[walkerjay]

I can easily clean these parts up and paint them black but what do you guys usually do to get back that unfinished aluminum stripe? They are continuous on the hood louvers and there are one or two horizontal ones on the grille. Too small and too many fins to tape off. Sand it down afterwards?

 

[venturesomerite]

I have heard that people spray the whole thing and go back with a wire wheel and take the paint off and give it the brushed look in one swoop.

 

[taz3]

For the hood louvers I painted them and while they're still wet (just tacking up) I use a rag wrapped around a pipe that has been dampened (not soaked) with acetone and roll in the opposite direction as I wipe the paint off the top of the fins. The reason for rolling the rag as you wipe, is the clean part of the rag will pickup the paint, as it gets too much paint on it, it will only smear the paint and not lift it off.

Another trick is to apply a thin layer of thick grease (Q-tip or tooth pick work) where you do want the paint to go and wipe it off when the paint gets tacky. Do not do this in the sun the grease may run or drip where you don't want it.

 

[71NovaSS383]

On my hood louvers I bridged the whole top surface with masking tape and then used the sides of the louvers to guide a razor blade, cutting away the excess. This gave me thin masks across only the chrome edges of the louvers. I masked my grill pretty much the same way.

 

[brickyardboy]

Three or four hours after paint had dried, I have used a small wad of "00" stainless steel wool, held it wrapped around my little finger, and gently worked the paint off the ridges. Had good control and results were excellent.

 

[bigdaddykane]

i would spray them all semi-gloss balck and then a few hours after i would use lacquer thinner on the bounty paper towel and clean off the black on where it should show chrome.....