I just bought one for my 98 and the holes were all in the same places but the center clip which is shorter than the rest was too short and thew grill sat high. Arent these supposed to direct fit or do i need to do something to make it fit ?

 

They're direct fits. Might wanna take another look and be sure you're putting the right clips in

 

the center clip doesnt reach and the grill sits up higher on the bottom,

 

You need to slide it underneath a little lip that comes out of the top of the bumper to make it fit properly, this goes for both 97-98 and 99-01 grills.