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Ghetto Mod !!

5K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  Dick 
#1 ·
So I get back from the 2011 CCR in Boise, and I'm looking at a Giant Grasshopper lodged between the airbox and the left fan shroud.......and a bunch of crud stuck to my radiators.
I"m thinking that some kind of Radiator guard / screen is needed (to preserve my precious radiators).
Time for a Ghetto Mod ? Let's see if we qualify.

IF a Ghetto Mod is defined as....................

1. functional :check:
2. INexpensive :check:
3. Looks good / feels good ? :check:
4. Easy to implement
5. Looks OEM (or darned close) :check:
6. can be built with everyday hardware (ACE or Home Depot)

4 out of 6,........not bad........do I qualify ? Or must I meet ALL of the criteria ?


 

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#2 ·
Expanded metal screen (Home Depot) = $8
Screws and lock washers (ACE) = $4
Metal from the scrap bin (don't ask) = $0
(.050 2024-T3 & .016 stainless)
Uncounted labor hours = Free !

Grand Total = $12.00

Ghetto Mod !! ...........................(4/6 Ghetto Mod)
 

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#3 ·
Yes, it qualifies. Nice job! You also look like you have metal working skills with a brake etc. Awesome!
 
#4 ·
You should have them gold plated to truly qualify. :rotf:

They do look great. I had some on my LT that were stuck to the rads with dual lock velcro. The weave was tighter, and caught the small stuff, too.
 
#5 ·
munson said:
You should have them gold plated to truly qualify. :rotf:

They do look great. I had some on my LT that were stuck to the rads with dual lock velcro. The weave was tighter, and caught the small stuff, too.
Hey, Muns - did you have Gene Sweeney's bug guards on your scoot? I looked for them just the other day, and I guess he's not selling 'em anymore - and no one is carrying 'em.

I did find some here with a pretty lame description and pics, on eBay. Seller is over in Austin, so I axed Shreeve if he knew whazzup. No answer yet. I gotta buy 'em, cuz I don't want two metal DIY projects going on at the same time (currently installing tin ceiling panels in Cheryl's powder room). Ole Toad's radiators are pretty beat up, and we're not riding near as much as we used to, butt I cleaned 'em out pretty good the other day, so now would be a good time to do what I should've/could've done back when Gene had his ghetto mod for sale.

BTW - I like rhawk's version too. Kudos on you, hawk - folks love ghetto mod's and that is a good one. Thanks for sharing.
 
#10 ·
Well done write up, and I'm impressed with your photography of the steps also. Clean, well lit and exposed and good angles to show what you were looking at, and MOST IMPORTANT... IN FOCUS. I remember one of my instructors back in the last 60's saying over and over... A Blurry Photograph is a USELESS Photograph. You should tell everyone who post here where the Close Up or Macro button is on their camera as about 99.xx have one now days. Your Sony Cybereshot 93A is doing a great job, especially being you shot the images at ISO 320. Super clean highlights and shadows. A shame that most won't even see that you had your light off camera either, but I did Good, Good, Good.

.

Tommy
 
#11 ·
Thank you all Very much for your feedback.
I continue to strive for true G-Mod success.....the bar has been set high.
I believe that these radiator guards will be quite functional. They should stop the BIG chunks, and at least slow down some of the small stuff without diminishing airflow much.

Here are a couple of sites where I got inspiration. http://www.radguard.com.au/categories/BMW/
http://www.coxracingroup.com/Catelog/2005-2006_2
No copyright violation Here. (as they are for personal use only).
GOLD Plating was discussed early on in the process, however I decided that I preferred the look of silver on black. (gold on black was kind of a late 70's thing wasn't it ?)
Thanks for the idea Raffy.......but the LED lights are a NoGo.
Tommy, Thanks for the complement. (I try) How the heck do you know so much about my camera ? Just the other day, one of my coworkers called it an Antique !
 
#13 ·
Rand - I'm a retired commercial photographer of some 45+ years.

Every digital camera has what is known as an EXIF file which is saved in the digital image. This file contains all the data as far as date and time and also how the camera was set to take the shot.

This file is only available for viewing and editing in upscale photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop and I'm sure others that I'm not familiar with. But I used Photoshop daily for some 12 years and for the last 9 years I never shot another frame of film, we were all digital. Not the consumer type cameras but we used Canon professional digital bodies and a large range of Canon lenses.

I was delighted when I viewed your two images showing the finished work on the grill and had to see what you shot it with and how, so I scraped it off the net so I could look at the Data... All there in the EXIF file. And here is that Data.

File: RG 5.JPG
File size: 1,405KB
Camera Model: DSC-P93A
Date/Time: 2012:10:16 11:08:52
Shutter speed: 1/8 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Exposure mode: Program
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Multi-segment
ISO: 320
Focal length: 7.9mm
Image size: 2048 x 1536
Rotation: none
White balance: Auto
Color space: sRGB
Saturation: Normal
Sharpness: Normal
Contrast: Normal

Lots of into isn't it? In our Canon 1DMkIII bodies, we also had all of our information as to studio name and my copyright information that would be in the file, and that data, for the most part, follows the file.

In shooting your images at 1/8 sec. Surely you were on a tripod as they are very sharp. But there is a possibility these were hand held and your strobe light off camera was actually the light and the shutter - i.e. the strobes are usually about 1/1500 sec duration.

So, for myself, I'd like to know just how you set the images up and with what you lit them and got the images. To see such well carried out work is a pleasure to me.

Tommy
 
#16 ·
It looks nice but I think it will work like a vegamatic and slice up the bugs into smaller pieces before they get stuck in the radiator. I prefer to use regular window screen frames cut to the size of the radiators and and held on with some double stick foam tape. I use fiberglass window screen material as the fiberglass gives and allow the bugs to decellerate and then they just fall off. I never have to clean them. Just my 2 cents.
 
#17 ·
jzeiler said:
It looks nice but I think it will work like a vegamatic and slice up the bugs into smaller pieces before they get stuck in the radiator. I prefer to use regular window screen frames cut to the size of the radiators and and held on with some double stick foam tape. I use fiberglass window screen material as the fiberglass gives and allow the bugs to decellerate and then they just fall off. I never have to clean them. Just my 2 cents.

I mounted two "Ninja" food processors in front of mine, when the bugs hit, they are processed into a fine mist
 
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