Grille block using cutting board and adhesive foil. No zip-ties!
 

Hi,

I'd like to share my mini project in hope of inspiring others.

One of the most common mods here, the grille block, has been done so many times and with so many different materials and methods... that I'd like to add yet another one :D Not sure if this has been done like this before, but hopefully this will be something new.

The material of choice for the block is some kind of plastic, I imagine. I bought it as a "cutting mat", although I would not trust it with regards to protecting anything for longer than a few cuts of a sharp knife. See yourselves (disclaimer - all photos of products are copyright, property of their owners etc.)
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1398104655
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1398104655

It's pretty flexible, does not let air through and you can cut it to shape with regular scissors. Did I mention it's dirt cheap? It's dirt cheap - I bought a 3-pack for $3 + shipping.

However, it does not look very pretty. I decided to mitigate that with a "3d carbon" self-adhesive foil.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1398104655
Did I mention it's dirt cheap? It's dirt cheap: a roll of 127x25cm costs $1 + shipping.

After a few attempts at getting the right shape, I finally got it right and I left some additional strips of material on top and bottom of the block - these were used for mounting with two-sided adhesive tape:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1398104655

And the final result:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1398104655

To be honest, I had hoped it would look a bit better, but on the plus side - no visible zip-ties, which was a must, as half of the car is owned by Mrs. Maczo :rolleyes:

That is a neat idea for how to do those. How thick is that 3d carbon stuff? Do you think it could hold up without a backing or is it too fragile for that?

The one that I used would almost surely sag and get punctured easily, if not backed with a solid surface, it was pretty thin.

I am still using these BTW and there are no signs of wear. I also added lower grille blocks, but mounted them differently: each mounting point had 2 small holes for a zip-tie. Only after pushing the zip-ties through, I applied the 3d-carbon stuff. It doesn't look perfect, but is still quite discreet.

Ok, cool. That's what I thought, but I figured it was worth asking. Right now I am running prototyped with duct tape while I decide what more permanent solution I want to use. This one is probably going to be it. Thanks for the information.

I have used the same 'wrap' stuff to do my gril block. It is thin but has been ok for about 2000km so far. It shrinks and tightens with a hairdryer and its neat... its an easy job and very cheap so a hole... isnt a huge problem

I used to be into model airplanes and thought the covering material that shrinks with heat would be an awesome material to use for the blocks but figured that it would get holes easily from debris.

Might have to give it a go...

Sorry to wake up a dead thread here, but this is an awesome idea. Looks much cleaner for what seems to be a much easier material to use than coroplast.

My build starts soon, and all though it’s going to be a city driver, I do want to add an upper grille block to help the engine reach optimal operating temperature faster in the Canadian winter.

Does anyone know if this would work as well/last as long as a coroplast grille block?

Coloplast works great as a grille block!https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...ock-33021.html

I guess I was hoping that this would be even easier haha.

Oh well, I think it’s probably smart to go with coroplast as it’s so commonly used amongst all the eco modders

Don't know about coroplast, but this lasted around 5 years, then I sold the car :thumbup: