The Ultimate Guide To Deleting your Tundra’s Exterior Chrome

Posted by Greg Shuey · November 21, 2020

Chrome can be nice sometimes, but let’s face it… Chrome is pretty much the worst. We've already covered how to black out your Toyota Tundra, but you’ve still got a lot of chrome on the exterior with the bumper caps, grille, etc.. If you want to learn how to get rid of the chrome on your Toyota Tundra, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s take a look at two options: buying everything new and potentially ready to go, or painting everything yourself. Regardless of which route you go, these are some of the most common, no-brainer accessories you can buy for your Tundra.

BUYING THE REPLACEMENT PARTS

Buying the parts already color matched, or at least ready to paint, is a good option if you have the extra money. One, “plug and play” is always easier. The part comes to you, and you put it on. You don’t have to worry about your truck being in pieces while parts are being painted.

On top of that, if you plan on selling your truck (I know… who would do that?), you might be able to get some more out of it if you give the new owner the ability to return the vehicle to stock.

Bumper Caps/Ends

Getting these color matched to your truck will knock out two BIG chucks of chrome that sit at the front and rear of your truck. Unfortunately, Toyota does not offer a color match option when you order them. This means that you will have to do one of two things...

First, you could buy overlays that are already color matched, or buy caps take them to your local body shop, or paint them yourself. If you're going to pain them yourself, I recommend using paint from Automotive Touchup for some great results!

If you're going to go with overlays/bumper covers (which I highly recommend as it's way easier), we sell them here at Empyre Off-Road and you can check them out here.

Tundra Front Bumper Covers/Shells - $139

Tundra Rear Bumper Covers/Shells - $119

If you're going to order brand new end caps, make sure you get the right ones! Here are the OEM Toyota parts that you will need. Make note of the sensors!

Front Bumper Caps ($115)

Rear Bumper Caps ($133 - $140)

TRD Pro Grille with Included Surround

Like most trucks, the Tundra comes with a large grille. For us, it’s a large, ugly chrome grille. Through Toyota, you can get a color matched TRD Pro grille and surround, however it's incredibly expensive and unfortunately, you do have to order the grille and surround together. If you find that Toyota does not have the color that you are looking for, you will probably have to go the body shop or DIY route.

2019+ TRD Pro Grill ($315)

If you're looking for just the TRD Pro Grille without the surround, you can buy it here on our site.

Alternatively, as with the bumper covers, you can order a grille surround overlay/shell and hood bulge overlay/shell (discussed next) here at Empyre Off-Road. These are a quick and easy way to cover up that awful chrome. You can buy them here and run $259.

Hood Bulge

If you’re going for a custom grille, you can’t forget about the hood bulge. I mean, that would look silly. Thankfully this part is painted from the factory, but they offer quite a few different paint code options (12, to be specific.) The cost on this is $200

Mirror Caps

If you want to add a little extra flair to your ride, mirror caps are a great option. Having them color match your Tundra is easy since you can get them factory color matched directly from Toyota. You can find them here: All Color Options for Tundra Mirror Caps. The cost on these is $83.

Door Handles

If you have chrome door handles, you know they stand out. Not only that, but your fingerprints and grime REALLY show up well. Toyota also allows you to get these painted from the factory, so no more worries! You can find them here: All Color Options for Tundra Door Handles. The cost on these is between $115 and $233.

PAINTING THE PARTS YOURSELF

Painting the parts yourself cuts down on the cost of buying yet another part to add onto your truck, and I’m sure that will please your significant other. However, your truck has to be in pieces, which is not attractive. The cost of getting parts painted can be more than the parts, unless you are getting them painted all together.

If you decide to tackle the actual painting yourself, there is some stuff you need to know.

Disclaimer: Painting parts and having them look good takes a lot of skill and some good equipment. I would personally suggest having this type of work done by your local body shop, this is what I did with mine and it cost about $600. There is no way I am going to make you a professional painter in a couple of paragraphs. The following steps are literally the bare basics of a skill that take a lot to master.

First off, you need some supplies…

Sandpaper ($11) - You’re going to use this to scuff up the surface of what you’re intending to paint.
Automotive Masking Tape ($5) - This is to mask off the parts of your vehicle you don’t want painted, IF you choose to leave the part on your truck.
Masking Paper - With this tape, this will cover the parts of your truck you don’t want painted. Personally, I just use the newspaper/flyers that show up in my mailbox all the time.
Primer ($10) - This goes on before your paint.
Color Matched Paint ($23 ) - This is pretty self explanatory.
Clear Coat ($10) - This goes over the color base coat.
Time (Cost can vary…)

Now for the real quick and dirty to painting:

Start by either removing the part you want to paint, or masking off the rest of the nearby truck if you intend on leaving the part on.
Sand the entire surface of the part you want to paint. Start with the roughest sandpaper first, then work to the smoothest ones.
Clean the area well to remove any leftover paint or dust from the sanding
Spray the area in an even coat of primer (follow the directions on the can for best results)
Sand any problems areas again with a high grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface to paint on
Clean the area again from all dust and debris
Start spraying the base color coat on the surface (follow the directions on the can for best results). You will probably want to spray a few light coats.
After you have painted the number of coats you want and the paint is ready (consult the directions on your can for that information), follow the same procedure with a number of clear coats
After the paint has cured, reinstall the part, and/or remove any masking

Pro Tip: Take your time and keep it clean. Prep work is extremely important to a good paint job. If you rush the sanding, cleaning, or drying times, it will show in the final product. If it doesn’t show right away, it will over time as the paint ages and is exposed to the elements.

Whichever route you decide to go, deleting the chrome on your Tundra and lead to a very impressive looking truck. Of course, what you do and how you do it depends on your style and budget. Regardless, go make your truck yours!

Image Credits

Bumper Caps - Courtesy of ADV Fiberglass

TRD Pro Grille - Courtesy of Clavey’s Corner

Hood Bulge - Courtesy of Tundras.com user turkeycreek29010

Mirror Caps and Door Handles - Courtesy of Tundras.com user chadh1972

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