'97 2WD to 95-97 4WD Grill and Headlight Swap (SOLVED)

Is it possible? Has it been done?

Here's the front-end I have:



and here's the front-end I want to swap in:


I'm not concerned about the valance. I'll keep the '97 2WD valance, it looks similar enough.

Will I need to add any new holes to accommodate the 6x7 sealed headlamp housings? Will I need to purchase some new adjustment screw mounts and retainer springs, as well?

If anyone has any experience with this, your help is greatly appreciated.

 

the front end you wana swap picture is the 2wd version. either way its same process. its possible but youl need a few small things.

theres a couple write ups on here somewhere

 

Odd. I have the truck up top and it's a '97 RWD. Someone told me that all of the '97 RWDs only came with the headlights and grill pictured in the first picture on the grey/light-bluish Taco.

I thought the second pic (of the navy blue taco) was of a 95-97 4WD grill.

I searched and searched but couldn't find any build threads. Thanks for weighing in.

 

Outta curiosity, what's the manufactured date on the door jamb tag?

 

Let me run outside and check.

 

thats 95-96 5lug front end.

 

09/96

 

@Madjik_Man should point you in the right direction.

heres his build. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/madjik-mans-laugh-at-with-him-build.98326/

 

Frickin' A. Thanks, dude.

 

Thanks man, didn't know the front clips were different between the 95-96 5 luggers and the same years' 6 luggers.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-end-swap-98-00-to-a-95-97.307810/

 

From my research, the grill clips are all there on my '97 5-lug RWD. I have a 95-96 grill sitting next to me that popped right into place. Headlights seem to be the biggest different.

 

F*ckin' A. Thanks, again.

 

I just took the front end off a 97 4x4 4cyl at a junkyard to do another conversion as those are my favorite grill/light on a 1st gen. I thought ony 95-97 4x4's had that front grill with the v6's getting the chrome and 4cyl getting the argent colored paint.But clearly that 5 lug in your second pic has it so ???

The headlights are 5x7 H4's not 6x7 and don't use sealed beam as IPF http://store.arbusa.com/IPF-H4-Rectangular-Headlight-Insert-820H-P3634.aspx and Hella to name a few make great non sealed headlamps with modern optics. Literally night and day better then other 1st gen lights.

97 in junk yard and the one I already did with IPF's on my 00

 

Your junk yard is like...twice as good my local yard, just from looking at that pic.

 

headlights are 7x6, or 200mm, or h6054

well i guess some measure them 7x5. I believe theyre technically 8x5.5"

 

Danny's pick and pull...lol $20 for the grill and all the headlight parts and there are a lot of small parts involved as I bought them new for my green truck.
These from the junkyard are going on another truck.

2 headlight buckets
4 adjusters
2 trim rings
8 trim ring screws
4 springs
8 nylon spacers for the headlight bucket to sit on against the core support.

The core support where the headlights sit for these are completely different so I bought left and right core support repair panels for a 95-97 4x4 on mine. Tried to do it like that write up but they sat in too far and weren't stable.

 

Your right as ARB gives their measurements(8"x5.5"x5"deep)

These are the H4's I used and they fit perfect in the buckets and trim rings. Recommended in several forums. I didn't measure them ,Amazon where I bought them wrongly calls them 7 ".

ARB (820H IPF 7" Rectangular H4 Headlamp Insert

https://www.amazon.com/ARB-820H-Rec...e&ie=UTF8&qid=1489893289&sr=1-1&keywords=820h

cheaper here and shows what they fit http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/ipf-h4-rectangular-headlamp-insert-820h.html

 

How's the light output? Similar to factory, or would I notice an improvement?

 

I never had the factory 97 sealed beams to compare them to. I had 2000 headlights and bought 2 different aftermarket plastic lenses from Rock Auto and Amazon. One the adjuster broke the first time I used it and had bad ,spotty light output anyway and the other ones just had bad unfocused light output.

Couldn't hardly see at night and I live in the country with deer everywhere . That's when I decided to research the best lights for 1st gens without going to HID retrofits which I personally don't like the look of in a big squarish plastic lens. After reading,that's when I decided to switch the front end over to 95-97 4x4 with the glass rectangular lens. So..... compared to what 00's I had they are night and day with a actual nice wide output with cutoff and great light output. Bottom line is I can see now , happy and have slowed after seeing many deer along the road that I wouldn't have even seen before.

Like I mentioned before ,next time I am (I'm building another Taco with 97 front)probably going to get Hella E -codes as they get great reviews and cutoffs also and something to compare the IPF's to.