Hitch trim part NZ6Z-17F000-AB

[Got2go]

Yes, made the card board as exact as the blank as possible, add 1/8 of an inch to the top and sides to account for the gaps there will be in the plastic. I removed the wiring connector from the bumper and I cut the cardboard a bit at a time and tried it on the truck until is was happy with it, which honestly I ended up making a couple of carboard templates until i got it right then i traced it onto the blank but made the open parts that i was going cut off the blank smaller than they would eventually be and tried it several times on the truck after making the initial cuts and then trimmed them larger until i was happy with the shape and fit. I probably test fit and trimmed it 4 or 5 times. Thats why I shaved the back to make it easier to slide up between the chain loops to sneek up on the final look because obviously if you take off to much and arent happy with the fit there is no starting over. The plastic marks easily so be gentle sliding it up when testing.

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[BoxxerDad@50]

Yes, made the card board as exact as the blank as possible, add 1/8 of an inch to the top and sides to account for the gaps there will be in the plastic. I removed the wiring connector from the bumper and I cut the cardboard a bit at a time and tried it on the truck until is was happy with it, which honestly I ended up making a couple of carboard templates until i got it right then i traced it onto the blank but made the open parts that i was going cut off the blank smaller than they would eventually be and tried it several times on the truck after making the initial cuts and then trimmed them larger until i was happy with the shape and fit. I probably test fit and trimmed it 4 or 5 times. Thats why I shaved the back to make it easier to slide up between the chain loops to sneek up on the final look because obviously if you take off to much and arent happy with the fit there is no starting over. The plastic marks easily so be gentle sliding it up when testing.

Thank you
So what do you removed the plug off the bumper? I have the 4k so the plug is the big dual oval one.

 

[MetalsGeek]

Any suggestions are appreciated!

I would suggest that you do not use a template, but rather make your own measurements and mark your cuts directly onto the cover. Masking tape or blue painter's tape makes a nice surface, and a fine point sharpie works well for this. Take your time and use the most precise measuring tool you have, use a square or ruler to make straight lines. Recheck everything twice before cutting, of course. Be sure to leave extra room for clearance around the spring-loaded cover on the electrical connector. Some gap will not hurt the appearance if it's uniform, and every bit of extra room will help you wrestle that cover into place. Drilling holes at the corners of each cutout helps make a nice radius there (use a larger bit on the receiver cutout than the connector). I use Harbor Freight calipers for everything in my shop, and I had a vertical mill to help me make straight lines and right angles. I still had to use an Exacto knife to clean the fuzz off the cut edges.
You WILL have to remove the screws at the bottom edge of the bumper cover quite a distance from the receiver to get the cover into place, mostly on the left side. Bending all these parts a LOT is necessary during the install, but they will recover. Getting the fasteners at the top to mate fully with the bumper cover required me to make a tool from a strip of scrap sheet metal thin enough to fit thru the gap and strong enough to pull on the top edge of the cover and snap them into place. Once that happens, the only way to release these and remove the hitch cover is to remove the entire bumper cover so you can get to them.
I cannot recall for sure, but if memory serves it might be possible to un-screw and remove the electrical connector from the hitch. If this can be done, it would REALLY simplify installation of the cover. You might want to look up from below to see if that's possible. It would be WELL worthwhile to do. Best of luck, Kip.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Try this thread post #15
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/hitch-cutout-cover.52788/#post-903300

 

[Don806]

This worked for me on both my mavericks

 

[BoxxerDad@50]

This worked for me on both my mavericks

Are there any templates for the 4K plugs

 

[Got2go]

Thank you
So what do you removed the plug off the bumper? I have the 4k so the plug is the big dual oval one.

I did remove the 4 k plug from the bumper.

 

[Don806]

Are there any templates for the 4K plugs

I'm sure there is on here somewhere, just not sure I recall seeing one

 

[BoxxerDad@50]

This worked for me on both my mavericks

What is the width of the cardboard across the top

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

What is the width of the cardboard across the top

Kip,
Would it be 12" same as in post #19 ?
I don't think 2k plug or 4k plug changes the total width of the filler panel.

 

[BoxxerDad@50]

Thank you for the ideas and help.
I got my blank OEM cover made a couple cardboard templates then went for it.
Taking the 4 k tow lighting plug out helped plus undoing or removing 6 lower bolts screws I got the cover complete.
It isn’t 100% perfect but I’m more then happy with it and at a fraction of the of the cost of the “guy” who makes them or should I say trims them to fit for double the cost.

 

[Got2go]

Looks good.

 

[ryan2366]

I previously had ordered the OEM one from Ford and cut it to fit my previous Mav.

Honestly don’t look at it once it’s installed and didn’t want to go through the hassle of cutting another one.

Got this off Temu for $12. It overlaps a bit instead of sitting flush and fastens below with two existing bolts.

Good enough for me.

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