Heritage Grille -- OEM and Aftermarket Options

[bking]

Heh, it's not really too good to be true. It's amazing how much you can save if you're not paying someone's marketing overhead.

Nonetheless, I'd recommend a high-temp filament. ABS works fine but you could also use PA6 or ASA. I wouldn't recommend PLA.

For the brackets, I do recommend metal but in theory I'd think it would be safe to print if you used Nylon or reinforced ABS (solid infill) and made them thicker. The only downside to that is the button screws that come with the lightbar are a bit short and you'd need to replace those with longer ones if you printed the bracket thicker - probably would recommend 3/16-1/4 if you want that route.

But maybe the forum should start a community group buy on the metal brackets. If you managed to get at least 4 other people in you could save another 30% or so if you ordered from SCS.

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty new to printing and have a pretty basic printer. It will do ABS, but the others aren't listed as compatible. I have an Ankermake m5c. It does a good job for $200.00. I printed the bracket for my through hole when I did my rearview camera relocation and it worked ok, but it hasn't been out for a while. I can always reprint. I did body work it and paint match so maybe that will help it not warp... or make it worse .

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[Gurvy522]

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty new to printing and have a pretty basic printer. It will do ABS, but the others aren't listed as compatible. I have an Ankermake m5c. It does a good job for $200.00. I printed the bracket for my through hole when I did my rearview camera relocation and it worked ok, but it hasn't been out for a while. I can always reprint. I did body work it and paint match so maybe that will help it not warp... or make it worse .

Only thing I can say is crank the bed as high as you can go. ABS can be tricky to print without an enclosed chamber as if it cools too quick it will have a tendency to warp. Consider using a glue stick as well to promote adhesion.

Also since your printer isn't enclosed or filtered, move it to an area like a garage as the fumes from printing ABS are not so pleasant.

 

[Gurvy522]

Oh and as far as your connector, you'll just need a 2-pin DT connector to splice into the pigtail Toyota includes with the aux switches. If you're buying a DT pigtail just make sure you get 14AWG copper to handle the amperage.

 

[bking]

Oh and as far as your connector, you'll just need a 2-pin DT connector to splice into the pigtail Toyota includes with the aux switches. If you're buying a DT pigtail just make sure you get 14AWG copper to handle the amperage.

I make my own DT connectors so that won't be a problem. Appreciate all the help! I'll have to decide if I want to send that out to get printed, or use yours as a template or just cut it out of plate steel. It won't look quite as precise as a laser cut, but it'll be close and nobody is going to see it again anyway. We have somebody here in town that advertises laser cutting, so I'll probably check with him first. Doing it by hand would be free, which is a bonus.

 

[Baltimore]

So I unboxed my RAVE kit today just to explore (not that my truck is here yet)...
Being new to this, I see where some parts are intuitive, and others left "undefined".

In my case I selected the Diode Dynamics 18" light bar to be street legal.

Brackets they provided are self evident as soon as you line things up, and the camera mound has one set point offset, so that you can figured out the intended direction. You use 2 of the shorter but fatter torx screws from the DD kit for mounting the light to the bracket, BUT Rave only provides 4 screws for mounting when you need 6 in total (2 per bracket + 2 for the camera mount)... I guess they expect you to "steal" from your existing camera mount?

The DD hardware kit claims to have 4 regular small washers, but doesn't, only small lock washers. But that's whatever, easy stuff at the hardware store.

Question 1: Is there a "right side up" to the light bar? should the wire exit to the top or the bottom of the light?

Question 2: Has anyone else already done a Heritage grille with the DD 18" light bar? Have you created, or know where to source "covers" or "side plugs" or "face trim" that is safe for being next to the bar and fills in the void on each side between the grille trim and the light bar? I'd really like to black these out where it matches either the matte black plastic or the black metal tone of the light bar itself rather than leave ~1" voids on each side (My head has that a bracket/plate could be made that attaches to the screw point of the light mounting bracket but extends forward to be flush with the face and has the necessary height/width to black out the rest of the opening on each side... but I lack the tools/toys to make that happen)

Question 3: Do I seat the light bar up tight against the back of the grille plastic? or should it not touch the plastic grille at all?

I'm sure to have a bunch of questions when I can actually get to installation & wiring, but trying to plan ahead where I can!

Diode Dynamics 18" dimensions:
https://dxv0kh7euhy9z.cloudfront.ne...314cded1962806/s/t/stage_series_18_inch_1.jpg

Rave attachment kit (to give an idea of what was provided)
[I laughed at the uncorrected URL]
https://raveoffroad.com/products/di...t-bar-2022-tundra-copy?variant=40547753689123

 

[goin2drt]

@Baltimore I can’t answer any of your questions but thanks for the details. I was very concerned about any gaps with the light bars. Same reason I haven’t ordered upgraded fog lights yet. They all look like an after thought and someone fitting well a rectangular peg into a different sized rectangular hole. That to me is going to look “janky”. I think the light bar not fitting perfect on a $900 grill upgrade is a hard pass for me. I better wait a year or so for someone to actually get this right and make them all fit perfect and look factory Post some pics when installed.

 

[Pootklopp]

Just in case anyone wants to get really wild go search Ali...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007496102292.html

 

[goin2drt]

Just in case anyone wants to get really wild go search Ali...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007496102292.html

Someone on a different forum already ordered and installed Other than the light bar being super low quality he said everything else was great. Fit and finish was good.

 

[bking]

It's a double edge sword in some cases.
I did the math of ordering each part individually (grill, light bar, wiring harness, camera bracket, dash button) and when I added in shipping charges and taxes, I was within a minimal $$ difference of just sourcing it all from them as one kit - and having the necessary mounting brackets for the light bar rather than having to fabricate the camera mount or the brackets myself (I don't have a 3d printer like Gurvy does). So the delta in total cost was small enough that the hassle of ordering as a bundle from a single place was the winner.

... that said... YotaGarage is nothing but a gouge house on their pricing. Everything is 2-3x what it should be and even way above Toyota SRP.

I disagree. I just sourced all the parts. I bought the light bar direct from Heretic for $499. The Trailhunter Grill was $298. The camera bracket is $30.00 from Rave or $25 from TacoGarage. TacoGarage had a post about $25.00 camera brackets from Titanium. If not, I'll print one since I have a printer. I also got the Heretic grill brackets for $30.00 in Stainless Steel from TacoGarage. Buttons are $15.00 from CaliRaised and I think Amazon. Adding all that up, the entire package is $807.00. Rave charges $1135.00 for the same package. So, $200 which is likely their profit. If you're fine with that for the convenience of getting everything from one source, that's great, but I wouldn't call an additional 20% negligable.

 

[Baltimore]

I disagree. I just sourced all the parts. I bought the light bar direct from Heretic for $499. The Trailhunter Grill was $298. The camera bracket is $30.00 from Rave or $25 from TacoGarage. TacoGarage had a post about $25.00 camera brackets from Titanium. If not, I'll print one since I have a printer. I also got the Heretic grill brackets for $30.00 in Stainless Steel from TacoGarage. Buttons are $15.00 from CaliRaised and I think Amazon. Adding all that up, the entire package is $807.00. Rave charges $1135.00 for the same package. So, $200 which is likely their profit. If you're fine with that for the convenience of getting everything from one source, that's great, but I wouldn't call an additional 20% negligible.

Bking - you can't run a fair comparison anymore. You're sourcing over a month later in a rapidly changing parts and accessories environment. My research, parts availability, known public part numbers, etc. were not known by the community back at the top of July. People were still hunting these bits of information down while other companies and people did the work. All of which you now get to take advantage of. You're also failing to include shipping costs, which are not free across the board.

At the time of my research (since I can pull up my notes):
- Heritage grille... no forum nor google knew the part numbers yet - so your options were YotaGarage $650, or Rave $415
- Camera bracket... no forum nor google knew the part numbers - so the only option was Rave $30 or custom fabricate oneself
- light bar mounting brackets - only option on the market was coming from Rave and that was not available as a standalone (which it is now)... only other option was fabricate yourself
- light bar: Diode Dynamics 18" to be street legal = $280
- wiring harness = $40
- dash switch = Cali Raised $16 or Rave $40
Shipping for ordering direct from Diode Dynamics = $26
Shipping for Grille & camera bracket from Rave = $56
Shipping from Cali Raised switch = $9

= $415 + $30 + $280 + $16 + $26 + $56 + $9 =

$832 with shipments being placed in 3 different places PLUS I still don't have the mounting brackets and have to sort that out.
Swapping out to the Rave TRD dash switch made the total $852.

Alternatively $815 + $75 shipping = $880 and I have the brackets I need and everything in a single shipment.

So, for someone without a 3D printer or those abilities, I was looking at paying less than $50 to get it all together and not have to then design and source brackets that did not exist yet on the market. Given that I don't own a 3D printer (and that would have been even more time, energy, and effort, ~$50 is a pretty low price to pay)

$48 of $880 means I basically paid sales tax (depending on your state)

Heck, I think only @Gurvy522 successfully created his own by that point and he had the knowledge, tools, and 3D printer to work around the limits of the market in the moment.

Free shipping, sales, and the availability of part numbers plays a huge role in your ability to capitalize on the work of others at a later point in time. TacoGarage didn't have squat back in July.

So instead, maybe say thank you to all those that helped drive the knowledge and the market in a way to allow you to save quite a bit of money just a few months later.

 

[Baltimore]

@Baltimore I can’t answer any of your questions but thanks for the details. I was very concerned about any gaps with the light bars. Same reason I haven’t ordered upgraded fog lights yet. They all look like an after thought and someone fitting well a rectangular peg into a different sized rectangular hole. That to me is going to look “janky”. I think the light bar not fitting perfect on a $900 grill upgrade is a hard pass for me. I better wait a year or so for someone to actually get this right and make them all fit perfect and look factory Post some pics when installed.

I hear you. I'll try and remember to take a bunch of photos when I pull it all out to futz again. In my ideal world I think I'd have a full perimeter face place that sat between it and the grill to uniformly surround and cover any gaps, but it can be positioned well up/down and just leaves a gap on each side where you could look in and see the mounting points.

If I had a friend with a 3D printer, I already have an idea in my head of a basic "T" bracket that could block in the space, but I don't and so I'm noodling other options - such as getting some matte black finished thin aluminum and bending a space/plate where it covers the void but folds over to bolt into the light bar mounting screw, thus no new attachment points.

Reading other / older forums, I might also go the route of using something like SendCutSend to do the folds and the cutting, leaving me to maybe only drill and paint them.

If someone comes along in the interim with a solution, I may jump on that even if it means sending someone a few dollars peer-to-peer for a more precise end result.

Just wish Rave had done it from the start, as they had claimed they were based on the chat I had with them before pushing the button on the order.

 

[bking]

Bking - you can't run a fair comparison anymore. You're sourcing over a month later in a rapidly changing parts and accessories environment. My research, parts availability, known public part numbers, etc. were not known by the community back at the top of July. People were still hunting these bits of information down while other companies and people did the work. All of which you now get to take advantage of. You're also failing to include shipping costs, which are not free across the board.

At the time of my research (since I can pull up my notes):
- Heritage grille... no forum nor google knew the part numbers yet - so your options were YotaGarage $650, or Rave $415
- Camera bracket... no forum nor google knew the part numbers - so the only option was Rave $30 or custom fabricate oneself
- light bar mounting brackets - only option on the market was coming from Rave and that was not available as a standalone (which it is now)... only other option was fabricate yourself
- light bar: Diode Dynamics 18" to be street legal = $280
- wiring harness = $40
- dash switch = Cali Raised $16 or Rave $40
Shipping for ordering direct from Diode Dynamics = $26
Shipping for Grille & camera bracket from Rave = $56
Shipping from Cali Raised switch = $9

= $415 + $30 + $280 + $16 + $26 + $56 + $9 =

$832 with shipments being placed in 3 different places PLUS I still don't have the mounting brackets and have to sort that out.
Swapping out to the Rave TRD dash switch made the total $852.

Alternatively $815 + $75 shipping = $880 and I have the brackets I need and everything in a single shipment.

So, for someone without a 3D printer or those abilities, I was looking at paying less than $50 to get it all together and not have to then design and source brackets that did not exist yet on the market. Given that I don't own a 3D printer (and that would have been even more time, energy, and effort, ~$50 is a pretty low price to pay)

$48 of $880 means I basically paid sales tax (depending on your state)

Heck, I think only @Gurvy522 successfully created his own by that point and he had the knowledge, tools, and 3D printer to work around the limited of the market in the moment.

Free shipping, sales, and the availability of part numbers plays a huge role in your ability to capitalize on the work of others at a later point in time. TacoGarage didn't have squat back in July.

So instead, maybe say thank you to all those that helped drive the knowledge and the market in a way to allow you to save quite a bit of money just a few months later.

I thought you were talking about generalities and NOW, not in July. Sorry if you got upset. I'm just saying right now Rave is not a good deal.

 

[Baltimore]

I thought you were talking about generalities and NOW, not in July. Sorry if you got upset. I'm just saying right now Rave is not a good deal.

Completely agree. Now that you can identify the part numbers of the grilles, and effectively source everything else in parts, even if you don't have 3d printer skills/access, one can likely always win vs. their kit, as Rave just started even offering the brackets as a standalone buy.

 

[Gurvy522]

Honestly I was pretty close on going the Diode Dynamics route, or even some other lightbar - main reason I ended up with the Heretic was because I managed to scoop it up for only $260 off eBay.

I do agree with @Baltimore though - I think it would have been a much better choice for Rave to print a frame or make their bracket cover the voids.... however, from a business standpoint, this would leave less incentive to consumers to purchase the Heretic option, which they ideally want to upsell. I personally don't think it's an oversight as much as it is a business decision.

At the end of the day, I don't have any qualms with businesses that "overcharge" so to speak - I'm pretty capitalistic myself, and believe in free markets. Ultimately, the consumer of the goods has to make the final call on whether they find the "value" in their "value-added solution", and they as a business need to react to the market if consumers aren't biting (like NYTOP dropping the price on their crossmember from $300 to $40).

 

[that_frenchman]

You're sourcing over a month later in a rapidly changing parts and accessories environment. My research, parts availability, known public part numbers, etc. were not known by the community back at the top of July.

I've had my Taco since July 6th, and since that day I've had a list of links to future upgrades I knew I'd want. One of those links:
53101-AK070 - Grille Sub Assembly Rad - Toyota Parts Delivered

At the time the price was $273 for the heritage grill, but I see it has since come down to $268. These part numbers were not mysteries in early July, and these grilles have been fairly readily available at dealers across the country, all for much less than the price gougers at YotaGarage. You'll come out way ahead even having to buy a bracket/light separately than what Rave and Yota are offering.

ETA: I didn't realize that for $400, YotaGarage isn't even throwing in a camera bracket

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