Just had a good day replacing my 2000 EB 5.4 Grille (seemed like a much better way to spend the morning than going to the Black Friday Sales).
From the picture, you can see the original grille is chipped and the black center part is pretty well faded.
The new grille came from 1A Auto and cost $127.00, including shipping. I found it by looking at 2000 F150 Grills. I did not like any that I was finding that were tagged for the Expedition, so I had seen that they were interchangeable when looking at the Expedition Tagged Grilles, but not so for the F150 Grills. After finding this one, I called 1A Auto and was told that the grill with the honeycomb center was not a match for the Expedition. Because I had seen so many of the Expedition tagged grilles also showing use in the F150's, I took a chance and ordered this one in. Except for one small item (and this was not due to the F150), it was a perfect fit. I will get into the issue later.
The first step, once you have your supplies and grille, is to remove the lights. For those that haven't done this (which is needed if you need to change the bulbs), the levers in the picture above release the main headlight, and the small torix screw to the outside releases the turn indicator fixture.
I mentioned supplies above. What I had bought some time last year was a bag of "Christmas Tree" Fasteners. Trust me when I say you will save a ton of time by cutting off the originals and inserting new ones. This bag of 100 cost $7.29 on Amazon (Search for GM, Ford & Chrysler 6.4mm Hole Retainer (Qty: 100) Gripper Box # 2000T).
Remove the cover that goes over the front of the radiator area. These Phillips fasteners sometimes will screw out, but sometimes have to be pried. If you pry them out, you most likely will damage them. I had a supply of replacements I salvaged from the junk yard, so it was no big deal to destroy them by prying. Not sure what the correct method is. I also see these for sale on Amazon as well.
The next step is to remove the sheet metal screws along the top of the grille. There are also two more screws in each light bay.
Here is where you get to cut off the "Christmas Tree" fasteners holding the lower shroud (not sure what to call them) pieces to the grille. I used a sheet rock saw and slipped it in-between the shroud piece and the grille. These cut off fairly easy, but be careful not to over power it or you might do damage to yourself or the truck. There are four of these to cut on each side.
The next step is to get access to the quick release fasteners that support the lower grille. I had to pull off three fasteners toward the bumper to cause the lower shroud to drop. Be careful not to tear the shroud. These were moderately difficult to get un-done.
Once you have access to the underside, then press where indicated the support will pop right out. Two of these are on the underside. Make sure the grille does not fall out and hit you while under the car (standard block the wheels precaution applies here). Once these two are released, the grill should come right out.
As long as it is all open, I took the time to clean and put some tire shine on the black plastic parts. This should make for a nice look when done.
I then transferred the Ford emblem to the new grille. This was held on with two quick nuts. Was easy to remove.
I then pre-positioned the new fasteners in the shroud pieces. There are 4 on each side.
OK, there is always one snag. The replacement Grille had 3/8" holes, where the original grille had 3/16" holes. My solution was to use small strips of Galvanized Plumbers Tape to provide the backing for the fastener.
The above picture shows the plumbers tape holding the fastener in place. Worked really well.
Once you have fitted the grille, reverse all the steps to fully install. Here is a picture of the finished assembly.
John
From the picture, you can see the original grille is chipped and the black center part is pretty well faded.
The new grille came from 1A Auto and cost $127.00, including shipping. I found it by looking at 2000 F150 Grills. I did not like any that I was finding that were tagged for the Expedition, so I had seen that they were interchangeable when looking at the Expedition Tagged Grilles, but not so for the F150 Grills. After finding this one, I called 1A Auto and was told that the grill with the honeycomb center was not a match for the Expedition. Because I had seen so many of the Expedition tagged grilles also showing use in the F150's, I took a chance and ordered this one in. Except for one small item (and this was not due to the F150), it was a perfect fit. I will get into the issue later.
The first step, once you have your supplies and grille, is to remove the lights. For those that haven't done this (which is needed if you need to change the bulbs), the levers in the picture above release the main headlight, and the small torix screw to the outside releases the turn indicator fixture.
I mentioned supplies above. What I had bought some time last year was a bag of "Christmas Tree" Fasteners. Trust me when I say you will save a ton of time by cutting off the originals and inserting new ones. This bag of 100 cost $7.29 on Amazon (Search for GM, Ford & Chrysler 6.4mm Hole Retainer (Qty: 100) Gripper Box # 2000T).
Remove the cover that goes over the front of the radiator area. These Phillips fasteners sometimes will screw out, but sometimes have to be pried. If you pry them out, you most likely will damage them. I had a supply of replacements I salvaged from the junk yard, so it was no big deal to destroy them by prying. Not sure what the correct method is. I also see these for sale on Amazon as well.
The next step is to remove the sheet metal screws along the top of the grille. There are also two more screws in each light bay.
Here is where you get to cut off the "Christmas Tree" fasteners holding the lower shroud (not sure what to call them) pieces to the grille. I used a sheet rock saw and slipped it in-between the shroud piece and the grille. These cut off fairly easy, but be careful not to over power it or you might do damage to yourself or the truck. There are four of these to cut on each side.
The next step is to get access to the quick release fasteners that support the lower grille. I had to pull off three fasteners toward the bumper to cause the lower shroud to drop. Be careful not to tear the shroud. These were moderately difficult to get un-done.
Once you have access to the underside, then press where indicated the support will pop right out. Two of these are on the underside. Make sure the grille does not fall out and hit you while under the car (standard block the wheels precaution applies here). Once these two are released, the grill should come right out.
As long as it is all open, I took the time to clean and put some tire shine on the black plastic parts. This should make for a nice look when done.
I then transferred the Ford emblem to the new grille. This was held on with two quick nuts. Was easy to remove.
I then pre-positioned the new fasteners in the shroud pieces. There are 4 on each side.
OK, there is always one snag. The replacement Grille had 3/8" holes, where the original grille had 3/16" holes. My solution was to use small strips of Galvanized Plumbers Tape to provide the backing for the fastener.
The above picture shows the plumbers tape holding the fastener in place. Worked really well.
Once you have fitted the grille, reverse all the steps to fully install. Here is a picture of the finished assembly.
John
