What is the patina of the hood insert when new?

[arcobarco]

I have pulled the hood inserts off of the VX's and I want to paint them so that they are not faded.
What was the stock sheen for the black paint (Matte, or Satin)?
I want to take it back to the stock look and I'm not ready to go with any hood scoop or alteration yet.
Thanks for you help regarding this.
Jerry

[Scott Larson]

It's more of a semi-gloss, that's why they don't show scuff marks and car wax doesn't wreck the finish. If it were a flat or matte finish you wouldn't get away with it. WD40 does a great job of restoring the finish, just rub it in and wipe it off...Done!

[tom4bren]

They are supposed to be 'not shiney' so that sun reflections off of the hood don't blind the driver.

Too bad you're constraining yourself to OEM, LineX looks great on the hood insert.

[Scott Larson]

That is an awesome look Tom...

[tom4bren]

Thx.

Woulda looked even better if I'd cleaned off the bird splat first tho.

[arcobarco]

I am glad you clarified the birds splat part. I was afraid you were recommending I get me some of those. Lol
not to worry. The day will come I'm just not ready to make a decision on what hood treatment I want to have.

[H3_VX]

According to the window stickers, its matte.

[Triathlete]

I so wanted to post a link to the "discussion" on what color the hood insert is but alas I could not find it
Someone help me out!

[Scott Larson]

Now Billy, this thread isn't about the color, it's about the "patina"...Can ya see yerself in it? Can ya file yer fingernails on it? Does it look like a non-stick Teflon pan? Ya know the drill...

[Scott Larson]

According to the window stickers, its matte.

According to my ex-fiance, her brothers name was Mat, but I called him somethin' quite different...

[RickOKC]

Hi Jerry,

Factory finish? I don't know - I'm too new to all this.

I used a plain-Jane automotive trim paint that I bought from Ace Hardware (Rustoleum?) to repaint mine and I'd describe it as a "satin" finish. To me it is a close match to the vinyl racing stripes that new car manufacturers use (think Mustang & Camaro.) It's textured, dark and and looks very natural with the cladding color/texture.

I stink at painting so mine is a bit blotchy and inconsistent texture-wise, but hey, it was from a rattle can and my first attempt. Still, I have received quite a few nice compliments and I'm always my own worst critic.

Admittedly, lately, I have noticed that I now have a shiny spot where I scrubbed of a big ol' bird doody...

--Rick

[LittleBeast]

I don't like the look of LineX at all, sorry guys :-(

I would say that it is in-between matte and satin depending on what age, condition, and treatment of the insert. New at the factory I would say that they were satin from what I remember and the color either perfectly matched or was even just a little bit lighter than the cladding. But remember the cladding in most cases is lighter now than it was new. I would just study some stock photos and videos from new VX's when they were still being sold at the dealers. Good luck!

[tom4bren]

I don't like the look of LineX at all, sorry guys :-(

Yah ... well ... your red axles make your VX look like it has an STD.

Just kidding!!!

[H3_VX]

If you look close enough under the "exterior" section you will see that it says "matte black hood insert."

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...p;fr=yfp-t-900

[arcobarco]

Wish I could change this thread name to bird splat/doodle, and vehicular STD's. lol that's way mor interesting.
I'll post picks when done. (Of the painted hood insert, not the other stuff)