Piercemotorsports Front Tow Hook Kit!

[LT Berzerker]

Will not work and may be damaged if used at at an angle !?!? Don't like the sound of that :/

 

[wspec]

I think you risk that with any solid hook, but the shafts are replaceable, I would use a strap if its much a concern for somebody.

 

[Pollo]

being that the crash bar has a crumple zone, is there a good chance that being pulled from there will stretch that area?

 

[Piercemotorsports]

Guys you could hook a tow strap to it and a helicopter and fly the car in for service without issues...it's worth a couple 100,000lbs of load much less the couple hundred that's used to remove the car from the track/gravel trap...

 

[Pollo]

it was just a thought. thanks

 

[maestromaestro]

Installation tips

Just had one installed a couple of weekends ago. Combined with sanding off the stupid solid strip behind the honeycomb grille. For me, the hole saw cut in the front panel of the crash bar was easy - however, the rear part of the bar is either thicker or is made of hardened steel, and the hole saw became dull pretty quickly. Thus, I resorted to step-wise drilling, and even that went s-l-o-w-l-y. I did manage to make a hole about 7/16 in diameter. The best tool turned out to be this thing (see below) - a rotary grinder/burr tool. It not so much drilled as it actually melted the steel - which is a good thing, because I was out of options and there was nothing that could work in my local Lowe's/Home Depot.
Attaching a couple of pictures - the tool and the view of the "back hole"; you can see the marks left by the hole saw on the inside surface...





Now, it would have been better if I had thought of the actual placement of the bracket ahead of the drilling, because if you don't (like me), you will have to cut the honeycomb to fit the eyelet bar/tow hook through... Not a terrible sight, but not as clean as the PMS install illustrations. I decided to keep the tow hook in permanently, so - doesn't bother me in the end.



I do need to spray some paint on the retention bolts for the bracket... They are too shiny and are visible.

 

[maestromaestro]

Yes you can - but, for me, I ended up having to use a burr tool to make the hole in the back plate of the crash bar. I posted a couple of pictures today.

 

[maestromaestro]

I guess that would depend on the cordless drill.
We used a corded drill and it worked just fine.



Dave

See above. Yes you can!

 

[dL_ST]

For those who installed this, how did you get the bolts and nuts in? I drilled the holes, but cannot for the life of me get the bolts with locking nut in.

I can't get my finger through the back to hold the nut in place.

I'm really surprised no one covered this as it seems like the hardest part of the install.

 

[dL_ST]

Anyone?

 

[Piercemotorsports]

Hey there-we put the nut in from the front and hold with your finger to get started---wasn't too difficult at all---maybe grab someone with small fingers!

 

[PunkST]

Liking this! It does also give the option for fabbing up a plate relocate.

 

[dL_ST]

I ended up having the bracket welded to my crash bar. We installed the bolts connecting the bracket to the crash beam, but when we put the tow hook in. The bracket was lifting and flexing..

I didn't feel exactly comfortable or confident that it would hold up to an actual tow. So, we welded the front of the bracket to the crash beam.

 

[sluggyjunx]

Installed the Tow Hook kit this week

Hey everyone. I did the Tow Hook kit install this week and here are my impressions. Overall, very good. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a tow hook solution for your FiST. The material quality is very good and the fit is great. I would have liked to have had a set of instructions or guidelines to assist as much of what I did was based on the few photos available online and reading a few descriptions of installs. It's not overly complex, but drilling into structural members and visible trim is still a bit unnerving.

Here's the order I put mine in with, roughly. I pulled the bumper cover and positioned the bracket in the approximate location I wanted it. I realized that it best fits in the exact spot that you see it placed in the photos from PM, further over to the left. The bracket fit snugly and was happy in this spot. I marked the holes and the placement of the bracket on the beam. I then removed the bracket and marked the center of the 1" hole and the smaller 1/4" side holes with a center punch. Using a DeWalt battery powered drill I then drilled a pilot hole with a ~1/8" bit for the large hole. I applied some of the CRC foamy cutting fluid and began drilling with the 1" hole saw. The process was really easy, except that the center bit in my hole saw was bent a small bit! So, it was a bit wobbly at the beginning. Not a big deal as precision is not important here. The first hole was easy. For the second hole I sprayed some cutting fluid inside the beam, lined up the bit and cut away. Also, not too bad. I took my time, applied more cutting fluid and continued, brushing away any metal shavings as I went. The back of the beam seems a bit thicker, but all in all the hole saw and cutting fluid worked great! For the 1/4 holes, I drilled small pilot holes and used a 1/4 bit w/ cutting fluid. No problem. I cleaned up the holes with a round metal file, used a magnet to remove all the shavings around and inside the beam and cleaned it with some brake cleaner. I painted the bare metal with some Rustoleum (in BLAAAAAAAAACK, 'natch.)

A test fit of the bracket and everything lined up well. I put the bracket on and installed the bolts, washers and nuts. Be careful here; I managed to give the bolt one too many ugga-dugga's and sent it into low earth orbit never to be seen from again. A friend provided a replacement and I was back in business. Touched up the bolt heads/washers with some Rustoleum and measured the height of the 1" hole from the floor of my garage. I measured to the center, as well as the top & bottom. Reinstalled the front bumper. Using my measurements I approximated the center point of the hole and drilled a small hole. I then verified alignment using a straight pick and continued drilling, with a slightly larger bit. I stepped up slowly, all they way to my largest bit at 1/2". At that point I could see approximately where I was in relation to the 1" hole in the bumper beam. I used a Dremel with a high speed cutting bit; it's the one that sort of looks like a spiral gear with pointed teeth. This worked like a charm. I slowly ate away at the plastic, test fitting the tow hook as I went. This part isn't pretty and requires a lot of patience and good light. Don't be surprised if you are off a tiny bit and need to eat away more of the grille than you wanted. In the end, it will be fine. Just go slow! Also remember, that should you ever need to use the tow hook, you should account for deflection of the hook and allow for space around it for the hook to move and not crack/break your grille! A little extra room is a good idea. Once done with the grinder I used a buffing wheel in the Dremel to clean up some of the plastic. I plan on coming back later with a polishing compound to really clean up the plastic more.

All in all, not as bad as I thought. If you're hesitant to do this install think it through and have everything on hand to make it easy on yourself. For me, the key was using the CRC foamy cutting fluid, a new hole saw and taking my time eating away the metal and plastic on the grille. In the end, the installed hook looks nice and is functional. I've stuck it in my glove box for now. I hope I never need it! Here are links to some of the tools I used:



https://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-center-punch-with-brass-handle-62141.html
https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/quick-change-kits-pcm38an-33230-p/
https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/bi-metal-hole-saws-hb100-33458-p/
http://www.crcindustries.com/products/truetap-174-foamy-foaming-cutting-fluid-13-wt-oz-03410.html
https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/tools/115-high-speed-cutter

 

[mattw]

Hey All,

I am about to install one of these this weekend in prep for my first track day . I would like to relocate my license plate over to this mount for when I am not on the track. Anyone know of a tow hook license plate mount that will fit this?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[VirtualRonin]

Hey All,

I am about to install one of these this weekend in prep for my first track day . I would like to relocate my license plate over to this mount for when I am not on the track. Anyone know of a tow hook license plate mount that will fit this?

Thanks,
Matt

Check out a company called Rho-Plate. http://www.rhoplate.com/v2.html
They have a kit specific to the Fiesta ST with a Pierce tow hook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[70sstrat08]

Check out a company called Rho-Plate. http://www.rhoplate.com/v2.html
They have a kit specific to the Fiesta ST with a Pierce tow hook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This^^

Just shoot them an email they'll know the length and thread pitch you'll need. I don't think they have it listed on the website.

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[Stargate69]

How often does his car breakdown that he'd need a dedicated tow hook
jj. Good diy

 

[D1JL]

How often does his car breakdown that he'd need a dedicated tow hook
jj. Good diy

It is not that the car breaks down, but that most tracks require them.
It is mostly for driver's going off track or accidents.


Dave

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

I also plan on using it as a plate mount like I had on my 350