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Anyone changed appearance of grill? Maybe blacked out?


howardbc
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Hi. I was wondering if anyone has changed the appearance of their Fusion Energi's grill by maybe blacking it out somehow. If so, where did you have it done and can you post a photo?

 

I think the grill might look good if it were blacked out. I may not do anything but always like for my cars to look a little different. I asked the Ford sales person but she was not aware of any kits that Ford offers.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

Bobbie

 

 

 

 

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Hi. I was wondering if anyone has changed the appearance of their Fusion Energi's grill by maybe blacking it out somehow. If so, where did you have it done and can you post a photo?

 

I think the grill might look good if it were blacked out. I may not do anything but always like for my cars to look a little different. I asked the Ford sales person but she was not aware of any kits that Ford offers.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

Bobbie

You might consider a vinyl tape like 3M or Autosheild. I am pretty sure Autoshield makes a mask in carbon black. The kicker is they don't make kits for the grill but do have them for the bumper, hood, etc. Call Pepi at (561)367-0101, he seemed pretty willing to look outside the box when I spoke to him: http://www.autosupershield.com.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Speaking of the grill, I remember seeing in a video that the grill internals opened and closed based on need. Is this automatic or can it be configured manually?

Sorry if I am hijacking the thread ....

R

The active grill shutters close at 62mph to help aerodynamics. Ford engineers have hinted at firmware updates in the future to have them close in colder months at lower speeds to allow the engine (which may not always be running of course) to stay warmer and for longer. For now, they are simple active shutters for aerodynamics and there is no user input.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have thought about the same thing. My nephew tells me there is a flat black paint you can spray on made by PlastiDip. It is sort of rubberized. He put it on the rims of his Raptor, and it has held up great for two years. The neat thing is, you can remove the paint without paint removers. I understand it sort of balls up when you rub it. Will find out what it is called.

Can't wait to see a blacked out grill. Several people have told me it would look amazing.

 

My nephews message "Hey hewlett if you did want to black out the grill w/o painting it or want to see what it would look like you could plasti-dip it! I have have had it on my wheels for over 20k mi w/o issue. Its a company that makes rubber for tool handles. Normally its a can that you dip your tools into. Well now they have a spray version. Car guys have been using it for all sorts of things because you can peel it off like a sticker when your done! Not only will it look better but it will protect it as well! I dont know how hard it is to remove the grill but the whole process shouldnt take more than a couple hours. Just get it clean and spray away. There are plenty of videos on youtube... just search plasti dip"

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  • 6 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I haven't done it, but was going to suggest the same thing Hewlettk said, Plasti-Dip it matte black.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Plasti-Rubber-Coating-Spray/dp/B0096JO5O8/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1387322417&sr=1-6&keywords=plasti-dip+black

lots of good write ups using it on wheels, and entire cars. Great thing, if you dont like it anymore, you just peal it off. A friend did the cargo bike rack on his JCW Mini, looks great, you have to get within a few inches to see that its not flat paint. He did it as a trial to see if he liked the look, then was going to re-anodize the parts black, but so far its held up fine and hasnt had the need to change it yet.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi. I was wondering if anyone has changed the appearance of their Fusion Energi's grill by maybe blacking it out somehow. If so, where did you have it done and can you post a photo?

 

I think the grill might look good if it were blacked out. I may not do anything but always like for my cars to look a little different. I asked the Ford sales person but she was not aware of any kits that Ford offers.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

Bobbie

 

Looks like chancelperry blacked out his grill, you can see the pictures here:  http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/1498-installing-clear-bra-and-wrap/?p=9519

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  • 9 months later...

Plasti-dip works well.  My son is doing his Jetta logos with it now and I've helped.  We bought the aerosol matte black and masking tape at Lowes ($6 paint, $10 tape).

 

A google search on jetta logo blackout led me to a youtube video of a guy doing it.  The cool think we learned is that you actually WANT to leave a little strip around the logo because Plasti-dip sticks to the logo but not the paint.  Once it's dried, you de-mask and then pull on the parts around the logo and they lift right off.  Oh, and go with 3 coats because it makes the peel-off around the logo easier... too thin of a coat and it just breaks apart and you do wind up rubbing off the plastic overage.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I did the grille on the new car this morning. I decided to leave the surround chrome, since the foglamp bezels and lower grille also have chrome accents.


 


Before


 


image_zpshadmzv4w.jpg


 


Masking it off, I also pulled a garbage bag through the grille and blocked the radiator from being sprayed


 


image_zpsyzlgrrmd.jpg


 


image_zpsfblovwah.jpg


 


5 coats starting with a very light coat and applying heavier the next 4 roughly every 20-30 minutes


 


image_zpsoou3tbzq.jpg


 


image_zps2c0wxiyr.jpg


 


image_zpsoycsy0bl.jpg


 


image_zpsaddsleej.jpg


 


Finished


 


image_zps3bheo5vs.jpg

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The blacked-out grille looks awesome. Now, if I could just find someone or a reputable shop in the Phoenix area to do it for me.

 

It's really not bad.I would never attempt it if it were paint, however with this if you mess up, you could just peel it off. There is no prep necessary.. I just took some quick detailer and a towel and wiped it before spraying it.

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  • 5 months later...

Hi. I was wondering if anyone has changed the appearance of their Fusion Energi's grill by maybe blacking it out somehow. If so, where did you have it done and can you post a photo?

 

I think the grill might look good if it were blacked out. I may not do anything but always like for my cars to look a little different. I asked the Ford sales person but she was not aware of any kits that Ford offers.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

Bobbie

 

 

Hey Bobbie!

 

I read your post about changing the grill. Did you change it yet? Are you fairly good with arts/crafts? 

 If so you can easily do a vinyl wrap on the grill with a hair dryer,   a pair of scissors and a bit of patience. 

Heat gun is probably best but it can be done otherwise. I am fairly good with DIY projects myself who knows

I may end up doing a write up. There are so many choices for black if you want gloss, flat, carbon fiber. 

 

Example Video:

 

 

I think the plasti dip is an option as well.  Has anyone had issues of the plasti dip getting on other components? I would be afraid of getting the spray on the vents or other internal components. 

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