My cheap winter front

[Lone Watie]

Just wanted to show my cheap winter front <$20

1. Thin sheet of sheet metal from Home Depot for $9 (got the one in the ducting department which had cardboard around it (which I used for the template)

2. Duct Tape

3. 2-sided carpet tape

Used duct tape on the grill front to provide a good base for the 2-sided carpet tape (by the way, the duct tape by itself probably provides enough barrier, but doesn't look as good). Cut out the sheet metal using some cardboard for a template. Trimmed best I could to fit the openings with the sheet metal shears. Put the 2 sided carpet tape on the back, peeled it and stuck it on. Don't know yet how it will bear in the elements, but will find out next week as Northern AZ is expecting some good snow fall. Only had one mishap on the lower right, accidentally pushed the corner of the grill in too much because the front piece wasn't quite trimmed enough.

[ISX]

Good GOD! That is incredible! What kind of metal is that exactly? I thought the ductwork stuff had that galvanized look to it, yours seems to just look, well amazing really lol. If that tape doesn't hold up, just get a couple bolts, cut the heads of them off and weld them onto the back of the plate, then you can put a nut and washer on the back side of the honeycomb. Not sure how well that would weld. I think the tape will last though, has constant wind to keep pressing it down and all..

[Lone Watie]

It's galvanized sheet metal from the hvac department of Home Depot. Was surprisingly easy to trim, don't know the thickness, but it's not very thick, and very flexible. I think the tape will hold up as well. While I was at it, I cut 4 more (1 sheet of the sheet metal will make 2 sets), just in case they fall off. Don't know how to weld yet (what's wrong with me), but planted a seed with my brother to go together on a machine and learn.

[Mopar1973Man]

That's rather cool looking without any fastener on the face... But I wonder how long the carpet tape is going to hold up to rain and wind... I guess time will tell... You could take in my idea of the bolt and fender washer... http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=437 http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=436

[Lone Watie]

It was 2 sided rhino grip tape, which cost more than regular carpet tape, and I'm hoping because it cost more, it will be stronger. The duct tape backing had been holding up pretty good that I put on last week, and several trips to work and back (120 mi R/T). That's the key to keeping them in place. Without the duct tape on the grill to give the 2 sided tape a firm base, I don't think any kind of tape would hold up to well. We'll see, and I'll let you all know after our storms next week.

[Hood Latch]

I notice that both of your winter fronts are a solid design, with no ventilation holes at all. Is that the norm, and if so, why? At what ambient temperature range can you run a solid front like that without concern for over heating? Thanks....Hood Latch

[ISX]

I have left those on clear up to 60F without any difference. The only thing is, when your hauling something when it's that warm, you will probably notice it on your EGT gauge since the intercooler is also blocked off. In freezing temps you want it blocked off because the intercooler cools the air that feeds the engine to the point of being too cold. Sure cold air is denser than warm and you will get a performance gain, but that theory only works in the summer. In the winter it cools that air down to temperatures that do not support proper ignition. Even with the compression of the engine heating that air, it is still so cold that it makes you lose efficiency. So you put the winter front on so you can bump the intercooler temps up a bit and keep efficiency.

[Hood Latch]

I have left those on clear up to 60F without any difference. The only thing is, when your hauling something when it's that warm, you will probably notice it on your EGT gauge since the intercooler is also blocked off. In freezing temps you want it blocked off because the intercooler cools the air that feeds the engine to the point of being too cold. Sure cold air is denser than warm and you will get a performance gain, but that theory only works in the summer. In the winter it cools that air down to temperatures that do not support proper ignition. Even with the compression of the engine heating that air, it is still so cold that it makes you lose efficiency. So you put the winter front on so you can bump the intercooler temps up a bit and keep efficiency.

Understood. Thanks for the comeback. Just to get a little bit of a better handle on the question, what seems to be the optimum temperature gauge range for a 24 valve stock motor that one should like to see, no matter what the time of the year? I am in central Pa. , and we experience the usual cold winters of the northeast. Thanks.........Hood Latch

[ISX]

Coolant temp should be around 190. I heard 200F is optimal for efficiency though. If you meant intake temps, max efficiency is to get it to at least 100F in the winter, you will find this almost impossible to accomplish. Pulling a trailer you will just have to use your own judgement as to how heavy a trailer it is. Pulling this http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209 I actually ran cooler without the winter fronts on, a lot cooler actually. So I should have left maybe 2 of them on so I could keep EGT's in check. It's just a war with ambient temps and trailer weight/aerodynamics. That trailer weighs 3500lbs loaded and my ford could barely pull it, yet a flatbed trailer with 4k lbs of scrap metal on it, ford would pull pretty damn good. The ambient temp has a big impact too. If it were under 20F and the trailer wasn't over 5k lbs, I would just leave the front on. Just as an example, it was in the single digits a week ago and I was doing 75 up a hill at 15psi, normally would get me up to 900F or so, I was only at 700F, and that was with the winter fronts on..

Edited January 16, 2010 by ISX

[Lone Watie]

Coolant temp should be around 190. I heard 200F is optimal for efficiency though. If you meant intake temps, max efficiency is to get it to at least 100F in the winter, you will find this almost impossible to accomplish. Pulling a trailer you will just have to use your own judgement as to how heavy a trailer it is. Pulling this http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209 I actually ran cooler without the winter fronts on, a lot cooler actually. So I should have left maybe 2 of them on so I could keep EGT's in check. It's just a war with ambient temps and trailer weight/aerodynamics. That trailer weighs 3500lbs loaded and my ford could barely pull it, yet a flatbed trailer with 4k lbs of scrap metal on it, ford would pull pretty damn good. The ambient temp has a big impact too. If it were under 20F and the trailer wasn't over 5k lbs, I would just leave the front on. Just as an example, it was in the single digits a week ago and I was doing 75 up a hill at 15psi, normally would get me up to 900F or so, I was only at 700F, and that was with the winter fronts on..

I've been struggling to get 90 degrees on the IAT with outside temps from the teens up to 32, am hoping this front will help out. We'll see, haven't taken her out yet with low temps. My coolant temp is hovering around 183 for now once she's warmed up. She gets up to 190, then I see my thermostat open and she drops back down to the lower 180s.

[ISX]

If these things weren't so good at turning heat into power we wouldn't have this problem! I noticed my brothers powerstroke has no problem getting hot, or getting crappy mileage :lol3:With the cold front off pulling that trailer, I couldn't get it to stop swaying from 175-195, that's the closest range I could get it. Usually it will vary a little less each time, but it was below 30F out and every time the thermostat opened it would give it a huge inrush of that freezing coolant.

Edited January 16, 2010 by ISX

[flagmanruss]

Although these cold fronts block the entire GRILL AREA, there is still substantial openings in the bumper letting in fresh air. I've run mine to 60 degrees outside air temp with no problem, though I'm running light. The engine temp gets into the normal range quicker & just sits below the half way on the temp guage. Nice job, by the way. I'd thought about trying some aluminum flashing off a roll I have around, but I got to the plastic first.Russ

[Hood Latch]

Coolant temp should be around 190. I heard 200F is optimal for efficiency though. If you meant intake temps, max efficiency is to get it to at least 100F in the winter, you will find this almost impossible to accomplish. Pulling a trailer you will just have to use your own judgement as to how heavy a trailer it is. Pulling this http://forum.mopar1973man.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=209 I actually ran cooler without the winter fronts on, a lot cooler actually. So I should have left maybe 2 of them on so I could keep EGT's in check. It's just a war with ambient temps and trailer weight/aerodynamics. That trailer weighs 3500lbs loaded and my ford could barely pull it, yet a flatbed trailer with 4k lbs of scrap metal on it, ford would pull pretty damn good. The ambient temp has a big impact too. If it were under 20F and the trailer wasn't over 5k lbs, I would just leave the front on. Just as an example, it was in the single digits a week ago and I was doing 75 up a hill at 15psi, normally would get me up to 900F or so, I was only at 700F, and that was with the winter fronts on..

10-4 on the 190* F @ the temp gauge, that is also my understanding. The need to monitor egt, in addition to coolant temp when pulling different loads, is also good counsel. Thanks for the info.......Hood Latch

[Mopar1973Man]

Yeah it quite the stuggle to get the IAT temps near 100*F with cold temps... Like here in 0*F weather is like 60*F even with winterfronts on... UGH!

[Lone Watie]

We went from Flagstaff at 7500 down to Sedona at 5500 today, total temp change was 45 or so in Flag up to 60 in Sedona. My IAT went up to 100-110, WT up to 186. Back up hill again this evening stayed around 100 all the way into Flag with temps down in low 40s. This was first test of my sheet metal. Next test will be how she holds up in the weather come Monday.