Attatchment of Grill block ideas
 

I have cut out a form for the front grill block.
I want to have it removable without drilling anything visible.
I'd like to have it removable fairly easily, as anytime I tow, I get warm, and would rather have it off as a precaution.

Zip tie it every time and just buy a ton of em?
Any type of fastener that will go through the grill and be able to come off by hand?

Thanks in advance for the ideas!

Reusable zip ties?

Zip-ties are cheap.

Ecomodder member Vekke has invented a new type of zip-tie which looks interesting.

Another type is the bolt that came with my Fabia grill block - it was a bent piece of metal with a screw hole and a screw, the metal hooked behind a grill slat and the end was turned 90 Deg with a hole for a bolt to go through.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-ar...195-grill2.jpg

or

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-ar...3194-grill.jpg

Or you could use the method shown here which is removable with a screwdriver as long as you can get behind the grill. The parts are available in most DIY shops.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/7...2mediumcb3.jpg

I've used a few methods on mine. Zip ties on one. Another one used thumb screws and fender washers. My favorite so far used wood blocks to screw to. It gives a really secure mounting pad to attach whatever you want.

They make velcro "zip ties" as well for containing computer cords which may work in some cases.

Still looking for a better idea myself as access behind the block-off is really restricted to getting my hand back there. I also want a really clean and smooth final installation look without zip ties right in the middle of an otherwise clean surface.

The ziptie plugs are exellent for that purpose also. Today I blocked the second grill hole on my customers diesel Smart. No holes needed and the assembly and diassembly is easy. Costs of the plugs are 2€ per piece. That includes one 300mm long ziptie and one ziptie plug. At the moment I mill those plugs from aluminium by hand so it takes time.

So 20 ziptie plugs will cost shipped on letter to states 40€ which is 55 US$. Smaller than 20 piece orders there will be 2€ shipping cost.

I will try to make a grill block assembly video with ziptie plugs tomorrow.

I like the idea of the ziptie plugs. I could have used at on the lower left grill on the VW. I used black foam pipe insulation between the horizontal bars on my upper grill. It is cheap, quick and easily removed

Maybe a carriage bolt or a bolt with a washer on the front and a wing nut on the back. You could paint the bolt head/washer black to match the grille block and the nut will be out of view. That is, assuming you can reach the rear of the grille.

Velcro sounds like a good idea. You could put velcro straps around the grille slats and have a piece of velcro on the block. Easy peasy.

Otherwise, maybe magnets of some kind? I don't imagine the block will want to slide around a ton anyway, but some decent magnets might hold it reasonably well.

At the moment I am using regular zipties in the grill block, because there is no tool for the plugs :/.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Gjk...ature=youtu.be

Here is a video how to do it.

I tried some of those super strength magnets for a possible tail extension / kamm back in the style of the black Firefly featured around here a while ago - my car only has a glass tailgate.

They were heavy but didn't hold enough.

I'm going to put up pictures soon as I have time, but I got tired of bad looking, and unreliable grill blocks and their attachments. I decided to make my blocks out of 1/16" aluminum and find a better, but removable, attachment. I made my Insight lower grill block in two sections, one for summer and both for winter.

I used two forms of attachment. First the lower attachment. I found most of the required parts in the Lowes special hardware section. From the "hobby supplies" drawer, I found an L bracket with a hole in each section. It is about 3/4 inch long on each side. After determining the approximate location(exactness not critical) I epoxied 4 of the brackets to the back of the grill gard section - sand the aluminum first to remove and oxidation. My objective was to use a light spring to hold the bottom. I found some light 4 inch springs in a nearby section, but other cars might require a shorter spring. A 2.5 inch spring is also available, and any of the springs can be resized with diagonal cutters, though reshaping the end with needle nose pliers is a bit difficult. For attachment to the grill I used wall picture hanger brackets, these have a nice hook on one end and the other shaped end can be made straight easily with pliers. Simply attach spring to the picture hanger and hook to the backside of a grill slat. Then hook the other end of the spring to the grill guard bracket. This part is easy since the top of the grill guard is still free.

For the top attachment I used handmade aluminum angle brackets and removable automotive plastic "pop" fasteners. Lowes has a variety of these in the same section. The L brackets must be attached under the upper lip of the opening with screws, but this location is not visible on removal, without a lot of stooping. Drill a proper size hole in the bracket for the pop fastner, a bit of experimentation is needed since the pop fastner expands as the pop pin is pushed home. Start at the pop fastener diameter and go larger until it all fits. It is best to drill a somewhat smallish guide hole through both the grill guard and all the brackets first. Tape the grill guard into position for this allignment drilling, so that proper registeration of all holes can be assured. Swing the grill guards into position, install the pop fastners and you are finished with a high quality, reliable and easily removable grill guard.

To avoid scratching paint there are a couple of approaches. First, if you want the guards to lay nice and flat, you can install double sided foam strips along the edges of the aluminum grill guards. Just leave the removable plastic sheet in place on the "car" side to prevent the guards from sticking. The other approach, which I did not use, would be to purchase some of the door edge protector strips and use that. I think the fit would be a bit loose, so they might need to be epoxied in place.

This is a quickie post on my method. I'll try to post pictures later in the day when I can remember how to do that ;-)

Powerwrap
 

Has anyone had any experience with using exhaust wrap, as a measure to keep enginetemperature low, when using a grill block?

wrap
 

I believe that one of the members reported that exhaust wrap can lead to premature failure of some of the exhaust system components.I believe it has to do with heat stress fatigue of weldments,especially at the exhaust manifold/header.:(

Some experienced header manufacturers such as Jere Stahl have said as much.