Grille difference 99 4WD Ranger

[michael1]

Good afternoon. Have a 99 Ranger 4WD XLT and am looking for a paint grade grille for it. Body shop could not get paint grade only chrome and I really don't like shiny things that will look like crap after a few months and the original was regular painted. I have seen a few places say the XL and the XLT will both fit but on the other hand also ones that say they are style specific. I checked the LMC truck site someone posted and it seems they also say the grille works I guess on all models in that year range. On the other hand Rock Auto specifies 2WD vs 4WD and XL or XLT only.

Help please and thanks--

 

[Ranger850]

I do know that there are cosmetic differences 2wd & 4wd.

 

[pjtoledo]

what city are you in, or near?

 

[Ranger850]

Tallahassee ?

 

[michael1]

Cosmetic as in design or fit? I can deal with a bit different look as long as it is paintable and fits proper without modifying anything.

 

[michael1]

If your asking where I am, I am in St Croix US Virgin Islands so online ordering is pretty much the only option.

 

[Ranger850]

Cosmetic as in design or fit? I can deal with a bit different look as long as it is paintable and fits proper without modifying anything.

Cosmetic only. The vertical bars vs the horizontal bars on the grill.

This one has the prominent horizontal bar

This one has the prominent vertical bars.

 

[pjtoledo]

If your asking where I am, I am in St Croix US Virgin Islands so online ordering is pretty much the only option.

that rules out the grill I have.


just curious, are there customs duties on goods from the US mainland? presuming the goods are made in the US.

 

[michael1]

Ranger850,

The first pic looks like the one I had but cannot find it in paint grade only chrome for XLT. I'm assuming that is an XLT only model?

Is the other one an XL as I think I could live with that as well as long as it is a same R&R fit (just different look)?

Also still not sure why there would be a difference between 4WD an 2WD.

Thanks

 

[michael1]

pjtoledo,

No customs duties as long as whatever it is is made in the US. Anything made in China, Mexico ,etc. there is 6% on top of total value of said items which has been paid already in the US when it arrived there yet we get the luxury of paying for it again. Anything coming in USPS is not taxed. (yet)

We do use the USPS the same way and costs the same as everyone else in Babylon and also for bigger items there are a couple of freight forwarders in Miami that ship (boat) directly here and we then have to pay CF for the freight cost and if foreign then the 6% applies as well. Tricky part is finding a vehicle made completely in the US as one little part from Mexico gets you the same 6% and will add another couple grand to the already 2-3k for the shipping never mind the road tax etc. Have to work with the VIN to clarify exactly.

 

[Ranger850]

The pics I posted are either 2wd or 4wd. I do not know which one is which. If you want paintable, try Edge instead of XL or XLT. I think ALL Rangers had chrome grills, except Edges had the grill painted to match the color of the truck.
Sorry I have a 2001 Ranger so my grill is very different from yours. I'm just going off of what I have learned here at TRS.

 

[Dirtman]

Just toss the grill in the ocean for a few months. The chrome will be gone.

Seriously though you can just remove the chrome pretty quickly with a hydrochloric acid solution without effecting the plastic. Then use a good plastic primer and paint away.

 

[Ranger850]

or you could just wetsand the chrome with some 1000 grit and primer/paint it

 

[don4331]

While there might be subtle differences in thickness of vertical/horizontal bars between the Splash/XL/XLT, 2wd/4wd; the external shape/mounting locations are identical. Therefore, they swap without issue. And if you didn't know better, you can't tell the grill is wrong.

I have swapped the Splash 2wd painted one from my daughter's Ranger to my XLT 4wd when she "borrowed" my truck for winter (and she wanted the color matching one). I swapped my chrome XLT one into an XL to pass an out of province inspection - the black one in the XL was missing a clip so "loose". When I got home, a little super glue fixed the missing clip issue.

 

[michael1]

Thanks for the help. The only difference between the XLT and XL as stated is the style. The pics above posted are from a XLT on top and the XL on the bottom. Ordered one for the XL and will see if I can live with the difference. If not will go thru the process and sand down the chrome I have and paint it. Still not sure what the difference is between 2WD and 4WD but made sure the one I ordered was for 4WD.

Thanks again and always a great place to find answers.