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Mike G
Well-known member
- First Name
- Mike
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2022
- Threads
- 22
- Messages
- 1,289
- Reaction score
- 1,723
- Location
- N. AL, USA
- Vehicles
- 2022 F-150 Lightning, 2023(J1) Mach-E GT-PE
My grill arrived yesterday afternoon.
This morning I got to work and took a pic of what was in the HVAC condenser intake area in the center of the front bumper. Not a great angle really, and the pic doesn't do justice with what was actually waaay back up in there. That condenser is pretty big.
Shopvac with a long crevasse tool and a worklight was needed to get all the way back up in there to pull the stuff out.
This is most of what didn't go into the shopvac itself. The stuff you see here blocked the tip of the crevasse tool and had to be removed when it clogged. Big leaves, bits of paper, and plastic bags and yes...that is a bird in the picture.
Instructions were provided for the installation but the blurb on the back side of the page caught my attention. Basically saying that if you thought you could find a better way to install it, then go for it. So I did. Instead of sliding the new grill insert up behind the truck's grille assembly I decided to remove the grille assembly completely so I had more space to work in.
I have removed the bumper grille assembly before. So it took about ten seconds to get that back off.
I then positioned the new grill insert in the opening and ensured the lower lip was in the recess at the lower edge of the opening.
Using the provided zip ties I secured the top edge against the trim clip holes by routing the tie into one hole and out the next one and back to form the loop.
Clipped the ends off, and checked to make sure it wouldn't rattle and was secure.
Clipped the lower grille assembly back into place and job done.
One thing though. I do wish that instead of expanded sheet metal that the grill had been made from black woven wire mesh instead. I think I would have looked better. Maybe they'll make one like that in the future.
But until that happens, at least this will keep the leaves and critters out of my condenser area.
This morning I got to work and took a pic of what was in the HVAC condenser intake area in the center of the front bumper. Not a great angle really, and the pic doesn't do justice with what was actually waaay back up in there. That condenser is pretty big.
Shopvac with a long crevasse tool and a worklight was needed to get all the way back up in there to pull the stuff out.
This is most of what didn't go into the shopvac itself. The stuff you see here blocked the tip of the crevasse tool and had to be removed when it clogged. Big leaves, bits of paper, and plastic bags and yes...that is a bird in the picture.
Instructions were provided for the installation but the blurb on the back side of the page caught my attention. Basically saying that if you thought you could find a better way to install it, then go for it. So I did. Instead of sliding the new grill insert up behind the truck's grille assembly I decided to remove the grille assembly completely so I had more space to work in.
I have removed the bumper grille assembly before. So it took about ten seconds to get that back off.
I then positioned the new grill insert in the opening and ensured the lower lip was in the recess at the lower edge of the opening.
Using the provided zip ties I secured the top edge against the trim clip holes by routing the tie into one hole and out the next one and back to form the loop.
Clipped the ends off, and checked to make sure it wouldn't rattle and was secure.
Clipped the lower grille assembly back into place and job done.
One thing though. I do wish that instead of expanded sheet metal that the grill had been made from black woven wire mesh instead. I think I would have looked better. Maybe they'll make one like that in the future.
But until that happens, at least this will keep the leaves and critters out of my condenser area.
21st Century Truck
Well-known member
Yeah that Lightning radiator seems to me to be more horizontal than vertical... maybe 40 degrees from horizontal? So stuff that blows in there, stays on top of the radiator like on a shelf, especially with the fan below the radiator sucking it down. Leaves and also twigs and larger sticks in my experience, and (way worse) plastic sheets of varied thicknesses... really, whatever is tumbling on the road or before the truck's maw.
Ford gave us a huge valuable frunk with a very low cargo lip and a reinforced frunk floor (see Sandy Munro's related discussion) but that smart innovative design necessitated the radiator to be tilted backwards at a big angle. IMHO Ford should have really added a grille in that low and wide opening.
Ford gave us a huge valuable frunk with a very low cargo lip and a reinforced frunk floor (see Sandy Munro's related discussion) but that smart innovative design necessitated the radiator to be tilted backwards at a big angle. IMHO Ford should have really added a grille in that low and wide opening.
