Compiled: Satoshi Build, Help & Picture Thread

[dgwood12]

Compiled: Satoshi Grille Build, Help, & Picture Thread

I have had my 2008 4Runner SR5 4x4 for just under 1 year now and have been interested in the Satoshi Grille Mod ever since I found these forums back before I purchased my 4Runner. Having recently obtained a grille I can mess around with, I jumped in with two feet and am almost done with my grille. During this time, I have wished there was a single Satoshi grille mod thread I could turn to for support/inspiration. Sure there are plenty of build threads that have awesome examples of Satoshi Grilles and there are also a few really great help threads to get you going on this mod but I felt there was definitely something lacking, so I decided to do something about it....

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Satoshi Grille Build, Help, & Picture Thread for everything Satoshi!

This thread will hopefully become a great resource for those who are interesting in taking on this awesome mod. I hope that those members who are experienced with this mod will provide support to those who need it and offer great insight on what to avoid and what to do right when creating a Satoshi style grille.


Help Threads/Videos:
These are threads that I referenced when creating my Satoshi Grille as well as some others threads and videos that may be helpful when performing this mod.
-'03 & '06 Retrofit Satoshi Grille Writeup (Picture Heavy) (gaterose)
-Mytoy4 Satoshi Grille Mod
-Satoshi Grill Mod - DIY*
*This is from a Toyota Tacoma but the steps are virtually the same...the grille just looks a little different. This thread is probably the one I referenced the most when creating my grille.
-My Satoshi Grill Write-up*
*Another Tacoma how to. This one also includes relocating the horns and a way to mount the mesh with hidden mounts and zip ties.
-Zak's 03 Limited Build Thread
-My Satoshi Grille (NJshadow93)
-My Satoshi Mod (seanmh)
-Another Grille (jdkilroy)
-The progress of my satoshi grill (ohnoitsthecops)
-2004 Satoshi Grill Mod (paraordnance)
-12 Steps to a "Deep" Satoshi Grill (Bluesky 07)
-Step by step video for creating a Satoshi Grille by customcargrills.com*
*Customcargrills.com recently published this video that shows some new products that can be used to make your satoshi grille. Some products displayed are mesh backing instead of fiberglass strips and a product called Plio Grip which is a 2 part epoxy type material that you can use instead of traditional bondo.


Build Threads/Pictures:
These threads are from members who have or had the Satoshi Grille on their 4runner at one point or another. I tried to link to a good photo for each build but if it doesn't pull one up, just look around or do a search in their thread...it's there.
-gaterose - 2003 Limited (White)
-zopperman - 2003 Limited (Silver)
-JustSomeName - 2008 SR5 (Galactic Grey)
-superman3043 - 2005 SR5 (White)
-NJshadow93 - 2006 SR5 (Nautical Blue)
-Mytoy4 - 2007 SR5 (White)
-HOJeepster - 2006 Sport Edition (Galactic Grey)
-Dawg4Runner - 2008 Sport Edition (White)
-CrimsonCountry - 2006 Sport Edition (Black)
-emelianenkov - 2005 Sport Edition (Red)
-Tayzorz - 2006 SR5 (Galactic Grey)
-deedst4r - 2007 SR5 (Nautical Blue)
-chief_yota - 2007 Sport Edition (Black)
-AleksV - 2004 Sport Edition (White)
-foxtrot - 2006 SR5 (Driftwood Pearl)
-T4runner13 - 2006 Sport Edition (Black)
-noobshooter - 2008 Urban Runner (Silver)
-welmat - 2007 Sport Edition (Black)
-BlairB - 2008 Sport Edition (Galactic Grey)
-ohnoitsthecops - 2008 Sport Edition (White)
-Autobond - 2006 Sport Edition (White)
-mahabali - 2004 Sport Edition (White)
-philskeeter - 2006 SR5 (Silver)
-Nyc-Runner - 2008 Urban Runner (Silver)
-robaroni - 2006 SR5 (Galactic Grey)
-xpeppyx - 2007 Sport Edition (White)
-Rancid13 - 2008 Sport Edition (Black)
-BooRad06 - 2007 Limited (Black?)
-iAlex684 - 2006 SR5 (Silver)
-sigepbiker - 2005 SR5 (Silver)


Other Links for Inspiration:
-I want to see your Satoshi Grill!*
*A thread with a bunch of Satoshi grille pictures
-HomerTaco's Made to Order Satoshi Grills*
*This guy has some serious talent and some amazing Satoshi grilles he has made for Tacoma owners. Unfortunately, I think he only does Tacoma grilles at this point, but this is still a great place to receive inspiration for your mod.
-Behind grille stealth LED light bar


Materials Section:
Links to common materials used in the mod such as paint, mesh and popular emblems.
Grille Mesh
-Custom Car Grills*
*This site carries a wide variety of mesh sheets that will work for the 4th Gen Satoshi Mod. If you are unsure on what mesh you want, they offer a sample pack for $5 plus shipping (get it here). Along with the sample pack you get a $5 off a $20 order so the sample pack is essentially free if you are going to order your mesh from them. They also offer a free sample pack that has a small piece of small diamond and large flat diamond mesh.
-Custom Car Grills Precut Mesh for Toyota 4runner's*
*Custom Car Grills recently started offering precut mesh that is an exact fit for 4runner grilles. The mesh is to be used for the recessed style satoshi mod but you can still purchase uncut mesh for the flush style mod.


Paint
-Automotive Touchup*
*This site has great color matched paint in a variety of mediums. The easiest to paint the grille will probably be the 12oz aerosol spray can. You can also purchase clear coat (I recommend the 2k clear coat for a more professional result).


Emblems
-Toyota FJ40, 1979-84 (part 75321-90301)*
*Can be found cheaper elsewhere, this site just had a photo.
-FJ Front Grille Emblem 85-90 (part 75311-90K00)
-80's FJ Emblem Mod
-Grille Emblem 58-74 [75321-60010] Toyota Landcruiser
-BAMF Raptor Grille Lettering*
*Jerry from Bay Area Metal Fab sells the "raptor style" words made popular by HomerTaco


Please feel free to post your own photos of your grille for others to see. Please also let me know if I left any build threads off or if you have any other help threads/sites that would be useful to add to the list.

Above all else, please feel free to ask others questions about how to perform this mod! I hope this will be a great resource for all.

 

[SI2IS2T4R]

Awesome.

 

[zopperman]

Well done. Glad you found mine, most of the pics are in the "what did you do with your t4r today thread

 

[noobshooter]

Thanks for putting this together!

 

[dgwood12]

Thanks! [MENTION=43020]noobshooter[/MENTION], what year is your build? I couldn't find it when I was putting this together.

 

[bojanglesSR5]

Thank you! Very interested in this

 

[dgwood12]

Updated OP with materials section. If you have a resource you used when making your satoshi grille, please feel free to share on the thread. Thanks!

 

[kevinpt]

for those that jave done this mod can you cut all the way up to the painted part of the grill to have a flat semi flush satoshi?

 

[dgwood12]

for those that jave done this mod can you cut all the way up to the painted part of the grill to have a flat semi flush satoshi?

I think if you did that you would be cutting off the mount brackets that hold the grill in place. Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, I don't think so.

 

[bdubbin]

Thanks dgwood... I've always wanted to do this too... but I haven't yet... haven't gotten the courage. A lot of these threads are familiar but with them all together maybe I'll spend some time reading through them one after the other. I just know I'm not very good at this stuff. I even have trouble changing the light bulbs on my running boards, sigh.

 

[dgwood12]

Thanks dgwood... I've always wanted to do this too... but I haven't yet... haven't gotten the courage. A lot of these threads are familiar but with them all together maybe I'll spend some time reading through them one after the other. I just know I'm not very good at this stuff. I even have trouble changing the light bulbs on my running boards, sigh.

I was intimidated at first too. I've never worked with fiberglass or bondo before and I have to say, I enjoyed it overall. Definitely made me feel more comfortable with those sorts of things. It's not necessarily hard, it just takes a bit of time with waiting for things to dry, sanding, etc.

There always is the option to go the route of leaving the holes open mounting the mesh flush. Mytoy4 did this and also several others have and it looks great. Check out her help thread.

 

[noobshooter]

Thanks! [MENTION=43020]noobshooter[/MENTION], what year is your build? I couldn't find it when I was putting this together.

its a 2008

 

[JustSomeName]

cool idea from tacomaworld, the "floating" letters mod

Brilliant !!! Satoshi Emblem Answer: Converted into Mod Write-Up W/ Pics - Tacoma World Forums

 

[dgwood12]

[MENTION=84223]JustSomeName[/MENTION] thanks for the link. That thing looks sick. I'll add it to the OP.

 

[dgwood12]

Question for all those Satoshi owners with an emblem. How did you fasten the emblem to your grill? I got the 80s FJ emblem for mine and I am trying to determine a way to mount it without cutting the grill behind to make room for the nubs that are on the back of the emblem.

I want it to lay nicely on the grill but be non destructive to my mesh in case I want to remove it later down the line.

Any ideas?

 

[Morphyne]

Sure follow the instructions that justsome name just posted.

 

[dgwood12]

Lol. Although I think that looks amazing, it's a little too labor intensive for me

 

[Morphyne]

I agree 110%. No what he did was center the letters mark them where the openi gs of the grill were, then drill akd tapped for bolts. I plan on something similar with mine. Bending that metal is gonna suck to do right and I don't want to ruin it.

 

[dgwood12]

I did a legit Satoshi just for that reason. I would rather do some fiberglass and bondo work than have to bend the mesh. I'm too much of a perfectionist to have to get it to look right bending it. With the true Satoshi the mesh just follows the contour of the grill meaning you don't have to bend it.

 

[dgwood12]

Finished up my grille yesterday (thought I did at least). Here are a few pics of the painting and end result:

After painting and allowing the clear to dry for about an hour and a half I got anxious and started attaching the mesh. While doing so, I damaged the paint in 2 spots on the front . You can't see in the photos but in the bottom left corner the paint was shifted and bunched up revealing the primer below and on the right side there is a scuff mark.

I could just leave it but it would bother me too much so it looks like I've got some sanding to do and some more painting next week...

Aside from that, I think the color match turned out great!