Throwback Grill for my Tacoma

I was hoping for for the old toyota "t". I had a sad. But then I realized it's still pretty good.

I was expecting something different.

Wall-e wrote: I was expecting something different.

I like that idea for truck camping or tailgating. YOu can start the food before you leave so you can eat when you get there.

"Gotta pull over... time to flip the burgers and start the corn!"

I like it.

nice grill

Huckleberry wrote:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I have always approved this look since the first time I saw it several years ago. I don't know why Toyota hasn't made it a dealer installed option yet.

This is the $450 factory option. It's not as hideous as mine was... but still bordering on heinous. And, well, too bro-tastic. And expensive.

Oh god that still looks horrible .

mndsm wrote: I was hoping for for the old toyota "t". I had a sad. But then I realized it's still pretty good.

At least I'm not the only one that remembers that "T"

I believe you have executed what is known as the Satoshi mod.

Huckleberry wrote: under $100 later... viola.

Agreed, it looks far better.

One thing to watch for - mesh is surprisingly opaque to air. For example, look at the various meshes sold by Pegasus Racing. All pictures and numbers come from them, thank you guys for posting quality info.

This is 33% closed off.

64% obstruction.

37% obstruction.

Add into that the turbulence from each of those wires and you end up with some pretty jacked-up airflow - you'll get a lot less than 63% of the fully open airflow on that last example. The mesh store says the Toyota stuff is "Open area -43%". So I'd keep an eye on that temp gauge on the first hot day of summer. I'd love to do the same to my Dodge as it's also got a very blingy grille and this looks the business, but I'm thinking that some black paint might be a smarter choice.

you bring up a good point. I have pondered a custom grill for my saab and thought about making it look exactly like stock, but with the fins running directly back to the radiator. I thought maybe this would cut down on the turbulence between grill and radiator

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I was going to make a joke about how someone on a car forum somewhere would go all pedantic about how Toyota spent so many R&D dollars in the wind tunnel getting the airflow through the grill just right for efficiency and cooling and now he went and ruined it.

Then you went and got all serious on us.

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

It's ok. There is a huge air inlet below the grill. I could have used sheet aluminum and it would still breathe.

Besides, everyone knows it's better to look good than feel good.

I have an 87 4Runner. It has a cheap, chrome grille. Was the Taco already retro?

In reply to Appleseed:

It's Japanese. It's stranger than we can know. There are certainly atleast some Asians masturbating to what I casually discarded.

Huckleberry wrote: In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock: It's ok. There is a huge air inlet below the grill. I could have used sheet aluminum and it would still breathe. Besides, everyone knows it's better to look good than feel good.

If that's the case, then have at it! I'm not so lucky with my Dodge.

The reason I was the boring guy here is because I want to do the same thing, but I've spent a lot of time looking at cooling airflow on vehicles. I didn't have to search for those images or numbers.

The Taco looks great.

Looks great! I hate the styling of most modem pickups (look like Jaws from Bond movies through a fisheye lens) so yours is a massive improvement!

At the Detroit auto show we were looking at grilles on several vehicles. A lot of them were purely decorative, with small openings along the lower portion and major openings below the bumper structure. Much of what appeared to be the grille was just blanked off.

I 25th the looks good but I take exception to the bright white Toyota in the middle. I'd lose it, or if it needs something there to break up the black abyss, maybe a charcoal grey

Or deepen the abyss with some "black chrome" headlight reflectors, if that's a thing? I think it's a definite improvement. I was just reflecting the other day on how long the Toyota "Space Sombrero" logo has been around, and that it's about time for it to leave.

dean1484 wrote:

AClockworkGarage wrote: Gotta be said: Your wife is wrong.

Your wife is always right. Even when she is wrong.

Your wife has the Bob Costas. She is always right.