You might remember this Tacoma from a Fantastic Four article in Issue #7 of 2008 where we gave it a Tuff Country lift and Walker Evans wheels with BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires to help its looks and off-road ability. Now it's back for some more upgrades, as we scored two Grillcraft grilles. Grillcraft offers wire mesh grilles in polished stainless steel or powder coated black. Installation is quick and simple and the parts are made in the USA. With applications for hundreds of trucks, they may just be what your truck needs. Check out how we changed the face of our Tacoma in our garage in one afternoon for just over $300.
From The Driver SeatA quick install that went on as promised and improved the looks of our Tacoma. What's not to love? The Grillcraft grilles used flat nuts to secure both top and bottom inserts, which made for secure mounting and a tight, flush fit. We followed their directions on the top grille and drilled and mounted two screws before marking the remainder of the holes, which guaranteed everything lined up. We just surpassed our $300 budget, but we did get upper and lower grilles, so we feel justified. There's no doubt that the grilles will stay put and look good for a long time.
| YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED |
| Time Spent Working: | 2 1/2 hours |
| Degree of Difficulty: | Easy |
| once you get past the fact that you're sawing off parts of your grille. |
Tools Needed: Phillips and flat head screwdrivers, metric/SAE sockets and wrenches,
3/16-inch drill, rotary rool, reciprocating saw and/or Roto-Zip. |
| Parts Used: |
| Prices from grillcraft.com |
| Grillcraft '07 Tacoma Upper Grille TOY-1946B | $200.38 |
| Grillcraft '07 Tacoma Lower Grille TOY-1947B | $126.81 |
| Total Cost: | $327.19 |
The two pieces from Grillcraft...
The two pieces from Grillcraft are available separately, and come with the necessary hardware. We chose the black powdercoated grille because, well, the truck's black.
The grille shell is held in...
The grille shell is held in place by two #2 Phillips screws, two plastic rivets, and two clips.
More plastic rivets and four...
More plastic rivets and four screws held the bumper cover in place. We removed it and went into the garage to insert the grilles.