metroplex

I was trying to think of a logical reason why Ford did not make a molded splash guard for the front and it hit me.

What happens when dirt/grit/pebbles/gunk falls in between the splash guard and the front fender? Wouldn't the vibration of the car and the flexing of the guard cause the grit to start to dig into the paint finish? THere's nothing on top to prevent the grit from falling into the spot between the guard and fender.

On the rear, you're dealing with a urethane? bumper which won't rust but I think there still may be some problem with the vibration and grit. Has anyone removed their splash guards after 1-2 years of use to observe the condition of the paint?

Bob99b5

I was able to install mine to the plastic rocker panel using the factory holes with new friction-fit rivet-style fasteners that I got from my hardware store. No extra holes so I can easily return it to stock if I choose.

bigkbull

Hey Bob, do you have any pics of this? You have almost my EXACT car that I ordered. I'd love to see what you did with this. Also, what part of RI are you from? What dealership did you go through too? I had a wicked problem with a certain RI Ford dealership, but I won't say what their name is-o (*hint*).

metroplex

Bob, do you have pics of the rivets you used?

metroplex

I would like to use the F6ZZ-16A550-BA front flat guards and drill the guards to use the rocker panel mounts.

How secure is this setup and what exactly do I need to do to make it work?

Do the front flat guards come pre-drilled?

How do I remove those plastic fasteners?

Vermillion06

I attached some flat splash guards behind the front wheels the same way Bob did, but I was able to reuse the stock fasteners.

If you look at the fasteners, they are made up of two pieces. There is a "base" that looks kind of like a washer, and the "head" which looks like the head of a rivet. There is a flat indentation on the lower base part. Stick the end of a correctly sized flat blade screw driver under the head of the "rivet" , twist and carefully pry up the head. Once the head is pried up enough, carefully remove both pieces of the fastener. It should pull out of the hole easily.

To reuse, assemble the two pieces but don't push head of the rivet down all the way into the base. Insert the fastener in the hole so that the base is flush with surface and push the rivet head in until it's flush and you feel it snap in place.

The splash guards I used were undrilled, so to mark the place on the splash gaurds to the drill the holes, I put a dab of red lacquer glazing putty on the center of the head of each fastener (before I removed them from the car of course). I carefully pressed the splash guard against the fasteners being careful not to smear the putty, which marks the location of the holes to drill. I then wiped the putty off the top of the fasteners.

metroplex

How are those clips retained? 2 hooks or some other design? I will try to remove one and examine it.

BTW which flat guards did you buy?

oldtimer stanger

i used universal flaps from auto parts store ($3.99)black vinyl used stock clips from rocker moldings work great very secure.stacked layers of dbl sided tape where flaps are above molding to fill the void between fender and flap (looks factory)
what i did to get hole drilled in flaps to match holes in molding was:
1: removed plastic from flap package
2:used carboard packaging as a templete of flap
3:removed clips from rocker molding
4:duct taped templete to inner fender to align and level flap
5:when aligned and leveled felt for rocker molding holes pushed
pushed through holes with phillips screwdriver
6:drilled out flaps to match templete installed with factory clips
(very secure)
7:just flip templete over your already set up for other side
note: my dbl sided tape is working great but if not use blk silicone
to fill void between fender and flap

metroplex

I thought about the gasket material and think I'll use bicycle tire inner tube that is cut to form around the clip holes. I just need to isolate the guard from the painted surfaces to prevent repeated marring while driving.

Vermillion06

The fasteners work like big plastic pop rivets in that the shank expands when the head is pushed down into the base:

metroplex

These are a lot more secure than standard christmas tree plugs?

Bob99b5

Sure do, I'll post in the next message. I live in Cranston, RI, near Garden City. I'd be happy to show you everything I've done to the car and to help you install the guards or anything else you want to put on. I also did a custom hardwire on my V1. I bought mine at Tasca - great dealership, very easy transaction. This was the second in a row from there; I bought the other two at Rizzo and Paul Bailey (now Flood Ford).

And sorry for taking so long to get back to everyone but I've been out on the PS3 and Nintendo Wii hunt - happy to say I was successful with both!

I'll send you a PM with my email address. Let me know when your car comes in and if you want any help.

Bob99b5

OK, guys and gals, here's what I did:

Bought the factory rear mats but couldn't find a set for the front. Looked all over town but finally settled for a plain flat mid-sized pair from Advance Auto Parts on Reservoir Ave on the Cranston/Providence RI line. I think they were like all of $3.00 for the pair!!
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Then I removed the stock fasteners from the rocker panels and took them to Durfee Hardware in Cranston, RI, to match them up with something the same diameter but just a bit longer to ensure that they'd hold fit through the thickness of the new splash guards and still hold everything firmly and securely. See the pick of the stock and new fasteners side by side. The new fastners fit snugly in the holes and have a push pin that forces the sides of the fastener out when it's locked down. The only problem is that the new fasteners are white - I'm sure if I looked around more I could have found a similar style in black. Heck, if I had just driven a couple of extra miles to my brothers body shop, I probably could have gotten black ones from him. No biggee, and now that they've gotten dirty from the miles, you can't even see them.
Attachment 15010
Attachment 15011

Test fit them in the holes to be sure they were good and snug
Attachment 15012

Test fit the new guards using a level to make sure everything was plumb and level, and a box below to keep them consistent side to side, marked the holes with a sharpie marker, put tape on the inside of the guards, and pushed them in place to transfer the hole locations. Then drilled the guard, checked the fit once more, then flipped it over and transferred the markings to the guard for the other side (no need to remeasure everything once one side is good).

Attachment 15013
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The finished project:

Attachment 15017

This one went smooth and easy. And just so you know I'm not perfect, last weekend I set off to install a roof rack, hood deflector and fog lights on my Ridgeline. Got the roof rack on fine, the moved to the fogs. Forgot to remove one clip on the bumper....pulled a little bit.....why won't this thing come off?? Must need a good hard pull! Then R-I-P! Yup, I ended up TEARING the bumper cover! That cost me about four hours while the guys at my brohter's shop finished removing the last clip from the bumper cover and then proceeded to repair and repaint the bumper on my new truck. Oh well, live and learn.

metroplex

How much ground clearance do you have under the front splash guards? How much of the guard is extended from the body (to fit the tire profile)?

Thanks in advance.

Bob99b5

Mine are 3 inches from the ground and they extend out about 1.5 inches from the widest point on the rocker. I installed them so that they extend out the sides in line with the outter sidewall of the tire. They look good in my opinion.

metroplex

Thanks Bob. I just wanted a baseline so I can tweak my Mustang front splash guards if necessary.

metroplex

I wonder why Ford didn't make molded front guards?
The Ford rear guards look like they fit PERFECTLY and will be an EASY install. I don't see why they couldn't make similar quality guards for the front I bought the Ford universal Mustang splash guards ($14 shipped) so I could get the nice shiny Ponies