Nose Job for the Thrifty

Don't care much for chrome on a truck - checked out Toyota emblem on grill of my 2013 TRD and determined that chrome/plastic emblem can be removed in less than a minute (3 flexible prongs secure it- just pop the hood to gain access.) Emblem now in my desk.

 

Looks good.

 

Are you going to leave the emblem off? It looks unfinished with the mounting holes showing on such a nice truck.

 

You're right Ntilehman- but to me it looks better off than on- even with holes. Being within spitting distance of "oldfarthood", my eyesight has degraded somewhat so unless I'm washing the truck, I don't notice the holes- and I suspect 99% of the folks I pass on the road won't notice either - whereas the chrome jumps out at you- even from a distance. Having said that though, I'm considering painting the emblem black and re-installing it (also, have a friend who powder coats - I'm going to see if he can powder coat the plastic emblem). Best option would be for some enterprising TW forum member developing a cheap but tasteful replacement for the emblem - my guess is that they would sell - particularly if the center is available in a variety of configurations and colors to reflect the taste of the particular Taco owner.

 

Just sand off the chrome finish and paint it flat black to match the grill....? it would be way cheaper than powder coating and would hold up fine in that location, hell if you are worried about chipping matte clear-coat it...all of the painting would take you less time than it took you to remove it!

 

i would scuff and paint the emblem. that way it looks finished and you dont have chrome. win win.

 

I would color match or white.

 

Yea I was getting at the paint part of this.

 

I just plasti dipped mine. No sand or prep still looks great after 15k miles.

 

Definitely just plasti dip it. You already have the emblem off, go to home depot and buy a can for $6 and put 3-4 coats on it. Pop it back on and it will look great

 

Plasticdip the emblem, couple of coats dont need clearcoat or anything

 

There's a member on here that does custom badges. Look up MetalMiller

 

It looks like someone just teefed your emblem

 

Nice plates

 

To me it looks like someone stole your emblem.

Gotta paint it black and put it back on.

 

plasti-dipped and then a couple coats of garnet spray paint. If i decided to get rid of it, it'll just peel off

 

Thanks for all the tips guys - Home Depot and Plasti-Dip spray are on my "to do" list. I did review the Metal Miller link- he does nice work but for the prices he charges, I would only consider ordering from him if he could do a bull moose or Russian boar head (which I doubt).

 

Bounce the idea off him, I'm sure he would be able to figure out a way to make it work.

 

OP has been a member of TW since Nov of 2012, and has yet to hear about Derp.

 

I had some leftover spray can in black, so painted mine and put it back in.