How about painted side rails? I used Rustoleum Textured Black spray paint. Gives it a little bit of grip on the sides.

http://www.rustoleum.com/Product.asp?ddf=197&frm_product_id=20&SBL=1

i like it !

very stealthy !

did you sand them before you painted them?

do you have a blk cingular model?

i like too, looks like rhino lining or something..(although i know its not poly)

very professionally done. I assume he would have had to sand it for the paint to stick. I myself might like something that has a bit more smooth finish though.

Should have done the whole thing. The gloss and the textured rails clash and look cheap.

I like that look...though its permanent.
I would like it if there was some customizable shells out for the 8800. I would like a red and silver or something cool like that and then I would be able to switch it out later if I wanted to go back to black.

None the less good job blulite it looks great.

I used 400-grit sand paper to rough the surface just a bit, then sprayed two coats. The textured paint is pretty forgiving, and looks really like an original piece.

Sweet. I would like to see some pics of this.

See the original post...

My bad… I was thinking a different name as I was reading the post. Sorry for the crap post.

Impressed. Very impressed.
How long did this whole endeavor take?
Did you take it apart or just use a whole bunch of tape?
What made you think to do this?

Kewl! Me like!!!! Awesome job and thanks for the photos!!

Blu - do you have instructions about how to safely remove the sides so we don't scratch up our 8800's?

Stac

Has this been the first official 8800 mod?

No worries.

How long?

- It takes about 10-30 minutes to remove the side rails. It's actually faster, but first time you are cautious as to not crack the plastic.

• Remove battery cover.
• Remove 4 T5 torx screws.
• Work your fingernail around the edge, you will see the rail pop off the unit. It takes a little time, but once you get a feel for it the rail pops pretty easy.
• Pull the silver control nobs back, and cover in tape (I used scotch tape).

- Sand the rails, 5 minutes, 400-grit paper. Just lightly, but scuff it up to accept the new paint.

- Paint, 10 minutes, two light coats, 3-5 minutes to dry in between.

- Wait 24 hours for paint to dry, then reassembly takes 2-3 minutes.

Shazam, this sure is close to the carbon-fiber rails I have yapped about. Looks pretty sweet.

I just emailed RIM and asked them if they sell replacement rails for the 8800 and how much they would be in case some of us try this and mess up or want to try and also understand the risk ($$) we are taking.

I would be interested in the response. If I go to sell the unit in a year for an upgrade, would like to sell it as stock.

Damn! carbon fiber rails would be the business, as long as its not ricey looking.

Blu, I have the cingular 8800 but mine is the dark blue with pearls in the paint. Wondering if black paint would go with that. what color is your 8800?

Sorry, I just can be without my BB for 24 or so hours. We you able to use the guts for email, etc while the rails were drying?

put the screws back in and yes.

looks good, I'm a bit disappointed in the quality of my 8800. The side rails are flimsy already and make crunching noises when you hold the phone with one hand. I talked to our cingular rep (the hospital has probably 1500 phones through them) and he told me they would swap it. But my question is this, can you tighten up the rails some how? I mean is there screws that hold on them or something? Just outta curiosity. I like the paint idea, but I wonder how long it would last before it got scratched up/etc.