mach 1 grille delete problems

[charkelly9]

i have the top bolts unscrewd from my honeycomb grille; however there are some bolts upside down latching the bumper to the old grille i cant remove or access.. does anyone have some instructions or anything thanks

[charkelly9]

anyone? this is a bitch; the plastic screws suck and ive broken like 3 of them

[slvr2000stang]

this might help.

http://www.classicdesignconcepts.com...liminator.html

[SpectorV]

you just got to pull the bumper back after removing the two push pins that hold the top pointed areas of the bumper on (gives more flexing) or you can just remove the whole bumper to do it.... they are a pita.

[99CobraVert]

char did you get the 2 piece or 3 piece kit? and leave feedback on how it went, i bought the kit on ebay today and im sure whatever probs you are having i'll have too. thanks!

[SpectorV]

the issues I have seen is that some kits come with the wrong radiator grill peice, if one at all. You must have the correct one else you have a gab where the hood meets the front bumper above the horse.

[charkelly9]

I bought the 3 piece kit for 20$ used from a friend that bought it directly from ford. Awesome condition with everything included

[charkelly9]

i guess im going to buy a 7mm socket and i ll take pictures of the project... could i make a how-to for this? I sounds amazingly easy but you'd be suprised- dont believe then just try to take off your grille and put it back on

[WhiteStang99]

Yes, please make a how-to for it!

Then send it to me so I can edit it, and I'll get it put up on the site through Smurfin or someone.

[I_luv_HP&trq]

yea i remember when i pulled the grill out it was a problem. i just broke a lot of the stupid plastic screws, used a ton of force and popped the thing out. after i got my energy back i used bondo to plug up the holes, then sanded and painted it so it looks like new. i didn't use the best method but it worked for me.... i don't know what your kit comes with or if you need to save the original screws or not.
good luck man

[SpectorV]

take many good pictures and write it up and ill put it up as a how to and credit you to it. IF you get many good pictures and all that.

[charkelly9]

heres a bunch of pictures

[charkelly9]

heres the pictures and i'll definity need to explain some... because i've found theres a variety of ways to do this install-some destructive... Like
A. Remove bumper cover then use 7mm socket wrench to unscrew bolts holding bottom of honeycomb grille to the top of the bumper.
B. Remove top bolts above honeycomb grille then bend back the urthane bumper to use a very small 7mm socket on the bolts
C. The easiest way... and the way i completed mine was to unscrew top bolts to honeycomb grille along with top bolts to bumper then bend back the grille and use a box cutter and dremmel to break off the back plastic pieces holding the bumper and grille together. This way their will be 4 broken pieces of plastic still screwed to the bumper but yet not held to the grille.... now use a flat screw driver to bend the top of the nut then twist the bolt free. After that; if you have the 3 piece kit remove the plastic covering radiator and place new piece in (pictured above) then put down the other plastic piece from the kit across the bumper and use the two screws from before to put that in... next put the pony in place and align it with the two screw holes..- the screws that held your bumper to honeycomb grille will screw the pony into place perfectly.



this is only a rough overview.. i have more details and legistics spector so if this starts to get the HOW-TO going then awesome... also i can pieces apart and take more photos in minutes if necessary..

[SpectorV]

nice, ill make it a How to asap

[Pony Ride]

I don't know why you removed your bumper to do this mod. It's not necessary! Once you remove the screws from the top, you can carefully pull the grill forward, which bends the top of the bumper where the bottom of the grill is attached to get access the bolt heads for removal. IMO, care and patience using this technique is easier than the extra work of removing the bumper.... worked for me anyway.

[charkelly9]

I didnt acutally remove the bumper... i stated it as an option.. i broke the small plastic pieces under the honeycomb grill (really fast and easy plus the grill can still be used later on but can be bolted to the bumper again) i was only giving spector all the different ways and options to swap the grill that i know about... and yes you can bend the grill however... if youve been in a wreck or have a fiberglass bumper your outta luck... also if you bend the grill forward the space is still very very tight and most ppl dont have a ratchet that will fit down there to remove the 7mm bolts.. And still be very careful bending the grill forward even with a urthane bumper like mine the paint can crack around the sides-almost started to happen to me

[charkelly9]

!!!WOOT!!! spector V deserves the credit for this how-to.... unbelievable job!

[tedness]

i got the 3piece version from mustangtuning.com who outsourced steeda.

ya it was bitch to have to ratchet behind the bumper. half the time i was afraid i'd snap it off at one place or another. but it all payed off

[SpectorV]

pictures make the how to