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The Super Duty chrome fender badges and tailgate camera bezel were next to go. I couldn’t find a black aftermarket replacement for either part. Why not give painting a shot? It’s no secret that painting over a smooth finish is a bad idea; a good lasting finish was going to take some research and prep work.
To remove the fender badges you access the back side from underneath the hood. The badges are retained in place by what seems like a ridiculous number of metal clips. Push the clips out from the back, work the badge off evenly so you don’t ding the paint. The badges are delicate.
Slip a paint scraper between the Ford emblem the camera housing. You want to pry the emblem straight out. Removing the FORD emblem reveals the three mounting screws and a minute later you’re done.
Can you believe that the shiny Chrome finish on plastic is actually aluminum? Who knew? What I did know, was before I could paint this faux chrome had to go, but how? You will find the internet full of bad ideas. I’ll save you some trouble and let you know some ideas that didn’t work for me.
Use Cheap Bleach! Regular, old bleach with a high Sodium Hypochlorite percentage works best. I submerged the parts in a plastic tote for a soak. You will need to change the bleach every day to keep the reaction going. I used 8 or 10 gallons for the project. First the pretend “chrome” will dissolve exposing a copper color. Then that dissolves leaving clean plastic. Plan on at least a week of soaking. Don’t use Clorox, it’s gentle on your clothes…. and chrome. Let’s remember the safety glasses and gloves and wear one set of clothes...Because, you will ruin your clothes.
If you can, find a chrome plating company to “dip” them for you. This was a big messy pain in the butt.
Rinse the parts well in clean fresh water blow off with air compressor. Let the parts sit overnight to dry well. The plastic is very smooth. My local auto body paint supply recommended using a Scotch Brite pad and Bulldog ETP0123B Adhesion Promoter followed by 4 coats of SEM Trim Black 39143 in a Rattle can.
Removing the Chrome from our Air Armor Super duty fender badges and backup camera exceeded my expectations. The paint looks great.
In our next post its on to bigger, better taller things. Lifting the Air
Armor Ford Super Duty F350
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