1st mod done - CHROME BE GONE!

my TRD pro grill and hood trim came in from Sparks - wow - what a huge difference! It was very quick and easy to install. I have always hated the chrome look on these. Next up I need some new LED headlights and paint for the bumper caps.

 

Someone was going to do it

Congrats

 

If I decide to keep my truck this is the next mod.
Looks great!

 

Looks killer.. Well done

 

painted the bumper caps - what a massive difference. i didn’t really like the looks of the truck at all until i got rid of the chrome front and the stock wheels.

 

i am so glad i was able to change it up ! now all the chrome emblems have to go

 

Looks great! I just picked up my Tundra last night and this is the first thing on the list.

Just curious, what size wheels are on yours? Looks fantastic!

 

method 18x9 with +25 offset
tires are Falken AT3 295 70 18

 

how did you paint?

 

I work for a dealer group and we have a company that does used car reconditioning - they paint a lot of bumper covers etc

 

looks much better without the CHROME!

 

cool. I painted over plastic chrome. but didn't realize over metal chrome would take

 

I did the same thing other than the sport grille instead of the pro grille. Definitely changes the look of the truck!

 

we will see how long it lasts but i figured nothing to lose

 

i was told over the plastic chrome wouldn't work rither and mine looks great over a year. good luck hope it does. I actually plastidipped my bumper ends a year ago and that still looks great

 

I ordered paint from touchupdirect.com. You enter year, make and model, with color, and they send you the paint. Kit comes with primer and clear coat. Color is spot on. If there's any difference, I believe it may just be oxidation of the original paint. Picked up a used grill insert and painted the chrome surround and hood bulge. I'm thinking of using black plastidip on the chrome bumper caps. Parkerbows, glad to hear it's lasting. It's exactly what I'm doing probably next weekend.

 

this is my favorite mod. i only wanted a pro model for the front end so i bought an SR5 and im building it the way i like it

 

nice

 

Looks great!

Next to rims and tires this is the most dramatic change you can make to these.

 

The end caps look even newer than the plastic in the middle of the bumper. Looks good.

 

Finished. Not as glossy as the original paint, but ran out of clear. Probably have 3-4 coats of clear on it too. Color match is pretty damn good from a rattle can.

 

I really enjoyed swapping out my hood bulge and surround. I like the stock grille insert so I kept it as well but I did Plasti-dip part of it.

Also dipped the bumper caps and part of the black plastic fascia in between the bumper caps.

Oh and I gave all the dip several coats of rust oleum matte clear enamel to toughen up the dip so hopefully it will last even longer.

So far so good.

 

Looks like you did good work, congrats!

Personally, I don't get the chrome hate everyone seems to have here.
I like all mine very much.
Chrome is kinda like a sign of prestige, wealth, high quality, top model, it's about the bling factor, I guess.
Makes me feel fancier than I can afford to be.
Even though I am far far closer to poor than wealthy lol.
Old cars that had chrome were the bomb. Back when things were built to last.

I do however really like the Toyota lettering on the grill.

I would do my letters in white to match my truck and so they pop, but idk if I can part with my chrome grill for that.
I also know the white letters would not go well with keeping any chrome either.

Maybe someday lol.

Plus, I am kinda on a mission to eliminate black colored items in my life that are used outside a lot.
This is due to heat damage they get from the sun.

I sought out and paid more for my RC aircraft transmitter in blue as the industry standard is black and dark greys.
It sometimes sits out in the sun for hours when at the flying field, also gets hot in your hands while flying, it's just dumb imho.

I parked my black 98 4Runner for my white Tundra.
Heat has destroyed my 4Runner.
Power door locks don't work once too hot from sitting in the sun.
Dash is all dried up and cracked.
Even my hoses are dry rotting from the extra heat while at rest.
In summer it's like the truck is never off and does not really cool down because it stays hot unless its real cloudy and raining lol.
Heat also destroys everything electronic, or things that can dry out over time inside the vehicle, dash, steering wheel, seats, carpet, door panels, window trim, plastics get brittle over time from excessive heating and cooling leading to breakage.
My 4runner is about 145 degrees inside after spending time in the summer sun, that's with a chrome sunshield in the windshield.
Paint is so hot it literally burns you if you touch it.

My white Tundra is 2 degrees over ambient temperature outside.
Both the touching the body, and the interior.
I LOVE IT!

My life would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better in general if I had a garage.
I need to move very badly, but can't anytime soon, unless I leave my wife (maybe lol).

 

i like the light bar - which one is it ? easy to install?

 

Sadly, it's not a high end light bar. Got it off a friend for like $35 and I fabricated small brackets and mounted it to the steel bumper behind the plastic. I had to trim a significant amount of the plastic so that it was not blocked. But works great and throws enough light for what I use it for.

 

I think the fact it is plastic kills the whole chrome being fancy or classy. But thats just me

 

That is a valid point for sure.

Not sure why real chrome plating went away, I guess weight, and cost?

Either way I love some chrome, just not dumb or gaudy/tacky implementations

 

Yup. I was so pissed after I brought a new Ram truck and realized my rims were chrome clad

 

I was shocked at how flimsy the chrome was. some of mine was even bubbled a little