What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

Alllllright. Well, my dumbass must've just missed that they did provide the screws for the letters so that was a nice surprise. My thoughts on the ProooAuto knock off TRD Pro grill. Worth it? Yes, totally! It looks fantistic IMO. Flawless? Far from it... ha ha. Things I had to do to get the grill to work:

- Two of the star bit screws from the original grill did not have holes drilled in the ProooAuto grill so I had to drill them out
- One main tab from the grill surround did not have a slot in the ProooAuto grill so I had to Dremel out a slot so it would fit through. I didn't do a good enough Dremel job to make it work as an actual tab but at least it went through
- The "T" on the grills screw hole wasn't drilled through so I had to drill it out to get the screw on
- One of the plastic push screws hole wasn't drilled through so I had to drill that out

Before:



After:



A little closer-up view of the grill itself:



* I adjusted the letters so they all look straight after I took the photo
** Don't mind my wifes dirty ass car she hasn't driven it in literally over two months since this stay-at-home stuff has started.

 

No need to justify, I'm a powder coater so I like seeing people get their stuff coated is all

 

Small thing, but installed a cheap front and rear dashcam for a bit of extra insurance. The rear one just clears my bed bars and basket.

 

Should've spent the money at a quality shop. I've had my bumper coated for 5 years and still looks brand new. It's all in the prep

 

Shitty powder coat jobs are just as common as shitty paint jobs, has nothing to do with the coating and everything to do with prep and application.

Edit: Not going to do the math but I paid $250 over 5 years ago and haven't had to spend a dime on touch ups so IMO it's well worth it

 

That mod is worth EVERY PENNY.

I got hit last year and it was 100% because of the dash cam footage I got my insurance settlement the same day I submitted it. No question at all the lady failed to yield and bashed into the rear driver's wheel and fender.

I feel naked without a dashcam now. Even if I have a rental, I have one of those rear view mirror types that I put in because people are fucking IDIOTS and I don't trust them.

I do need to get a rear mounted one, though. Would be nice to have one to use as a back up cam, actually.

 

Not like I chose a shitty shop on purpose. Looked online. Looked at reviews. Called around. I was new to town. Took a chance and it didn’t work.

 

Sorry Dude, I don't know what to tell you. It's a very popular mod. Mine is staying just fine. You can try cleaning the surface with alcohol before you attach the Velcro.

 

I hear ya, quality work is few and far between nowadays. As someone that takes pride in delivering the best quality possible it sucks seeing what I do get a bad rep because of someone else's neglect.

Judging by how severe it is, the coating will probably be flaking off in the next six months. I would definitely go back ASAP and see if they give a damn about their reputation and customers. If it was my shop we would chemical strip, sandblast, primer, and reshoot the top coat all for free because thats pretty unacceptable

 

Got quarantine bored so I had an extra grill emblem and blacked it out.

 

Rad truck!

 

Yikes, looks like a combination of, not sand blasted enough, or not heat treated long enough. Everything I've powdercoated myself looks new still. Besides my girlfriends lug nuts, but that's for obvious reasons.

 

Must be some joke to be had about powder coating your girlfriends lugnuts in there somewhere

I took them a newly made clean steel bumper. Don’t know what they did or didn’t do. Except fuck it up.

 

Thanks man! Diode Dynamics SS3 PRO’s, I love them, best money spent.

 

Not really a joke, but right after I powdercoated them, she got new tires, had a cab mount chop done, and a lift put on. Each time we had to take the tires off, and the lug nuts got slightly marked up

 

I was just being a smart ass. My powder coated lug nuts from SCS are rusted to hell. God I hate the Midwest.

 

In all your frustration, I hope you remember to take that rag out of your exhaust manifold...

 

Started relocating rear shocks to fit these 12in travel fox's

 

Holy gods that's some pricey CV actions. Pay for quality I guess

 

Thanks man. Gotta get one of those...hate that damn allen headed SOB