Ford F150 Grille Replacement Instructions

Operation: Replacing the stock 'honeycomb' grille with a Harley Davidson 'chrome' grille.
Subject: 2002 F-150 XLT

Original words by Up N Flames -- Photos and additional text byKingEvil

Removing the grille surround piece.

1. Remove the jack bar above the radiator

2. Remove the screws (They are plastic so I would use a hand screwdriver and not power) from the plastic radiator cover

Some of my screws wouldn't unscrew, so I applied upward pressure with a flathead screwdriver and it worked on most of them. I broke one off just because I couldn't get it out. When I put the screws back in, I just used hand pressure and I didn't have to use a screwdriver. I might have to replace these with metal screws!

3. Remove the corner parking lights. They are held on by one star screw from inside the hood. A small flat head could be used if you don't have the right tools.

4. Remove all the screws that hold on the Grille surround body part. Most are on top under the plastic radiator cover you removed and two are behind the corner lights you removed.

5. Now here is the biggest pain. Under the Grille surround you have a plastic shroud that's held on by plastic pins that go in easy, but not out easy. I used a flat head screwdriver and removed the two from the sides that attach to the fender. The pins may get a little messed up but I was able to reuse mine.

You only have to remove two from each side. Don't remove the pins that are in the center of the surround. These were a HUGE pain in the ass for me. I ended up mutilating my pins and scraped up my bumper a little. I did not like this step one bit! I was able to put them back in ok.

6. On the bottom of the grille surround somewhere in the middle you will see two long pieces connecting the bottom of the grille surround to a part of the frame. It's held on by a clip you should be able to squeeze to release.

You have to reach down, behind the grills and pull upwards on the small plastic clips. Then pull the grille surround outwards from the truck.

7. Now you should be able to remove the whole grille surround with grille included.

Removing the Grille from the Grille surround body.

1. I first added some lube to the plastic clips that hold the grille on. I then used a flat head screwdriver to pry the clips open. Be careful since the clips can break if you pry too hard

2. Once it's remove you need to remove the FORD oval and put in on the new grille (Note: Mine came with an oval, so I skipped this step).

3. I then added more lube to the new grille piece so it's easy to install back on the grille surround.

4. Double check to make sure all clips are snug before putting the grille surround back on the truck. Don't what to take it off again.

Put back all parts in reverse order.

Before:

After:

This was a little more involved than I thought it would be, but the results are worth it. I'm not looking foward to doing it again when I mount my fog lights behind that grille! Thanks to Brett (Up N Flames) for the instructions and the cool looking grille! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

All photos © Matt Coddington and may not be used without permission.