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I mentioned in my thread that I came up with an idea to re-mount the trim bar if it has a broken tab. This is important since the 71 grill insert is not available as reproductions.
I'll get to the removal and fix in a moment but first here are some notes the 71 grill insert.
1. The grill insert is mounted to the grill shell by six Phillips screws - two on top, two on the bottom, and two hidden under the trim bar.
2. The trim bar is clipped to the grill insert in three places - left, right and center.
NOTE: The only downside to this fix is that the trim bar has to be installed after mounting the insert because the hidden screws will be covered by the trim bar.
Trim Bar Removal
Starting on either the left or right side of the insert, removing the trim bar requires that you pull the trim bar downwards and outwards on the lower edge of the trim bar in the same motion to clear lower tab. If you do not, there is a risk of breaking the upper tab, lower tab, or both. It can take quite a bit of force.
The Problem
The PO of my 71 F250 had the truck painted a few years ago. The inserts have some light overspray but otherwise were very solid and more importantly, uncracked! Unfortunately, the right grill insert's trim bar had an unsightly gap.
Upon removal I discovered it was not securely clipped due to a broken/sheared upper tab. The other two upper tabs weren't much better.
A good lower tab
The Fix
It dawned on me that the trim bar is shaped like a "C", similar to the hood lip molding so I dug out the old clips from the parts bin. A trial fit revealed that the clips, when tightened, would rotate and tighten over the trim bar's "C" profile.
In the pic above, I pointed out the mounting hole used to secure the insert to the grill shell. Did you notice that there is also an unused hole? Yessirree! There is an "extra" hole next to each of the insert's three clips! Isn't that strange? Did Ford provide them just in case? Dunno... but we're happy that they are there!
Loosely install each hood lip molding clip in the "extra" and unused holes, install the bar, and tighten the molding clip's 3/8th-inch nut. Double check that the clip did indeed rotate and hold the bar. Snug 'em up.
The Finish
No gap and the trim bar is securely fastened.
NOTE: Dennis Carpenter sells replacement hood lip molding clips which are slightly larger, have plastic bodies, and don't have that wire tang. They would work even better than these OEM clips.
Hey Hio, Love it when people think outside the box. Perfect idea.
Tried to Rep you, but they say I need to spread the love.
Thanks for the thought! The idea hit me like a lightning bolt Sunday night... a total epiphany. I thought about it all day and got to work on it right when I got home. Yes, I have OCD.
Originally Posted by crazed87bronco
Almost like it was made to be there
Yeah, ain't that something? Pure serendipity.
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If you see any uncracked 71 grill inserts ya might wanna pick it up if broken trim bar tabs are the only problem with it. The inserts are obsolete so "saving" them is, in a way, important for the hobby IMO. They might hang around the garage for a while but surely someone, somewhere will be looking for one or both.. Lastly, they uniquely right and left according to their markings.
I got an extra pair of them I'm holding onto just incase my original ones on my truck ever break. I had to shave a good bit off the back side of the inserts to fit my Intercooler in. After 40+ years those tabs can be brittle I was half afraid to take the stainless trim off on disassembly. Lucky there's an easy fix if they break so that makes me less nervous the next go around.
05-18-2015, 11:03 PM
