I'm not a lover of chrome, and the front of my 2016 is full of it! It almost looks like one of those mega-chrome Ram trucks. The other day while out walking around I spotted THIS F-350 (even my color!) with what appears to be a Raptor grill, though I'm not sure. See Pic. I went on the hunt on the web and found a grill like this that's supposed to fit my truck, but I have to buy an "O" and a "R" letter to fill out the Ford name on the grill. Sounds dumb, but looking at the pics online I guess I do.
Anyway, assuming I can swap the grill out, how much of a job am I looking at? I was just out looking at my grill trying to see how much work this involves. Screws and bolts everywhere, far as I can tell. My major wrenching days are over (I'm 73) and if I have to pay someone to do it, so be it.
To take the grille off is 4 screws up top under the hood, and the bottom is held in with 4 clips that you just pull straight out, and bam, the grille is off.
Holy cow, can it be that easy? Gee, maybe my "wrenching" days aren't totally over. I'm gonna run back out there and see how easy this may be after all.
Plus, wanting to see how it's done, I went where we all go to learn stuff like brain surgery, teeth pulling, house building, and of course, grill removal. There are several vids on this proceedure, which IS nothing short of the simplest thing to do in the world. Thanks again to jman37
Well, it depends. If the one you're buying is just the centerpiece and doesn't include the grille surround, you're looking at a pretty decent amount of work. You'll have to cut the center sections out, take out the plastics, drill holes all around the inside of the grille surround, mount the new grille up, and slap it all back together. I have done mine a couple of times and trust me, it takes quite a bit of time; especially if you want it done right. But, if it has the grille surround and all, it's extremely simple as stated above
Well, it depends. If the one you're buying is just the centerpiece and doesn't include the grille surround, you're looking at a pretty decent amount of work. But, if it has the grille surround and all, it's extremely simple as stated above
You can get similar grills on eBay for a lot less that $470....they may or may not include the letters but there are a lot of sellers of the letters on eBay.
Yeah, I've surfed around looking, and the problem is how to tell if what you're getting is 'qauality' stuff or not. It's always a crap shoot when you go shopping online unless someone you trust has already bought what you want and vouches for it.
WEll.most have a 30 day return policy similar to Amazon...and just because someone lists on Amazon, it doesn't make it better than many others......but..is your money....wish you luck in the exchange to the look of your front end
Sounds like a good idea. I think one of the vids I watched on YouTube showed the guy using a looooong flat tip screwdriver - ha.
Now, I assume when you go to install the new grill (or even the old one) it's a simple matter of slipping the bottom of the grill into these clips, press the top back over the bolt holes, screw them down, and "life is good". Eh?
Yeah, for the most part. Four 10mm bolts on top, a little plastic push-pen on the top sides, and just push the bottom so til the clips click into place. Pretty simple! You might have to transfer all of the plastic stuff on the inside from the OEM grille to the new one. It is all gonna depend on what the new one comes with and how it's made
I agree. But much of the stuff on Amazon isn't actually sold by Amazon, but a company having a 'presence' on Amazon (kinda like eBay). Online buying is always sort of a crap shoot.
Looking into this grill thing has been taxing because there's tons of them for sale. The grill I saw on the truck that looked exactly like mine is what got this all started, and unfortunatly the owner was nowhere to be found. I should have 'fingered' the grill to see how it felt or how it was made.
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