Hi guys,

I have a black 2007 Nissan 350z and am refinishing the front bumper. My question is do I sand the unpainted plastic grill in the middle of it and paint it or leave it the way it is and mask it out? Has anyone had experience with painting it? Just worried about how the paint will stick to it.

Thanks

 

I vote masking it off and leaving it how it is. I've seen bumpers that have been resprayed with the grill matching the body and it just looks weird or cheap in my opinion.

 

I agree with leaving it the way is, but since you have a black z it probably isn't as important as someone with a lighter colored car.

 

i don't think anyone's ever painted that. just leave it alone.

 

I'd leave it the way it is.
It is highly possible that a previous owner used s protectorant on the grille blades.
They are a bit porous.To paint e'm without a thorough cleaning,you are gonna have a mess.The center grille on the Z is a tad boring.Not many options to mod.The blades are not removable unless you cut e'm out.When I installed a CF lip,I decided to tackle doing the grille blades in CF to match.I did overlays of .5mm CF.The project seemed simple but it was not.Templates were cut for each blade.There is more of a curve than what you see.At any rate,the blades perfectly match the twill pattern of the lip.It looks great.IMO,was worth the effort as I believe nobody else has done this to their Z.
Its the details that makes your car unique.

 

IMO leave the center blades alone. I personally like the gray-black color of the center blades on the 06+ front bumpers. I think they would look cheap if they were color-matched to the rest of the bumper. Goes well with a carbon fiber front lip in case you ever go that direction. (see any of SuperBlack350z 's photos for 1000 words-worth of why you should not paint the center blades).

EDIT: Here's why: