Winter grill cover

[Dave Haddon]

2021 Ram Classic Warlock ( similar to rebel) cannot find any winter covers designed specifically for that front grill.. any ideas?

 

[pacofortacos]

Does your Warlock have grille shutters? I want to think that it doesn't but am not positive.

 

[GTyankee]

Open the hood, remove the plastic or cardboard cover that hides the back of the grille, radiator support, etc.
Just in front of the radiator there is a void.
You could make a DIY winter cover

I made a DIY Bug catcher, to keep bugs & straw out of the radiators fins
Southern California has some large bugs & a bunch of Hay trucks

I seem to have lost several images, some of those were caked with bugs & hay

You could make something similar
just use cardboard or heavy cloth to make a useable shape

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[GTyankee]

I forgot to mention,
I cut the expanded metal to size
I wrapped the edges with Corner Bead, when doing drywall at a corner, to protect the sharp edges, you nail corner board to the drywall, then you plaster over everything



We just folded the corner board over the sharp edges of the expanded metal
Then from Plumbers Strap, an L shaped bracket was made.
Then instead of bolts or screws, XMAS Tree screws were in line with factory holes in the radiator support.

 

[Wild one]

I forgot to mention,
I cut the expanded metal to size
I wrapped the edges with Corner Bead, when doing drywall at a corner, to protect the sharp edges, you nail corner board to the drywall, then you plaster over everything

View attachment 528844

We just folded the corner board over the sharp edges of the expanded metal
Then from Plumbers Strap, an L shaped bracket was made.
Then instead of bolts or screws, XMAS Tree screws were in line with factory holes in the radiator support.

View attachment 528846

I used to make steel bug grills,but i gave the pattern to a welder who was gonna make them,and he proceeded to lose the patterns.They were very similiar to what you made by the looks of your pics,except i used expanded steel and bug screen to cover the expanded steel mesh.The bug screen was captured with steel flat bars that unbolted off the frame ,so it could be replaced if needed. They bolted into the 2 open holes in the lower rad support,then used plastic pins to hold them into the upper holes. I made about a 1/2 dozen of them.

 

[Dave Haddon]

I guess because Warlock has no shutters I will use one of those rubber 1/2 thick 24x24 kids coloured interlocking floor squares. Attach with zip ties.. Better than cardboard and will not burn. Use it when it gets nasty cold in that void you speak of.

 

[GTyankee]

Wild One, that Bug Catcher, sure is slick & well thought out

 

[Wild one]

I guess because Warlock has no shutters I will use one of those rubber 1/2 thick 24x24 kids coloured interlocking floor squares. Attach with zip ties.. Better than cardboard and will not burn. Use it when it gets nasty cold in that void you speak of.

Any decent upholstery shop should be able to make you a winter front Dave

 

[Wild one]

Wild One, that Bug Catcher, sure is slick & well thought out

Mine was the prototype,and is showing it's age,i should of looked into powder coating them,instead of painting them,but i gave the patterns away.They were a bit time consuming to make though,even after i had the pattern drawn out on plywood,they still took about 4 hours to build,i never made a nickel on them,as i gave a couple to buddies,and sold the rest for $75,which just covered the costs once i factored in the materials and electricity for my welder and grinder,lol
They fit the electric power steering trucks,as i used the power steering cooler holes to bolt the bottem of them to the lower rad support holes. They did fit the 6 and 8 speed trucks with the rad shutters,as they went in behind the shutters,but they didn't fit the earlier trucks with the hyd steering.
Hopefully somebody copies them,as i think there might be a small market for them,as they were easy to sell in the summer up here,lol

 

[Wild one]

Wild One, that Bug Catcher, sure is slick & well thought out

Back atcha GT,yours was just as well thought out,and probably far easier to make.I'm amazed at how similiar they are though.

 

[GTyankee]

My thinking mainly to keep the bugs out those fins in condenser, radiator, etc.

The bug catcher had to be removeable in a short time,
That is why i used the Xmas Tree plastic screws.
i could just grab the whole unit & lift straight up.
Using an Air Hose or even a water hose i could clean the bugs off quickly & reposition it.
A friend that owned a Audio & Alarm Shop, thought of the plastic screws & many other things, like where the CB is mounted

 

[Dave Haddon]

Looks like GT and WILD ONE have got me thinking of a winter project for next summers bug fest!
Expanded metal..stretch bug screen over it..hold mesh in place with 1/2 flat bar ..powdercoat..ho;ld unit infront of rad using plumbers strap..and Christmas trees???...LOL..maybe zip ties..LOL

 

[GTyankee]

some one mention Xmas ?


I bought a wreath & battery powered Light String at Home Depot.
I have boxes that something was packed in, like a big TV
It had packing Foam in it for protection, i cut 3 or 4 short blocks. I then drilled a hole all the way through each foam block.
Then i spray painted each block with Green paint.
Then i used Zip ties, 1 each through each foam block & then around the wire cage in the wreath, Then i strung the Light String to the wire cage.
That way the foam was the only thing touching the Trucks Grille

 

[CanRebel]

Looks like GT and WILD ONE have got me thinking of a winter project for next summers bug fest!
Expanded metal..stretch bug screen over it..hold mesh in place with 1/2 flat bar ..powdercoat..ho;ld unit infront of rad using plumbers strap..and Christmas trees???...LOL..maybe zip ties..LOL

Why you want cover?

Your truck is diesel?

 

[GTyankee]

Some how or other, the Outdoors Temperature & the engine compartment temperature, directly affects the Cabin Temperature.

So if you block a good portion of the cold air entering through the trucks grille, the engine compartment warms up a bit, which in turn allows the radiator to heat up.
When the radiator Temperature reaches 203 °F
the water going into the HVAC unit, where the Heater Core is, once the Fan starts blowing, you can really get the cabin warm in the Winter time.
If the radiator Water only reaches 185°F, it can feel chilly in the cab

 

[Wild one]

Why you want cover?

Your truck is diesel?

Back in my younger days,Chevy trucks with smallblocks in them would have a noticable amount more cylinder wear on the front cylinders on both banks,and it was from running down the road in the winter with nothing blocking the cold air coming through the grill. Those 2 cylindes always ran colder then the rest of the engine,especially at -30 or colder. A winter front helps equalize the engine temps in the winter. It's not quite as pronounced on the trucks with the shutters,but not all trucks have the shutters,and even with the shutters,it still might not be a bad idea,to have an external front to deflect the cold air around the truck.

 

[Wild one]

Some how or other, the Outdoors Temperature & the engine compartment temperature, directly affects the Cabin Temperature.

So if you block a good portion of the cold air entering through the trucks grille, the engine compartment warms up a bit, which in turn allows the radiator to heat up.
When the radiator Temperature reaches 203 °F
the water going into the HVAC unit, where the Heater Core is, once the Fan starts blowing, you can really get the cabin warm in the Winter time.
If the radiator Water only reaches 185°F, it can feel chilly in the cab

You nailed it GT. I used to run a 160 t-stat,up till i was coming home one night and it was about -15C,and even in a regular cab it never really got overly warm inside the cabin,and that was after the truck had been running at 130+ km for over 2 hours. After that i went back to a 180 t-stat,as the truck was alot more livable if i did have to drive it on a cold day. Having no mechanical fan made a hell'va differance in how fast the engine warmed up though.

 

[Dave Haddon]

Baby Warlock ( gas no shutters ) will be getting a litle help this winter to moderate the really cold stuff. Thanks for all the inpiut guys. Rubber kids mat with perferations will be what i will do. To each their own...it is all good.

 

[CanRebel]

Back in my younger days,Chevy trucks with smallblocks in them would have a noticable amount more cylinder wear on the front cylinders on both banks,and it was from running down the road in the winter with nothing blocking the cold air coming through the grill. Those 2 cylindes always ran colder then the rest of the engine,especially at -30 or colder. A winter front helps equalize the engine temps in the winter. It's not quite as pronounced on the trucks with the shutters,but not all trucks have the shutters,and even with the shutters,it still might not be a bad idea,to have an external front to deflect the cold air around the truck.

Ah. I guess it's where you all live. Only ever seen diesel with them. Usually doesn't get all that cold here. -35c with wind at max.
Most people I know don't even use block heaters, unless they are in county areas.

 

[Wild one]

Ah. I guess it's where you all live. Only ever seen diesel with them. Usually doesn't get all that cold here. -35c with wind at max.
Most people I know don't even use block heaters, unless they are in county areas.

Unless your working a diesal hard they won't generate enough heat to keep you from freezing to death in the cab without a winter front,lol. You guys got it easy in TO,as you're a fair bit farther south,and the lakes help moderate your temps in the winter. I actually prefer oilpan heaters over block heaters,as they keep the oil warm,and are a lot cheaper to run,a block heater plugged in for 10/12 hours a night for a few weeks in a row,will add a fair bit to your power bill,while a 125 watt oil pan heater isn't quite as expensive to leave plugged in,and keeps the oil warm