So i've bought a Cadillac BLS, and want to get the front grill sprayed black.

I've taken it to a few car garages that do re-sprays & the bolts are broken (rusted beyond use) on the interior, so the front bumper won't unscrew to remove the grill for a conventional re-spray.

I can't break a bit to get it off then replace - its an American car and i live in the UK, so i can't get anything replaced!

Basically there's no way to re-spray it.

Also I can't get it wrapped due to the nightmarish design.

Has anyone tried re-spraying a car grill while it's still on the vehicle? If so, what advice can you offer? Can it be done at home? What's best to use?

Cut the bolts off.... Patiently and with experience. Im 100% sure you can find replacement bolts that will work.

plastidip and tape off what your hands can get to.

so even if you fuck up it just peels off fairly easily with no damage to anything.

I have to agree with this, unless you can remove it and remove all the fake painted on chrome shit it will never hold real paint for long.
plastidip is your best bet here.

Plastidip is cheap and durable, considering the fact that its easily removable if you want.

maybe you'll need to redo it every year, cause rock chips

Playing cards stuck into any cracks around the grille will make your prep work MUCH easier. If you've seen anyone paint a set of wheels with tires still on. That's the idea.

No matter what though, the end result will be lacking, compared to if you had removed the piece before refinishing.

If you snap the bolts off upon removal, which is likely, there are plenty of clever ways to make it attach again.


You may honestly save time just taking it off. Proper prep is time consuming.

There are a few reasons why most body shops remove the panels from the car when they repair them. Saving time is one of them.

This post was edited by OldAndyAndTheSea on Jan 14 2015 02:23pm

Thanks for the help so far guys, but I really have no clue how i'm going to get the bolts out, (& neither did the garage), anyone else have any ideas?

pictures

They just spin freely when turned, as they aren't attached on the inside