PART I
Before this 16 year old thread gets buried for another 16 years, there are a few items that are misleading, or just plain incorrect, that need to be addressed.
The purpose of my Post here is to clarify and correct some of the misinformation that has been presented in this 16 year old thread. I have been researching and collecting these since 1978. Over the years, I have amassed quite a bit of information on this item, and will share some of the pertinent things here.
However, before getting into details, a little "semantics" are in order. Throughout its years, Ford has offered additional, "non-standard" items for its cars and trucks that could be included at the time of purchase in addition to its "standard" vehicle, and added or installed at the Factory. These would be items like Power Brakes, Power Seat, Air Conditioning, upgrade in engine size, Whitewall Tires, Full Wheel Covers, etc. These items are called "Factory Options", or commonly, just Options.
In addition, going back to the Model T days, Ford also published catalogs of "Accessories" most every year. Accessories could be purchased at the Ford Parts Counter by an Owner or his designated Mechanic. If a Dealer were to install an Accessory for an Owner, this, mistakenly in my view, some times gets called a "Dealer Option". I say "mistakenly because invariably, over the years the word "Dealer" gets dropped, and is called an Option, implying that something was a Factory Option, instead of an Accessory installed by the Dealer. In 1957, when Ford still showed Accessories in the Salesmens' Retail Price booklets, they made a point of showing on a separate page, "Dealer Installed Accessories". Of course, there can be overlaps that apply to both ; items like Floor Mats, Door Edge Guards, Luggage Racks, Full Wheel Covers, to name a few, could be installed, or included (usually put in the trunk), at the Factory, or purchased from and installed by, the Dealer.
To avoid confusion, I have always found it prudent to call non-standard items installed at the Factory "Options", and items which could be purchased at the Ford Parts Counter, "Accessories".
That being out of the way, on to the details of the "Lighted Grill Ornament", or to use Ford's official name for it, "Radiator Grill Illuminated Medallion Kit".
Due to the number of pictures that I want to attach, I will have to do this in two parts. Part I will cover the Genuine Ford Parts, and Part II will address the "Non-Ford Parts".
PART I - GENUINE FORD PARTS
Ford did offer this as an Accessory in 1966 (Part Number C6ZZ-8B366-A), and in 1967 (Part Number C7ZZ-8B366-A). It did not appear in the 1966 Accessory Catalog, nor in the November 1. 1965 Ford List Price Book. However, in the 1967 Ford Accessory Catalog, not only was the 1967 Illuminated Medallion Kit listed, but so was the 1966, C6ZZ Kit. While it is not uncommon that an Accessory that was also listed for a previous year, being listed in later catalogs for the current year, it
is highly unusual for an Accessory that is
only for a prior year to be listed in a later catalog. As a matter of fact, I cannot think of another time that this was done.
The above Accessory Catalog listing is just about the extent of Marketing that Ford did in relation to the Illuminated Grill Medallion.
I have most, if not all, of the 1966 and 1967 Ford "Parts and Merchandising News" publications, and the "Parts and Service Marketing Action Guides". Both of these "Dealer only" publications typically addressed new Accessories, and how to market and sell them. I have not seen the Illuminated Grill Medallion addressed in either. This, of course, helps explain why not many of these were seen, or even known to exist. Another contributing reason, is that the Illuminated Grill Medallions were not legal in the States of Arizona, California, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, or the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
The first picture I have attached is from the 1967 Ford Accessory Catalog ; the only printed advertising of the Ford Illuminated Grill Medallions that I have seen (so, if anyone has other Ford advertising that shows either the 1966 or 1967 Illuminated Medallions, please Post them here).
The next 5 pictures are of the 1966 Kit. When the C6ZZ Kits first came out late in the Model Year, they were packaged in a brownish-tan, plain box, with the Name and Part Number printed on the end flap. At some time later, the C6ZZ was sold in the "normal" blue, gray and white packaging.
The next 3 pictures show the 1967 Kit. The first obvious difference is in the packaging ; then of course, the shape of the unit itself, now to fit the 1967 "Corral".
To install either the 1966 or 1967 version, one had to first remove the existing, die cast Factory horse. The new, Grill Medallion would then be mounted inside the corral, filling it completely (see copy of 1966 Ford Instruction Sheet attached)
Both the 1966 and 1967 Kits were listed at $12.50 each.
While I do not know the exact date when the C6ZZ Kit was available for purchase, I can say that it wasn't listed in the November 1, 1965 Ford List Price Book, or in the 1966 Ford Passenger Car Parts and Accessories Book, that was printed in January of 1966. Since it does appear in the 1967 Ford Accessory Catalog (Accessory Catalogs were normally available at Model Introduction time), and is listed in the November 1, 1966 Ford List Price Book, one could say that it was probably available by, or before, August of 1966, and definitely by November of 1966.
Interestingly, this Accessory had a relatively short "life span", in my opinion, due to Ford's late introduction of the Illuminated Grill Lights (much like a new toy not appearing in the Marketplace until a month ot two after Christmas), and their lack of Marketing of same.
Unless a Parts Department "just happened" to have some left in their Inventory, sometime between July of 1970 and July of 1971, this Accessory was no longer available.
As it turns out, once again, Ford was actually ahead of its time. In the early 1990's, Automobile "Daytime Running Lights" became "the thing". This was primarily due to Canada having a Law at that time that all vehicle had to have Daytime Running Lights. GM decided at that time, rather than build cars specifically for Canadian Export, they would include Daytime Running Lights on all their cars. This of course spurned many aftermarket versions of Daytime Running Lights being available for all cars, old and new, and other than new Model GM cars.