What can I use to make the grill and bumper areas look new again? They are very weathered. A mechanic suggested mineral spirits, but I wanted to see if any of you had any experience.

bumpers, simple as a heat gun. Just take your time and start out about 10 inches away to get the feel of it, you can melt them if you hold it too close or for too long. Check youtube, you can see vids of it being done, i did it to mine, made them look new. wont work for the grill though.

I covered mine with bed liner.

I just bought mine a little over a week ago. One of the first things I did was paint the grill. The previous owner was using armor all or something and the grill was badly stained. A little very fine sandpaper and some spray roll bar paint.....




You could do something simular to the bumper too. Prep is the key. They make special paint for plastic bumpers and trim. You may need to make a trip to an automotive paint/body store to find.........

j - the others are right. A heat gun to the bumper (if needed) and paint the grill. You didn't say what year your truck is so I don't know how old it is, but it's a common complaint about these trucks, especially the 1st Gen's that the grill in particular fades and looks bad. I painted mine a some time back and it still looks new. I also did the wheel well trim while I was at it (they just unscrew and take the same paint as the grill)...

The only issue with painting the grill is removal and prepping it first. The removal is pretty straightforward. Turn the screws to release the pins and it pops off. Putting it back on though is different. REMOVE the connectors from the truck (they are left on the truck when the grill is removed), put them ON the grill and the grill then just snaps back in place. I did a write-up a while back when I did mine. Try searching for it if you'd like more details.

-G

A friend of mine had her mom back into my car in the driveway. Grill looks good as new!

Cool idea! Next time I want to "renew" my grill, I'll have someond back up in to my truck. Maybe, I should have them back up into my wifes Saturn. That way, she gets the ding and I get a good looking grill!



-G