Grille enhancement mod

Whoknows

Whoknows

Member
Live where bugs are big and plentiful and wanted something that screened out more bugs to keep em out of the radiator/cooling fins.

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Cost $9. Picked up plastic 6” wide gutter guard and zip ties.
 
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OP - brilliant idea to protect the bugs from entering the engine bay and damaging those components. Not to hijack, merely to show an example of real-world experience with it - this is the same stuff I used in my mod here: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/2144968-post22.html

Only thing is that I didn't zip tie - I plastic welded (which has largely failed (aesthetically), but is performing by keeping the bugs away from the radiator/condenser/etc) - as I removed all of the OEM "mesh" "diamonds". I thought it was (still think it is) bizarre that the grille design doesn't match the faux mesh in the hood scoop and the fog light inserts (sorry if I just caused some members with OCD to go look and induce a new craze to fix it).

I've been looking for a long time...literally years for a direct fit replacement grille with the mesh like this gutter guard, but nobody has it.

If anyone reading this has a 3D printer, I'd really really really enjoy you taking a stab at creating a piece that is printed out of ABS to replace the OEM grille. Could even be pieced together as I know most 3D printers won't print something this long. But, worth a shot to throw it out there.
 
Will post more pics when get home. If u look closely u can see zip ties. I used those grooves in between the diamond shapes as a channel for holding zips in place. Hides them well too. I literally just took the roll of mesh and cut one piece that fit bottom portion exactly. The opening is exactly 6” vertically. I cut the two upper pieces using outside dimensions as template-just held it up to it see guide. Any imperfections in edges are hidden on inside.
 
Whoknows said:
Will post more pics when get home. If u look closely u can see zip ties. I used those grooves in between the diamond shapes as a channel for holding zips in place. Hides them well too. I literally just took the roll of mesh and cut one piece that fit bottom portion exactly. The opening is exactly 6” vertically. I cut the two upper pieces using outside dimensions as template-just held it up to it see guide. Any imperfections in edges are hidden on inside.
Click to expand...

Simple sweet a rare treat.
 
I have a steel bumper, but the bottom portion of the original bumper is cut off and I don't have the original lower grill piece in there anymore. Is there a way to attach something like this?
 
Oh, the way that I ziptied in place was from behind the grille after having removed that plastic piece between the radiator in the front bumper. Other write ups show how to remove this panel. It’simply pushing in the center button on the fasteners that are retaining it to remove them.
 
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I can see the zip ties in the middle of grille where did you put them to hold the top and bottom?Looks Like the mesh don’t go all the way to the bottom on the bottom grille?
 
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just did those in middle and on each side. it’s stiff enough to stay flush. i see that gap in pic, but it’s not really noticeable . probably need to scootch it down a few mm.
 
I used the same material on my ole Tacoma front grille works great I need to do the 4Runner one of these days when the heat is over... it also helps keep any debris like rocks and other objects from doing damage to the radiator...
 
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