well after long waiting i am finally getting a billet grill for christmas, but after checking around on the forums and from some friends, i see now that ro get the stock grill out of a 97 or 98 you have to do some "serious cutting" as they say....so what do you have to cut? One guy posted that he had a 5 hour job cutting the stock grill out....i dont know if i can handle that! according to the shop manual you just pop here and pop out there, but of course in my situation it has to be so complicated. so, if there is anyone who has had to get out the trusty dremel tool, what all did you have to do?

 

I just put a billet grille on my 98 expy this weekend. It did take some time, but not 5 hours. Basically you have to remove the grille shell....there are screws that hold it on from the top (just under the hood) and behind the corner lights (2 on each side). Then there are there pins from the bottom (those were the hardest part of the whole thing)...you have to pry those out. Some people prefer to cut them off, which is alot easier, but just make sure you have some replacements. Once you get the pins and screws off the whole grill shell comes off. Then, you will see on the inside that the grill insert is attached to the shell by these melted plastic tabs. Just grind those tabs down with the old rusty Dremel.....it takes a bit of grinding.....and then the insert just pops out. From there it is pretty straight forward to put the billet grille in. Dont worry, I am not the biggest mechanic guy in the world....just take your time....i promise you, its definitely worth it. If you have any more questions about my install just email me at tysonmurphy@hotmail.com

ps....my install was alot more difficult because i had a brush guard that i had to remove. Plus i had KCs on the brush guard that were wired through the factory grill insert, so i had to cut those wires to get the grille off.

 

My 97 didn't have tabs to connect the grille to the shell. It was like plastic welded all the way around. I had to cut the entire thing out and then sand it to smooth out the rough spots from cutting. It was kind of a pain.

 

my 97 had the melted tabs on the insert. i used the drimel and it only took about 10 minutes. just go slow and steady. everything else thaison said applies. good luck

 

I have a 97 XLT with the Chrome (plastic) grill/headlight surround. Will the painted surround be a direct fit? Any idea of the cost of the parts?

 

everyone makes it sound so hard to tak appart, me and my buddy did it in like 25 mintues. 4 screws, or somthin like that and a screw drive to pop the tabs offf. it wasn't that hard. i think the hardest part was doing it in 125 degree weather.

 

i didnt ask about a 2000 F150, i asked about a 97. the 97's and 98's are different, you have to do some cutting. i was just interested in what everybody had to cut out. the 99's and newer ones just pop out

 

Just did my 97 F150 4x4. Installed a stull grill. You have to take off the grill shell which involves removing the headlights. turn signal lights, 8 pop out tabs on the bottom of the grill (pop out tab remover helps or a screwdriver), and a number of screws that are simple to remove. I cut out the interior of mine all the way around with a cutting blade on my dremel tool. The blade looks like a drill bit. Take your time and the plastic cuts easily. I did it in the center of the indentation that goes all away around the outside of the grill. Attach a sanding attachment to your dremel and smooth the edges. It won't be perfect but you can't tell once you install it. Next you will have to drill 4 holes to attach the grill. Stulls attachment has some adjustment. Before you drill the holes you will have to place the new grill in and then replace the grill shell (top screws only) so you can adjust the placement of the grill to fine where you will need to drill the holes. Once thats done and the new grill is mounted just replace the grill shell, headlights etc. I used my old emblem off my old grill and cut off the lower tab, put some rubber vacumn line on the two screw tabs (this made for a tight fit), and pressed it between two slots on the grill. The screw tabs were not long enough to fit through the new grill. Fits solid so far. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks Tom S! That's what I call instructions. Now that I know what to do (exactly), I'm going to order a grill for my '98.