FS: 3rd Gen 2016-20 (W/ TSS Bracket) Tacoma Grill Mesh - New Hood, Headlight, Fog Light Pieces too!

Just about to push an order over but before I do... anyone have a light bar mounted behind one of these grills? Trying to get a sense how it'll look. Went back 12 pages, no luck... Thanks!

 

I'm sure one exists, but I looked through a couple hundred pics and didn't find on for the 2016-17. I've got gobs of pics of the light bar in the lower opening though.

For a behind the mesh light bar install, this is the closest I have for you:

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ADFaCXecfF8

This video shows it

 

Thanks, man.

 

Just put up the pre-order for our 2018 grills coming out soon.

https://www.customcargrills.com/Custom-Toyota-Tacoma-2018-Grills.asp

We're midway through production. The sensor windows, and mesh pieces are made. We've got plenty of bezels in stock and ready to go. Currently waiting on laser cutting for the brackets and then forming and powder coat. The current estimated shipping estimate of the first completed production units is late June, though that could change to be sooner or later.

This TSS sensor bracket has been tested by a few TW members (some with 1000's miles on it, and some have been used for over a month). The system works currently is showing no signs of issues.

The mesh is aluminum, the TSS brackets and hardware is stainless steel. The bezels are still the same OEM pieces we've been using. None of this is going to rust out.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Will update thread as more info on the finished pieces becomes available.

Install Video:



Mesh + Bezel: Starting at $349 (Free shipping within contiguous 48 states with coupon code on site)




Mesh + Bezel + Emblem: Starting at $399.99 (Free shipping within contiguous 48 states)




Mesh + Bezel + Letter Plate: Starting at $424.99 (Free shipping within contiguous 48 states)




Mesh + Bezel + TRD Plate: Starting at $399.99 (Free shipping within contiguous 48 states)

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Looks good. Any plans on a cover plate to make that radar look a little less noticeable? Or maybe print TRD on it or something?

 

A vinyl decal would be easy to add on to that area. Otherwise, what you see is the least intrusive design I could make given the way our grills work and how the sensor functions. I'm well aware that the sensor area is less than ideal for most owners, and I understand if this is a deal breaker for some. The number one priority was to make it actually function properly and hopefully hold up for years to come. From there, I took a minimalistic approach to keeping the face of it as basic as I could.

Back in March & April, I posted a new design that would have reduced the sensor window down drastically and blended it in much better but it got zero traction (and was actually negatively received outside of TW), so it was abandoned in favor for the design we had been successful with on the 2016-17's.

 

Is that the direct sensor in that hole? Might be cool to get a good thin piece of smoke plexi and etch TRD on it. Vinyl is probably gonna flake off over time.
Then again, the plexi is gonna get scratched to hell. Just thinking of some ideas to make that square cooler.

 

There's a 1/8" high strength polycarbonate plastic window in front of the sensor.

My install video goes into good detail about all the components and how it all assembles:

 

Ah. The TSS cover in your video is matte, but the ones on the site (customer photos) are glossy. Is it matched to the grill surround or something? I don't see an option to choose matte or glossy covers.

 

You are correct. The video does show a flat black window, whereas we are showing gloss black in the product and customer pictures.

On the very first original design, I had a clear 1/8" polycarb window that I smoked out with vinyl. It worked great with no problem, though the vinyl bubbled really bad. On later versions, we swapped to a 1/4" texture flat black HDPE plastic window. While that material did work for a couple owners, we ran into an issue with one truck in particular later on.

At the time that the video was made, we were using the 1/4" texture flat black HDPE plastic window because at the time it was working and this was the direction we were headed. After the video was made, and we became aware of the issue with the one owner and tried to troubleshoot the HDPE window with him, but it was apparent that the solution was to revert back to a 1/8" polycarb.

Unfortunately, I am unable to redo the video, so that one aspect in the video is going to be slightly different than what is shown in the product and customer pictures. The pictures we posted are an accurate depiction of the product, and the video is accurate with that one small exception. I'm not trying to pull a bait and switch, but I felt that a 99.9% accurate video was better than no video at all. If I could rewind time, and redo the video with a glossy window, I would do that.

The manufacturer of the polycarb only has a glossy black version available. I've experimented with 1000, 2000, & 3000 grit sanding to dull the gloss and while it does take the gloss down, we've had issues with getting a consistent finish on it. Overall, the gloss looks better than uneven sanding. We've tried to vinyl over them with flat black vinyl, and it eventually bubbles and looks terrible. Painting them isn't a good solution either. Soon, I'm going to try sand blasting them and see how that turns out.

In short, I feel that the product and customer pictures are accurate and I would base any purchasing decision on those pictures. It's possible that we'll eventually find a solution to properly dulling the gloss finish on the glossy window and offer that as an option (though trust me, it'll cause more confusion than anything). I'm open to suggestions on how to flat black out these windows that would be time & cost effective as well as have a lasting finish.

 

Another Color matched letter plate for a 2016-17. Again, this is the lettering style to expect for the 2018's instead of the individual letters.

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Another 2018 mockup

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A while back we had a request for a Seahawks themed build. Turned out pretty good.

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Hey, on this one: https://www.customcargrills.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Toy-Taco-18-MBE

Is it possible to make that Toyota emblem removable? I like a good clean grill but kinda like that logo. Would be awesome if it was removable if I want to go back to a clean look.

 

Yes-ish. The main limiting factor is the holes size in the slotted Perf SS mesh. I've made an adapter plate before for the emblem to attach to, and then attach the plate to the mesh. There's some adhesive behind the scenes, but it would be a true bolt on piece.

The issue I could foresee is that the hole size is so small in the mesh that the bolts that hold it all on would be too small for that surface area. We do use some really small bolts for our TRD emblems, but those are a much smaller and lighter piece where it's a more appropriate load for the bolts. To go to a larger bolt, then holes would need cut in the mesh to accommodate it.

I can't make any promises, but I'll see if I can make a couple prototypes soon and test a small bolt / no cutting solution. I've already got most of the work done, it's just a matter of lining the mesh and some holes up.

 

This is a different emblem, but mine is just bolted on to the mesh. I did have to file the slots on the mesh where the threaded portion goes through, but just a tiny bit that you can't even tell unless your face is 6 inches away.

Put some blue thread locker on and it hasn't budged driving through all sorts of weather and over some pretty harsh roads.

 

Matt, good visiting with you a couple weeks ago. You have a great set up and great product. I hit big rain on the way home that day. TSS and lane departure worked flawlessly. Also, I just got back in from a day long road trip. Hit rain a few times going across the Indiana toll way. TSS and lane departure still working fine on my 2018 OR. The system responds as expected with changes to the sensitivity settings. I have over 1500 miles on the grille since installation and I have no complaints. Again, I am super pleased with the performance and the looks.

 

Awesome products. Congrats! I've got this idea that mesh behind the stock 18 OR grill would look good, but I can't find it or figure it out. Got anything like that?

 

I forgot about this style emblem. That's a good catch. I know I have one around here somewhere, now I just need to find it.

Cutting the mesh to fit shouldn't be a problem. To attach it though, I'll need to look deeper into it. I have a 18 OR grill here, so I'll see what I can do.