[mwilliamshs]

Big Van + big grill opening = big drag, right?

I can't post pics yet so I'll describe for now and show later. You can Google 1991 Ford van if you want to. 32 identical rectangular openings make up the grill of this thing. At least 10 are totally useless. 2 are blocked from the factory, 6 are open but dead-end with sheet metal bracketry for the headlights, 1 is blocked completely by the hood latch bracket...wait that's only 9. Okay 9 are useless. 8 more are questionable because they're only half-open to the cooling stack and the other half is more bracketry. That leaves 15 truly useful openings in the upper grille and 2 big functional openings just above the bumper. I bought a $3 trashcan at Walmart and cut it's matte sides into rectangles and glued them into the openings. They're not perfectly flush but are dang close and and are very discreet. I got 4 done and know I'll need another trashcan to finish. I'm going to block only the obviously useless holes for now and track temperatures. So long as things work out I'll keep blocking till I find the break-even point. I have a mechanical clutch fan so I'll have to keep an ear out for it. My fan shroud is currently removed too (repairing a crack I found when replacing the radiator) so I'll stay conservative with my blocking till it's replaced.