96 to 97+ grille/light conversion

[gotmadD]

OK i have a 96 2wd. the grill is notoriously difficult to remove, which is necessary to change headlights... i want to replace it with a 97 grill...after a casual inspection it looked like it should work, but the body shop is telling me that i would have to replace the radiator support to fit the grill, but the support wont fit my truck. they admit they are not sure, and i think they just dont wanna get into sumthing they cant handle. i dont "think" they would change the truck that much that the radiator support couldnt be swapped...they kept talking about welding and drilling, they said the radiator support is welded to the body panels or sumthing. so i cant easily cange it. recent accident means i need new fender,hood, grill, and part of the radiator support. and i though the wiring would be my biggest concern....

[tacoma man.]

i was planning on putting a 01 front end on my 99 4x4 tacoma, i seen that there was cutting and welding involved and i left it alone. why not just go to performanceproducts.com they have some nice grill kits, and airdams for your model, thats the route im going with and im coming out cheaper as well.

[gotmadD]

that's true and those kits would be a visual improvement, but my main concern is getting away from the low tech headlights. Putting a grill insert in a grill thats gonna break when i take it off doesnt work for me....im looking a the radiator support and its component pieces - the upper and lower tie bars are the same, as is the latch support bracket. that means that the 97 side support pannels should fit the rest of my existing support. the radiators themselves are the same so my radiator should bolt into the 97 side support panels, as should a pair of 97 headlamps and grill to match...i guess the corner lenses are different in than the 96 type attaces to the 96 grill and the fender, the 97 type attaches to the 98 headlamp(?) and the fender. the only other difference i see is the lower radiator shroud clip(least of my concerns)
......Anybody replaced a radiator support? is any part of the support welded to the body panels or anything else that prohibits its removal?

[tacoma man.]

i see your point there, im not too big of a fan of the sunk in headlights, my buddy has a 97 tacoma, he ordered a different bumper from performanceproducts.com and billet grill. also he found a set of headlights off of ebay they are diamond cut. the upgrades really set the truck appart from the rest.