You should be able to zip tie or bungee cord to the horizontal member. I would vote for the same heavy plastic that you used for your ground scraping contraption. Otherwise I know of at least one person that has a pool noodle that is cut on one side and friction fit into the grill area. Easy to remove, no paint damage, and if you buy it at the end of the pool season, it's a great price... downsides would be that it probably won't match the color of your car without painting.
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