Radiator Screen

[Davidbr_48]

Would appreciate suggestions for how to mount a metal screen on top of my radiator to protect it from rocks etc. I bought a piece of heavy-gauge stainless wire mesh, and am wondering how to attach it to the radiator FF supplied with my Mk I'VE kit...

Davidbr / Tucson

[Ray]

I used a pet screen for our car.

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Ray

[Jeff Kleiner]

If you promise not to make fun of the bugs and rubber boogers that I haven't cleaned up I'll try to describe how I made mine using 1/2" grid stainless---if I did it again I'd use 1/4" or honeycomb but on the day that I tackled the project neither was available locally.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/100_1473.jpg

I used 3/4" X 3/4" aluminum angle and riveted each vertical side to the nose aluminum about 1 1/2" out from the radiator. Used the same for a top and bottom then secured them to the side angle pieces by overlapping the corners and nut & bolting with chrome button heads. This leaves a trapezoid, wider at the bottom. I then used 1/2" X 1/8" aluminum flat stock to fit each side as well as top and bottom then sandwiched the screen between the outer facing flat of the angle aluminum and the flat stock. I spaced rivets about 3 inches or so.

Pretty easy to do (a right angle drill helps a bunch!) and it does seem to work---I've found some pretty good sized stones resting inside the nose on the lower aluminum panel after track days which might have found the radiator without it.

Jeff

[Davidbr_48]

Thanks, guys, for getting back to me on this. I think Jeff ("not a waxer") Kleiner's approach will work for me. I can see myself already cussing as I try to put all the rivets in awkward places....

David

[Cobradavid]

I did something similar to what Jeff did.
Here's a photo showing the angle aluminum cleco-ed to the vertical nose aluminum. The horizontal pieces top and bottom are also angle aluminum. The vertical piece that's at the center of the radiator (on the far right of the pic) is flat stock.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21603&d=1379546783


Here's the finished product. I used 1/4" galvanized screen. The screen is sandwiched between the angle aluminum and the flat stock which is riveted to the angled aluminum.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21604&d=1379546788


http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21605&d=1379546792

A right angle drill is definitely a plus for this job. Also, it would have been easier without the oil cooler lines in the way.

David