NEW 2ND GEN GRILLE???

I actually like how the grille is separate from the surround, cleaner look to it. I “may” jump in.

 

How did you go about painting your grille? I color match spray-painted my factory honeycomb grille (used several coats of spray paint clear coat on top) and within a few months the paint was chipping already.

 

was your oem grill chrome? if so did you remove the chrome film?

 

Yes, it's OEM. I sanded the chrome off before painting. Several coats of color match spray paint, several coats of clear coat spray paint. I'll go get a pic.

 

hmm, well here are the steps i took:
1. sanded 400,600,1000grit then wet sanded 2000grit cleaned with non scented dawn soap then whipped down with acetone to remove any grease from touching it.
2. primered 2coats then wet sanded 2000 grit cleaned with soap then again whipped down with acetone (very light do not soak or it might rub of paint)
3. painted with color match paint 3 coats let dry for a day wet sanded with 2000grit again cleaned and whipped with acetone
4. sprayed 3 coats of clear wet sanded 2000grit cleaned then buffed it out and done.

you need to make sure anytime you are going to paint a surface that you do not touch the surface you will be painting after you whip down with acetone. i was once told if you touch a surface with a finger tip now 6in around it is supposedly contaminated with grease from skin which can affect paint adhesiveness. whether this is true or not idk but i have always followed that when painting and it hasn't failed me yet cause i too before use to have the same problem with paint chipping. hope this helps. its a long process but worth it.

tip: when wet sanding any layer with the 2000grit be careful not to go to crazy as you can easily sand off the paint especially on sharp edges. i use a very quick and soft hand and i do not concentrate on corners or sharp edges much.

 

If you take this little clips out of the lower headlight bracket, the lower grille tabs snap in.

 

Well that explains why my paint is chipping.

 

That looks like it should have been made in the first place.

 

I could potentially be interested.

 

If they made a plain 12-15 grill like the 05-11 grill I'd probably go for it but for now I'm planning a satoshi mod using 1"x 5/8" hex abs. I don't want the raptor lights.

 

Here it is all pretty and lit up. I think it really makes my Taco look newer than it is.

And thanks 08BajaBoy, The tabs fit much better now.

 

Anyone know where to buy the letters separately? I bought one of these from Ebay and assumed the letters were included. Turns out I selected the one seller that only sells the grill with no letters. The ad didn't say they were included but it also didn't say they weren't. I know, buyer beware, my fault but I'm still going to flame the seller for not being clear about it.

 

Post his info so nobody else doesn’t get screwed over.

 

I just bought that grille not too long ago. It didn't fit very well but I made it fit using my own steal screws and washers. I think I bought it for like $100 on Ebay. The plastic fasteners it came with all popped off/broke after hitting a few bumps. NGL the whole thing is made of cheap plastic but still looks good from afar. If you don't mind adjusting it every so often it works. Keep your original grill just in case I wish I did-- I sell everything that comes off my taco to help me pay for more mods $$$.

 

I bought mine off of EBay and it said “with Letters.” Is there any way to return it? I tried looking for you, but all I could find were decals that go over the real grille to change the letter color.

 

I agree that it looks great from afar, but could look cheap up close. I think it probably stands out more with your truck, but at least my truck is black.

I bought my truck used and it already had an aftermarket chain link grille (Chinese, of the same cut and quality), but I would love to get my hands on an OEM grille as well. I think it has a nice clean look.

 

I agree with what you are doing. The center bar being outside of the grille and harder to paint is whats stopping me from buying this grille in the first place. Keep us updated on how this is going, ill most likely be interested once this comes to light

 

I would have bought your version of the grill most likely. I ended up going factory sport because of the center bar, and not being able to remove the shell to get a quality paint job on it. I’d be interested to see a finished product for sure.

*edit-if you could get an insert made that way for a factory grill shell, I bet they would be even more popular.

 

Does the 05-11 grills come apart like the 12+?

 

Not exactly but it can come apart, it’s more of a pain but with the right options it could be done just like the mesh (rigid) style.