Front grill replacement

Hey Tundra fans. I'm looking to replace my chrome grill and hood piece for a matching matte black assembly to match the TSS black badging on my 2019 Tundra CrewMax. Where do I find matching pieces for a reasonable cost? Any tips on installing the grill? Thanks...and sorry if this topic has been previously posted.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/ultimate-oem-toyota-parts-thread-for-2nd-gens-2007-21.10707/

Here ya go.

 

There are many threads about this and look at Cool Springs OEM parts here. Also Sparks Parts.

https://www.tundras.com/forums/toyota-of-cool-springs-parts.87/

 

I ended up just plasti-dipping the hood bulge and grille. Cost me $6.00

 

Looks nice! I dipped some parts of mine and really like how it came out. Only thing I did different is after using the dip I then sprayed several coats of rust oleum clear matte enamel just to help toughen/protect the dip. Figured I’d add a little extra strength since the front of the truck does get hit with all sorts of debris.

 

I thought about adding a clear coat as well for durability but I wanted to make sure it matched my OEM matte black bumper (around the license plate) and badges. If it chips too easily I may consider buying a Magnetic Grey Metallic matching hood bulge.

 

normagene, How's the plastidip with clear enamel holding up? Thinking of taming some of my chrome. Maybe starting with the grill, then maybe bumpers depending on results. Probably not a permanent fix, but for the cost, may be worth exploring.

 

If you get the color matched hood bulge you’ll need to get the color matching surround as well. Unfortunately they do NOT sell just the surround alone.

Cheapest way I found was to get the Ol Style Pro Grille color matched and hood bulge. My dealership parts manager priced matched the lowest price I could find. Still wasn’t cheap but I sold the Ol Style Pro Grille insert and kept my stock Limited insert. Just a quick swap although I did dip parts of the stock insert. Plus dipped part of the black plastic fascia, the part where the front license plate mounts, and the bumper caps.

 

Holding up Great. So far no issues/chips. I think the clear matte enamel has helped. I dipped the sorta chrome looking parts of my stock grille insert and I really like how it came out.

Plus I did the running boards and all the badge overlays. I didn’t like how lite colored the stainless steel steps looked and now I think it’s way better looking. Also dipped a few things inside the cab.

 

Thanks for the response Normagene! Great Work! What exact color is your grill/end caps, Gunmetal Grey?

 

I tried out the gunmetal but for me it was too bluish in color. So I had some Anthracite Gray from years earlier leftover from another project. I had ordered it from Dipyourcar.com. It’s much more expense like $15 a can so I use black for the first 5-6 coats then just maybe like 3-4 coats of the gray. Two cans did everything.

Below is the gunmetal gray I tried on the steps……but I just didn’t really care for the bluish gray color.

You can see the difference between the steps and the anthracite gray on the badge overlays.

 

Thinking about attempting to copy your masking and dipping job. I already have a body matching surround and the platinum grill is the only chrome on the exterior. Did you do anything to prime or prep the chrome areas prior to the dip application? Will definately follow up with matte clear if I follow through with it. Thanks in advance!

 

No prep really, it was clean and no wax/polish, so it was just several coats of black Plasti Dip then the gray and after an hour or so 3-4 coats of clear.

If I had wax/polish on it I’d a probably used a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water just to give it a good wipe/cleaning.

Taping everything up takes awhile but once done it’s just coat after coat. If it’s warm and sunny a coat every 10-15 minutes works fine.

Best tip I can give is after each coat of dip, turn the spray can upside down and spray a second or two until it’s just air. Otherwise you could end up clogging up the can. Also make sure the nozzle stays clean. Sometimes it clumps/builds up and then the spray gets spotty/lumpy.

The more you cover up everything the less chance of any overspray. Don’t try it on a windy day!

 

Oh forgot to say since you already have the color matched hood bulge and surround, there’s plenty of YouTube videos on how to remove the grille.

It’s pretty simple but separating the grille insert from the surround can be tricky. Think it’s like 4 screws and a dozen plus tabs. Once out it will be easy to mask up the grille insert. Much easier than trying to dip it while it’s on the truck for sure.

 

Great info normajean!

I have used the Anthracite PD on my bumper ends and it has worked fine for the 4 years I’ve had the truck. It’s a nearly perfect match for MGM. I have used 5-6 coats of PD followed by 4-5 coats of their glossifier. It does wind up being tough, and I’ve only had to powerwash the PD off and reapply it once when it got some really bad nicks in it from rocks.

The glossifier does add shine, but the finish still feels slightly rubbery. Does the Rusto clear leave a more paint-like finish?

 

If you take anything apart, don’t do it when it’s cold, the plastic get brittle, you’ll likely break one of the tabs.

I swapped out my chrome grill for the Heritage TRD Pro grill, love it.

 

I did the Toyota grille and hood bulge shown in post #8 a few months ago. Everything was a piece of cake, very simple, EXCEPT for the two plastic tabs on the lower corners of the grille. Those are supposed to be pushed up slightly so they'll release, but you can't get your hands in there to do it. Inevitably, mine broke taking the old grille out. The new grille had one tab broken right out of the box, and the second one snapped during installation. Very annoying.

Thankfully there are several plastic rivets that hold the grille at the bottom and at the top, so it's still secure.

 

The Rust Oleum matte clear that I used does feel dry and slick. The only place/issue is on my old shifter knob from my last Tundra that I had swapped out. I had kept it and it’s pretty much identical to my stock shifter except it’s All Black. The black is like a rubber so I dipped part of it and that part does have like a stickiness.

Not sure why but most likely it’s the black rubber coating. I was thinking of maybe dipping the stock one the same way since it looks like the part I’d dip is a hard plastic so the dip should bond much better and leave it with a dry and smooth feel.

Below is the stock and my old stock shifter.

Old shifter prepped and then installed.