[TUTORIAL] Change pony emblem without removing bumper!

[Will2]

It's possible, and can be done in 45 minutes if you're fast. I want to avoid removing the bumper unless absolutely necessary to minimize the work, avoid messing anything up, avoid scratching bumper corners where they meet the fenders, or wear out the plastic brackets/hardware, etc. You don't even need to pop the hood for this method.

What you'll need:
- skinny fingers
- dexterity/visualization
- 5.5mm ratcheting wrench
- 5.5mm socket

Your fingers have to be able to fit through the grill holes. You'll also need dexterity and movement intuition to coordinate your fingers in awkward positions when you can't see them (behind the pony), while pinching a tool or bolt in between them. It's totally possible though!

First, determine where the 4 bolts are behind the pony. Reach your fingers through behind the grille and feel their position. Then, insert your 5.5mm ratchet through a grille hole. You can start offset from the pony and then 'spider' your fingers/ratchet into position. I recommend starting with Position 1 or 3 because they're easier to access. You'll also need to know which face of your ratchet should be locked onto the bolt so you can lefty loosey (remember it's flipped backwards to you).

Use your fingers, spidering them through the grille holes, a couple fingers from each hand if necessary, to spin the ratchet back and forth. I found myself using the ratchet like a grandfather clock pendulum in a slightly 'oval' path, to avoid bumping/scraping the back of the grille. You can also wrap the unused end of your ratchet with tape. I pinned the top of the ratchet on the bolt with one finger, then turned it with fingers from the other hand. You can use some fingers to lift the ratchet, then let gravity assist you as it swings down each time.

I don't do the entire job with the ratchet. I just used the ratchet to start loosening, then switched to the socket. You can use your index fingers from each hand to pinch the socket in position, then spin the socket to loosen. Again, remember what direction you're spinning in, lefty loosey backwards to you.

At some point I dropped a bolt. I used a small magnet taped to a thread and was able to fish it up, but then lost it again when I tried to grab camera for a pic. Oh well, there's now 1 of the 5.5mm bolts floating around on my bumper crash bar or something underneath. Hopefully it will jostle out at some point without causing an interminable rattle. If I were to do it again, I might pass a rolled up paper/index card through the grill holes to block off the bottom of the middle area, where there is an opening that drops down into an inaccessible area. You can also stick a magnet on a string there like I ended up doing. Just be careful how you wrap and tape the string around the magnet, because you don't want to pull the string off and lose the magnet in there too.

After you get all the bolts off, clean the pony area. Then you can stick on the black pony badge and reverse the procedure. I only re-used two of the bolts, out of laziness and for simplicity, in case I ever need to change the badge in the future. Just two bolts is sufficiently secure, since there are never any pulling forces exerted on the pony. I recommend using Position 1 and Position 3, since they are easiest to access.

Finally, after much finger-twiddling, you have the finished product!

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[Redback]

Wow! That’s a lot of work! Kudos to you for the effort and perseverance. I used a can of black plasti-dip to do mine. Cost me 10 bucks and still looks great two years later on daily driver. I wish there was an easy way to get behind that grill. I’d like to put some LED lights back there.