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Replacing the headlights and grill...

11K views 32 replies 9 participants last post by  highproof  
#1 ·
My headlights and grill have seen better days. I finally got some time to replace my headlights and grill. I ordered my aftermarket headlights from Amazon and my aftermarket grill from eBay. The aftermarket grill came with aftermarket clips which didn't work with my T-100. The OEM clips are the ideal fastener to use. Part number is 90904-67021 and costs about $2 each (shipped around $35). In hindsight, I should've just bought 11 of them and been done with it. Another option would be to use some zip ties to fasten the grill in place. ;)

(~$35 shipped fer 11 clips)

($22.50 shipped fer 15 clips)
305872


Remove the side markers first, the grill next, and then the headlights. ;)

There are two phillips head screws per side that hold the side markers on. If yer front bumper has been "bumped" and shifted, you might need to loosen the bumper so you can access the lower clips. There are two 14mm bolts that secure the bumper brackets to the frame. I only removed the front one and loosened the back one in order to push the bumper down to access the lower grill fasteners. Fer installation, I found it easier to install the clips into the grill and then gently push the grill into place. ;)

The grill has 11 fasteners that clip into the headlights and radiator support. Six on top, two in the middle, and three at the bottom. To remove the clips, you need a small flathead screwdriver to push the clip catch in while gently pulling on the grill away from the support. Start from one end and move across to the other. If yer grill isn't worth keeping, you can cut/tear/snap it into sections as you go. In most cases, yer clips will probably break in the process when yer pushing the tab in. If you do git an aftermarket grill, you'll need to go over the clip holes to make sure the clips will fit. If not, yer gonna need to carefully open the slot with a small file or Xacto knife until the clip just fits. I had to do that with two of the bottom clip openings. ;)

There are four 10mm bolts per side that secure the headlights to the body. You will need at least a 6" extension to access the bottom bolt. Make sure you unplug the headlights from the harness before removing them. ;)

Time to perform this replacement is around 1 hour plus about 30 minutes to aim the headlights. ;)

This would also be a good time to replace the radiator as you have easy access to the four bolts that hold the radiator to the radiator support. ;)

This would also be a good time to clean the AC condenser as you will have easy access to the condenser. I took my time removing as much of the rock bits embedded in the condenser fins and straightened out as many fins as I could. I used some AC condenser coil cleaner (hardware store fer about $6) on the condenser coil. Let it soak fer about 10 minutes and gently rinse it all off. ;)

The aftermarket headlights came installed with cheap bulbs. I'll be swapping my Sylvania XtraVision bulbs from my old housing back into the new housing. ;)
 
#32 ·
I struggled to remove grill without removing or even loosening the bumper but it is really easier with the bumper loosened.

Behind the bumper and forward of each bumper bracket are two nuts that attach the bumper to the bumper brackets. If you loosen both of the nuts (with a 12 mm deep socket) and spin them out to the end of the bolts they are on, you can pull the bumper forward by a little over an inch. That lets the grill come forward evenly until all the clips are out before it gets stuck under the back edge of the bumper.