Is the Lexus grill interchangeable with Toyota grill, same year 96/97
80 prep and paint
- Thread starter SFROMAN
- Start date
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Nope.
lumbee1
Native American
I believe it's more than just the grill. Differences in the headlights as well. I'm sure a full conversion could be done with Depos, LC grill, and possibly lower valence.
forrest5000
SILVER Star
Do you have a lx wanting land cruiser or opposite?
I am repairing LX with a Toyota front end, fenders hood, etc. The grill from LX was not cracked. Whondering if I can keep it a lexus or will it have to become a yota, emblem wise.
I am looking at swapping just the front flares , putting lx onto yota, because from the doors and back everything is fine.
forrest5000
SILVER Star
I’m in the same boat , need a lx front
@SFROMAN You bringing the fresh paint out to Hurricane Creek/Weavers Bend this weekend? If so, I’ll see it then.
Nope you would have to change the headlights as well
Wait, if I have Lexus headlights too, then I can use original Lexus grill on a Toyota front end?
forrest5000
SILVER Star
Yes
forrest5000
SILVER Star
I have a lx With a cruiser front, but looking to change back.
do you have a pic? what did you do about flares? I wonder about fitting the lexus flares or going through the effort to fill all holes
SFROMAN
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #36
Since I have been asked a couple times, I will post up here so that it might help others thinking about painting their trucks in their garage.
This is what I did for my Lx450:
Step 1. Wash vehicle thoroughly with dish soap.
I use red 3m scotch pads to help scrub edges and to get as much from off the body as possible.
Step 2. Pull parts that need to come off. Things like:
Mirrors
Taillights
Head lights
Bumpers
Door handles
Possibly body panels.
Step 3. Identify dents, nicks, rust, bare metal, flaky clear, any imperfections that you will need to fix on the entire body. ( can mark all with a permanent marker
** it’s easier to identify imperfections before you start sanding.
Step 4. body work 1 - I have 3 types of dent pullers. In this phase I use 2.
A. Use suction cups to try to pull out dents. Not the most effective but the easiest and fastest method to use so I used it on 3 bigger dents I had ( front fender, lower door)
B. Use a dent puller that uses hot glue. The hot glue is used to attach smaller plastic “hooks” then a small pull hammer to pull dents. A little more time consuming but this method really helps pull creases out of dents. Very non intrusive.
*** for my 80 I only had to use 2 methods above to pull the very few dents I had.
But, if those two methods would not have worked I would use the weld on method. This method uses a heat gun to weld studs to the sheet metal that you then pull with a heavy pull hammer - this method also requires to bring to metal so the welds on the studs hold- for this project I tried really hard not to have to do this. My red minitruck did require this.
Step 5. Sanding. USE 3M !!! I can’t emphasize this enough. Yes this brand is way more expensive than the Chinese sand paper but it is absolutely worth paying more for good sandpaper. The 3M will save you so much time and effort and will leave you with less sanding marks. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.
Sanding paper grits I used as follows:
80 grit
150
240
400
600
Step 6. Body work 2 -
1. 80grit the the problem areas that you will be working ( identified earlier with black marker) by adding body filler or putty/ glaze. I use the 80 grit to sand down alot of the smaller imperfections in the paint. Very handy in areas across the front where you have the most rock chips in the paint. Or in the lower portions of the body panels.
****** plugged over 100 holes at this point but I will detail this step later ********
2. Use body filler as needed to finish straightening panels. ( bigger dents)
3. Use glazing putty to fill small nicks and imperfections That you can still see, notice, feel or any area that are straight but you burned through to bare metal with the 80 grit.
4. 80 grit the rest of the body. I concentrated all around the top edges with the most sunburnt factory paint. My goal here was to try to get everything leveled out.
5. 150 grit start with areas that were body worked then move away to the rest of the body. Ensure you are feathering the edges of your body work areas.
6. 240 grit - (same as above)
7. 400 grit - (same as above)
8. 600 grit - (same as above)
Step 7. WASH
wash truck same as step 1. I also wiped down the whole truck with clean/prep to check for dust and clean it off if need be especially around areas/ edges that will be getting taped.
Step 8. TAPING
Tape truck, figure out a plan before you start taping. Obviously you are covering for overspray but also make sure your tape job does not hinder you from spraying. This is most important around doors, jams and windows. This will avoid you having to re-tape, saving you time, effort and material
Step 9 PAINT PREP and PAINT
1. wipe truck down with clean/prep.
2. Unfold tac rags x4 and put them in one of your mix cups. This lets them “air out”.
3. Wipe down truck using first tac rag
4. Stir and mix your primer
** refer to your paint stat sheet for mix ratios
5. Tac rag the whole truck with second tac rag
6. Spray primer on all bare metal, body work areas first. I had a little primer left over so I decided to spray the whole truck minus the roof.
** proceed according to stat sheet for your dry times.
7. Stir and mix base coat
8. Use 3rd Tac rag to wipe the whole body
9. Spray base coat
** I used two stage ( base coat and clear coat) on my project
** there is strategy involved in spray sequence because you have to consider overspray, a wet edge, door jambs, roof or panels that are on paint dollys. I do a dry run to figure out my spray pattern and tape and prep and lay out my panels accordingly. For my 80 I decided to do the door jambs with the body minus the roof. The roof is done on its own with the rest of the body covered up.
***10. Absolutely not necessary but I did it.
Sanded base coat with 600 grit to fix 2 runs and a couple of noticeable imperfections caused by bugs or dust.
11. Wipe down entire truck with clean/prep
** this step was necessary because I sanded the base coat in step above
12. Using 4th tac rag wipe down entire truck
13. Mix and stir clear coat
14. Use 4th Tac rag again to wipe the entire truck one last time.
15. Spray clear coat ( follow the same spray sequence as the base coat)
10 CLEAN UP
** refer to stat sheet for dry times**
1. Remove tape
2. Replace panels, lights, mirrors and anything else you had to remove from truck.
3. Clean your equipment
AND YOUR DONE!!
This took me around 60 hours by my self.
I spent $600-$800 in material
Sanding paper
tape
Primer
Paint
Clear
Body filler
Body glaze
Epoxy used to cover holes
Sean sealer
Last thing
This is what I did and I am posting it for information purposes only and hopefully it helps folks out that want to possibly do this. I am not an expert, never claimed to be.
This is what I did for my Lx450:
Step 1. Wash vehicle thoroughly with dish soap.
I use red 3m scotch pads to help scrub edges and to get as much from off the body as possible.
Step 2. Pull parts that need to come off. Things like:
Mirrors
Taillights
Head lights
Bumpers
Door handles
Possibly body panels.
Step 3. Identify dents, nicks, rust, bare metal, flaky clear, any imperfections that you will need to fix on the entire body. ( can mark all with a permanent marker
** it’s easier to identify imperfections before you start sanding.
Step 4. body work 1 - I have 3 types of dent pullers. In this phase I use 2.
A. Use suction cups to try to pull out dents. Not the most effective but the easiest and fastest method to use so I used it on 3 bigger dents I had ( front fender, lower door)
B. Use a dent puller that uses hot glue. The hot glue is used to attach smaller plastic “hooks” then a small pull hammer to pull dents. A little more time consuming but this method really helps pull creases out of dents. Very non intrusive.
*** for my 80 I only had to use 2 methods above to pull the very few dents I had.
But, if those two methods would not have worked I would use the weld on method. This method uses a heat gun to weld studs to the sheet metal that you then pull with a heavy pull hammer - this method also requires to bring to metal so the welds on the studs hold- for this project I tried really hard not to have to do this. My red minitruck did require this.
Step 5. Sanding. USE 3M !!! I can’t emphasize this enough. Yes this brand is way more expensive than the Chinese sand paper but it is absolutely worth paying more for good sandpaper. The 3M will save you so much time and effort and will leave you with less sanding marks. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.
Sanding paper grits I used as follows:
80 grit
150
240
400
600
Step 6. Body work 2 -
1. 80grit the the problem areas that you will be working ( identified earlier with black marker) by adding body filler or putty/ glaze. I use the 80 grit to sand down alot of the smaller imperfections in the paint. Very handy in areas across the front where you have the most rock chips in the paint. Or in the lower portions of the body panels.
****** plugged over 100 holes at this point but I will detail this step later ********
2. Use body filler as needed to finish straightening panels. ( bigger dents)
3. Use glazing putty to fill small nicks and imperfections That you can still see, notice, feel or any area that are straight but you burned through to bare metal with the 80 grit.
4. 80 grit the rest of the body. I concentrated all around the top edges with the most sunburnt factory paint. My goal here was to try to get everything leveled out.
5. 150 grit start with areas that were body worked then move away to the rest of the body. Ensure you are feathering the edges of your body work areas.
6. 240 grit - (same as above)
7. 400 grit - (same as above)
8. 600 grit - (same as above)
Step 7. WASH
wash truck same as step 1. I also wiped down the whole truck with clean/prep to check for dust and clean it off if need be especially around areas/ edges that will be getting taped.
Step 8. TAPING
Tape truck, figure out a plan before you start taping. Obviously you are covering for overspray but also make sure your tape job does not hinder you from spraying. This is most important around doors, jams and windows. This will avoid you having to re-tape, saving you time, effort and material
Step 9 PAINT PREP and PAINT
1. wipe truck down with clean/prep.
2. Unfold tac rags x4 and put them in one of your mix cups. This lets them “air out”.
3. Wipe down truck using first tac rag
4. Stir and mix your primer
** refer to your paint stat sheet for mix ratios
5. Tac rag the whole truck with second tac rag
6. Spray primer on all bare metal, body work areas first. I had a little primer left over so I decided to spray the whole truck minus the roof.
** proceed according to stat sheet for your dry times.
7. Stir and mix base coat
8. Use 3rd Tac rag to wipe the whole body
9. Spray base coat
** I used two stage ( base coat and clear coat) on my project
** there is strategy involved in spray sequence because you have to consider overspray, a wet edge, door jambs, roof or panels that are on paint dollys. I do a dry run to figure out my spray pattern and tape and prep and lay out my panels accordingly. For my 80 I decided to do the door jambs with the body minus the roof. The roof is done on its own with the rest of the body covered up.
***10. Absolutely not necessary but I did it.
Sanded base coat with 600 grit to fix 2 runs and a couple of noticeable imperfections caused by bugs or dust.
11. Wipe down entire truck with clean/prep
** this step was necessary because I sanded the base coat in step above
12. Using 4th tac rag wipe down entire truck
13. Mix and stir clear coat
14. Use 4th Tac rag again to wipe the entire truck one last time.
15. Spray clear coat ( follow the same spray sequence as the base coat)
10 CLEAN UP
** refer to stat sheet for dry times**
1. Remove tape
2. Replace panels, lights, mirrors and anything else you had to remove from truck.
3. Clean your equipment
AND YOUR DONE!!
This took me around 60 hours by my self.
I spent $600-$800 in material
Sanding paper
tape
Primer
Paint
Clear
Body filler
Body glaze
Epoxy used to cover holes
Sean sealer
Last thing
This is what I did and I am posting it for information purposes only and hopefully it helps folks out that want to possibly do this. I am not an expert, never claimed to be.
SFROMAN
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #38
HOW I COVERED OVER 100 HOLES
1. Buy a small sheet of 20 or 22 gauge sheet metal. I bought a 1’x1’ piece at Home Depot.
2. Prep sheet metal - sand, clean, spray straight to metal primer, I also sprayed black rustoleum.
3. Mark and cut your pieces. I did 1”x1” little squares. 20/22 gauge is thin enough you can cut with sheers/ tin snips.
4. I had to hammer every little piece flat after I cut them because the small size and the sheers bend them a little.
5. Clean the inside of doors and fenders, front and rear. I used acetone to clean the areas.
6. Counted total holes on door number 1.
7. Lay out pieces needed for door number 1. I used a cooking sheet pan.
8. Mixed the two part epoxy on the same sheet pan. I used popsicle sticks to thoroughly stir the two parts.
9. Spread epoxy around the hole. Spread epoxy on backing piece. Press backing plate over hole.
10. Repeat step number 9 for the rest of the panels
*** take into consideration how much epoxy you mix at a time.
*** instructions say epoxy work time is 5 min but because I mix the two parts with the popsicle stick my work time was about 1 min.
*** I bought 3 different “caulking guns” for the two part epoxy and none of them worked. I ended up just pushing each part with a screwdriver. I would just make sure I would push out equal parts for both tubes. This worked out perfect as I was able to see and measure how much epoxy I used.
*** CAVEAT***
there are about 30-40 holes that you simply cannot reach from the inside to glue the patch panels.
My solution was to recut the small patch panels so they would have a better fit.
I then grabbed one of my body hammers and dented the holes just deep enough so that the metal patch panels were flat across the rest of the body panel.
I glued the smaller pieces straight over the holes. I then sanded everything smooth.
Finally I used body filler to fill any imperfections until the body panels were straight.
Below is the epoxy I used.
1. Buy a small sheet of 20 or 22 gauge sheet metal. I bought a 1’x1’ piece at Home Depot.
2. Prep sheet metal - sand, clean, spray straight to metal primer, I also sprayed black rustoleum.
3. Mark and cut your pieces. I did 1”x1” little squares. 20/22 gauge is thin enough you can cut with sheers/ tin snips.
4. I had to hammer every little piece flat after I cut them because the small size and the sheers bend them a little.
5. Clean the inside of doors and fenders, front and rear. I used acetone to clean the areas.
6. Counted total holes on door number 1.
7. Lay out pieces needed for door number 1. I used a cooking sheet pan.
8. Mixed the two part epoxy on the same sheet pan. I used popsicle sticks to thoroughly stir the two parts.
9. Spread epoxy around the hole. Spread epoxy on backing piece. Press backing plate over hole.
10. Repeat step number 9 for the rest of the panels
*** take into consideration how much epoxy you mix at a time.
*** instructions say epoxy work time is 5 min but because I mix the two parts with the popsicle stick my work time was about 1 min.
*** I bought 3 different “caulking guns” for the two part epoxy and none of them worked. I ended up just pushing each part with a screwdriver. I would just make sure I would push out equal parts for both tubes. This worked out perfect as I was able to see and measure how much epoxy I used.
*** CAVEAT***
there are about 30-40 holes that you simply cannot reach from the inside to glue the patch panels.
My solution was to recut the small patch panels so they would have a better fit.
I then grabbed one of my body hammers and dented the holes just deep enough so that the metal patch panels were flat across the rest of the body panel.
I glued the smaller pieces straight over the holes. I then sanded everything smooth.
Finally I used body filler to fill any imperfections until the body panels were straight.
Below is the epoxy I used.
SFROMAN
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #39
One thing I forgot to mention is I use dry guide coat between 400 and 600 grit.
This ensures that I get rid of all the previous grits sanding marks.
*** the guide coat is great because it shows you where you need to sand and it shows if you need to go back with a stronger grit ( numerically lower) Then work your way back up. It makes sanding way easier especially for non pros like me.
*** also, I have the spray on and dry guide coats.
I prefer to use the dry version and use it almost exclusively.
This ensures that I get rid of all the previous grits sanding marks.
*** the guide coat is great because it shows you where you need to sand and it shows if you need to go back with a stronger grit ( numerically lower) Then work your way back up. It makes sanding way easier especially for non pros like me.
*** also, I have the spray on and dry guide coats.
I prefer to use the dry version and use it almost exclusively.
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
I've not tried the dry guide coat yet, perhaps I should. I use sand able black primer in a spray can, real light spray. Used to use a pencil in the old days, some squiggly lines light across a panel.
