Changing lettering color on TRD Pro

Hi everyone,

I just bought a TRD pro in cavalry blue. I got the dealer to throw in blacking out the lettering. I ‘m also wondering if I should consider red to match the hub caps? Maybe ted in front and matte black in back? I think the 2019 will have red lettering (I’m not trying to copy that, I just think it might pop). The front logo is steel gun metal and the back is chrome. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

If it was mine, I’d not go with red but that’s a very personal choice.

I blacked mine out and have been happy since. A few Pro owners use plasti-dip and paint the back lettering and emblem in the same steel grey as the front words.

 

CollinJ I think that's a great idea! What do you think about making the black TRD pro on the bottom right red?

 

Now that could add a nice touch of red to it. Make that logo stand out a little bit more. I’d recommend using the red plastidip first, drive it for a bit and se rid you like it. If not peel it off and no harm done. If you like it you can leave it dipped or use a higher quality paint.

If it were me I’d just leave it dipped, easier to fix if it peels or gets scrapped off-road

 

Thanks CollinJ. I think that's a good idea. That way I could remove it if I ever wanted to. Thanks!!

 

First reply on this forum, so please be patient. I have a 2018 TRD Off Road. Ordered the cheap replacement Pro grill from China ($135). I just customized my lettering. Didn't like the finish. Repainted the garnish with SEM Landau Black. I was going to do red lettering to match the TRD hubcaps but the letters were "wavy" - kind of dipped on the flat surfaces from the production mold, I guess. So, I decided to sand the face of all of the letter surfaces flat. Started with 400 grit, then 600, 800, 1000. What I ended up with was a dark gray, raw plastic surface with silver border that outlines the chamfered edges and the sides. I just went with that scheme. Some clear satin lacquer over the surfaces and stuck them on! Note: The China model comes with the letters in a bag with 2 sided tape already applied. Just peel and stick to the layed out detents. Two of the letters aren't as solidly attached as I would like, so I will remove all and re-attach with epoxy (I am extremely happy with the outcome, so permanent will be good). I'll post pics. Also, here is a link to a good thread on a Tacoma forum on the same subject: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-pro-grille-letters.460509/

P.S. Beware with the China knockoff - the garnish leaves small gaps where it should otherwise meet at the ends. I pre-applied black tape to the original painted garnish at the ends. Can barely see the gaps (unless you know to look). If ever I want to return to the original badge, I have it padded and boxed to reinstall in the future. For $140, I had to give this route a go. Wish I could afford the Pro truck, but after owning this one for a few months, I'm extremely happy.

 

If it was my truck, I'd do the following:

Paint the toyota symbol and the 4Runner letters in the back the same gunmetal color as the front

Any badge that says TRD Pro, I would paint the "TRD" red and the "Pro" black.

My consultation fee will be sent shortly.

 

Nice truck Rockybird! Congrats.

nimby - great idea! I may try the die cut overlays (just in case.... ) It may be a long wait for your fee though.

 

I like nimby’s idea too....would look similar to this....

 

Looks great! I like that the TRD is red to match the hubcaps. I'm goin' for it.

 

If you want the rattle cam info I used let me know....it matches really well

 

Is it plasti dip? Or did remove the lettering and paint them? But yes I would like that info. Thanks!

 

Who did the ceramic paint coating? Shiny!!

 

Removed it with fishing line. I left the factory black adhesive on the vehicle, cleaned the back of the TRD real good and glued it back to the original black adhesive so it lined up exactly where it was before.

 

Did several dry applications of Hydrosilex. Windows, moldings, lights, paint etc. doesn’t take a lot of product to do two coats.

 

That looks really good. Is the black glossy as well?

I have an SR5, so my badges are chrome. I'm thinking about doing the "SR" in black and the "5" in red, but we'll see. I need to think about it for a bit.

Or maybe I might replace it with just a TRD badge. Is that allowed? I'm not adding the "Offroad" or "Pro" part because I don't want to be one of those guys that re-badges their 4Runner to a different trim level. TRD seems like it can be a label for any trim level, right??

 

You can also buy the overlay

 

Also looks sharp! Do you mind sharing where you purchased the overlays?

 

The black is one of the overlays so it’s more of a matte finish. I didn’t want to use the TRD overlay because when you paint it red there’s no gaps so it doesn’t look like TRD. (If that makes sense)

 

https://tvdvinyldecals.com/products...2017-2018-toyota-4runner-trd-off-road-emblems

 

^^^^^ What he said above. Great guy to work with. I had him make me the first red TRDs a while back.

 

Thanks! I did my AJT Design key/fob with TVD.

 

Where/who did you buy the knock off from. Been looking to get one since I refuse to pay $600+ for the Toyota plastic. How does the finish look? I already the part it fits over wrapped in satin black so I may just stick this on top of the vinyl to hide the gaps you say exist. I am also thinking about painting the letters red like I did with my Taco...

 

Do a search for 2 Piece Front Bumper Grille Replacement For 2014-2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. You will get several options. As mentioned in my post, I sanded and painted the bar section with SEM COLOR COAT LANDAU BLACK.

 

So what you’re saying is the finish is crap to start with?

 

I think it's finished just fine for most folks. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist so I tend to personalize my personalizations. It's the burden I was born with. Lol.

 

Would you say it is close to the OEM grille?

 

Definitely. The way I see it, I saved 3-4 hundred bucks. You see the photos and it looks great in person. Painting is really not necessary. That is just my anal retention. For a little over a hundred bucks I couldn't be happier with the Chinese product.

 

My Tacoma one was a Chinese knock off. And while it has a blemish here and there it definitely was worth the price to save like you said $300-400. Especially since Toyota wants an ridiculous amount of the small piece of plastic...