Retro fitting newish OEM grill shutters to older vehicls

[orangustang]

Depends on the range of motion you need, but if you want to go the cheap route and search around junkyards for something that would work, I would consider a power door lock actuator. I'm not sure exactly what range of motion or how much power you'll need, but search around for linear actuators and you should be able to piece something together. If you get a PDL controller from a junkyard as well, you can probably wire it up so that it won't continue to try and power the actuator after it's moved.

[D.O.G.]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

With out compressed air how would the shutters be moved electronicly?
Do you know of the part we need that will do the job and where we can buy it?

I had always planed to use air, never even considered using electric.

There are plenty of electrically operated actuators that can be picked from the wreckers. Remote door locks, electric window winders, electric radio antennas, windscreen wiper motors. Maybe with a limit switch to set the open / close positions?

How about vacuum operated actuators? Many cars use them to move heater or air con flaps. You can get electrically operated vacuum valves from the same source.

[oil pan 4]

Vacuum is another good option.
I bought a "lot of 11" air pistons off ebau and figured I would use those.
With a normal amount of pressure they apply a lot of force and are tiny compared to a lot of those vacuum actuators I have seen.
The very large Gast compressor I will be using has a warning not to go over 100psi.

[oil pan 4]

To day I gutted the front of my suburban to make room for an intercooler.
Pulled the A/C condencer, nonworking horns, transmission cooler and a thin sheet metal support.
Turns out these trucks have a perfect place for a set of those broil master grill shutters. 15x30 with about 2.5 inchs of depth for shutter movement.

I can pretty much forget about putting that 03 duramax intercooler in there with out hacking up and rewelding it and then I would also have to re-do the entire front end.
Also If I want to use the dmax intercooler it would be easier if I got a 01 to 05 dmax radiator to go with it.

Guess I will sell it and find something that will fit now that I know the measurements I have to work with.

[turbovr41991]

These vents will be common in a few years. If proven effective, I would imagine all the cars will get them. Not to mention the aftermarket companies will be making them left and right for Ebay sales. I can not wait! I have though about making a two or three section lower grill block. A main block area, a section to the driver side for the AC, and a section to the passenger side for the radiator. We will see though. This would be easier to control and could be actiated while driving the car at highway speeds which would be nice.

All this mechanical Aero stuff reminds me of my old 3000gt VR4. It had an "Active Aero" system. When the car reached about 35 mph, the front air dam would lower blocking the air under the car. The rear spoiler would also raise up in the rear for more downforce. I think the front side did more for the car than the rear though.

[oil pan 4]

As the name implies, the broilmaster wasn't intended for automotive use. Its Heavy stainless steel construction should do well.

There may not be much market for aftermarket for grill shutters because so far the OE parts look fairly universial.

[Varn]

It seems like I recall Aerohead stating that if you used 1/4" or finer wire cloth you could get a similar effect as a shutter. It would limit air flow at higher speeds yet flow well at lower speeds.

Perhaps he might expand or clarify.

[jojogunn]

Semi tractors have used this for years. Do not know the details of how they work, but remember an International following us on the highway, and watching the shutters open and close. This was in the early '60s.

[jojogunn]

This might be a way to actuate it: The first generation chrysler minivans had an option to open and close the quarter panel flip out windows. It came in either electric, or manual. The control was in the overhead console, and used a cable that ran from there to the window, where an arm pushed the window open, or pulled it closed.

[Cd]

Why not copy what AndrewJ did with his Civic, but have it operated by a servo from an R/C plane ?
The signal to open or close the mechanism could be temperature controlled to trigger at a certain temperature .

It seems as though an easy way to do this would be to just wire into the power source for the electric fan. As the engine temperature rises and kicks on the fan, this would also send the signal that opens the shutters .