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      11-08-2009, 12:22 PM   #1
Starscream
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Painted my chrome surrounds on the kidney grills Imola Red, LOTS of pics warning!

So I wanted to see what it would look like with the grills painted the same color as the body,
I had quite a bit of Imola Red left over since I painted my front reflectors quite some time ago, ---> http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156553

So after seeing a killer deal on a set of grills from a board member I snapped them up and started painting them,
I sanded down the chrome and roughed it up to help the primer adhere,
after a few coats of primer I moved on to color, then finally clear,
Here is how they came out


So then I fitted the black grill inserts to them,





Came out pretty nice huh for a rattle can job!
Key is with painting (and I'm NO expert) is just take your time, don't rush it and coat by coat the finish builds up,
I left each stage (primer, color, clear) overnight on each to harden the paint

So,
How does this look on the car?

Well lets see!

Firstly I'll admit this would look a ton better on a car WITHOUT a friggin front plate,
When I bought the car I made very clear instructions DO NOT mount the front plate bracket!!
You can guess and actually see how much the dealer listened,

















( I know I get a little carried away with pictures and take every angle possible, Sorry about that )

Ok so now on to another mod with some pics,
I fitted the OEM front brace to my car and HATED the look of the exposed strut top,
I found these little things lost in a BMW parts bin and up to now they have worked great in hiding the ugly suspension top,





But obviously these had to go with the addition of the strut bar
(which feels awesome, I'd advise any roadster owner to get one, really stiffens up the front end and you really can feel it when you bury the car nose deep in a sharp corner!)

So I found some metal "discs" around the shop, Wouldn't you know it, perfect fit!
So I powdercoated them flat black and slapped a little ///M wheel badge in the center (or as close to center lol, once these things stick thats it!)

I think it came out pretty good!









And finally!

Yes finally,
It was such a nice day out today I went for a little drive, I have also added a ESS tune to my car so taking it for a spin is a pleasure.
Also seeing as I only live two streets away from BMW HQ NA I figured these pics would be appropriate!

I will do a photo tour of BMW NA for the curious on a Sunday as there are some very nice buildings,
They used to keep some "new" BMW's not out yet in the parking lots around the complex but they are keeping them inside underground now a friend of mine who works there told me,







Ok well I hope you enjoyed my pics! I know there's a lot!
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      11-08-2009, 12:25 PM   #2
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I also plan on powdercoating the stock front support braces an aluminum color to match the added strut brace,

Or,

powdercoat the aluminum brace flat black to match the support braces,
Not sure yet,
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      11-08-2009, 12:53 PM   #3
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Who did you get the front strut brace through?
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      11-08-2009, 01:47 PM   #4
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Quote:
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Who did you get the front strut brace through?
Its from BMW, the OEM one
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      11-08-2009, 02:19 PM   #5
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      11-08-2009, 05:28 PM   #6
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Thanks!
Really pleased how the came out
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      11-08-2009, 09:02 PM   #7
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The grilles look good, not sure if I like them better than all black but definitely better than chrome. If you still have some paint left you should do your washer nozzles. I hate those two black plastic warts on top of the hood.
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      11-08-2009, 09:18 PM   #8
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Starscream, I like what you did with the kidney grills, it really matches the overall M front end look where only the openings are black.

Good Work!

I have the OEM Strut Brace, may I ask you what the metal disks were from that you capped off the strut top with... if you know? I would like to cover my opening as well.

Thanks...
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      11-08-2009, 09:34 PM   #9
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Love the color match on the kidney grill...Do you have the part number for this or info...thanks


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      11-09-2009, 04:14 PM   #10
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Car and kidneys look great, Starscream! I like how you improvised with the top of the strut.

Quick question: did you feel a difference once you installed the strut brace? I'm trying to decide whether or not it's worth picking one up. Thanks!
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Legal Disclaimer: Anything I or anyone else says about my vehicle on this website(1addicts.com or any affiliated or nonaffiliated sites), pertaining to modifications, is only to gain acceptance from my/our peers, and does not actually represent anything actually existing on my car, and thus, cannot be held against me in any issues, i.e. warranty claims, that may arise.
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      11-09-2009, 04:30 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 135forthewin View Post
Car and kidneys look great, Starscream! I like how you improvised with the top of the strut.

Quick question: did you feel a difference once you installed the strut brace? I'm trying to decide whether or not it's worth picking one up. Thanks!
Yes I feel it made a difference,
The front end is much flatter diving into a corner,
The car handles great as is, but this is just fine tweaking and worth doing considering the price,

Tischer has this exact one for $295 shipped to your door

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=4462
Tell Evan@Tischer I sent you
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      11-12-2009, 07:34 AM   #12
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Starscream, could I make a suggestion?

I would take that car in immediately to a body shop and take that ugly front license plate cover off and have them patch the holes. I have an Infiniti FX35 that had that stupid front license plate cover on. Took it to the local body shop and you can't even tell there was ever a license plate cover on it at all.

Thank God the dealership I bought my Z4M from didn't put the license plate cover on. I would have been irate. I think even having holes on the front of the car is better than a license plate cover.

Other than that, your Z4M looks fantastic. I would love to do the same thing you did with yours on my Alpine White but I don't have the time, talent or patience to do that.
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      11-12-2009, 08:51 AM   #13
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Yes I was mortified when I picked my car up to see the bracket attached after I requested it to be left off

The dealer "did" compensate with a nice gift certificate to the parts dept but still the plate is there,

I am actively looking for a mint Imola M bumper with no drill holes as a replacement but as you can imagine thats a golden egg in the Z4 world!

I think a trip to the body shop is in the cards to be honest, I HATE that front plate, ruins the front of the car
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      11-12-2009, 09:35 AM   #14
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You car looks great, I think the red trim on the grille is perfect to me it looks more OEM than the chrome especially on the M, its just a lot more sporty looking with the body color. Those metal discs you were able to find for the struts did you have to cut them?, and where could I get them.
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      11-17-2009, 06:22 PM   #15
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Quote:
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Those metal discs you were able to find for the struts did you have to cut them?, and where could I get them.
ZED4Mjjl, I didn't get a reply either... so after a bit of searching for Shock Tower covers I found some Black Thermoplastic covers on EBay. Surprised there is not more demand for something like this. I'm going to order them when I get home tongiht, anyway the link is below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-Sho...d=370246172625
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      11-17-2009, 06:49 PM   #16
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Your car looks good!
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      11-25-2009, 12:01 PM   #17
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Where did you get a rattle can of imola red? I'm assuming you just went the store and it just so happened to be called imola red?
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      11-25-2009, 12:12 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samjam927 View Post
Where did you get a rattle can of imola red? I'm assuming you just went the store and it just so happened to be called imola red?
No I had it mixed at a place that sells car paint,

Quote:
Originally Posted by ZED4Mjjl View Post
Those metal discs you were able to find for the struts did you have to cut them?, and where could I get them.
They were just 2 discs I found around the garage and happened to be the perfect size for the hole covers,

But that ebay link sure looks good too!
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      11-26-2009, 03:00 AM   #19
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Nice job on the grills, they came out great.
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      03-15-2011, 02:19 PM   #20
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Where exactly did you buy this paint and what brand of paint is it?

Do you know of any places near the Tappan Zee bridge where I can get some quality paint for painting body panels such as bumpers and side mirrors?

---M
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      03-15-2011, 03:07 PM   #21
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Looks great! +1 on where you get the paint.
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      03-16-2011, 07:18 AM   #22
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looks AMAZING! I want to do mine
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