Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics Question about the front SVT grill...

After a bit of effort today, I finally got the lower front bumper grill off. It was pretty easy once I realized the amount of force needed to take it off. Anyway, I took out the grill with the side deflectors on (each are attached by 4 bolts and are almost impossible to take off while the grill is in the bumper) and now I will be painting the grill silver. My question is the following:

When I go try to put the grill back on, those deflectors attached on the ends of the grill will get in the way and will make it a major PITA to get the grill back in (not to mention the amounts of scratches and nicks my freshly painted grill will accumulate). How important are those deflectors and will I have any problems if I decided to remove them from the grill(...the writing on the deflectors say: "A.C. deflector")?

Thanks!

I yanked mine out to put in the aluminum mesh and have no ill effects yet. Leave them off. Why not!

Yeah I took mine off, didnt see anything hanging or bent, I say if you wanna put the grill piece on, take the deflector off. But if your worried about the deflector, it goes back on with one pin, but it is a booger to get back on.

hmmm... not sure if we are talking about the same piece; the deflectors I am talking about are the ones that are actually attached to the grill itself and are held on by 4 gold colored bolts.

i've been running for 2 months without them, no problems, leave em' off!

Ok, thanks guys!

I guess I already had the answer if I had just thought about it; a lot of people use custom mesh grills anyway (which would undoubtedly eliminate the deflectors regardless) and they haven't had any problems to date.

Does anybody have the part # for the SVT mesh grill "biting" clips, or an idea of where I could get a similar part? I went to my Ford dealer and they didn't have a clue about what I was talking about...they ended up showing my some screws from an SE grille. I also went to Home Depot to see if they have anything similar, but they did not.

TTT

I take mine off about every six months or so to paint it. I take off the deflectors to paint the grill. the trick is...let your paint cure for 2-3 days before putting it all back together and re-installing it back on the car. I put my delfectors back on because there are lines behind them. If a rock, moving at 80 MPH or faster...or a bird...which has happened to me before at 120 MPH in Montana, hits that plastic grill, it breaks easily. I have had to replace mine twice because of these reasons. The plastic deflectors behind the grill helps to protect those lines (a/c, coolant & oil cooling) from damage. To me it's worth the extra pain in the A** to put them back on and re-install them properly. The grill only cost's 30 bones or so for replacement. The lines will cost much more.

AND YES...it's a pain to put them back in and get the top clips on. The best way is to leave the bottom 2 screws out, bend the plastic with your hand (wear thin gloves to protect your hands) use needlenose pliers to place the clip on the plastic lips (the 2 parts you clip together to hold the grill in) then use a long flathead screwdriver to pry the clip on using leverage. Then re-install screws.

as for the clips, go back to the Ford dealer, make sure he's looking at the SVT LOWER FRONT GRILL and there will be attaching harware listed for the grill. They are listed as clips and look nothing like the originals but work well, actually better. I'm not sure of the part number, but i'll get it for U if needed.

Just thought I'd give you another point of view. any more questions, just ask

rainshdw

Thanks for the reply.

My painted grill has been sitting in my room for about 3+ days now, so it should be fine. I just have to wait for the extra clips from Ford. As for the deflectors, you do make a good point about the lines, so I'll reinstall them (and touch up the paint if needed afterwards).

Yeah, when I went to the Ford dealer they pulled up SVT LOWER FRONT GRILL on their system and showed me the clips, but the bumper/grill on display was from a non-SVT contour, so I assumed that it was the wrong part. Guess not?...
Actually this was the part number they gave me (N811740-532B) and they said 6 clips for $1.21. Does this sound right? If you could check the part# I would appreciate it (assuming you still have it).

Thanks again.

BTW, why is your member#8763, haven't you been on the boards for a while? You have a black SVT right?