beaty

Ok guys, for those who may be interested in making a bug screen like I did, here I give you a step by step procedure to help you make one of your own. It's very simple... basically just cut and paste sort of thing.

Material Required:

1. A roll of screen - you can get one at Home Depot or any hardware store. The one I use is made of aluminum (black).
2. Metal wire - for attaching the screen to the grille.
3. A pair of scissors
4. A pair of pliers


Procedures:

1. Cut the screen to a size of approximately 32" X 6", which is slightly larger than the opening of the lower front bumper.

2. On each side of the screen you have trimmed, fold over 1/4 inch to strengthen the screen and to make the sides (edges) a little smoother. Use a ruler as a guide so it will be easier to fold.




3. When finished it will look something like this.




4. Pop the hood and insert the screen into the bumper area as shown below.




5. Position the screen to the back of the bumper grille and attach the screen to the grille using some metal wire (I use floral wire 24 gauge, which is available at most hardware store). Simply twist the wire several times to lock the screen in place. This step requires a lot of patience and care, and it would take a while to do it beautifully. You also need a good lighting so you can see better. Pick the fastening points you think that can hold the screen securely. Here is an example.




This is the wire I use.




6. When finished cut the extra wire off and you're done. The finished product should look like this. You can hardly see those wires unless you get really up and close.




Don't worry about melting or anything. It won't damage any components of the car. I actually used a hair dryer to blow some air through the screen and I am pretty comfortable with the airflow and it shouldn't affect the air intake/ventilation.

You can do the same thing to the upper mesh grille. Another way to do it for the mesh grille is to use nylon screen. Cut to exact shape of the grille and place it in front of the grille (instead of behind it). Then secure with metal wire.

I would recommend that you clean the screen everytime you wash your car. Open the hood and hose from inside to spray off the bugs. This way you won't deform the screen. Since the screen itself is very cheap, you can actually make a couple of them and replace the old one evey once a while.

Personally I love this mod. My A/C condenser is literally like brand new. It also helps prevent some foreign materials like rocks from hitting on the condenser. Hope this help.