece to brace the cracked portion. Sand/fill it and do a proper paint job.

Did you use any topcoat?

[Rylinkus]

Less permanent? Kinda cool matte look?

That being said... I really like how austinhouk802's turned out. Next time I have my bumper off I may try using a small metal piece to brace the cracked portion. Sand/fill it and do a proper paint job.

Did you use any topcoat?

I guess it depends on the permanent factor. I didn't like the Chrome. I can't imagine it hurting the car's value a few years from now if I opt to trade in. I went with SEM Trim paint. You can also get it in flat and get the same matte look.