i have an 01 limited ex, black. limiteds came with a honeycomb grill compared to an xlt, which looks like an super duty grill. the dealer told me that i can get a brand new limited grill in factory black for around 240. dont know about blue. just to let you know, the ex's side vents are different than a super duty. main grill is the same.

 

I'm not sure if this is correct. I believe all Excursions came with the honeycomb grill irregardless of which model (limited or xlt). The reason I changed mine is the SD grill looks much more aggressive. I've recieved nothing but compliments about the change.

 

yes until the 05's excursions had the same grill and superduty's had a differant grill. i also swaped out for a superduty to give mine a tougher look! only 05's are the same!

 

see, i learn something everyday. i want toput the 05 front end on my X, but its about 1000 for parts. but ebay has a company that takes NEW 05-06 grills and modifies them to fit old style. about $279..

 

RLH68050: I think it would look even better if you had your brother-in-law paint the bumpers body color, similar to Ford's "No Boundaries" package. That would really tie in your 2005 impression, and make the truck look less busy (3-colors: body, trim and chrome). My $.02.

 

RacerX7775: I'd be happy with just the headlights from the 2005 Ex. I have a billet grill on my 2001, and it looks pretty good behind the WAAG brushguard. The eBay mod company's price sounds pretty okay, though - got a link?

 

I've really like the '05, '06 factory billet grill with the Ford oval in the middle (except the side vents are dark). I have been looking for one like it for my '04 Limited which is all black (a little chrome will set it off). Since this post started, I have been looking at what is on the road and on line to find something to set mine apart and simply replace my factory grill. Mostly because of the large openings that let rocks and stuff in and I think the look is quite bland. I don't want to put a screen behind the grill, although if painted black, would be un-noticeable and might help it look better. One of my other concerns is that last winter, my painted bumper got chipped up and started rusting. My dealer had it repainted (they said that it rusted from underneath, some of the rust was definitely from rocks) and it made my X look new again! Ford should have put a plastic cover on all of the painted bumpers to avoid this problem. The plastic would also absorb the rocks better and minimize the chip damage. So because of this I have been thinking of going completely chrome or just the bumpers, either the older style or the new style as far as the grilles go. The ebay '05 grilles that fit the older SDs/Exs look pretty good, but don't offer much for stopping rocks and stuff from hitting my radiator. I found a billet grille on ebay that will help me out for now, so I will have black bumpers, black grille frame and a polished billet grille that has the blue oval cut out. This will only cost me $60 and I'll find out if my bumper takes another beating this winter. Maybe I'll just have my bumper painted every couple of years, it might be cheaper that a chrome overhaul. Does anyone know if someone makes a plastic cover for painted bumpers? Maybe for those people who have a chrome bumper and just want the painted look without buying a paintable bumper?

 

Great looking X!

 

I think I recall seeing one at Stylin' Concepts...

 

Thanks Monsta, I'll check it out and put it on my spring wish list.

 

Downsized - you might ask your paint shop about urethane-based paint, or consider a spray-on coating like Rhino lining if you're not attached to the semi-gloss original paint. I don't think Ford really thought the road rash problem out thoroughly with the painted bumpers - I've experienced the same chipping and rusting with mine.

Your dealer's assertion that it rusted from underneath is BS, and only serves to put Ford in a bad light either way: if it rusted from underneath, then the metal was not properly prepared prior to painting; if it didn't, the problem is as we know it - Ford did not adequately engineer the painting solution for the No Boudaries package.

 

as for the painted bumpers, i also have the black painted ones. i guess i can consider myself lucky because mine have not rusted, but the ends have severe paint lossand are down to the black primer. fords solution to this for the new trucks is a chrome bumper with a plastic cap at the top that is painted the vehicle color. i also realized that the $1200 to put the 05 front end is too pricey for the look. so i just installed a chrome mesh cut out grill for mine. about $175. along with the chrome mirror covers, door handles, gas cap door it really changes the truck. myself, now i wouldn't change the bumpers to chrome because i kind of like the painted ones. as for the link on e-bay for the 05 grill to fit the old style X, i forget the link, but just type in excursion grill and i think it will come up. i'll try to find the web site in the mean time...

 

Nope!! A buddy of mine has a 2003 SD w/painted bumpers and it looks like *****. Rocks chips and rust after a couple of years.