Well, it got above 40°F today, so I was out working on the Paseo. I took a lookg between the bumper and the deflectors I had initially planned on making are going to be a bit tougher than originally thought. The contours inside the bumper cover are not exactly easy to replicate. There is also no way to mount the deflectors. Here is why. The red line indicates where the deflector would go. On both sides there are a few obstructions.
So, I'm going to need to think about how I'm going to do those some more.
In the mean time. I did something else that'll also help. I took some of our favorite piping insulation and stuffed it all around the radiator so as to create a seal around it. Now, very little air should be able to go around the radiator instead of through it. This should reduce the amount of air needed to pass through the grill, and allow me to close more of it off. Here are the pics.
Before. Its hard to see, but theres roughly a .25 - .5 inch gap between the radiator and the support member.
After.
Before.
After.
Before.
After.
This is by no means a replacement for the deflectors. As you can see in the 2nd to last picture there is a big opening where the headlight is (look in the lower right). The deflector would go between the radiator and headlight opening so air can't just go through that hole. However, its a start. It'll be interesting to see if this has any effect on the coolant temperature.
Speaking of coolant temperature, I picked up my 192°F thermostat (180°F is stock) this Saturday when I was out and about for emissions testing. I'll have to get that in, but I would like to see what this does to the setup as it currently is.