Headlights: Removing Black Paint (1 Viewer)

[euclid537]

A previous owner painted the chrome headlight surrounds black. Common, I know. It looks like the chrome underneath is still in decent condition.
Any suggestions for how to remove the black paint whilst causing as little damage as possible to the chrome?

 

[SteveH]

Test some smaller, less obvious areas first....

Start with lacquer thinner, then try Goof Off. Acetone is pretty hard on plastics. Chlorinated brake cleaner (or the newer non-Chlorinated) should work well, too, and be ok on the chrome. I might try Goof Off last, since it's a combination of solvents and can really go after plastics. The less time you can leave any solvents on the grille parts, the better, so work quickly.

You hope they used a cheap spray bomb paint, prepped it poorly, and that the sun has attacked it for a few years and if so, it will come off quickly.