I have a 2014 King Ranch V6 Ecoboost. I'd like to put a vanity plate on the front. All of the brackets I see for sale online say "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ECOBOOST MODELS". I even talked to the Parts Dept at the local Ford dealership. They say they show nothing available for my model.

Has anyone else run into this?

 

Gen 1 Ecoboost front plates are offset to the side to allow airflow to the intercooler. V8 models have them in the center. I assume this is the issue you are running into.

 

So if I backyard engineer something in the center then it's going to risk damage to the engine?

 

Does your truck not have the plate bracket on the front? Or are you looking to add a second one in the middle? I'm not sure about causing damage (others probably know more) but it would likely cause performance loss with the air being warmer out of the intercooler.

 

This, with some minor modification (e.g. attach small plastic L-brackets) to mount the vanity plate....

 

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts...MtNWwtdjYtZ2Fz

 

Here is an image I found on the internet. It was from a Review back in the day of a new 2014 Lariat with Ecoboost. You will see the Ontario license plate on the front, we have always needed front plates.

Just source one of those and you should be all set.

 

Thanks. I appreciate everyone else's replies but most everyone seems to be missing the point that I want to mount a plate in the middle.

Have you used this part? What L brackets did you buy?

Is this going to be detrimental to my engine by inhibiting airflow to the intercooler if I mount a tag in the middle?

 

Yes, it will inhibit air flow to the intercooler. Can't say how much that will increase engine wear.

 

It's not likely that you will cause "damage". You "may" experience reduced performance by installing a plate in the center. But there are many folks who have done it without issue. There's a guy on one of the FB pages that has his hole completely closed off with a piece that is a tag mount/ dual fog lamp setup, says he tows heavy regularly and has experienced zero adverse effects. I am not sure I believe all of what he has to say, but it is what it is.
There is no need to fabricate anything using the duct piece shown here. Just get the center tag bracket for a non-eco truck. Part # 9L3Z-17A385-A.

Also, when the F150 was first released with the ecoboost back in 2011, it did not have the offset plate. It was center mounted like every other engine. Within the first month or two Ford released the updated mount. Very few had been sold at that point. I think we retrofitted a couple trucks here at work. All were inventory/preordered units that had not been sold or delivered yet. However if you think about it, after the offset plate mount was released, the eco trucks had issues with the intercooler being TOO EFFICIENT and Ford's fix was to cover a portion of the intercooler's surface with plastic and foam. I feel like it's very possible that had Ford left the plate mount centered, the overly efficient cooler issue may not have surfaced except in trucks sold in states that don't require a front plate. Again, this is my own theory/opinion with no facts or testing to back it up. I say give it a shot.