Black-out grill?

[RichardLee]

Black Grille/ Color-Keyed Emblem (finished)

I'm thinking about blacking-out the chrome grille on my 99 limited. It's the only piece of chrome on the vehicle and I'm thinking it would look nicer to have it black instead. I think it would match the bug deflector and tinted windows better.

Has anyone done this to their 3rd gen limited? I read something about vinyl tape working well, and it seems easier than painting... Any tips or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RichardLee]

Well, I just picked up some TrimBrite blackout tape from Pep Boys... I'm thinking about going ahead and doing this. I just checked online though and noticed you can just buy a fitting black one for around $60, which might be a good option because I will be able to hang onto the 'chrome' one just in case I decide to go back.

In any case, I looked closely at the grille and realized I'm not exactly sure how to remove it. It's cold out and I'd like to bring it inside to clean it up nice and apply the tape at room temperature. Can anyone fill me in on how to remove the grille on a 99 limited? Thanks in advance...

 

[haddix]

I took mine off back in the summer and sanded it down And painted it flat black. It's holding up well. There should just be a few metal clips that's holding the grille in.

 

[RichardLee]

I took mine off back in the summer and sanded it down And painted it flat black. It's holding up well. There should just be a few metal clips that's holding the grille in.

Thanks Haddix, any chance you have any pictures? I'd like to see how that turned out. I just tested out the tape, and it looks like it will be hard to keep the seams between the pieces from showing. Now I'm thinking painting it might be a better option.

Actually, while I'm at it, maybe I should just black out the whole rig?

 

[004Gunner]

I'm not a fan of the black out trend in general. I think it's difficult to get the right look and can be expensive to pull off. Idk how black would look on your's with the green but I know a color keyed grille would look good. The chrome grille didn't last a month when I bought my runner; I hated it! Here's a pic of my color keyed grille which happens to be black

 

[KellyJ]

Dunno how I feel about a tri-tone 4Runner (in your case black green and gold). If you're looking to get rid of the chrome, I suggest painting it green to match the rest of the "top half" of your truck. I changed my chrome grille to silver to match my exterior and it made a huge difference in appearance. Definitely go for blacked out windows though. Also makes a huge difference in how the truck looks. Here's mine. Good luck man

Colormatched grille:

Tint:

 

[KellyJ]

I'm not a fan of the black out trend in general. I think it's difficult to get the right look and can be expensive to pull off. Idk how black would look on your's with the green but I know a color keyed grille would look good. The chrome grille didn't last a month when I bought my runner; I hated it! Here's a pic of my color keyed grille which happens to be black

You beat me to it as I was uploading my picture haha

 

[RichardLee]

004Gunner and KellyJ, your guys' rides look great with the color keyed grilles! I think I'm sold. So where does one acquire one of these? I assume you can get them pre-painted to match the original factory color?

Thanks for the great suggestions and pictures!

Ric

 

[004Gunner]

004Gunner and KellyJ, your guys' rides look great with the color keyed grilles! I think I'm sold. So where does one acquire one of these? I assume you can get them pre-painted to match the original factory color?

Thanks for the great suggestions and pictures!

Ric

I know you can get them in black plastic or chrome, I'm pretty sure they do not come in any other colors. My grille is painted chrome now and I have a '01 black plastic grille waiting to get painted. You may be able to find a spray paint from Dupli Color that matches your color, but I would recommend you find a black plastic grille to paint. This way when it gets chipped the chrome will not show through

You beat me to it as I was uploading my picture haha

haha I just pulled my pic off 1 of my other threads. But I really should post up some decent pics with everything clean and detailed. Maybe when I clay it in the spring. . .

 

[Y2KSR5]

I think the entire blackout thing is played out and looks cheap. I like the classic stock look with a nice set of tires and maybe removing the boards. Color matched grille would be cool but black on green on grey....nah

My opinion, of course.

 

[004Gunner]

Ric, I cross referenced your paint code (6Q7 Imperial Jade Mica) with Duplicolor products and got Dark Green Mica touch-up (product #TY01603) and 5 oz. spray can (product #8801603). A good auto parts store should carry these

 

[Y2KSR5]

Mine has the factory Black Pearl emblems. Maybe you can get those to replace the gold?

 

[steve-]

You can get a grill for your Runner painted,I was checking our parts system here at work and it shows color coded grills.
Not really cheap though about $177.00 here in Nor-Cal

 

[SilverBullet01]

Ric, I cross referenced your paint code (6Q7 Imperial Jade Mica) with Duplicolor products and got Dark Green Mica touch-up (product #TY01603) and 5 oz. spray can (product #8801603). A good auto parts store should carry these

mind if i ask how you were able to find that out? im about to do the satoshi mod and i want to paint the surrounding trip to match the runner.

or would you be able to find out what paint would match thunder cloud metallic for me

 

[bak3rme]

about the trimbrite blackout tape...have any of u guys ever used it? like...lets say....i wanted to do it on my whollllleeeeeee bumper..good idea? or no

 

[JohnsD90]

mind if i ask how you were able to find that out? im about to do the satoshi mod and i want to paint the surrounding trip to match the runner.

or would you be able to find out what paint would match thunder cloud metallic for me

Here are the codes. 3rd Gen 4Runner FAQs

 

[004Gunner]

mind if i ask how you were able to find that out? im about to do the satoshi mod and i want to paint the surrounding trip to match the runner.

or would you be able to find out what paint would match thunder cloud metallic for me

No problem! I used this site for the paint codes and this for the Duplicolor match. It looks like Thunder Cloud (1D2)doesn't have an exact match, but I wonder how close Titanium (1D4) would match. . .

 

[RichardLee]

Thanks so much you guys, especially 004Gunner. I have been thinking about what I'm going to do and after hearing all your suggestions and seeing pictures of all your awesome rigs, I have settled on these mods to get started. I know they are not much, but it's my daily driver and I'm on a budget...

Front Tint - 20% or whatever is legal in Illinois (anyone know this?)
Color Keyed Grille - Can't wait to get this done!
Blue Interior LEDS - To match my Pioneer head unit
Recovery Kit - To be able to help stuck motorists in the winter

...and that's all I have settled on for sure. Does anyone have any suggestions for what else I could do for practical, inexpensive modding? I live in the suburbs and most of my driving is stop and go, but I do make trips to Iowa and Minnesota to visit my family on farms and gravel roads, often in inclimate weather. I don't want to do anything to make the gas mileage even worse...

Thanks again everyone! You all are great! :cowboy:

Ric

 

[SilverBullet01]

Thanks so much you guys, especially 004Gunner. I have been thinking about what I'm going to do and after hearing all your suggestions and seeing pictures of all your awesome rigs, I have settled on these mods to get started. I know they are not much, but it's my daily driver and I'm on a budget...

Front Tint - 20% or whatever is legal in Illinois (anyone know this?)
Color Keyed Grille - Can't wait to get this done!
Blue Interior LEDS - To match my Pioneer head unit
Recovery Kit - To be able to help stuck motorists in the winter

...and that's all I have settled on for sure. Does anyone have any suggestions for what else I could do for practical, inexpensive modding? I live in the suburbs and most of my driving is stop and go, but I do make trips to Iowa and Minnesota to visit my family on farms and gravel roads, often in inclimate weather. I don't want to do anything to make the gas mileage even worse...

Thanks again everyone! You all are great! :cowboy:

Ric

265/75/16 goodyear wrangler duratrac tires :biggrin2:

 

[RichardLee]

265/75/16 goodyear wrangler duratrac tires :biggrin2:

Ha ha, well, although I'm sure they are great tires, this vehicle just had $800 worth of Michelin LTX with a 70,000 mile warranty. I've had the opportunity to test these tires on the highway and in about 6 inches of fresh snow, and I'm completely satisfied with their low road noise and great grip in the powder. Maybe after 70,000 miles or so I will look into the Goodyear Wranglers...

Another question for anyone who has used touch-up paint- Would it be crazy to paint the whole grille using a couple bottles of touch-up? I was just out examining it and there's really not much surface area, and the brushes on those bottles are very precise and isn't the glossy 'top coat' look already build in to the touch up paint?