I sure could use some advice from all of the helpful folks on this site.

I have a 2007 F-150 King Ranch and my grill "insert" is cracked/broken. The surround chrome piece is okay, the crack is horizontal along the H-bar (the honeycomb portion is still in okay shape, although I see it is all one piece anyway).

I actually don't mind the looks of the factory KR grill, but when I called my dealer today they told me that a replacement would be $600 (includes the chrome surround piece) and I would still have to PTM. This is NOT acceptable.

FYI, my KR is black in color with the standard arizona beige trim. This, of course, means that my existing grill is Arizona beige

I am looking for replacement options. I spent a fair amount of time searching on the site and have still come away with a lot of questions about what is best way to go.

Since my existing grill insert is cracked, I think this means that a "bolt-on" grill is not a good option for me. Would this be correct? A bolt-on grill attaches on top of the existing grill, and since mine is cracked, I would assume this is not a good idea? Plus I have read about quite a few people saying they don't like the look being able to see the original grill underneath the bolt-on.

Is it possible to replace just the insert part of my grill without doing any cutting or replacing the chrome surround? Just remove the existing insert and put a new one in its place? What options are there for grills of this kind? Ideally, I would like to keep the Ford emblem in place, but this is not necessarily a requirement.

How would a chrome grill look with chrome surround, black hood, black upper bumper, and arizona beige lower bumper? How about a black grille? Anybody have any pictures they can share of the above scenarios?

Any other options I might have for the replacement? I am not against "cutting" the existing grill if that's the best way to go but, quite frankly, I just don't have a good understanding of all of the different option and what is involved in the installation. I just want to make sure I don't end up buying something that I either hate, or was not needed/required for my situation.

Sorry for the long post and TIA for the assistance!

 

If I understand correctly, your grille insert is cracked, but your grille surround is in good condition.

You are correct in the fact that a bolt-over grille will not work seeing as the foundation in which it's connected is broken.

In my experiences (I've swapped my grille 3 times...) the tabs on the grille surround aren't the easiest to work with. So it might be easier to replace the whole unit, grille and surround.

There are 4 bolts holding the L-Brackets on (see pictures) and about 10 bolts holding the lip to the hood. It's hard to explain, but if you pop your hood and look where the grille meets the hood, you'll see what I'm talking about. I only tell you this, because you might as well do this yourself and save the labour costs; it's super easy.

Grille on the left (Patman Grille #4, OEM Honeycomb with emblem removed)
Grille on the Right (OEM H-Bar XL Trim, Black Textured surround)
See the L-Brackets?



Here are the grilles that make up the Patman Grille.
I'm posting it so that you can see the difference of what the grille looks like with and without the surround.



You are right, $600.00 is insane.

Find yourself a grille for sale here in the classifieds section, or on ebay.
The Carriageworks grille that I had for awhile cost me $100.00 (Craig's List)

You could find a Saleen grille for much less than that,
and they are awesome-sauce.

Good Luck, and I hope this helps.
If you can, post some pictures, so we can see exactly what you're working with.

 

Thanks so much for your great post. I understand much better now thanks to your pictures.

Any thoughts on the black versus the brushed versus the gleaming polished finish for the Carriage Works on a black truck? I realize this is highly subjective but I haven't been able to find enough good pictures of the different combos to evaluate which one I like better. I don't think I want the polished finish as this may be a little too bright on the front end, but I am debating between the brushed and the black finish. I like the idea of a black grille but I am not sure if this will be too much black with the black bumper and hood.

I will try and post pictures tonight of the existing "damaged" grill.

 

Check it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2008-...Q5fAccessories

 

Thanks for the link, the price is definitely right for that one but they don't ship to Canada so I am SOL. I might try to contact the seller to see if they would be willing to do it even though their listing says no.

 

Two thoughts on this, since you have to swap your grille anyway you might as well upgrade from the H-Bar (unless you really like it of course). Also you may look in the international section here on the forum. You may find someone else in Canada who's bought a grille, and where they bought it from.

Side note, if you do really want a H-Bar I still have mine. I'd be willing to ship it if you can't find one closer to you. Good luck, and post pics on whatever you come up with.

 

I'm in Ontario and have a glossy painted black grille without surround I removed from my FX4 plus a few years ago. It's in great condition and might suit your truck. There are 1 or two tabs that were a bit stressed when it was removed but none are broken and the stressed ones will still install fine and retain the grill in place. When and if you remove your insert you'll understand if you don't know what I'm talking about.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3643/1000435r.jpg

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/267/1000440a.jpg

Another option is a Roush grille, somebody off ebay was shipping them into Canada about a year ago for a reasonable price.