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Mod 13 - Black Chrome the Rams Head badges

32K views 61 replies 28 participants last post by  AF-hemi 
#1 ·
Since my truck had to go to the body shop for some cosmetic surgery, I figured it would be a great time to Black Chrome my Rams head badges. :)

Here is the stuff used in the process -





Here are the badges as they came off the truck. The tailgate badge is sitting face down on some foam so I could clean the remaining tape off it. Using a combination of a paint scraper and 3M Adhesive Remover, I was able to clean it up in about 15 minutes. Wasn't sure at first, but can attest that the adhesive remover is completely safe for use on these plastic badges :smileup:





After cleaning the back of the tailgate badge, I spent about 30 minutes cleaning the face of both badges. As with all painting, prep work is the most important thing. I used Duplicolor Grease & Wax Remover, and meticulously cleaned every little crack using a micro fiber cloth and Q-tips. After a good cleaning, I blew them dry with an air hose, and polished them with a micro fiber cloth. Here they are ready for paint -





I applied 2 coats of Duplicolor Shadow Base Coat, spraying from 4 angles to ensure uniform coverage. I waited 20 minutes between coats. Here they are after the second coat, waiting for the Clear Coat -





I let them set for 2 hours (don't need to wait that long, but the lunch bell rang, and I took an extended lunch), then applied the first 2 light clear coats 20 minutes apart. Waited 30 minutes, applied 2 heavier coats 20 minutes apart. After 2 hours of drying, I set them out in the sun to bake for a few hours -



Interestingly enough, they look like different colors in the pic....might have been the light angle, as they look identical in color/shade in the non-photographic world. :4-dontknow:


All I need now, is a truck to attach them to. :D
 
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#4 ·
I am pretty stocked with how they turned out. At least they will be good and dry by time I get to put them on the truck. Maybe Monday..... :)
 
#7 ·
If I had know this prior to giving them to the body shop to install, I'd have sent them to you to try out!.......NOT! :gy:

Wow, Brad, that looks great! Awesome job on that!!
Thanks! I'm very pleased with the results. I just hope they look good on the truck.



Now the tough one. If the badges look real good on the truck, do I even consider doing the same to the rims and exhaust tips.... :4-dontknow:
I think I need to find a second set of rims. If I don't care for the look, I could always sell them, or use them for winter tires.....:thk:
 
#8 ·
they look AMAZING

rep for those!!
 
#10 ·
Those look awesome Brad, nice job and great write up! Now I just need to find me a 4th gen tailgate badge! :smileup:

- Cajun
 
#13 ·
Since I have a sport, my door handles are already body color. :) If I had chrome door handles, I would black chrome them.
Having said that, I have no idea on the durability of the product, but should in a few weeks.
 
#15 ·
Not ure if its the material or the size, but i did my front badge and it turned out really good (like yours ) so i decided to do my grille and it came out horrible, almost green. Would be cautious doing anything that is expensive to replace
 
#17 ·
Thanks for the warning! :smileup: I would not be too pleased if I ended up with green rims. :158:

Do you have any pix of the grille after you black chromed it? Is it the factory one with horizontal chrome slats?
 
#18 ·
Here's the thread , 1st page just a couple coats but its not black at all and still looks decent, 3rd page is when it was as close to black as possible and on the truck. If your gonna do wheels I would suggest plasti-dip, Ive seen alot of nice looking pics of wheels that have been plasti-dipped

http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=77322
 
#22 ·
Thanks for the link. As soon as I started reading it, I remembered it. Did you ever sell your grille?

Looks good. How long until you get your truck back?
Stopped in today and caught them in the act of meticulously re-assembling my truck. The newly painted fender looked great, but considering the lighting where it was sitting, it could have been lime green and still looked great, so we'll see when I can get a look in the sun. I took a couple of pix, but the light was so bad photographically, you can't even tell it's a pic of a truck. It was booked with the auto trim shop for this afternoon to have the 3M clear protectant added. I am expecting a call tomorrow morning. :smileup:

great job/write up.......did mine 4 months ago.....:smileup:
I'd be lying if I said that yours had no influence on my decision to go this route. :D Thanks for modding yours faster than me. It has made some of my decisions a lot easier.

Well I have the truck so if I PM my address can you ship them out priority courier ??? :p

Seriously, Brad those look amazing and you deserve some reps but the system won't let me. Can't wait to see them on your RAM. :smileup:
LOL. I have enough spray left to do about 5 more sets, so if you send yours to me, I can paint them up for you. The shipping will only cost you 3 times the cost of the Shadow kit. :doh:
 
#19 ·
Looks good. How long until you get your truck back?
 
#20 ·
great job/write up.......did mine 4 months ago.....:smileup:
 
#24 ·
I did get to see the front one today, and I really like it! :)
Hopefully tomorrow I get it back....in fact I'd very confident tomorrow is the day because tomorrow's weather forecast is absolutely miserable... :LOL:
 
#25 ·
brad after your experience would you use the duplicolor shadow on anything else...say chrome mirrors?
 
#26 ·
Well, I got my truck back today, so it's the first time I've actually got a good look at the badges since I Black Chromed them. Here's the pix -

Tailgate in extreme sunlight -




Tailgate in diffused evening sunlight -




And a couple of the grille badge in evening diffused light -






Overall, I am very pleased.
I did notice that there is a slight green hue to the badges under certain direct extreme sunlight conditions, but since the paint has multi colored metallic in it that includes green, they blend very well. You can only see the green hue under certain direct sunlight conditions, and pretty much have to be looking for it to notice.

If my truck was 'true black', I think there may be a bit of a blend issue, and I would be wary of using this product on large surfaces, so have already decided that I will not be using it to Black Chrome my rims.

Having said that, I will be using it on other smaller items on some of my other vehicles. :smileup:

jdubsss....I don't know what to say. I'd be hesitant, as the mirrors are a rather large surface, and I believe the green hue would show up against your white truck. If you can get a mirror from a wrecker to do a test run, I would recommend that before committing yourself. The Shadow kit is under $20, so if the test proved bad, your not out a bunch of cash. :4-dontknow:
 
#31 ·
I used fishing line in a sawing motion. There are a couple of tabs that stick into holes in the tailgate that will stop the fish line, so you have to work your way around them. It's actually very easy.

looks good man but dont use that stuff on big things it comes out with a greenish tint
Even these have a green hue under certain lighting conditions. Since I have a second set of these, I'm going to paint one set with PXR and see if I like the look better. I have already tried flat black, satin black, gloss black, PX8 black and so far have liked the black chrome the best. However, my truck is PXR, so that might be the one that wins over the black chrome.
 
#33 ·
Steal away! :)
A great thing with these forums is the sharing of what works/doesn't work and you can 'see' if you like something before you try it. Good luck in your mods and post lots of pics! :smileup:
 
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