Has anyone noticed that on a 96 2wd tacoma, the grille is different than the 96 4x4 tacoma? Why is that? Will the grille on a 4x4 fit on a 2wd?

Yea should fit. i got a 94 two wheel drive and put a whole 4x4 front end on mine. fenders and grill. only diffrence was 4x4 was 3 pieces and 2 wheel drive was one. but fit perfect. the reason for the change is cause on a 2 wheel drive the front fenders go straight down. and the bed flares out. so with the 4x4 fenders they flare to match the bed better. and i changed the grill just to be diffrent. oh and by the way, i am sure ur grill has some black on it? a trip to auto zone or parts store to buy some acotone. and a cloth. will wipe the black paint off. its all chrome underneath :):)