Saturday, July 12, 2008

Radiator Grill

I've got everything ready to be powder-coated, but I can't decide on the exact colors yet. So instead of not doing anything, I started working on the cooling system, starting with the radiator. I want a radiator grill but didn't want to use the stock one, which I don't have anyway. The question I had was, do I need to keep the stock grill mounting tabs? Well, I figured out a way to make a custom grill AND lose the stock mounting tabs!

I started with a beautiful piece of heavy stainless steel mesh that I got from a metal shop that was closing its doors. I decided to form this mesh directly around the radiator.

Here's how I started with the fitment:


Cutting to fit:

Finished product:


And installed on my radiator:


I formed this using only hand tools and a vice; a pair of tin snips, diagonals, metal files flat and round, a hammer, vice and block of wood. The only thing I'm worried about is how much this might limit the air flow across the radiator. The only way to answer that question is a real live trial, which will be awhile...

2 comments:

Kari said...

Hi Woochie!

Such an honor to be the first to post on your blog! I am enjoying the "Guiding Principles"... good stuff for life in general. This seems like quite the project, but I'm sure you'll do it amazingly well as you do all things.

Talk soon!
-Kakoo

Unknown said...

Hi, sorry my bad inglish. I live in Portugal, and I´am traing too put a 92´VX runing. The last howner had a acident(Frame not very good, the motor´s head fix too the frame boouth broken, no intrument´s and no front well) and the vx was 2/3 years under a olive tree by the rain. I purchase the vx about 2 year´s agow. Laste weeck I clean carborators, put a new batery, empty de 150 grams of waste inside tank and casbureitor´s cube, feeput fuel gas, anda try to bring the motor for life. Amaising it´s alive afther a few minutes, just the time to fill the fuel sistem. And with a most clean trootle, i almoust can´t belive. The VX motor is a peace of art. I´m newby in the vx list, and i want to congradiolat´s your work, you are doing a nice work. For the radiator grill, I just say that the new wont give you big motor problem, because the material you have work´s as the same as original, but: 1 - wen you are with the engine very hoot, in the street, and with very slow trafic the temperature will goo up more isaly. 2 - you must give a nice treatment/paint to the grill, because it will gain point´s of rust very easy (heat from radiator versus air humidity.

Good luck for the project.

Jorge