Front Grill

[Diablo3305]

Does anyone know how to remove the front grille, the one with the ford emblem around it....like to install a billet grill. I have one already, and I mounted it awhile ago with the grille on, it was kind of a pain to do. Well I took the grille off, and im painting it gun metal, and I want to put it back on, and I heard some of you just took the front grille off and said it was easier. I have a 98 sport. Anyone know how to do this?

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

I believe you have the same kind of grill I have. You should go to my registry page and read the procedure of taking the grill off. Here's the link:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=26468

Hope this helps.

 

[Diablo3305]

Well I figured out how to take the grill off. I painted my billet grille a dark pewter, gun metal type color, and i glued the ford emblem on...it actually looks really good, Ill post some pictures soon. ANyway, my questoin is, about those clips. When you take the grille out, do the clips come out with it, or stay on the car. When i put the grille back on the car, one part didn't seem to clip in right, so you can push and it moves alittle, but the rest of the grille went into the clips alittle. Any help with those clips?

 

[Diablo3305]

Here are the pics of the newly painted grille with the ford logo mounted on it...of course you can see the dirt on my car ....:
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let me know what you think..

 

[ilikedellcomputers]

Hey, that looks really nice!! I want to get a billet grill for my Explorer, just wondering how much it would cost me to get it painted?! How much did it cost for your billet grill to get painted, or did you do it yourself?!

Oh and by the way, can you please post the website from where you got your billet grill?

I really appreciate all of this, thanks!

ilikedellcomputers

Peter

 

[Diablo3305]

well painting it is free...well sorta, I bought some paint from Home Depot for like $5. Its really easy to paint too. As far as where I got it, I bought it off ebay, the sellers name is wee1 I think, its like $55 on ebay. If you want to just email them the email is: Ted Vanzant [ted@wee1.com]. Its a company that makes the billet grilles, they even have one for the open space where the license plate does...I just haven't bought it yet because I think im putting fog lights there. Its hard to tell from the picture how dark it is now. You could get it powder coated, but for the price they would charge your better off just painting it yourself....

 

[espnfreak]

hows that grille holding up, i got some paint but was afriad that i would chip eventually no matter how you did it. 3 body shops refused to paint my grille and the one that said it'd be a piece of cake backed out. i already sanded down about half the chrome and now am in a sticky situation, i need help!

 

[Diablo3305]

held up great... i say just go to home depot and buy a spray can of paint...put 2 or 3 coats on it and then put it on...remember you can always repaint it....only problem i have had so far is that my emblem fell off .... not sure how but i have to find another one...anyone know where i can get one, or have an extra?

 

[espnfreak]

cool i'll try it, i gotta get the grille back first, should i prime it, paint it, and then clearcoat it?

 

[Diablo3305]

hmmm... you could i guess.. i didn't and it came out fine...but i guess that would be a good idea...i love the look though, much nicer than the chrome look

 

[leenjen]

Originally posted by espnfreak
hows that grille holding up, i got some paint but was afriad that i would chip eventually no matter how you did it. 3 body shops refused to paint my grille and the one that said it'd be a piece of cake backed out. i already sanded down about half the chrome and now am in a sticky situation, i need help!

you're kidding!!

the place that originally told you one day, still has it and refuses to paint it! that sucks. isn't that the place that your friend recommended?

 

[leenjen]

_______

that gunmetal looks great. and the ford symbol on it is cool too. i like it better than the regular billet grilles that everyone has.

 

[Diablo3305]

thanks... yea i love the gunmetal color... plus it only cost me $50... nice investment... I like it much better since i painted it...now i just have to get another emblem... I still can't figure out how it came off....hmmmmm

 

[fixer]

Diablo- you could try one of the lumi-logos, but whatever you do, you should have some kind ov mechanical attachment, zipties, bolts, whatever... most glue or the paint under it will probably let go eventually.

espn freak- go to a motorcycle shop and get some Kal-Gard EPOXY spray paint... IIRC you wanted black, and that should be easy to find... just let it cure for however long the directions say.

there are other sources for the epoxy spray paint, but a MC shop is probably the simplest. however Home Depot usually has the gloss black Krylon EPOXY

or try a hobby shop and get some 21st Century spray paint... its made for model aircraft and things like that. you need multiple light coats of this stuff, but its good paint!

there used to be more colors of epoxy available, but i can't find them here.

 

[Diablo3305]

yea... see i used emblem glue...although it did stay on for a few months... just didn't know what to ziptie it to on the emblem...it had a flat surface because the clips broke off when i took it out to put the grill on

 

[espnfreak]

ya leenjen it sucks, travis 95xlt reccomned it, im kinda pissed, another 15 minute drive to go out there and 15 minutes back, my 3rd trip since they never had it ready after the 1st day. i already got primer paint and clearcoat from autozone, i will see how that looks first