Everyone who has ever owned a 1999-2004 Ford Mustang GT or V6 has had to stare at the ugly stock Mustang honeycomb grille. In 2003 the Mustang Mach 1 arrived and brought a nice little change to the front of the 99-04 Mustang face. Quickly the Mustang Mach 1 Grille Delete became one of the most popular and inexpensive mods you could make to your Mustang.

We have installed probably 100 of these with all of our Mustangs and learned some tricks and tips along the way. Removing the stock Mustang grille is not the easiest task with Ford’s brilliant mounting solution, so we decided to help everyone out and make the New SVE Mustang Mach 1 Grille Delete that takes the headache out of installing the lower filler panel. This simple solution was done my making two clips on the bottom of the lip versus using pal nuts like on the Ford original piece. Check out the comparison pic below.

The lips look identical from the top but the underside tells a little different story. With the studs gone for the pal nuts and the new “slip-on” design, the kit installs in about half the time, getting your Mustang looking better and back on the road fast!

To start the installation, remove the top Mustang radiator cover from your Mustangs engine bay. This is done by removing the push pins that hold the cover to the front grille and core support. You will also need to remove the 2 push pins from the top of the bumper cover to make it easier to access the lower grille retaining screws. Reference Pic 1 Below

Next you will need to find out what hardware is used on the underside of the bumper cover to attach the grille to the bumper. Some Mustangs used a 7MM bolt and some grilles have a phillips head screw. In our case, we had the phillips head screws. They were a little rusted so we used a ratchet with a phillips head bit to break them loose. After removing the 4 screws, simply remove the grille from the opening. Reference Pic 2 Below

After you have the Mustang grill removed, clean the area and install the new lower Mach 1 Grille Delete filler panel. You may need to slightly open the two clips on the underside of the lip to make the installation a little easier. Put the lip in place and with your hands behind the bumper cover, slide it into place. Once in place, put your 2 new push pins that are included in the kit into the upper bumper holes. Reference Pic 3 Below

Once you get the filler panel installed, you are ready to install your Mustang Running Pony Emblem. Your stock header panel already has holes drilled for the 2 screws, but on our Mustang the filler panel did not have the opening for the Running Pony bracket to slide in to. After a little work with a razor blade and slightly opening the bracket on the Pony, we were ready to put it in place. Screw the 2 screws in and you are done! Reference Pic 4 Below

After you get the Running Pony installed, re-install your radiator cover and you are ready to hit the road with a much more aggressive look on the front of your Mustang! This New SVE Mustang Mach 1 Grille Delete installs in less than 30 minutes and completely changes the front of your Mustang, not to mention a lot more air flow to help cool your Pony down!

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