Grill / radiator block great

[Rayme]

I made this outta PETG (stronger than plexiglass) and to my suprise, the engine's temperature probably only went up 2-3 degrees. It usuall hang in the 80-85 celcius, and with that block it went up to 88 degrees, having the heat on full blast lowers it...

I guess the top opening is more than enough (at least with temperature around the freezing point) to keep optimal temperature.. also the space between the bumper and radiator is completely shut with the lower plastic peice.

Any opinion? I will remove the protective layer..it should be 100% transparent after lol... (but I think I might leave it on for extra road hazard protection..mmhhh)...

I don't know if its only my imagination but I hear more "wind noise" in the cabin now, weird eh?

[almightybmw]

lucky. I put mine on, and left part of it open. My temps went from 170-180 normal city driving, to 195-215. that's really to warm if you ask me. I should only get those temps when its 115* outside.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by Rayme

I don't know if its only my imagination but I hear more "wind noise" in the cabin now, weird eh?

It may be possible. You're pushing more air up, over, and around the car instead of through it.

-Jay

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I would go with wire ties. they are less visible and they look better. I did it on my wife's element. it is out of cheap plexi glass type stuff from lowes.



also you could paint it black which may make it blend better and the paint is pretty good for protecting the material. I painted mine.

[theholycow]

The wires definitely look bad, but othe than that it looks great!

What's the best way to cut that material? I have some similar material I'm going to install in a day or two, and I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to cut it. A knife won't do the job (and I'll sever a finger in the process), and I fear that a jigsaw will butcher and crack the plastic. My material is probably plexiglas or lexan or whatever, it's salvaged from a roof window and it's somewhat thin.

Based on my behind-the-grille radiator block experiments, I'm sure that I don't have to worry about overheating in either of my vehicles.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Don't forget I have a behind the grille block in my truck with only (2) 4" holes cut into it. No overheating problems.

-Jay

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I used a dremel with a cutting wheel. it takes a while and you have to make two passes because the stuff melts back into the groove. I finished it off by sanding it smoother on the edges.

it takes time but the results look pretty good. my first one, I used a jig saw with a metal cutting blade (smaller teeth) and it cracked it in places but I will admit that I was impatient with it.

*edit* also remember too, the more time you spend on it, the better it will look. I made a template of mine out of paper and then transferred it to the plexi glass for cutting. mine is a weird shape like a zig-zag because of the curvature of the car. I would have never gotten that right without a template.

measure twice and cut once

[theholycow]

Oh...I was thinking of using the dremel, but I knew it would be slow and didn't want to have to spend all that time.

Good idea on the template, though. I'll make one from cardboard.

Maybe a drill saw mounted in the dremel using the router attachment would do well...


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[GasSavers_BEEF]

whatever you decide to do, just take it slow. I probably would have been alright with the jig saw but I didn't take it slow enough.

for the straight cuts, you can use the back of a razor knife (the ones with the sections that break off). it has a notch on the back to score material for breaking. it pretty much only works on straight cuts and I would recomend using a straight edge to run the blade across. I have a 4 foot level that I have used before. it's like cutting glass. you score it down a ways and just crack it. the farther down you score it, the deeper the groove and the more likely it will break where you want it to.

[theholycow]

That's what that notch is for? I had no idea!

I've cut glass before and I know how that works...it's also similar to cutting wallboard. I don't have any straight cuts, but I've got almost-straight cuts. I don't think I could make it work by scoring simply because I couldn't score it accurately. I could cut it straight and then sand it if I had some decent sanding equipment or a lot of patience.

Hmm...I wonder how a rotary rasp mounted in the dremel's big brother (pneumatic die grinder) would do. I have both, though I've never tried the die grinder with my wimpy little compressor.



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