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Ford Front End Kit: Sinister Diesel’s Super Duty

Sinister Diesel’s 2007 Super Duty Front End Kit Gives A Facelift To Aging Fords

Ford used basically the same cab from 1999 all the way to the 2016 model Super Duty. This makes it fairly easy to swap a newer front end onto older models. With a new truck costing $50K and up, it just makes so much more sense to take an older truck and make it new again. A front end conversion is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to an early Super Duty to freshen up its looks.

Now, we’ve known this was possible for some time, but the problem comes when you’re going to order a kit. What parts do you need exactly? MKM Customs has solved this problem. MKM Customs makes this swap a piece of cake by offering all of the many parts needed to get the job done in one kit. We got ours from Sinister Diesel. We also picked up a set of LED replacement headlight bulbs from Off-Road LED Bars to give the rig a much needed upgrade in the lighting department. With new parts in hand we headed to Pick-Up Parts in Mission Viejo, California, for the install. DW

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1 MKM Customs’ 2007 Full Front End Conversion Kit arrived in one big box. Inside was everything we needed to get the job done.
2 After disconnecting the lower splash shield and block heater plug, the four 18mm bolts securing the bumper to the frame were pulled and the bumper could then be removed.
3 The grille is secured to the header panel using four screws on top and a pair of clips on the bottom. With the bumper out it’s much easier to remove these clips using a flat-head screwdriver or other small pry bar.
4 With the grille and bumper out of the way, the turn signals need to be removed to access the bolts that secure the header panel (the part that the grille, headlights and turn signals mount to) to the radiator core support. The small 194-style bulb and plug need to be disconnected from the harness; a bulb and new plug comes with the MKM Customs kit. The larger 3157 bulb and plug will be reused in the new 2005-2007 style headlights.
5 Removal of the header panel can be done without removing the headlights, just be sure to disconnect the electrical connections on the headlights themselves. A combo wrench or the like has to be used on two bolts but the others can be removed with an air ratchet.
6 After all 10 8mm bolts were removed, the header panel simply lifts off the front end.
7
7 & 8 At this point, all parts that need to be pulled are off and the new MKM Customs parts from Sinister Diesel can be installed.
9 The MKM Customs header panel simply bolts into place using the same hardware that secured the factory-installed piece. The only exception to that is two new mounting brackets on either side of the radiator stack. MKM Customs supplies new ones. These are also bolt-on pieces.
10 The new bumper comes unassembled as some may prefer to paint the top cap rather than leave it in its raw, black finish. All the brackets needed come with the kit as well.
11 However, most of the stock hardware will need to be reused. MKM Customs supplies any extra hardware needed that you won’t find on your factory bumper.
12 After breaking down the stock bumper and swapping out the hardware, we had the core of the new bumper done in 10 minutes.
13 The top cap installs using a series of one-way clips (a light tap from a deadblow hammer or rubber mallet helps to seat them) as well as with a few ¼-inch bolts at either end of the bumper.
14 All put together, the new bumper was hung from the frame using the same mounting points as well as hardware the factory piece was secured with. We left it loose for now so it could be aligned with the headlights and grille to be installed next.
15 The new 2005-2007 grille installs just like the factory piece did using steel clips on the bottom and four Phillips screws up top. We find it easier to align the base without actually engaging the clips, and then lightly attach the top with the supplied screws. Once it’s hanging there by the top screws, the base can then be pushed back towards the radiator to lock the clips in place and then the top screws can be tightened down.
16 Next up are the new headlights, which bolt right in. The old turn signals and running light bulbs are 3157 and 194 models with the smaller of the two being the 194. The 3157 bulbs plug right in. The old bulb and plug fit in the new housing. The old 194 plug however will not work. We simply unplugged the harness there and plugged it into the new one on the new headlight housing.
17 Early model Super Dutys use a 9007 bulb, 2005-2007 trucks use an H13-style bulb, so the electrical connection is different. The MKM Customs 2005-2007 Conversion Kit came with bare pigtails, which entails cutting off the old plug and splicing in the new. It’s an extremely simple job that would only take a few minutes, but we just happened to have a 9007-H13 adaptor left over from a prior install, so we opted to use it instead.
18 One of the main reasons we did this whole conversion was to be able to upgrade our headlight bulbs to something more modern like this LED unit from Off-Road LED Bars. While this LED bulb would work in the older headlight, the newer version directs the light better to avoid blinding other drivers. It’s an easy plug and play job. No diodes, relays or special wire harness were involved. Old bulb out, new LED bulb in.
19.
19 & 20 Old headlight housing vs. new. The old ones did a somewhat primitive job of directing the light. Plus, they had faded to the point where they were barely shedding any light on the road at all. The new units from MKM Customs look better and they’ll do a much better job lighting up the road ahead.
21 Done, looking good and ready for another 14 years of service.

Sources:
Sinister Diesel/MKM Customs
888-966-6543
www.SinisterDiesel.com

Offroad LED Bars
920-366-8662
www.OffroadLEDBars.com

Pick-Up Parts of Mission Viejo

 

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