Paint: Painting front outer parking light housing

[mmagic]

I have several pairs of parking light housings for my Speedster all of which need new chrome. My center grill section is mint perfect. I'm considering prepping and painting the worst pair Pimlico Gray (upper body color) until I either decide to drop coin to re-chrome a set or pick up a great set on ebay or at a swap meet.

What is recommended prep for a previously chromed item?

[Tom Bredehoft]

I used a die grinder to clean out the (thousands of) pits, filled them with bondo, sanded it smooth and pretended they were normal body panels, primer, sand, primer, sand paint, wet sand, polish. That's a real simplification, but that's basic what I did.

Can you see them in that tiny picture on the left?

[SN-60]

I would think that a thorough sandblasting would be a good start, and that may eliminate the time consuming die grinder step, after the blasting, I'd follow along what Tom B did.

[mbstude]

I would think that a thorough sandblasting would be a good start, and that may eliminate the time consuming die grinder step, after the blasting, I'd follow along what Tom B did.

Don't do that. Sandblasting won't pull the chrome off, it'll just make the pits in the pot metal turn into big holes.

[mmagic]

The way that epoxy primer sticks to my hands, I wasn't sure much of any prep would be required.

[StudeRich]

I have seen several '55 C and K's with the Parking Light housings and Grille completely Painted body Color and I thought they looked MUCH better than the Huge Chrome front end.
Not sure what it would look like with only the Parking Lights Painted however.

[52 Ragtop]

Take them to a chrome shop, and have them stripped of the chrome, then go from there.

Jim

[DEEPNHOCK]

Hear here!
A chrome shop can strip the chrome, grind/dig/blast/excavate out the pits, lead and re-copper (to fill the pits), and then nickel plate and re-chrome.
I have seen several '55 end pieces done by Jerry Forrester, and they turned out very nice.
It's a Speedster, so do it right, man!
One man's opinion.. Just do good work.
Jeff

Take them to a chrome shop, and have them stripped of the chrome, then go from there.
Jim

[mmagic]

Ah.... you bring up another option.

Eventually the Speedster will have the beautiful, gaudy complete chrome fish mouth front end.

For now, in interest of getting the car back on the road soon and making sure restore allocated funds cover all necessary items, I'm consider painted nose pieces as an option.

As nice as my center piece is, I too have wondered how it would look with chrome in the middle and painted parking light pieces. I also have several not so good center pieces so a 2nd option, if prep is not a huge issue, would be to also do a painted center piece.

[Dick Steinkamp]

I always thought the best looking Speedster front end was Scott Hall's...

[sweetolbob]

I used a die grinder to clean out the (thousands of) pits, filled them with bondo, sanded it smooth and pretended they were normal body panels, primer, sand, primer, sand paint, wet sand, polish. That's a real simplification, but that's basic what I did.

Can you see them in that tiny picture on the left?

Same here when I painted the bumpers and grill parts on my 54K. The biggest problem will be getting the pits cleaned out of the diecast parts. I used the Evercoat glass filled "filler" when they were clean "and boy were they bad" but would probably use a metal-2-metal filler for the pits now. Then just epoxy prime and paint using the steps you usually would. I ground the flaking chrome to a solid edge and just roughed up what was left, filled and epoxy primed them.

Your vision is what's important "so go for it". The next guy can worry about how correct mine are.

Bob

[SN-60]

Don't do that. Sandblasting won't pull the chrome off, it'll just make the pits in the pot metal turn into big holes.

WRONG!....It's all in the 'touch' of the fellow doing the blasting!!

[SN-60]

I always thought the best looking Speedster front end was Scott Hall's...

This custom is indeed beautiful.....but I believe it would have come out EVEN MORE beautiful if He went with the 'normal' President Speedster 'tri level' paint scheme. Know what I mean?

[mbstude]

WRONG!....It's all in the 'touch' of the fellow doing the blasting!!

Sorry. I forgot that you know everything. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on.

[SN-60]

Ah.... you bring up another option.

Eventually the Speedster will have the beautiful, gaudy complete chrome fish mouth front end.

For now, in interest of getting the car back on the road soon and making sure restore allocated funds cover all necessary items, I'm consider painted nose pieces as an option.

As nice as my center piece is, I too have wondered how it would look with chrome in the middle and painted parking light pieces. I also have several not so good center pieces so a 2nd option, if prep is not a huge issue, would be to also do a painted center piece.

I saw one '55 with all three grill pieces painted EXCEPT a strip of chrome left behind the STUDEBAKER lettering as a contrasting background....thought that it looked pretty good.