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Johnny Mullet · 08-24-2008, 01:41 AM

I have finally came up with a grill block that does not really effect the appearance of the front of the car. Since I lost some aerodynamics from the headlight conversion, I figure and internal grill block should make up for it. This will be temporary until I find a reasonable priced 1995-1997 bumper.

The first thing I had to do was remove the front bumper. There are 2 12MM bolts from the front, and 2 behind along with several Phillips screws to the inner fenders. It was not that hard to remove the whole bumper..............

Here it is on the floor..............

I then took my famous "Truck Mudflap" material and measured out 2 pieces to fit inside and cut a slot for the mounts................

Did some trimming and they both fit nice...............

Figuring out how to attach the pieces was the real challenge. I was going to try silicone and my "Magic Finger", but knew it could not withstand the pressure. I decided to use heavy duty tie straps "zip ties" and drill holes in the mudflap material and stitch them from the inside.

That went very well and the material is stiff enough to not rip out or flex while in position. The only problem I had created with the block was my custom mounted lamps would not fit anywhere inside the grill. They were previously mounted behind the grill, but now will not fit between the slats, so I had a new plan.

I went to the parts room in the heavy truck section and found these "bolt on" trailer side marker/turn signal lamps with dual elements and a convex front. I went and drilled the mounting holes and one more hole for the wires and mounted them directly to the block on the lower portion................

These lights look better than the old ones and the actual convex front makes the lamps visible from the sides of the car which is better for safety reasons.............

Now the entire bumper is completely blocked off and airflow for the radiator will come directly from the gap between the hood and bumper. The only visual change besides the new lamps is the visible tie straps, but they do not bother me at all. It was really hot today and I drove around in traffic to see what happens as far as cooling goes and did not notice the fan coming on more often than usual and the temp gauge stayed where it always does.

08-24-2008, 01:41 AM	#202 (permalink)
Johnny Mullet Hi-Tech Redneck Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ashtabula, Ohio Posts: 1,436 Thanks: 6 Thanked 49 Times in 42 Posts	Grill Block I have finally came up with a grill block that does not really effect the appearance of the front of the car. Since I lost some aerodynamics from the headlight conversion, I figure and internal grill block should make up for it. This will be temporary until I find a reasonable priced 1995-1997 bumper. The first thing I had to do was remove the front bumper. There are 2 12MM bolts from the front, and 2 behind along with several Phillips screws to the inner fenders. It was not that hard to remove the whole bumper.............. Here it is on the floor.............. I then took my famous "Truck Mudflap" material and measured out 2 pieces to fit inside and cut a slot for the mounts................ Did some trimming and they both fit nice............... Figuring out how to attach the pieces was the real challenge. I was going to try silicone and my "Magic Finger", but knew it could not withstand the pressure. I decided to use heavy duty tie straps "zip ties" and drill holes in the mudflap material and stitch them from the inside. That went very well and the material is stiff enough to not rip out or flex while in position. The only problem I had created with the block was my custom mounted lamps would not fit anywhere inside the grill. They were previously mounted behind the grill, but now will not fit between the slats, so I had a new plan. I went to the parts room in the heavy truck section and found these "bolt on" trailer side marker/turn signal lamps with dual elements and a convex front. I went and drilled the mounting holes and one more hole for the wires and mounted them directly to the block on the lower portion................ These lights look better than the old ones and the actual convex front makes the lamps visible from the sides of the car which is better for safety reasons............. Now the entire bumper is completely blocked off and airflow for the radiator will come directly from the gap between the hood and bumper. The only visual change besides the new lamps is the visible tie straps, but they do not bother me at all. It was really hot today and I drove around in traffic to see what happens as far as cooling goes and did not notice the fan coming on more often than usual and the temp gauge stayed where it always does. __________________ GeoMetroforum.com - got mpg? Last edited by Johnny Mullet; 08-24-2008 at 01:47 AM..