I bought a 1998 Eddie Bauer that has been hit in the right front. I am removing; rt. fender, bumper, grill, etc. There is damage to the fiberglass or plastic part behind the grill on which the headlights and radiator screen mount .


Does anyone know what that part is called and does anyone have a removal procedure for it. It doesn't look difficult but I prefer to educate myself before I start. Thanks.

 

I just did this not quite a year ago (same year and side even). Depending on who you talk to, it's either a header panel or headlight panel. I don't have a procedure, but there are a few things to watch out for. Basically, it's held on buy a bunch of screws with J-nuts/C-nuts/U-nuts to the frame member that holds the radiator. There are some screws that are difficult to see because the headlight, grille, trim or other stuff is in the way and you have to remove them first to see the screw head. From what I recall, these were on the outboard sides of the of the header panel. There were some in the middle that didn't have great access and took a long time to remove. A 1/4 inch drive with lots of extensions and u-joints is what you'll need. If I remember correctly, all the screws had 8 mm heads and had machine threads (not sheet metal threads). There was some kind of black flap in the middle that I had to remove. It was on the donor vehicle but not on mine. I tried to be lazy and not remove it. Life was much easier after I took it off.

The tabs that hold the headlight and sidemarker connectors on were brittle. I broke one or two and had to go back to the yard to get replacements. Also, there are some soft washers that go on the headlight socket to seal against the headlight housing (the smaller lights have these, too). I lost one for the headlight and, as a result, the bulb socket was loose in the headlight housing. Another trip back to the yard... Then, I found that opposite side socket seemed to have a little heat damage, so another trip to the yard. Such is life.

The parts that aim the headlights can be a little difficult to remove. There are tabs that you have to squeeze to get them out. Sometimes, all you need are needle nose pliers. Sometimes, you have to use the ones that are bent 90 degrees. Sometimes, you have to use a small screwdriver to squeeze one tab, rock it so the one tab is through the hole, then use the screwdriver to push down the opposite tab so you can pull the hole part through. A second pair of hands would have been helpful, but I was able to do it myself, although it took longer than it should have.

Speaking of aiming the headlights, that can be difficult if you have to do it. I never did it after I put everything back together. The headlights seem to illuminate the road adequately and no one has been flashing their lights at me, so they must be adjusted decently. I did not turn any adjustments on the headlight aiming mechanisms before removing them, so maybe I just got lucky moving them from one header panel to another. If you're getting yours from the junkyard, you could probably leave the headlight aiming parts in the header panel and not mess with removing them. Unfortunately, I didn't think of this until I had that "ah ha" moment when putting it all back together. Too focused on the details and not looking at the bigger picture.

One other thing. There's a plastic bushing in the header panel that the stud from the headlight housing goes into. Make sure these are good.

That's about all I can remember at this point. Pretty straightforward. If you think you've removed all the bolts and the header panel doesn't come off, start looking for hidden or hard-to-see screws. The panel's pretty tough so it's not going to break unless you get rough with. Of course, I practiced in the junkyard first so when it came time for game day, it wasn't difficult.

 

Thank you for the help. I went to Ford earlier today and he called it a "header panel". Wish me luck

 

Good luck, but there's no real need for it. If you can turn a wrench, you'll be fine. It's a little tedious as there are lots of fasteners.