hmmm... Sheet vinyl, good idea.

I painted the grille today... I didn't primer it, but I did sand it down with 400grit sandpaper... and... UNFORTUNETLY had to go back to the store to get the proper paint. The first handful of coats turned out to be "metallic black"!! It looked all right, but NOT the look I wanted, plus it gave it a flat effect. The Idiots at the store put "metallic black" in the spot were "black" should have gone. So, I had to go back and get a "gloss black". It looks great now, FINALLY!! Im going to do a few more coats, then do the clearcoat after that. I'm really impressed with it so far... pics will be on the way.

 

i say the color of your car black looks good but i mean atleast gloss black i have an 04 dale jr to where can i find that grill it looks good

 

You can find the grille on eBay... for cheaper than what www.3800performance.com offers... that's where mine came from. i do plan on getting the lower grille sometime this summer... I think they should have done this from the factory, as the they did with the tony stewart edition.

 

Finished up the grille.. Im VERY,VERY happy with the results. With SO many Monte Carlos on the road, this really gives it a little unique touch to the front end that it truly deserves. I'm glad I went with the black, but in the future, If I could pick up another cheap grille, I'd do a red one and interchange them out.


BEFORE:



AFTER:

 

I probably should have gotten in on this thread a little sooner!

Hey 2627 - looks good! I also have a Jr car with SLP grille. Since the vinyl on my car already has a large chevy bowtie right above the grille, I didn't want to use the included bowtie. I used an SS logo instead, and then a vinyl overlay in flat black to add a twist. My grille is actually two tone black - the outer in gloss and the mesh in flat black. Here's the pic's:


I know the SS size isn't perfect, but I think it frames well. The only reason I semi-blacked it out is because a logo in the middle of the grille at all isn't very Nascar authentic. But sometimes you gotta bend the rules.

Did you paint behind the grille at all 2627? I didn't want anything permenant either (believe it or not), but decided it would be easier to buff off a light coat of flat black paint then to try molding vinyl around there. A light coat of paint shouldn't be too hard to remove if you wanted to and the bonus part is that no surface prep is needed which makes the paint easier to remove.

I was also wondering why you painted the license filler? I am envious of you Americans that don't need a front plate!

 

Looks great too, "JuniorCar"! Actually, "BlazinMonte" had chimed in and he did the "SS" badging too. I think the "SS" looks GREAT and I think I will eventually change mine to that as well, but for now, I'm satisfied with this.

I didn't actually paint anything. I'm like you, EVERYTHING I put on, I want to be able to change back to stock. So, I just used vinyl tape behind the grille. I actually contenplated using a sheet of diamondplated vinyl that I had lying around, but I decided to go with black instead... I'm happy with it. Yes, I did repaint the SLP grille. I first mistakenly painted it a "metallic black" which just didnt' look right, so, I ended up painting it with a "high gloss black", and a few coats of clearcoat. I did consider doing the outer portion one color and the mesh another, but after seeing all the pics, I thought "high gloss black" was the way to go... I wanted to match the lower black trim.

Thanks for everyone's help, opinions and comments!!

BTW, i'm NOT supposed to have the front cap on (it's actually a cap that replaces the license plate that screws in, I have the number "8" cap that came with the Dale Jr. car, and I have the plain cap from my previous Monte, a red 02 LS) ... here in Minnesota we're supposed to run license plates on the front.... Shhhhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone!!!

 

looks good =) great job!

 

Also refering to Daves question, does the slp grille attach at the spot that the knight emblem is or all around the edge of the grill? I haven't got mine yet but they are onorder so I don't know what I'm working with yet, do you have to paint it or is it already black? I want it to look like an 87ish model ss so I am also ordering the black headlights and maybe a Razzi body kit.

 

The SLP grille doesn't attach to the spot you mentioned. But it wouldn't be too hard to drill a small hole and put a small screw in there if you really wanted to. But you would have to cover the screw with something, or you'll see it.

The grille comes plain black plastic, with an unpainted satin finish. Not glossy at all. You also have to supply your own double sided tape to stick it on. Get the stickiest stuff you can. 3M tape is the best.

Unless you want an unpainted flat black plastic grille on your car, you need to paint it.

 

Ok, any recommendations on the brand and type of paint to use? I don't wamt it peeling or anything. My Monte is also my daily driver so I need durability. Thanks for your help.