I recently got my hands on a red 08 chevy 1500. I am wanting to paint the I think ugly chrome portions of the bumper(s) black to match with a set of black rims. What would the best way to go about doing this ?

 

Car Quest or NAPA used to sell what was called a bumper trim paint that was semi-flat black. It came in a rattle can and was about $12 (10-12 years ago). It looked good. I think it was mostly formulated for the black side trim and plastic bumper trim you see on vehicles. I used it on aluminum that I scuffed with about 320 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. You may want to try a red or green pad (or whatever the automotive refinishing paint stores recommend) to scuff the chrome surface. Before you do that, clean off all the wax, road tar, bug juice, etc., with Prep Sol or lacquer thinner so you don't get fisheyes in your new paint. Clean it again before you apply the paint. Hope this works for you. Let us know the results, whether good or bad.