2005 FX2 lower grille, Stealth style...(BIG PICS)
#1
2005 FX2 lower grille, Stealth style...(BIG PICS)
I decided to fool with my grille today. I bought a lower piece of an FX2 grille from fomoco446 with the intention of making my own FX2 grille for my 05 F150 supercrew.
I already had the Roush bumper grille piece in there but was never happy with it. I liked the idea of having the FX2 grille piece closer to the face of the bumper, not behind it like most grilles are.
I removed all support material and the Roush piece. Did it without removing the bumper, with a little persuasion, and I held my tongue just right.
I took the FX2 grille piece and started cutting it around the edge with a hacksaw blade, since I could control it better that way. After that I touched it up with a rotary file and a flat file.
Then I held the grille up to the bumper opening and made my marks, then cut the ends off with the hacksaw, touching up again with the rotary file and flat file.
I filed and sanded the edges flush to make a good fit.
It had a series of tabs to trim so I touched up with the rotary file and flat file. I then cleaned and taped off the area, and hit the top with Krylon Fusion black.
Then I tinkered with the license plate bracket and the grille piece with intentions of seeing how I'd have to make some mounting brackets.
I did a bit of trimming to the back of the license plate bracket with angle cutters to accommodate the FX2 grille piece a little better.
I wiggled the assembly around and snapped the license plate bracket into the bumper. To my surprise the license plate bracket held the FX2 grille in there snugly, since I had cut it to fit into the bumper opening.
It's in there, and needs a bit of fine tuning to make it just right, but I'll live with it how it is for now. I may mess around with it again tomorrow morning or Labor day morning, when it's cooler out.
My upper bumper cover looks deformed, the result of an accident (I have a new one to put on soon), which makes the FX2 lower look like it's going uphill in the middle as well. I may make some brackets for the ends eventually, and I'll edit the thread if and when I make them.
All in all, I'm happy. This took about an hour or so to do, but I think it's worth it.
*****See post #21 for my bracket re-mount.*****
I already had the Roush bumper grille piece in there but was never happy with it. I liked the idea of having the FX2 grille piece closer to the face of the bumper, not behind it like most grilles are.
I removed all support material and the Roush piece. Did it without removing the bumper, with a little persuasion, and I held my tongue just right.
I took the FX2 grille piece and started cutting it around the edge with a hacksaw blade, since I could control it better that way. After that I touched it up with a rotary file and a flat file.
Then I held the grille up to the bumper opening and made my marks, then cut the ends off with the hacksaw, touching up again with the rotary file and flat file.
I filed and sanded the edges flush to make a good fit.
It had a series of tabs to trim so I touched up with the rotary file and flat file. I then cleaned and taped off the area, and hit the top with Krylon Fusion black.
Then I tinkered with the license plate bracket and the grille piece with intentions of seeing how I'd have to make some mounting brackets.
I did a bit of trimming to the back of the license plate bracket with angle cutters to accommodate the FX2 grille piece a little better.
I wiggled the assembly around and snapped the license plate bracket into the bumper. To my surprise the license plate bracket held the FX2 grille in there snugly, since I had cut it to fit into the bumper opening.
It's in there, and needs a bit of fine tuning to make it just right, but I'll live with it how it is for now. I may mess around with it again tomorrow morning or Labor day morning, when it's cooler out.
My upper bumper cover looks deformed, the result of an accident (I have a new one to put on soon), which makes the FX2 lower look like it's going uphill in the middle as well. I may make some brackets for the ends eventually, and I'll edit the thread if and when I make them.
All in all, I'm happy. This took about an hour or so to do, but I think it's worth it.
*****See post #21 for my bracket re-mount.*****
Last edited by Stealth; 09-07-2009 at 01:10 PM. Reason: ...
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