Got my beauty rings powder coated black... Few things...

[Tdifonzo]

Black looks great. Almost as good as the optional Badlands Carbonized gray rings.

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[Gtrekker]

I'm having the same thoughts. I've never had such wide wheels on a crawler and these rings are nearly as wide as the sidewalls! I'm going to look into having some made out of black uhmw or some other composite. Maybe they'd hold up ok because swapping rings seems like a pain.


Unless you rock crawl. I gouged all 4 rings in one day so I'm glad I didn't have them coated. The rings are a little flashy for me and I like the gray ones people have done but I'd lean toward Plasti dip so I could easily redo them.

@flip was doing research on this and it turns out they are not standard size heads. Phil, did you ever find suitable replacements?

My plan is to spray them with bed liner. I've sprayed most the skid plates and underbody as well. A bit of a pain but looks good longer. Next project is to spray the drive shaft with stop rust black.

 

[DSRTR8D]

I think Ford needs to remove a few models to simplify things especially now that they have the Everglades and Raptor. I seen a Base the other day with the Sasquatch package and I was very impressed with it. I think maybe if they just sold the Base then sell you what ever option you wanted they might do well that way. It would be like buying a pizza. Order what you want. Who knows lol.

I agree totally…. Ford has done this for years—31 different trim levels for one vehicle. I could never get all the F-150’s straight—a badge here and a decal there, and boom! Bob’s your uncle, and your XLT is a Lariat.

 

[BroncoSarge]

Looks nice. That's AMB rings?

Yes. Will try to get better photos when I wash the Bronco and have it turned into the sun.

 

[BroncoSarge]

Like somebody else mentioned, impact wrench is the way to go.

Impact cordless was for sure the way to go. Standard cordless wouldn’t work and using a ratchet would take a lifetime.

 

[TyGuy40]

First, I'm very happy with the all black look. The silver rings just weren't doing it for me. All black much better.

But... The Torx bolts. THEY SUCK. I stripped 3 and they are $10 EACH. That's for a crappy bolt.

And why Torx bolts? They are so easy to strip (before you jump on me I DO have the correct size Torx plus bit) and not very easy to keep the bit on them. They are not very deep.

When I took them off they had some yellow stuff on the threads... I guess some kind of thread locker? Anyway that stuff dried in the wheel threads and it's preventing the bolts from threading in easily. I have to sit and scrape each hole out and then try to put these in without stripping any more.

Are there any kind of aftermarket replacements that don't cost $600 just for a set of bolts that are garbage?

Not a fan of the Torx.

Ok, i had the same issue. One bolt completely stripped, and I can't remove it now. So that sucks. And two other bolts wont even screw in all the way anymore.

Any tips on how to remove a stripped bolt? And completely screw-in the stubborn ones that won't budge?

 

[Synyster06Gates]

Please please please do not use a Torx Plus 40 on these. It will work but you’re very likely to strip out the bolts. Use a standard T45.

 

[DSRTR8D]

Just use a torque wrench at proper sizes and torques…. Ok, so it takes longer. You also won’t have stripped bolts.

I had zero issues doing so, and yes, it took longer…. As a matter of fact, it actually took MUCH longer.

 

[flip]

I'm having the same thoughts. I've never had such wide wheels on a crawler and these rings are nearly as wide as the sidewalls! I'm going to look into having some made out of black uhmw or some other composite. Maybe they'd hold up ok because swapping rings seems like a pain.


Unless you rock crawl. I gouged all 4 rings in one day so I'm glad I didn't have them coated. The rings are a little flashy for me and I like the gray ones people have done but I'd lean toward Plasti dip so I could easily redo them.

@flip was doing research on this and it turns out they are not standard size heads. Phil, did you ever find suitable replacements?

Nope. The head diameter on most of the standard cap heads with the correct length and thread pitch were all too wide. The stock bolts are a few mm smaller than everything I looked at and there isn't any room in the ring for the wider ones. Kinda pointless to throw them on the lathe because you'd have to strip and recoat which would cost more in time than just buying the OE.

 

[Razorbak86]

But... The Torx bolts. THEY SUCK. I stripped 3 and they are $10 EACH. That's for a crappy bolt.

And why Torx bolts? They are so easy to strip (before you jump on me I DO have the correct size Torx plus bit) and not very easy to keep the bit on them. They are not very deep.

Just chiming in, it’s standard Torx 45 for the wheel bolts, Torx Plus 40 for the “Bronco bolts” on the HD bumper and interior

Please please please do not use a Torx Plus 40 on these. It will work but you’re very likely to strip out the bolts. Use a standard T45.

Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of misinformation floating around the Internet and on YouTube videos about this issue, but @coadr and @Synyster06Gates are correct.

Ford actually specified regular Torx 45 (T45) for the “decorative beauty ring” bolts — see below — so use a regular T45 bit if you want to minimize the possibility of camming out and stripping the bolt heads.

Although a Torx Plus 40 (TP40) bit will "fit" (sub-optimally) in the T45 recess of the bolt head, using a TP40 bit will likely lead to some stripped bolt heads, because the surface area of the contact points will be less than the larger-sized, specified T45 bit.

 

[SigSauer226]

Ok, i had the same issue. One bolt completely stripped, and I can't remove it now. So that sucks. And two other bolts wont even screw in all the way anymore.

Any tips on how to remove a stripped bolt? And completely screw-in the stubborn ones that won't budge?

I bought this and it worked... Barely. The largest sized tool has just enough grab. It's not highly rated but it worked for me. I was able to get it locally and that day.

 

[Aztec1382]

T45
T45
T45
T45

 

[SigSauer226]

Interesting. My understanding was that a regular Torx bit would fit in a Torx plus screw but a Torx Plus bit would not fit in a regular screw.

Regardless I'm not a fan of these particular bolts. They are very soft. To charge $10 each is outright theft. They're not worth .50 cents.

 

[Rusty2]

Hi all,
I would like to paint my rings black as well.
Question is - can the Bronco be driven when the rings have been removed and out for powder coating? Is there a function or are the just for looks?

 

[604Bronco]

Hi all,
I would like to paint my rings black as well.
Question is - can the Bronco be driven when the rings have been removed and out for powder coating? Is there a function or are the just for looks?

Just for looks. You can drive around without them on.

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