MrGrille 2005+ Billet Grille Installed

[LUVROK]

I installed my Mr. Grille billet grill this weekend. The bottom three pieces were very easy to install, the top two were a bit tougher but still easy but time consuming. A half day should be plenty if you have all the right hardware (see below).I only removed my license plate and holder, two bumper screws at the front corners of the hood (when hood open) and three plastic screw clips at the top front of the fascia (when hood open). I didn't remove the front fascia. It is flexible enough to pop the grille out without tools. the grille is two pieces. It will be easier to remove the driver's side first as the passenger side is clipped beneath it in the center. This took 10 minutes total.Here is a pic as it is now... And a pic of how it will be when I install some stand-offs to keep the grille from beign as recessed as it is when tightening down the screws until the back of the grille hits the brackets. Overall impression, great fitting and looking grille. i would install it again in a heartbeat.However, here is a list of what I found to be minor issues:Four of the 12 required extruded aluminum angle brackets were missing so I had to go to the hardware store and buy some aluminum. Home Depot had the exact size used for the brackets so I bought the 3 ft long piece for $3 and cut the four needed pieces using a hack saw. I hat painting and was ina rush so I used black electrical tape to make the brackets black. They look perfect, can't see them behind the finished grille.The 4-40 x 1 inch socket head cap screws supplied were not long enough to mount the lower side grilles. I needed 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" long screws. I could not find any socket head cap 4-40 screws longer than 1" even at my local hardware store that has an enormous fastener department with more hardware than McMaster-Carr. I ended up buying some phillips head 4-40 stainless screws I found that were 1 1/2" long and ground the diameter of the heads down to the same size as the 4-40 ones supplied using my bench grinder. I added regular nuts in place of the quick nuts supplied.Did I mention I hate rivets? I have an Arrow adjustable rivet gun that has a swivel head capable of rotating 360 degrees. I didn't need to swivel the head, but the overall diameter of the rivet gun head was causing problems when inserting the rivets through the supplied brackets. The rivet gun head could not be mated to the front fascia to install the rivet without pushing the bracket away, which would cause a loose flappy bracket at best. I was able to install the obtuse angled lower brackets with the rivet gun but not the 8 side brackets. I bought some 6-32 x 1/2" stainless screws, internal tooth lock washers and nuts to mount these brackets. I had to modify a box end wrench to hold the washers and nuts as my fingers wouldn't fit between the plastic fascia and teh styrofoam inner bumper in a couple of spots but that only took a couple of minutes with the welder. A piece of tape on the back of the wrench may have worked too.Oh yeah...VERY pimp

[AKLGT]

oh wow. hadn't seen the 05/06 grills yet. not too bad at all. gives the minivan look a more agressiveness that i prefer.

[Dans_03Vibe]

really nice

[Mrizzle05]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »oh wow. hadn't seen the 05/06 grills yet. not too bad at all. gives the minivan look a more agressiveness that i prefer. Who you calling mini van!!!! them are fighting words missy! Well i want the 03 front end so i dont look like an aggressive soccer mom car... thank you very much!

[AKLGT]

hey, the new look says soccer mom all over it. the guys i worked with used to call my vibe the mini mini van.

[GrayFox]

Looks good

[jwalcik]

that does look great.did it attach to the existing grill up top, or replace it entirely?

[LUVROK]

Quote, originally posted by jwalcik »did it attach to the existing grill up top, or replace it entirely?The grille up top is replaced entirely. I stacked a couple of washers under each of the 5 top front fascia mounting locations in place of the old grille brackets being there. The front fascia is still fairly rigid with these grilles installed, of course if you get in an accident it will fold, but that would happen with the stock grille also.

[Raven]

I had the same problem with the bolts being too small on the lower grills. I also ground the heads down with a bench grinder. I haven't had the time or energy to install the top grills. Thanks for the heads up on all the necessary changes to make it work. When you removed the upper grills, did you have to take out the whole support structure behind the fascia (same gray color as the grills) or do the grills come out on their own. It looks to me like it's all together joined in the middle.

[harryyiii]

I took my 2005 grills out to paint. The substructure and grill are one and the same plastic casting. The grill has a left and a right component. The driverside one has to come out first. Interesting note, the Vibe only grill has "Toyota" stamped on the back. Gives you an idea who is on top in this marriage.

[jalee56]

I am a brand new owner and i just bought a 2005 Vibe platinum. it is all stock, and i have been looking everywhere for billet grille inserts.where did you say you bought them? they look great!

[NascarXprt]

to genvibe. you'll meet alot of nice and knowlegdealble people here. and the web site for the billet grill is = MrGrille.com

[joholste]

mey man i like it it looks sharp, keep up the mods

[Merzbow]

It's about daarrrrmmnnmm time someone put the grils on an '05! Looks beautiful!I was laughing while readin your story by the way. A label should be included.*Recomended equipment: welder, grinder, 400 washers, rivet gun, bunch of oddball tools not many people have*Anyways, looks really good.

[northvibe]

yea looks sweet! i love the mr. grille's on the vibes. only question, after winter mine got a dirty or rusty? its not as clean as it used to be and car washes dont make any diff, what do you guys use to clean it?

[Merzbow]

Good question. I forgot about that. Mine on the bottom got a little dirty looking. If you stand far away you can see the cleaner/shinier square brackets in the back through the rest of hte grill. I used a brillo pad with a little bit of soft and scrub before and that seemed to work descently, try that. If that doesn't work i'm at a loss

[AKLGT]

use a little limeaway and that stuff should come right off. maybe even touch it up with some rustoleum chrome or whatever paint?

[MarathonVibe]

looks sweet

[slvrvibes]

That looks sharp