papinist
The Italian Pony
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Threads
- 47
- Messages
- 3,188
- Reaction score
- 781
- Location
- Tuscany, Italy
- First Name
- Stefano
- Vehicle(s)
- Mustang EcoBoost MT Race Red EURO - NO MORE
- Thread starter
- #1
Hi all,
among other differences, Ford also gave us a different front lower grille both on Ecoboost and GT. They use this grille on US models with block heater - probably planned at first for EU too - but there is no reason to have this ugly grille instead of the one that matches the upper grille.
This is not a difficult mod (probably there are already some threads in international section) but EU model has some slight differences that maybe needs to be pointed out.
The cheapest I could find was from Quirkparts on Ebay for about 80 USD with free shipping in US
http://www.ebay.it/itm/201546432020?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Surprisingly I haven't a good picture of the stock EU Ecoboost lower grille
however here it's barely visible:
This is the US version for the Ecoboost, with the same pattern as the upper grille
Let's start!
First, remove the bumper (guide)
To remove the lower grille, you first need to remove the middle protection. This is really easy to unclip with a flat head screwdriver. Just beware that there are the two connectors from the pedestrian impact protection system hooked at it, so remove them before removing the protection.
Now you can see that, unlike US model, we have those three sensors and a cable going from side to side, hooked to the lower grille.
You need to unclip the cable from the grille and then unclip the grille from the bumper. This is not as easy as the previous part because plastic is much more rigid and you have to sweat a bit to get it out.
Now the hard part is completed! Some comparison pics:
You can see here the holes where the cable was hooked
Ok now place the new shiny grille in place and push it hard on the clips. You need to place a hand on the outside of the bumper and hit with the other hand on the grille to get it clipped correctly.
Make sure that every clip is in place
Now since you don't have the supporting holes anymore, you have to fix that cable in a secure way. I used the mighty duct tape to fix it to the bumper ("Duct tape: is there anything it can't do?" Adam Savage, Mythbusters)
Reinstall the middle protection, re-hook connectors, reinstall bumper and you're done!
Another slight improvement over the EU appearance
:cheers:
among other differences, Ford also gave us a different front lower grille both on Ecoboost and GT. They use this grille on US models with block heater - probably planned at first for EU too - but there is no reason to have this ugly grille instead of the one that matches the upper grille.
This is not a difficult mod (probably there are already some threads in international section) but EU model has some slight differences that maybe needs to be pointed out.
The cheapest I could find was from Quirkparts on Ebay for about 80 USD with free shipping in US
http://www.ebay.it/itm/201546432020?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Surprisingly I haven't a good picture of the stock EU Ecoboost lower grille
however here it's barely visible:
This is the US version for the Ecoboost, with the same pattern as the upper grille
Let's start!
First, remove the bumper (guide)
To remove the lower grille, you first need to remove the middle protection. This is really easy to unclip with a flat head screwdriver. Just beware that there are the two connectors from the pedestrian impact protection system hooked at it, so remove them before removing the protection.
Now you can see that, unlike US model, we have those three sensors and a cable going from side to side, hooked to the lower grille.
You need to unclip the cable from the grille and then unclip the grille from the bumper. This is not as easy as the previous part because plastic is much more rigid and you have to sweat a bit to get it out.
Now the hard part is completed! Some comparison pics:
You can see here the holes where the cable was hooked
Ok now place the new shiny grille in place and push it hard on the clips. You need to place a hand on the outside of the bumper and hit with the other hand on the grille to get it clipped correctly.
Make sure that every clip is in place
Now since you don't have the supporting holes anymore, you have to fix that cable in a secure way. I used the mighty duct tape to fix it to the bumper ("Duct tape: is there anything it can't do?" Adam Savage, Mythbusters)
Reinstall the middle protection, re-hook connectors, reinstall bumper and you're done!
Another slight improvement over the EU appearance
:cheers:
Sponsored
Last edited:
