OK, that's it! Here are a couple of overall shots. I forgot to mention that wiring up the harness like I did results in the fogs only working if the ignition is on. The fogs can be on regardless of the headlights being on dim or bright and this is illegal in some states (I won't tell ) But at least they're not on when the ignition is off, so they can't drain the battery while you're away.

The lights are pretty bright, they seem nearly as bright as the low beams. They don't reach as far, but I was surprised that they are as bright as they are.

So, do I recommend this kit? I would have to say that for most people out there I do not. If you really want to do this, then I'd wait until someone gets the other kit that Manny posted a link to and see if that one installs easier/ better. If I had it to do over again, what would I do? Probably get the grille and lights and do it myself. If you can rig up your own wiring harness you could probably save about half the cost off this kit. And anyone that knows enough to get this grille installed would certainly have the skills to cut the bottom grille tabs off themselves! But I do like how it looks on my car and don't regret having bought it.


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Tres,

Oh man..All I can say is thank you so much for posting this stuff. I for one, really appreciate it!!!! It sounds like a real you-know-what to install. You know of the Mr. Wick thread don't you? I'm thinking if I want this I'll try that method with a V6 grill and remote or wire my own solution. I know there was another kit posted in this thread but it was just a link to their website. No personal experiences like your detailed explanation.

I don't have your know-how to try something like you did. I think your black car will help with the misalignment issues but on my redfire, I think it would really show.

If you are ever in STL I owe you a beer... ok..more than one... THanx again for your time and trouble!!!

 

Hey Frank, you're quite welcome, glad to help! It definitely was a pain to install, but it seems like nothing ever goes as smoothly as I would hope I remember once I was installing a belt drive conversion on my Harley and there was this special socket required to remove one bolt. Of course they didn't mention in the instructions that it was unusual! I spent about 5 hours driving all over the place looking for the stupid thing. That was more time than it took to do the whole installation! Anyway, this grille installation probably took me around 3 hours. Luckily no parts runs were required!

I had read a lot of comments about this grille kit and frankly expected it to be a lot better. The comments usually consisted of "it was easy to install" and that was about it! One guy said he couldn't get it in and last I read he was trying to find someone to install it for him.

I've read up on Wick's projects. He certainly has a good approach, but I don't like any of the lights I've seen put in using that technique. The GT grille lights (the reflector part) have the same vertical striations as the stock headlights, to my eye any other lights just don't look right. Plus the GT lights are adjustable for aim. But his method is certainly much cheaper, and a lot of people that have done that are quite satisfied with the results.

Thanks for the offer on a brewski, maybe I'll have to drive up there- LOL!

 

Anytime guy...


Yep...I'm not sure about the whole foglight deal anyway... I'm trying to repair a ding in my front bumper. The pic is of the area sanded with 600 then 1000 then 1500 grit sandpaper waiting for the primer. I've got the paint coming in this week from paintscratch.com to try and fix it... If I can't the shop up the street from me wanted 500 bucks to fix (They want to paint the whole bumper). I figure I'll try 50 bucks of paint from paintscratch (they put the flex in the paint for the rubber bumper). I'm also checking into a redfire GT Bumper. If I have to get that, should be a problem with the grill

See ya dude...I've got an early meeting tomorrow so I'm signing off. Thanx again... I'll post some pics of the before and after paint job so we can see how well paintscratch.com did with the paint match...

Frank

 

Those shots from a few feet away look great. Thanks for not holding back on those clearance issues.
I'm going to wait some more, but that other one I found from ebay is getting tempting.

Any plans on new wheel/tires?

 

Hi Tres,
All of this is great information; however, I do have a question regarding the power source. Since you have tapped switched power, does the relay behind that power have the capacity to carry the additional load of the fog lights? If they are 60-watt bulbs, they will add a drain of 60 * 2 / 12 = 10 amps to that relay.
My plan is to buy the stock Ford GT grille, fog lights & fog light sockets, as you recommend. I will add a switch to the light switch panel too, as you have. However, I will route through a relay, which I will add, and route through a fuse too (15 amp with 14 gauge wire should do well). Blank spaces are available in the power box for this. Under the hood, I will tap switch power to the right front parking circuit. This way, the system will come on only with the parking lights, low beams, or high beams.
Thanks, Brian.

 

Thank you Tres! you just saved me money. i have been debating on the purchase of this kit for a little while now. i dont think it is the kit for me.

 

Tres, thanks for the post. I have been considering the kit as well. I don't have nearly the experience you do, though.

Anyways, two things. One, it's not legal here in Virginia, to have the foglights on while the high beams are on. Turning them off yourself isn't an option, as the car won't pass inspection. Charlie at West Coast Performance Parts was working on modifying the kit for me to work the way it would have to in Virginia, but I haven't heard anything from him in a while.

Also, two... I had some aftermarket foglights installed on my car at one time. A dealership here in Roanoke (two actually) are selling them that way off the lot. They look nice... but the guy that installed them just couldn't get them aimed right for me. Went back to him four times... so I just had him remove them.

Anyways, how is the aim on the ones you installed? Is it dead on? With the ones I had on my vehicle, one was about right, but the other was hitting the ground about four feet closer to the car. Never could get it right.

Also, when you drive they don't jiggle or bounce do they?

 

Frank, it's a long story but I had to repair a similar scratch on my rear bumper. The problem I had was trying to feather the paint with the clear coat. The perimeter always ended up fuzzy. The whole bumper doesn't have to be painted, but it does have to be clearcoated after the paint is touched up. It is possible to repair it such that no one will notice unless you point it out, but to make it look new again the whole bumper will need to be cleared.

Manny, I really like the polished V6 wheels, so at least for now I'm sticking with them No telling what the future holds though!

Brian, honestly I don't know, I didn't check it out that thoroughly. I was wondering about it myself though. The fogs are on a 15a fuse, so I figured the actual draw was probably around 10 amps and figured the relay should handle that OK. I will report back if I have any problems with it. Your idea sounds like a good one, please take pictures and post them if you do that.

Kevin, no problem!

Jack, I think it's illegal here in Texas too. I go to a local inspection station every year, I run the headlights/ taillights when they check them out. I figured if they asked about the fogs I'd tell them they're just for decoration (not functional). But it's annoying that the wiring harness doesn't have the legality issues incorporated.

On the aiming, the instructions say to make sure they are at or below the height of the low beams. I shined them on the garage and they were right on, so I didn't have to adjust them. There are screws that adjust the height, you remove the top radiator shroud to adjust them.

I did not notice them jiggling, but then I only drove it around the neighborhood last night (fogs on, headlights off). I'll let you know after I drive it some more.

 

Just be patient and wait for the Street Scenes fog light kit to be finished.

 

Thanks Tres. Great work on the posting and the pics. I know that's a tough thing to force yourself to do. It adds time to your project and when you get frustrated with a "situation" that pops up, it's hard to maintain your cool long enough to snap pictures as well.

I would definately say that the grille looks great on your car. With the black paint, you really can't notice the gaps and such. Thanks for those brutally honest shots. I don't think most folks would have the stomach to admit that the fitmant isn't what they wanted it to be.

As I said though... it looks GREAT on your car, and I'm sure you'll be really happy with it. I kinda wrote this kit off a while ago, and now I'm certain that I need to keep looking. At some point, someone is going to get smart, get a mold of the V6 grille, cross-breed it with a GT grille, and make a NEW mold that fits the V6 cars peftectly, but still offers the hookups for the GT fogs. It's only a matter of time. The aftermarket demand will EXPLODE when they do it. Of course... wrestling the rights to do that away from Ford might hold everything up.

We'll see. Thanks for the info and the pics. Extremely informative, and I'm actually happy for you because it really looks great on your car. Kudos for all of it Tres, and enjoy those lights!

 

oh gosh I am sorry but i forgot to mention that it looks fantastic!!!

 

tres , good job with the fair report. this is why i dont want to go with that kit. also what port did you go with in the fuse box. my concern is that you may over amp the wire behind the fuse block and melt somthing. another way around this is to wire like they say but put a bosch relay inline on the hot and energize it with that ciruit. so that it turns off with the key. that way the draw is minimal. good luck with the kit keep us posted on how it holds up.
wow just noticed gears post yea what he said!

 

I don't know if any of you saw the latest 2 grilles I have been working on or not.It is still a V6 grille with 6" lights instead of the smaller onws I have been using in the past.

 

I saw the post on the otehr forum about you and the other guy working on putting the larger fogs in the V6 grill. I think it looks great. However, I don't think I'm up to the task if cutting the grill and all. Do you have any plans to make and sell these? If you do, I would definately be interested in buying one from you.

 

When will you be selling these? The one on the right looks perfect! I'd definitely be interested in buying one.

 

Hey Phillip,

==It adds time to your project and when you get frustrated with a "situation" that pops up, it's hard to maintain your cool long enough to snap pictures as well.==

That is so true!! I had to keep reminding myself to snap a pic, it's easy to forget when I get focused in on something. Thanks for the compliments! I'm happy with it, as you say the black hides the fitment issues well.

Kevin, thanks for the kind words!

Tom, that's an interesting question. With most fuse boxes I've dealt with in the past the hot side is all handled via a common block rather than each port being wired as you're thinking. I assume this one is the same, otherwise they likely wouldn't bother wiring unused ports. There is a heavy gauge red wire running into the back of the box, that's probably the main hot lead which then goes to the common block that carries the power to the individual ports. Maybe I'll unbolt the box and check it out closer some time.

Bill, cool pics!

 

Kevinv is right... I forgot to mention how good it looks...Very aggressive from the front! I give it a big

 

Thank you Frank!



I want to say that I just got an email from the seller of this kit and he was understandably upset at the review I posted here. I attempted to be fair and unbiased in my presentation, but I do want to emphasize that I am happy with the outcome and could very well have encountered more difficulty with my installation then others might have with theirs. Someone a while back suggested that some cars may be easier to install on than others, and this could very well be true. I emailed the seller back and invited him to post his own comments here, and asked him to invite anyone he knows that has had a positive experience with their installation to also come here and post their comments. I want any interested buyers to be as well-informed as possible, and being well-informed does not mean taking my word as being the gospel on this. If anyone wants to post a rebuttal, I welcome their comments

 

Tres,

I thought your review as completely unbiased!! You posted the pro's (switch went in very easy and looked great) and con's (the grills tabs were not smoothly finished when they were removed). I don't understand how he could be upset. Isn't that what this site is all about? Sharing our experiences with different products? IMHO, the seller emailing you that he is upset with you is totally out of line. If he had emailed you and said "I would appreciate your feedback on how to make the kit better", his stock would have risen in my book. But being upset based on that very informative and unbiased thread is ridiculous. I hope he does post here and not only thanks you for this thread but addresses your very legitimate and unbiased instructions. :angry:

I for one trust your opinion and have never known you (form the other site) to give misinformation or flame anyone!!