'97-up Front Tow Hooks
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.

Ford used the same shape & mounting pattern for most 1/2-ton & lighter 4WD vehicles for about 2 decades, but the material & construction varied slightly. Some of these were also offered in chrome from the factory, and even more colors aftermarket. But they all fit & work with my mounting brackets. The short eyes won't work with the factory '92-96/7 air dam.

F65A17A954BA - Cast Aluminum
F85Z17A954CA/F85A17A954CA - Cast steel
6L3Z17A954AA - Fabricated steel
FL3Z17A954C/7L1Z17A954AA - short steel
FL3Z17A954D - short chromed steel

SOLD Painted Towing Eye Brackets for '92-96 4WD F-series & Bronco to mount '97-07 Ford truck towing eyes
. .

Installation:
1) mark the bumper relative to the body for alignment later, using an alcohol-erase marker &/or low-adhesion painter's tape (e.g. 3M Blue)
2) pull the rubber air dam inside the bumper down & fold it back behind the core support, on top of the sway bar if present
3) remove the 4 bumper nuts (21mm) and set the bumper aside; straighten the bumper & its mount plates if necessary
4) sight across the frame rails along the bumper tabs and bend them into line with each other using a large adjustable wrench
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5) place each side bracket behind the bumper tab with the back of the bracket resting on the sway bar tab and the flat side of the bracket against the frame rail; mark then cut the plastic filler (F2TZ-17A861-A Right; F2TZ-17A861-B Left) below each headlight to clear the brackets if necessary
6) set the crossbar on the side brackets with the vertical lip REARward, aligning each end hole to the side bracket's REAR hole
7) loosely install the rear towing eye bolts (15mm) through the brackets & crossbar up into the nut plates
8 ) (if present) cut 4 slits into the air dam (F2TZ-17626-A) below the bumper and fold the tabs rearward & down to allow the towing eyes to protrude
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9) set the bumper back into place (with the bumper bolts through the bumper plates, frame tabs, & the side brackets) and install the original bumper nuts just tight enough to hold the bumper & brackets against the frame tabs

10) hook the eyes onto the rear bolts (sticking out above the plastic air dam's folded tabs), install the front towing eye bolts, and tighten all 4 to 40-50 lb-ft
11) raise the bumper and align the marks from step 1, then tighten the bumper nuts to 45-60 lb-ft
12) reset the rubber air dam from the core support into the bumper & remove/erase any alignment marks
13) (if present & desired) mask the bumper; position the lights on the tabs, mark & drill the holes; cut off any excess tab and round the corners; touch up the paint; install the lights; remove the bumper masking

Shipping size with eyes attached (no box): ~34x8x3"
Cast iron eyes: 13 lbs/pr
Aluminum eyes: 6 lbs/pr

Like every other truck I've looked at, these '92-96 bumper mounting tabs are bent. They should align perfectly with each other. Fortunately, they're easy to fix with a large (20-30") adjustable wrench.
cheap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VJLSTM/
good https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004WBAF/

SEE THE NEXT FEW PICS...

This is how the tabs need to be aligned (check from both sides, above AND below) for the bumper & the towing eye brackets to fit & work correctly.

This is how the tabs need to be aligned (check from both sides, above AND below) for the bumper & the towing eye brackets to fit & work correctly.

These tabs aren't as badly-twisted as most, but they're not straight.

This large adjustable wrench makes straightening things easy.

This is how they should look - each one points directly at the other, viewed along their top edges above the frame, AND bottom edges below.

The white lines & text mark the perfect spot for a hole for towing eyes or lights below the bumper.
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.

With a straight cut along each vertical dotted line & a light score along the horizontal line, a tab can be folded back, allowing the towing eye to protrude through.

By cutting 2 slits in the air dam, a flap can be folded down to allow a towing eye or light to protrude. And the flap can be folded back up into place if it's not needed later. This is the only modification required to the truck.

Two slits & a groove make folding this tab down easy; and it can be folded back up if the eyes are ever removed. This is the only modification required to the truck.

The frame tab on a 2WD 1/2-ton frame faces the wrong direction for my towing eye brackets to be properly supported. But a 2WD probably doesn't need towing eyes anyway.

Curiously, my brackets DO fit the 2WD heavy frame (without crumple-zone convolutes), but a small notch must be cut on the Left side bracket.

No modifications to the frame or bumper. If this bumper had a factory-style plastic air dam, it would require only minor mods. And it doesn't interfere with the crumple zones or air bag response.

They're very subtle, but very functional; both as front recovery points, and also as steps. These brackets do NOT have light tabs above the bumper.

cast Iron: F85A17A954CA, F85Z17N808CA
Aluminum: F85A17A554BA

They're very subtle, but very functional; both as front recovery points, and also as steps. These brackets do NOT have light tabs above the bumper.

They're very subtle, but very functional; both as front recovery points, and also as steps. These brackets do NOT have light tabs above the bumper, but those would be easy to add.

They're very subtle, but very functional; both as front recovery points, and also as steps. Other than folding down 2 flaps of the plastic air dam, the truck is not modified in any way, and no additional fasteners are needed. The only new fasteners are those for the recovery eyes.

SOLD Ford Aluminum Towing Eyes (casting#: F85A17A554BA) painted Valspar Implement gloss black

I sometimes find these junkyarding, restore & sell them in addition to the brackets I make. They can be found in lightweight Aluminum or heavy cast steel, but the strength is the same because the fasteners are the same.

'97-99 Aluminum F85A17A554BA
'97-04 cast Iron F85A17A554CA, F85A17A954CA
'04-14 narrow 6L3Z17A954AA
'07-15 low-profile FL3Z17A954C, FL3Z17A954E
'15-20 wide FL3Z17N808A, 7L1Z17A954AA

As tempting as it is, the sway bar is NOT a recovery point.