Grill swap

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience with the surprisingly easy swap of swapping a 2001-04 grill style onto my 1999 Toyota Tacoma. Although it might sound like a daunting task, the entire project was actually quite straightforward and didn't require a lot of technical expertise.

The first step was building a retrofit headlight with a custom wiring harness. The process was relatively simple and only required basic electrical skills. This involved cutting and splicing wires, and then wrapping them in a cushioned wiring harness to protect them from wear and tear. Once the harness was complete, I was able to install the new headlights without any issues.

Next, I swapped out the hood to fit the new grill style. The shape of the new grill was slightly different than the old one, so I needed to use a hood from a 2001-2004 model to get it to fit properly. I was able to find a used hood at a salvage yard and it fit perfectly.

I also installed a new hood latch to work with the new hood. This involved removing the old latch and installing the new one, but the process was straightforward and didn't require any major modifications.

Finally, I had to drill out some old headlight brackets and cut the new ones to fit properly. This was a bit more time-consuming, but it wasn't difficult and didn't require any special tools.

Overall, I was surprised by how easy this swap was and I'm thrilled with the end result. I'm really happy with the results. The new grill looks fantastic on my truck and gives it a much more modern, aggressive look. If you're considering a similar swap, I would definitely recommend it!

 

Looking good!

 

Hey what headlights did you use? I’m super interested in this swap and your post motivates me to do it!
If you have any more extra info on it let me know!

 

I got the headlights and corner lights off eBay here is the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/185795056139
Here are the other items I had to buy
hood Latch :https://www.ebay.com/itm/350735969053
Hood: junk yard
Filler panels: junk yard
2 Headlight brackets:
53804-35020 Fender Bracket
53803-35010 Fender Bracket
Grill: offer up

 

That looks great. The 99 turn signals and bumpers really looks good with that style of grille. Any plans to paint or wrap the hood?

 

Here is a updated picture as of Nov 2023
Hood is painted, color is a little off unfortunately

 

Looks Awesome!!!

if I may, how much did hood set u back?

just the part…..not paint costs

 

$300

 

Crap I wish it cost me $300 for the front clip swap… $500 for the hood, $100 per fender, dozens of hours of body work, $1,900 paint… and now I want to splice in a 2020 grill after seeing someone else with one

 

That looks awesome! Very COOL!!!

 

Don't. 3rd or 2nd gen anything on a 1st gen is a disgrace to the best gen.

 

That looks really nice!

 

99-00 front ends are the best front ends....you know you regret it! lol

 

Hello. Your truck looks great and I had a question about your process. I currently have my front end taken apart and I’m confused on what you had to do regarding the “drilling old headlight brackets out” that you mentioned. Later on you send the link to some fender brackets. Can you elaborate what you had to do on this step? thanks you

 

Agreed, this combo looks great.

Anybody know anything about replacing a 01-04 bumper with a 99-00 one? I'm tempted to make my 2004 look like this..

 

It does look really good the the 99-00 bumper.

 

From what I remember, I had to drill out the spot welds that held that bracket for the headlights in place. The new headlight mount is designed differently, so you don’t need the old bracket. The new fender brackets needed a little trimming at the ends to fit the front end properly and are now used to mount the new style headlights.

 

Maybe I’m biased, but the 99’ front end looks better

 

To each their own, but doesn’t seem worth it to me to dump money into something that isn’t an actual upgrade other than subjective opinion of what looks better. That money is better spent elsewhere