Attention Grille Swappers

Finished painting and swapping out the honeycomb pro insert from MC auto parts today. I painted the honeycomb itself body color and the TOYOTA bronze.

 

Looks Awesome. Great job!

 

Looks killer... Well done.

 

This is exactly what I want to do to my SR5. Thanks.

 

I’ve been looking for a painted surround to fit truck but can’t find any for the 202 Black color code. Anyone have any links or suggested vendors that might carry it?

 

Looks great

 

I plan on painting the "TOYOTA" name. Did you take it off prior to painting?

 

I put vinyl on my Tacoma and it turned out great!

 

Anyone have any knowledge or purchase experience with a company callled Ninte? I found a black grill and bulge through them but not much feedback on the company. www.nintestore.com

 

The center grill insert from MC Auto has the entire “TOYOTA” part assembled but separate from the honeycomb grill. I was hoping the letters would be separate so I could just spray them separate from the black plastic backing they are on. Instead I had to tape off every individual letter. Prep is key so I took my time and it took about 2 hours to tape off all the letters. Still a little overspray on the black plastic part but that was removed with toothpicks and rubbing alcohol. I’ll try to dig up some pictures soon.

 

Don’t mind the filthy garage
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any guidance on removal? I've seen or found a video or two. To chrome delete around my grill which I want to keep and the hood piece going to remove, sand with the grit for plastic painting thats suggested and then paint matte black/automotive heat paint to go with the rest of my trim.

 

Yeah, make sure the plastic is warm and take your time (left my truck inside overnight since it was 20 degrees out)
I took the four outside screws out and worked my way from the outside to middle with a flathead and needlenose. The hood bulge was a few screws (i think 10mm?) and popped right off

theres prob a ‘proper’ way but mine worked so whatevs.

 

Awesome !!! thanks for the info, makes me feel a lot better to see how it's been done before. I don't even have 200 miles on my truck yet as i side hustle with uber and everything I need is literally in a 3 mile radius to my home so miles on my new baby will be slow going till I hit the road on trips but even then i'm guessing maybe 10k-15k miles a year if even that so she's gonna be a very long term investment

 

Just take your time with the tabs. I starting losing patience towards the end and broke 2 of them that are in the middle.

 

those gold letters look sick

 

Thanks. My Method 701s in ‘bronze’ are much lighter in person than I expected. They’re definitely more of a gold. I decided to try to match the ‘TOYOTA’ as close as possible to tie the truck together more. ‘Metallic Champagne Bronze’ by Rustoleum is the color I found locally that was the closest match.

 

I may have a pro insert. It’s the one without the radar but it’s OEM... sitting in the garage... more than happy to part with it at a decent price, just PM me.

 

Did you have to do any prep to paint the honeycomb? I want to change mine from charcoal gray to black.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/how-to-get-great-results-from-rattle-can-paint-tons-of-pics.51748/
This is the thread I used as guidance although I didn’t follow it completely. I will preface this by saying there are many angles on the honeycomb and it’s challenging to ensure all of them get hit evenly in this process. I also purchased the honeycomb insert only from MC Auto Parts- so I didn’t have to remove or prep for overspray on other parts of the truck.

Buy ample amounts of paint- you do NOT want to run out. I went with Duplicolor products for all but the clear coat. I painted both the front and back of my grill although the back got less attention and product. You can get away with one can of adhesion promoter and two cans of primer. The duplicolor color match cans are small so if you go that route for body color, get at least two or three. I purchased the 2k clear coat- also recommend two. It’s nasty stuff so make sure you have the right protection in place for your lungs if you get 2k. If you’re only painting the front, buy accordingly.

1) scuff honeycomb with scotch brite pad to take plastic sheen off.
2) clean with microfiber towel and isopropyl
3) use clean half or second microfiber towel and isopropyl to clean again.
4) set up to paint. If only painting front of grill you may get away with laying it on a table. If painting front and back, hang the piece- I used metal wire and hung between two ladders.
*Note* Again, be mindful of all the honeycomb angles during painting process
5) apply adhesion promoter according to instructions.
6) apply primer according to instructions.
7) apply body color paint according to instructions.
8) if you want, take time to inspect at different angles with flashlight before moving to clear coat.
9) apply clear coat according to instructions.

I applied all the coats consecutively according to instructions and did not stop after primer to wet sand. Not sure how that would have effected the finish. It takes several hours to get all your necessary coats in so be sure you have a healthy chunk of time to stay on top of it.

I ‘ran out’ of body color and clear because I only bought one can of each. I would have preferred another coat or two of both. I also didn’t check all the angles and ended up missing some of the bottom portions of honeycomb near the bottom of the grill. Learn from my mistakes!

Orrrrrrr pay a body shop to do it. That’s no fun though I’m really not sure if or how much I saved by doing it myself. I find painting to be enjoyable when done right. Instant gratification in visual results of the work being done.

 

Thanks for the info. I don't know why the SR5's come with gray inserts. It looks out of place with a black bumper and black hood bulge insert. The best part about trying it myself is that I can't mess it up.....I still have another one on my stock chrome grill.

 

Which grill do you have?

 

The black billet grille with the center emblem.

 

Sweet. I'm looking at the mesh one with the center emblem for the TSS. I need mesh so that I can put my Rigid pods behind it like I did on my 2013. No fitment issues with yours at all?

 

I would check the instructions of the model you are looking to pick up, you may have to irreversibly modify your old surround piece. I see the version I ordered now gives some warning about incompatibility with the camera system. I'm not sure what that is about since the only camera sensors I am aware of sit behind the windshield near the rear mirror location. I've had no issue with the front radar.

The grille is supposed to be supported at two points midway up the sides but this caused the grille to misalign with the surround portion (it pushed it out too far). One support broke on me so I snapped the other side off. It was a weak support to begin with so repairing it didn't seem worth it. Now instead of support at the top, bottom, and sides, the grille is only supported at the top and bottom. The missing side support isn't noticeable to me and lets the grille sit flush with the surround portion.

 

This one is the one that i am looking at. I'll call and ask about the camera issue. https://trexbillet.com/i-23909824-2...t-fit-vehicles-with-camera-pn-6719661-br.html

 

I'm not sure about the emblem. I didn't have an emblem but it looks like it is affixed to the mesh with four screws and washers (at 3:20):
https://youtu.be/vpoeZ4YBKNc?t=200

I have this version but in black:
https://youtu.be/xGy8r7SVQHc

Figure 17/18 is the part I think I broke off.

You can also consider fabricating your own insert if you don't want to relocate your lights. Custom Car Grills has a YT channel that walks through the process.

https://www.customcargrills.com/

 

TRD Pro

 

For those who may want to try to save the tabs they break…

https://youtu.be/44lih_dnhuo

 

Anyone know where I can get a flat black front logo that will fit the honeycomb grill? Working on a chrome delete and that glossy black and chrome logo is driving me nuts.