Homemade upper grill block (05 Matrix)

[roadwarrior_xrs]

After seeing WeatherSpotter's DIY page here I felt inspired and decided to go for it. Especially with cool weather coming in I don't have to worry about cooking my engine anytime soon. (I don't have a scantron to be sure)

I used cardboard to trace the outline of the upper grill. Then I transferred the tracing onto vinyl siding that had blown off a house from the hurricane. I cut the siding with a utility knife and some tin snips. This took a while to shape it to fit nicely into the grill area. The Toyota logo on the grill came off with a press to a pair of tabs on the backside.

Attaching the siding to the grill was a little tricky. I wanted something that will be fairly each to remove (if necessary) and won't mar the original car parts. I went with 1.5" stainless steel bolts with matching ss locknuts and washers. 1.5" was long enough to reach through the grill but short enough not to hit the radiator or horn behind the grill.


I anticipated using 4 bolts but after installing 2 the grill block felt very firm so I stopped. I got a chance to test out the block on a recent trip to western Virginia. After 6 hours of driving it has held up very well and I haven't had any problems. I thought it might flap or rattle at high speeds but this hasn't been the case. Nor has the car rejected the mod by throwing it off at high speeds.

My mpg for the trip was in the realm of similar trips, so I can't provide exact A-B-A numbers. But the grill certainly hasn't hurt MPG. I will keep updating MPG for more 'standard' trips around town and such.

Overall I'm very happy with the mod. The siding wasn't a natural first choice, but it will hold up well to the water, salt, rocks, etc that are bound to come its way. The color is close to the silver of my car so in the words of my girlfriend it "doesn't look that bad". For a very small investment I'm confident of a small bump in MPG.

Total mod cost= $5.
Time= couple of hours
Tools: tin snips, pencil, bolts/nuts/washers, extra siding

PS- I can still get to the hood release mechanism too.

[Sven7]

Any particular reason you made it inset? It would probably have much better effect if it were flush with the rest of the bumper, and without the bug guard.

[roadwarrior_xrs]

^
Good ideas. I couldn't see a good way to keep it spaced off the grill and more in line with the bumper. It could also interfere with getting to the hood release.

After a couple of tanks as-is I will be removing the bug guard and similar sunroof 'lip' to see its effect.

[Sven7]

You could cut it horizontally and attach one half to the hood, and one to the bumper. Make them overlap to the sides a half inch and they should stay flush pretty well. If not, throw some spacers behind them to help offset them from the grill. Overlap the bottom one over the top one slightly so wind doesn't catch the top one. Maybe make a flap on the bottom (opening down so the wind pushes it shut when driving) that you could use to stick your hand in and work the hood latch.