Fixed my cracked grille surround

Not that I have a 3rd gen, but I was wondering if there was a way to use some rubber grommet/sleeve when mounting the BAMF grill? Seems as it a little play might allow for different rates of expansion between the two materials without cracking the plastic. Today inquiring minds want to know...

 

and maybe using nylon locknuts so they do not have to be too tight.

 

Those things might work. Possibly reaming out the holes that the bolts go through so there's a little bit of room. I know that the bolts that I put in were not very tight and they do come with locking nuts. If I had it to do all over again when I was originally installing it I would have done some things like those suggested possibly grinding a little more tolerance around the edges of the grille and expanding the holes that the bolts go through a little bit to provide for some room for expansion and contraction of the grille surround. But, I decided to go with a Pro grille since you can get them pretty cheap right now. I am just going to sell the BAMF grille sometime later. There has to be a way to modify the surround so that this does not happen in the extreme frigid temperatures that sometimes we get in the winter time.

 

I'm near Mosquito Lake in Trumbull County and we get the same weather as you ( a BIT colder/snowier!!). I have thought about one of the metal grills, too, but instead bought a second SR5 grill that I hope to color match to body color and paint/plasti-dip the chrome surround black. If that doesn't work, I still have my original grill/surround.

I would think the makers of the metal grills would adapt their tolerances after reading these threads about the cracks......shouldn't be too hard to make the grills 1/8 - 1/4" smaller all the way around. They may lose customers (at least in the great white north) if they don't.

 

hmm I don't remember mine being that tight, maybe that is why mine never cracked. its not sunk in very much from the outer lip.

 

What is this part called? Im trying to find it through google but when i put grille surround im only given the black molding around the grille itself and not the body part

 

Good job.

 

From my research this piece can only be bought as a unit from Toyota already painted with the grille. I have not seen it forsale on its own. Anyone know where to buy this piece separately?

 

Nice work...