I saw a post somewhere that someone found screen at a home depot and made a lower radiator screen.
Looked pretty good, wanted to see how they attached it.
I can't find the post.

Not sure if it was on this board or another.

anyone have any ideas?
Karl.

I used black plastic gutter guard and black zip ties to hold it on. I put it behind the bumper, looks almost factoy and blocks everything I want it to. Best part is the project cost me $3.00

http://www.causatech.com/grille1.JPG[/url]
http://www.causatech.com/grille3.JPG[/url]

I did the same it came out great......looks good and price was right :)
Itchy

Same for me, but I opted for the aluminum gutter guard.
It was less than $2.00.

How did you install it?
where did you attach the zipties?

did you install it from under the car??

Thanks
Karl

very cool. I am going to do this tonight. :D

This stuff is great. I used over my headlights, over the license plate. It really looks cool. I havn't done it to my E.
I am in protest. The first thing I am doing is lifting and tires but I wait........................................ :cry:

Got everyting from the depot.
The platic gutter guard was easy to bend I just stuck it inside the bumper between one of those slots. Then I rolled it out to cover the openeing and attached the top with zip ties then the bottom. The entire project took about 10 minutes. The hardest part was to get the square part on the zip tie hidden behind the bumper. All I had to do was twist them till it faced the back.

I tried this tonight and was not impressed :(

a rock or anything flying at high velocity will bend the plastic back and hit the radiator anyway.

Maybe the aluminum will be stronger. I will try this tommorrow!

Aluminum gutter guard, that what I used!

I purchased two pieces, but one piece is more than enough.
I put my on with black cable ties and cable ties anchors, they designed for outdoor use. I regretted that I didn't painted the screen black, it would look much better.

Project cost:
$1.79 Aluminum screen
$3.00 cable ties(black)
$6.00 cable anchors(black)

The plastic isn't going anywhere on my vehicle. Perhaps you purchased some thinner material.

I also went to Home Depot. I utilized a decorative metal screen. I cut it to size using tin type cutter. I then spray painted it black with Rustoleum and wire tied it on the outside not inside of face vs. behind it.

[quote:6bc59f4552="zarathustra"]The plastic isn't going anywhere on my vehicle. Perhaps you purchased some thinner material.[/quote:6bc59f4552]

It been a while since I purchased (HD)the gutter guard but it made of aluminum, it got two stainless clips near each corner. The gutter guard happen to be to perfect width and lenght, I believed airflow won't be a problem at all. Since it a stiffer material you have remove the bumper to install it, it look like it was OEM. :D

I was at Menards few week a go and saw some more screens, they'r not gutter screen. I didn't look closely but they might work too.

I guess plastic gutter screen will keep leaves and other bigger stuff out, but
plastic become too soft when heat is near.

Zarath,
Good luck with your DIY.

Good thing the platic gutter guard is heat resistent since it sits on top of most people's house's and bakes in summer time sun and doesn;t melt.

Im sure the amount of heat on the front end of the moving vehicle, in front of an ac condenssor, isn't as extreme as this NC heat on my roof top!

That the difference been sit on the roof top and traveling down the Interstate at 60-70 mph.

Yeah, I wonder what gets hotter.

Use whatever work for you!

I don't doubt you for a second that plastic gutter screen worked, my aluminum screen workout well for me.

I owned a 98 Dodge Stratus with the nose mask, there are section of that mask made of fine vinyl or fiber glass mesh, after 5yrs of service that all faded and all torned.

It a pain in the ass to take the Element bumper off to repare anything behind there, beside at the same time worry it being scracth or damage.

Yeah no doubt.......Im a big fan of not taking off that front bumper!

zarathustra, I got some aluminum gutter screen and i am going to try the bumper removal this weekend. The plastic, once I had it all attached, had some corners and edges where it could easily bend in if a rock hit it(on the very tops, corners and bottom)

I am going to lay down a soft blanket in the garage in front of my E and remove the bumper, attatch the aluminum and the put it back.

I will take some pics this weekend.

:)

Yeah the corners were tricky.

The grill looks great...the bad thing is that I tried both Home Depots close to home and no luck........they carry white and also another aluminum.....in which state did you buy these guards....I was told that maybe here in MA....that type may not be availbale...and could be a regional thing...in any case great job and great post.......my search continues...

Hector

I got the black stuff and the aluminum in upstate NY

So let me make sure I understand. In order to use the black plastic gutter guard I do NOT have to remove the bumper? This sounds like the best way to go to me plus I love the look of it. So the corners are weak at 3 bucks for the job its not expensive to replace and that rock that hit it at 50+mph to break it is a rock that would have hit the ac condenser at 50 mph+.

No black plastic Gutter Guard at Home Depot in this area (NC) but I did find it at Lowe's.

You can get the corners tight.

The plastic grille serves it purpose very well.

I did the guard this afternoon, used the galvanized gutter guard from Home Depot for $1.50 and 10 black wire ties which I have tons of. Looks awesome, step back 10 feet and you can't even tell there are wire ties at all (put the big end on back side, harder, but worth it). It just looks like it was built that way.

Yes it would be nice to not have any wire ties visible, but how many people are really going to be looking that closely at the lower grill?

So again I ask... I do not have to remove the bumper to do it correct? The reason I ask is it goes in the shop monday to have the front replaced and if it needs to be done with it off I would try to do it then or have them do it for me.

No, you don't have to take the bumper off, but you have to remove the 'more silver' lower piece. 5 or 6 plastic removable fasteners, then pop the clips from inside to pull it off. This allows sliding the screen up and getting your hand behind it to do the zip ties. The whole deal took me less than an hour.

Yesterday I started installing the black plastic gutter guard. I just didn't like the black twisty ties so I stopped. This morning I went to the hardware store and bought a roll of really fine wire. Came home and installed the gutter guard. It looks great and the fine wires are not noticeable at all. You have to look very closely to even see them. I love the look of this and I believe it will stop rocks with no problem.

......well 4 Home Depots and 1 Lowes'..and no black gutter guards to be found.....so 4get about it...i'm buying the set from Cloud Rider....besides 4 dollars american isn't that about the same as 150 canadian? ....just kidding guys I've been searching and no luck and now I made the mistake of showing my wife the grills sold at Cloud Rider and since is her E.... :roll: .......I'm installing the black perforated black powder coated grill ......oh well I'll stick to modifying my S....when it comes to HD at the NE..I don't want to hear about you guys from states in the South and West that get these reginal goods not availbale to the HD's in the NE :x .....grrr

Here's my lower grill screen.

If you want the full sized pic for detail, it's here: http://www.superjett.com/elementfront.jpg

http://www.superjett.com/elementfrontsmall.jpg

And just for the heck of it, here's what I do with the E.

http://www.superjett.com/elementsmall.jpg

sheeesh, chicks!

jk :P

[quote:7bf4f43532="SuperJETT"]No, you don't have to take the bumper off, but you have to remove the 'more silver' lower piece. 5 or 6 plastic removable fasteners, then pop the clips from inside to pull it off. This allows sliding the screen up and getting your hand behind it to do the zip ties. The whole deal took me less than an hour.[/quote:7bf4f43532]


did mine today. no problem - used the aluminum painted black - 4 zip ties.
looks nice and best of all, it protects the condensor!

Here are my pix:
http://www.tapestrylive.com/gutterscreen1.jpg
http://www.tapestrylive.com/gutterscreen2.jpg

That Kicks Ass!

I likes the black paint on that.

Well done Tapestry,

-----------------------------------------

SuperJETT,

That looks just like mine, how did you anchored the screen or did you do the same thing as tapestry?

rather than zip ties I used wires at most intersections. Found Model Masters enamal "Gun Metal" hid them very nicely.

Keep on Truckin'

Don

WOW! That is great! I got my E yesterday and was wondering how I can protect that without blocking the air flow. I want to get a bug deflector next for the hood. I drove her today to work and I drive 150 miles a day both ways. I cleaned all the bug carcasses off but I want to prevent the hood from being chipped. I wonder if they make clear headlight covers for the lights and fogs too. I had them for my mustang way back in the day. Well just wanted to say that it was a very creative idea. I'll be picking up my supplies tomorrow and will post a pic.

Later :lol:

I installed the grill today. I can only find a brown :( one but it still serves it's purpose. The car is so many different shades so it really doesn't matter. I took this shot at night so I really can't tell how it looks until daybreak. Still, it is an inexpensive
job. It only cost me a dollar and I had the zip ties already.

http://users.rcn.com/klynch13/GrillE.jpg

Here's a day shot of the grill after coming home from work. It works great and the grille doesn't affect the temperature of the car at all! I brought it by my dealer and they thought I had it made custom. Here's some pics

Http://users.rcn.com/klynch13/grille2.jpg

I installed a steel gutter guard painted black and a Freeway blaster 132 db horn today. Bumper comes off easily and the finished result looks and sounds great. Attached the grill with 7 wire ties, 4 of which are hidden from view.
Honda definately makes this ride easy to modify. :lol:


2003 EX GGM
Home Depot Grill Guard
Dollar Store sunscreens on sunroof
Freeway-Blaster low tone horn
All weather factory mats
BJ'S club SUV cargo mat in back
Polk 61/2" Speakers up front
Infinity speakers on the way
"The Box a CRV Comes In" sticker on the hatch

I'm really glad I did the grill guard in time for our Canada trip. Here's what we found in it after only 3 hours on the road.

image lost while screwing with my servers......

Is that a bird?

I was wondering if someone would ask that question. That's what I thought at first too, but it's a piece of wood with lint or something stuck in it.

[quote="Einstein"]Is that a bird?[/quote

or......is it a small plane?

Ger

The $1.50 Home Depot guard worked for me. Suprisingly the plastic mesh is quite strong and stopped a large pebble from hitting the condenser. Unfortunatley my bumper got a gash in it from the stone.

I read all the thread and decided to take a look outside at my E to see if I could truly undertake this modification. Lo and Behold I have a massive ding on my radiator. Going to Home Depot tonight!

Been 2 weeks after I installed it. It works fine. Find lots of small critters on it. Here's some pics

http://users.rcn.com/klynch13/GrillE.jpg
http://users.rcn.com/klynch13/grille2.jpg

I got the black plastic guard at Lowes (Home Depot doesn't carry it, but evidently Lowes does across GA). I got the bumper loose and mounted the screen, but how do you do the corners? Specifically, the lower grill looks like this:

+++++

So I can put 10 zip ties on the top and bottom of the vertical bars, but that still leaves the 4 corners flapping in the wind, and possibly pushed back into the radiator at speed...not good. Especially since in GA the average interstate speed is 80+ MPH.

Thoughts?

You can purchase some of those zip-ties anchors, make sure clean the surface well with isopropyl alcohol before placing anchors.

I believed this will work well for the conners!

Good luck.

I placed one on each side of the middle bar to hold the sides. It works fine. Don't worry about any flapping.

My first post...

I've read tons of threads/posts on this board, all quite helpfull, but as a four day old owner of the E, this has got to be THE most important thread of all.

Obviosly, anyone looking at the vehicle would nothice that the lack of proper protection in this area WILL result in major problems. I can't think of a way to thank you fine folks enough for this fix. I would never have thought of this on my own.

First thing tomorow, the fix is in!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

Show some pics once you get it installed!


:D

ugh!!!

Last minute road trip (1400+ miles round trip) kinda stopped me from being able to do it this weekend. But I wish I had. Nothing bad happened. Just tons of bugs. I'll post some pics in a couple of days for sure.

Thanks to box for the tip about the anchors; turns out the former owner of my house had left a whole box of them behind, so I got it all together.

After trying to do it the "reach under after just undoing the grey part of the bumper", I would strongly recommend that anyone trying this get the whole bumper off. Its not hard, especially with the Fog light install instructions and element-j's pics. And it makes installation of the grill SO much easier.

thanks for the tip.http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=457945&cat=5&val=1

Cost me $1.99 from OSH (6"x20' black plastic gutter guard). The black all purpose ties actually cost me more ($1.99 for 40 4-inch ties, and another $1.99 for 20 8-inch ties)

Put in 10 4-inchties on the upper/lower corners and 2 8-inch ties on the far right/left. It looks excellent, and almost perfect.

This setup does leaves 4 grill corners flapped and somehow unprotected if those relative small areas got hit.

Don't know how good it will hold up against wear/tear. However, I do have enough material left over for 4 more installation!

One extremely important tip. Be very careful and genetal when slipping in the plastic gutter. The radiator fins are VERY FRAGILE, try not to touch them or you will definately bend and potentally damage them!

rich

Installed my Home Depot fix over the weekend. Was quite easy to do. It looks really good and will definitely protect the rad and A/C condenser. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experience with this.

:D
I did the same thing except I used the metal gutter guard for a little extra strength. I spray painted it flat black using engine paint. Looks great, took 20 minutes and cost under 5 bucks.

Mine is on too. I carefully fished it down from the front after removing that one panel. I had some strig ties to it in case I dropped it. Zip tied it on and cut the strings.

What a mod for $1.99. :D

What area of lowes would I find the anchors and ties? One would think Honda would have addressed this possible damage threat from debris coming into such a large area before production. My 2000 Accord has 80,000 miles on it and the condenser looks fine even though there is a fairly big opening for objects to enter. I will do the modification as soon as my Element arrives. Thanks to all for the tips.

It may be just me, but in my area there is only the white and brown gutter screens available. I fly for a living and looked in Oklahoma and Georga and have been unable to locate any in black.

Any place on line? Where in GA was it located, for that matter anywhere?
If you have a phone number to your local Lowes or Home Depot that carries it, please post

Thanks,

Greg

Try Wal-Mart ;)

I have yet to make this modification, but plan to soon. Some listers have expressed concern about the corners flapping at speed. Can anyone tell me if there is room for two screens? A double thickness would be more rigid than one and less likely to bend. I thought about using cable ties to hold the layers together at the side edges. Class.......class?

bluesman77

Corners dont flap, I have 20K on mine and as long as you attach the thing tight there is no problem at all.

Stopped at Lowes for the 20 feet of six inch gutter guard black in color. I picked up the zip ties in the electrical department. After looking a while,I found 19ga annealed steel wire black in color. It has a service load of 22 pounds. Not sure which I'll use. I am not sure if this wire will eventuallu rust and look terrible. Wire was with picture hooks and anchors isle 13 at Lowes. It will certainly blend in being the same color as the grille members and a lot thinner.

[quote:276a850155=" "]Corners dont flap, I have 20K on mine and as long as you attach the thing tight there is no problem at all.[/quote:276a850155]

Thanks zarathustra for the info. I had considered using the aluminum version some others have mentioned. However, I want black and feel it is hard getting paint to stick to aluminum - let alone survive attacks from stones and bug guts.

bluesman77

good choice :lol:

When I had the front bumper off to install the OEM foglights I installed the lower grille using the gutter guard that I bought from Lowes just like many of our members. I liked the black vinyl version since it won't rust and because the pattern is the same diamond shape as the upper grille. I used a hot melt glue gun to attached the grille to the inside of the bumper. Since it is glued all the way around the bumper opening the new grill insert is taught. I think it will last but time will tell.

Don't under estimate the strength of plastic.
Here is a link to my page were I have posted photos of the grille install as well as the fogs.http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/457945

how hard is it to get that screen behind the grille? I really don't want to have to remove the bumper or anything else, can I get it inside by pushing it through from the front?
thanks.

the roll up kind can be inserted very easily through the existing holes.

i was on my way out to Lowe's and/or Home Depot this afternoon - before starting out, i opened the hood - wanting to get measurements -- there doesn't appear to be any way to get screening or gutter guard in there - can someone give exact details how to do this without having to take anything apart??

If you get the plastic bendable kind you can roll it up and stick it through the holes in the bottom of the bumber. What holes? The holes your trying to protect with the gutterguard.

you mean the "slats in front of the bumper - which is in front of the condenser?

yes sir/maam, the holes that your trying to cover up. The gutterguard will roll up stick it in there and manipulate it top open up on the other side....took me a few minutes to get it done...............icq me if you need more info.

ic

hi- i'm not on ICQ - how about IM? did you use plastic gutter guard? is this how you did yours?

and to what did you attach the ties?

I used black zip ties (get them at lowes or depot) and I used the gutter guard that come in a flexable plastic role. Its without a doubt the most effective/cost effective solution I have seen so far.

says you are not online

I'm about the install the plastic gutter guard from HD tonite, before my little bro takes me E up to go snow boarding.

One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

------- <(this part here)
| '
|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------

am I supposed to cut that edge off? Do i put it on the top or the bottom of the open grill? If I cut it off, would it make securing the edges easier Or do I just leave it?

Thanks in advance. I can't wait!

I used the roll out gutter guard. I think your using the pre cut sections. I would say keep the end if ya can as it prob lends to overall strength.

Wow, thanks a bunch.
Now that's what I call a speedy reply! :D :D :D

Great idea here! I just took possession of my 03 SMM 5 Speed E with all the trimmings and I want to do this. Had to buy Brown guard and paint it black though. Now, about getting into position...how was that again? You bent it through the openings in front? and then let it pop into place? AND, did you need to cut into it at all to shorten it?

Thanks for the help! Great thinking guys! :)

Michael

I just installed my gutter gard yesterday. It really depends on which gutter guard you get.

I bought mine from home depo and it was a plastic gutter guard, already cut (not rolled up), and had an edge on one side. I did have to trim about 5 inches off one side to squeeze it through the bottom of the E. I had to remove the 6 or 7 push clips holding the silver plastic piece (the place where the front license plate is located). I was never ever to remove the silver piece bumpter piece completely, so I had to squeeze my hand through the bottom opening to hold up the guard while my brother and I put in the zip ties. A pocket knife I got for christmas had a curved tool, kinda like a fish hook which my brother used to thread his zip ties through. I used hand on the other side of the grill to do it.

The edge of the gutter gard that had the folded rail did make it stiffer, so I'm glad I did not cut it off. I wish that both sides of the grill had that rail. Maybe I'll put two of them, one on top of the other but with the railed edges on opposite sides. That woudl make the guard really stiff, especially the 4 corners which I did coudl not zip tie, but seem pretty secure anyway with just one grill. Using two might make it alittle more difficult to string the zip ties through, but shouldn't be that much harder. Maybe I'll glue gun them together before I zip tie.

Hope this helps.

Well, lucky me won the Cloud Rider grill in the EOC first birthday scavenger hunt. I can't wait to replace my Home Depot grill, it's served me well, but moving on to bigger/better things! Thanks Cloud Rider and T-Mac. I'll post pics of before/after.

Just installed my lower grill guard yesterday. I had been looking for the solid gutter guard and had not been able to locate it in black, didn't realize the rolled gutter guard was being installed.

Called the local seamless gutter dealer and inquired. He called back and said he had a black coated aluminum screen and let me have it for free.

Works good, last along time.

Gtex

Hello All,
I am a new member, we bought our 03 GG EX 4WD auto last month, it's my wife care but I am in love with it. Thanks to all of you for infomation on everything.
I installed the lower grill screen this afternoon, I took the bumper off and installed it from the inside with the aluminium gutter guard from HD. To solve to loose corners I zipped tide the bottom outter corners to the clips from the grey part of the bumper which were inserted from the outside, and the top part I used the metal clips which came with the gutter as anchor spots. The project cost me $3.50 and 45 minutes.

Here is my answer to the lower grill and condenser coil protection.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=Products_2%2FBuilding+Supplies%2FGutter+Acc essories%2FGutter+Guards&MID=9876&ProductOID=528037&cm_ven=1hd.com2msn&cm_cat=shopping&cm_pla=prod&cm_ite=prod
First I will trim to proper length. Width is perfect already and remove the two little clips.
I will attach from the out side by using a 2 1/2 inch screws and a reversed wing nut. Reversing the wing nut creates a hook that will hook over the existing grill cross pieces to hold screening in place. I found this piece of screening at Lowe's even though the web site indicates it's at Home Depot. Using the "counter sink" washers gives visable screwheads a professonally fininshed look. YOu must let me know if I should create a set of instructions and photos.

Orange cool box, that's the exact stuff I used. I used zip ties and you can't even see them unless you get right up on it. I would imagine any screws at all would be more visible than zip ties.

http://www.superjett.com/elementfront.jpg

My only concern is to prevent condencer coil damage so I'm not concerned about the upper grill. I think it looks fine. That's why I can't see springing for the after market grill inserts. I like this gutter guard installation because it's easily installed by one person with no drilling and no Element grill detatching.

Jett;
See photos. Screws don't detract at all in my opinion. The single sheet type aluminum gutter guards are the only ones rigid enough to be mounted this way, in my opinion. Plus they have a nice rolled shape. You can almost see the reversed wing nut assembly hooked to the Element's main horizontal grill cross piece in the close-up
http://prod.bsis.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/178/178641/folders/124395/878472grill2.jpg
http://prod.bsis.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/178/178641/folders/124395/878478grill1.jpg
http://prod.bsis.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/178/178641/folders/124395/878473wingnut.jpg

I take that back, I really like it, looks great! Very nice.

Very nice, OCB! I'm betting that'd really look sharp painted a charcoal gray or flat black.

I used the same stuff as OCB but painted it flat black and lowered it in from the top. 4 black zipties hold it in place. Looks great to me.

OCB, good thinking.

Bill

Okay - I picked up the aluminum gutter guard from a Home Depot (the same one OrangeBox Linked to.) I painted it black last night and picked up a few black-ties.

But after looking at this, I have *no* idea where the ties attach to. I'm looking for the best way to get the guard on, with minimal removal (since it *is* still winter).

Orange - could you do a description of where the wing-nuts hooked on to?
Or other people, could you provide a bitr more explanation of where you put the zip-ties on? I'm trying to avoid drilling...

Thanks for the help - I'll post pics once I get it done!

Hi Gri-Gri...
A few weeks ago I did the "Homey Depot" gutter guard lower front grille protector project...
I selected the metal gutter guard for its rigidity and air flow...black would have been my first choice but only the shiny silver aluminum kind seemed to be available.
The aluminum gutter guard does have a curled shape to it, as shown in the picture of the orange element. That one is mounted in front of the existing lower grille crossmembers with two screws and an ingenious reversal of the wing nuts.
Mine I placed behind the grille crossmembers. I removed the front top cover from above the radiator after opening the hood. No major problem taking that off. Just a flat blade screwdriver to "pop" the plastic clips up. That gave clear access to 'snaking' the gutter guard down in front of the radiator and behind the grille. It was not a clear, effortless task, but I found that it did go in just fine if I both held my mouth right, and called it a few names. And, by the way, the gutter guard required NO cutting, trimming or anything....it was a perfect fit "right off the rack" at H-D. There were two swivel clips attached (to hook on the gutter) and those were removed...which changed it from a gutter guard to a low priced aftermarket vehicle part. I used some BLACK colored nylon wire ties to attach it to the crossmembers, being careful to put the three (?) bottom ties just BELOW the horizontal cross bar so they would not show. The top ties were placed high enough so as not to show either. A piece of rigid wire with a small V-shape bent at the end enabled me to pull the other end of the wire tie back through and they were attached in the front, then twisted around a bit for a cleaner look.
It's a clean looking finished product...I left mine in the shiny aluminum color (rather than to paint it black) and it looks just fine to my eye. Total time, maybe 20 minutes......add about 15 minutes if you have to call the thing a few names along the way...
You might want to take a look at the entire thread on this subject or other related threads to see all the possibilites for both placement and attachment. There are obviously many RIGHT ways to solve the problem of an overexposed AC condenser grille. Thanks to all who have offered their suggestions and encouragement. You're a great group of folks.

Good luck....let us know what you come up with...
Shamrock
(make mine green)

I did the same aluminum gutter guard thing but with four zipties below the cross bar and nothing along the top. it's stiff enough that i didn't think i needed to attach the top.

Bill

Hey ya'll,

Marky posted a thread about painting his Element and H emblems on the back. The color he painted them looks to match the darker gray plastic panels almost perfect. I bought some yesterday from Walmart. It is Duplicolor spray paint color Honda Graphite Gray. The aluminum lower grill would look sweet this color. I'd be sure to prime it first though.
Just my .02

http://growinglifestyle.catalogcity.com/cc.class/cc?pcd=3375532&ccsyn=13549

Are 8 inch zip ties the correct size for lower grille gutter guard?

[quote:655a185ac2=" "]Are 8 inch zip ties the correct size for lower grille gutter guard?[/quote:655a185ac2]

I think I used 4", so 8" should be great. I definitely could have used a little more slack.

For those of you who used the plastic gutter guard back last summer....
How's it holding up?? Any problems?? I plan to add this soon if your response is positive. I really like the look! 8)

I have had mine on since Novenber of last year and its holding up just fine. All the tie-wraps are still in place. Going thru a Wisconsin winter, I have not had any snow clog it up, and I drive 160 miles a day.

I went to Lowe's yesterday and couldn't decide between the rigid plastic gutter screen or the wire mesh. At $1 for one and $1.40 for the other, I just grabbed both along with a bag of (15) black 8" cable ties. If I use the wire mesh, I will install it behind the bumper and draw it flat w/ the ties. I fear installation from the front would result in scratches to the bumper facia.

Even though it's brown, the plastic part seems to look fine and may be the route I go. My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
[quote:a6a4075ca3=" "]ElementKatonk
One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

------- < (this part)
| '
|
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[/quote:a6a4075ca3]
bluesman77

[quote:67b7785c46=" "] My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
[quote:67b7785c46=" "]ElementKatonk
One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

------- < (this part)
| '
|
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[/quote:67b7785c46]
bluesman77[/quote:67b7785c46]

I plan to use my favorite tool....my Dremel rotary tool. I've used it on PVC piper & it works great!! :D Has anyone found black plastic gutter guard?? I thought someone mentioned it.

[quote:c252057327=" "] My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
[quote:c252057327=" "]ElementKatonk
One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

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[/quote:c252057327]
bluesman77[/quote:c252057327]

I plan to use my favorite tool....my Dremel rotary tool. I've used it on PVC piper & it works great!! :D Has anyone found black plastic gutter guard?? I thought someone mentioned it.

My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
ElementKatonk
One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

------- < (this part)
| '
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bluesman77

I plan to use my favorite tool....my Dremel rotary tool. I've used it on PVC piper & it works great!! :D Has anyone found black plastic gutter guard?? I thought someone mentioned it.

[quote:24253bdaba=" "] My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
[quote:24253bdaba=" "]ElementKatonk
One of the long sides of the plastic gutter gard from HD has a thick folded edge (looking at a side profile of the gutter gard place down flat):

------- < (this part)
| '
|
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[/quote:24253bdaba]
bluesman77[/quote:24253bdaba]

I plan to use my favorite tool....my Dremel rotary tool. I've used it on PVC pipe & it works great!! :D Has anyone found black plastic gutter guard?? I thought someone mentioned it.

Your posting seems to be stuck in a loop. Were you using the Dremel to post as well? Perhaps something with a few less rpms would be better. :)

-brendan

I was in the garage this afternoon and just for grins stuck my fingers in the lower grill opening (at the top). It seems there is nothing inside above the opening on the same plane as the vertical and horizontal blades. Maybe, if the flange is placed at the top, if it wouldn't rest on anything requiring removal for a flat intallation. I guess I'll find out once I actually get in there.

bluesman77

The famous Olympic skier Picabo Street (pronounced Peek-A-Boo) is not
just an athlete, she is a nurse currently working at the Intensive Care
Unit of a large metropolitan hospital. She is not permitted to answer
the telephone, however, as it caused simply too much confusion when she
would answer the phone and say, “Picabo, ICU.”

Sorry!
Wacky computer problems! :shock:
Not only that....the edit function won't let me delete the extra postings
Go figure!! :?

I have a few questions on this grill guard:

1. I cannot find the black plastic sheets at Lowes, HD. Wal-Mart or ACE.
Where else can I look (in NC)? Is this the best or should I use the
rollup type?

2. If I find the sheets, do I have to remove part of the front? The piece
on the bottom or above the grill?

Thanks.

I can't address where you can find black in NC or even here in OH. I've seen photos in this thread w/ the brown and didn't find it all that offensive. I held the brown up to my SOP and think it will be fine. I did buy an aluminum mesh to audition when I get inside. From what I've read, in order to install rigid screens, behind the bumper, requires unbuttoning the bumper facia at the top or bottom to gain access. I'll probably completely remove mine and sit it on a blanket or rug.

My biggest concern about the roll material is not whether or not it will protect the condensor. I'm afraid it would be difficult to clean during washings. Seems like it would bend back when you try to scrub it w/ a sponge.

bluesman77

I was able to install the rigid aluminum type (painted flat black) by removing only the plastic cover above the radiator. I could lower the guard down in front of the condensor, suspend it on a string, and zip tie it in place without removing any other plastic. It required some finagling but it didn't take too long. The trickiest part was bending the zip ties so I could poke them in the front and then have them poke back towrad the front at the adjacent hole in the mesh.

Bill

[quote:0a463a25e0=" "]Even though it's brown, the plastic part seems to look fine and may be the route I go. My question to those of you who used this product, how do you cut off the folded edge nicely depicted previously by ElementKatonk below? The material seems fairly substantial and I suspect a saw of some sort is required.
bluesman77[/quote:0a463a25e0]

Would diagonal snips (wire cutters) work? They went throught the aluminum like butta.

Bill

1. I cannot find the black plastic sheets at Lowes, HD. Wal-Mart or ACE.
Where else can I look (in NC)? Is this the best or should I use the
rollup type?

i bought a roll of the black plastic gutter guard @ Lowes - actually cut and used two pieces back to back so there's double protection for the condenser -- no problem w/the install -- just stuck it through the slats with the "rolled side" towards the condenser - then used 8" zip ties to secure

I saw black plastic gutter guards at Walmart last week. Round holes, 5 for $4.99.

Last night I put in the fogs and the custom gaurd!!
Home Depot didn't have the nice black plastic, but they did have the metal, and in the end I think I like it much better. It looks more like the A/C condensor anyway.
Here's my before pic:
http://www.johnharte.net/images/element/before_front.jpg

After Pics:
http://www.johnharte.net/images/element/after_picture.jpg
http://www.johnharte.net/images/element/lower_gril_closeup.jpg
http://www.johnharte.net/images/element/lower_gril_little_further.jpg

The gril was not that hard to do, but my back hurts today! Cheers,

I'm puzzled. Since you didn't utilize the vertical grill blades, what did you run the cable tie through? Did you drill holes?

bluesman77

I was concerned with the look/strength of using the vertical fins, so I drilled 4 tiny 3mm holes on the horz portions and 2 holes on each vertical side. So I have a total of six ties, the verical ones very close to the corners to provide some strength. Also, the metal is a little bendable so I bent 90 degree angles to wrap round the opening behind the bumper, makes for a cleaner fit.

The way I see it, you cant see the ties and the bumper is all plastic anyway.. :)

Very clever solution - thanks for the details. Bending the metal at a right angle would much more rigid in that area too - great idea! May I add you have impeccable taste in initials, color and transmission choices.

JH too
aka bluesman77 and to the local indians as sipunipudo ungowa mokie which translated means "Dances with Terriers"

Thank you kindly fellow JH..
Cheers,

When I get a chance, I'm gonna post pictures....


$2, twenty mintutes.

Ingredients:
6X20 roll of black plastic gutter guard (menards)
16 zip ties

How I did it:
I went ahead and put the gutter guard on the OUTSIDE of the vertical fins - my fat hands were in NO WAY fitting in/around/under the bumper. I wasn't about to take the bumper off (10 degrees outside, looking for a speedy project).
Cut two strips - wide enough to fit each of the openings. Zip tied the top and bottom of each strip at the outside vertical fins, and the two in the center. The outsides flap, but I cut them long enough they "flap" wider than the condenser. Used a side cutter to trim the ends off of the zip ties.
Told the guys at work what I did, they looked it over, and even though the fat part of the zip tie is facing out, no one could tell they were there from 3-4 feet away.
When I decided to make a run at it, I'll simply cut off the zip ties and then do the "pro" job (invest a couple of hours instead of a couple of minutes).

:D

Thanks to orange cool box's handy instructions and photos, boxTurtle's condenser is now protected from errant stones and hardy insects!

http://thechurchhouse.com/images/homeDepotGrill1.jpg

http://thechurchhouse.com/images/homeDepotGrill2.jpg

I did the same thing it works great... I used wire ties to catch it on and they are not even noticable

:twisted: :twisted:

Hey mysteryhouse - nice install!

I have all the fixin's to do the same as you, but I haven't done it yet. How much did you have to cut to get around the damn license plate bracket? Perhaps a close-up of the area would be more helpful than a description :wink:

Thanks for any help you can offer!

-D

Hi guys,

Okay, I gave it a try... and I think it came out pretty well. Had some problems with the cutting, but it seemed to all come together nicely. I'd really like to know where some folks have gotten rubber edging for that nice finished look. I'm a little worried that the metal will eventually scratch the hell out of the opening...

If I get motivated enough, maybe I'll run out this weekend and pick up another gutter guard and give it another try...

http://www.elementownersclub.com/uploads/files/dana12.jpg

http://www.elementownersclub.com/uploads/files/dana13.jpg

Danawj,
you can find black rubber door edge guard at wallymart auto section.
They are Bell brand and about $3.
Manny, Moe, and Jack will also sell you chrome version for a little more.

Yo LMN_OP (very original, by the way :D ),

That's GREAT to know.. thanks so much for the info! Guess I'm makin' a trip to Wally World tonight!

Does the stuff just slide on the wire mesh or will I need to use some kind of adhesive material to keep it from blowing off?

Thanks again!

-D

[quote:38da4f733e=" "]Danawj,
you can find black rubber door edge guard at wallymart auto section.
They are Bell brand and about $3.
Manny, Moe, and Jack will also sell you chrome version for a little more.[/quote:38da4f733e]

Or, buy some tubing the size you want and slit it so it slides over the edge.

Bill

the edge guard just slips on and shouldn't fly off since it's butted against the opening.
Bought two pairs today, so i will try them out tomorrow.

:?: How about using rustoleum paint which last forever and binder edge. That's that plastic stuff you can get at Office depot or the likes and the color you want. Cut it to the proper length, paint the guard to match, slip on the edge pieces, place on 'E' and wham you're done.
Or if Red Green lives near you Duct Tape the edges...HaHa :twisted:

:shock: Slug

Hey,

I went to Home Depot yesterday to check out what they had. I found the aluminum and plastic gutter screens. However, after thinking it over and I thought their had to be a better but cost efficient method to protect the AC condensor. While I was pondering over my decision I saw that Home Depot used a peice of sheet metal on their shelving that had holes in it. I pulled it out from under the boxes and I knew I needed something like that. So talking it over with my dad we went to another isle and he mentioned something about extended metal. We found it but the peices weren't big enough. Luckily my dad knows a few people who are handy so he called his friend to see if he had scrap peices laying around the shop. He is supposed to call me back today with an update. After looking at those gutter guards I wasn't impressed. Once I find out what my dad's friend has laying around I will post again. I think extended metal is the way to go if you have the time and patience.

If you'd like a green mesh to protect the condenser a bit, most hardware and garden supply stores sell a product called "Rose Collars" or something similar. It comes in pieces about 9" wide and 28" long, or longer. The plastic is certainly not as strong as metal, but considering that Honda felt it was OK to leave that area "nekked", the plastic doesn't reduce air flow and should keep most bad stuff from wrecking the fins on the condenser.

At Home Depot I got a roll of Phifer Pet Guard screen. It's much tougher than regular screen. It's in the back of the store with the other rolls of screening (the screen door screening). Hold it up to the grill area and cut a section of approximate size. Don't worry, since a little overlap can be tucked away. Use black wire ties. You have to drill a little hole in each upper corner of the grill so you can fit those ties through, and tieing those requires a skinny wrist and some patience to finally thread the ties through. I was able to do it without taking the grill off. For the rest, simply wrap the ties around the grill and cut the excess with snub-nosed clippers.

The benefit is that, since it's screen, it has tiny holes but still lets in plenty of air. And since it's heavy duty it stops everything. At least it has so far, and I put it on four months ago. And it's made right here in my hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL, so you'll be helping my local economy!

:? Ok... Now no rock throwing.
I wandered into to ACE Hardware to check out these pieces of plastic and other assorted thingys. Well, they work as a temporary fix but not clean looking.
Up here at the NW corner of the world. 'Darn It! It has not rained in a week!'
Oops.. sorry I got off the subject.
Pacific Iron and Metal sell all sorts of scrap/new stuff. A nice piece of Honeycomb may work. Then again that may cause whistles.
Any of you NW'ers going to be cruising by P&IM in the near future? Check them out.

:shock: Slug

The gutter screen that comes in a roll is nearly invisible when mounted on the Element. In that sense its look is pretty clean. Its mesh is more open than the others, so it may not stop as much.

Digging into some old car stuff, I came across a piece of metal screen, with trimming and mounting grommets. I must have used it 15 years ago on the grill my pickup when I drove to Alaska. I also had a clear plastic bug/rock deflector (straight upright kind), and wire rock protectors on the headlights. Even toyed with mounting an extra spare tire on the front.

It makes me wonder how many of us Element owners are recovering pickup owners.

Anyone notice the gaping sharks mouths under other cars, most notably Mitsubishis?

paulj

I remember some fantastic old Jags that had nice big mouths with the radiator right behind them.

[quote:71636071e7=" "]Digging into some old car stuff, I came across a piece of metal screen, with trimming and mounting grommets. I must have used it 15 years ago on the grill my pickup when I drove to Alaska. I also had a clear plastic bug/rock deflector (straight upright kind), and wire rock protectors on the headlights. Even toyed with mounting an extra spare tire on the front.

It makes me wonder how many of us Element owners are recovering pickup owners.[/quote:71636071e7]
Gee, deja vue all over again..... :lol:
I just came across the winter cover from my 85 GMC S15. Also had the bug deflector and headlight protectors.
I don't think I'll go for the bug deflector on the E, I just don't like them, but, with the size of the headlights, I'm looking for covers that will fit.

I put plastic sheet protection (X-pel) on the headlights of my RAV4. It was fairly easy to install, and is nearly invisible. Such protection seemed reasonable on the glass headlight units of the RAV4. I don't know if the Element's lights need such protection, since they are supposed to be a fairly sturdy plastic. However a replacement unit costs around $200. Judging from the parts diagram, practically the whole unit has to be replaced. So at $34 the covers could be worth it.

http://www.clearbra.com/products/shop.asp?prevyear=2003&prevmake=15&prevmodel=757&prevsubmodel=0&prevseries=0&year=2003&make=15&model=757&submodel=2114

paulj

Took a stab at it yesterday... what do you think?

http://abraham.dizandat.com/files/grill_mod.jpg

Nice!

I hope this works:

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/408077dd_15e13/bc/40c0/__sr_/f1b8.jpg?phOkbjABk6VPrc2T


I don't know if anybody else did this. I installed the grill on the inside of the bumper. I think the install on the outside looks nice, but a little too flashy for me.

http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/408077dd_15e13/bc/40c0/__sr_/f1b8.jpg?phOkbjABk6VPrc2T
I don't know if anybody else did this. I installed the grill on the inside of the bumper. I think the install on the outside looks nice, but a little too flashy for me.


Link didn't work Pagefan. . .

I am giving up on picture posting...

E-mail me the pic and I'll post it for you! :)
I just PM'ed you my e-mail address.

I did the Home Depot 98 cent gutter guard today!

I did it the easiest way I could...since I did not want to pull the bumper cover to get to the grille.

I rolled the gutter guard up and passed it through one of the lower grille openings... I used the second from the right, It took a bit of slow fiddly kind of movement ..but after 15 seconds it was nearly in.

Then I eyeballed where to trim the guard for width, and cut it and finsished putting the guard in place.

Tie wrapping took 20 minutes since I had to fold the tip of each tie wrap and pull it back through.

All my tie wrap are visible , but at least I could make the square end of the wrap less visible.

After only 200 miles of driving I could see some bent condenser fins...so I thought I needed to get the guard in place until the Cloud Rider Gliil goes on.

Hey Beachbabeis,
How 'bout some pics!? :D

Installed the aluminum gutter guard yesterday after buying "Sandbox" on Friday night. It was very simple and spent less than $10. I put Bell door edging on the sides and it really gives it a custom look.

I just installed the Home Depot lower grill.

After reading all the helpful comments I bought the one-piece hinged metal raingutter, cut it to fit, put some slit black tubing around the perimeter, placed it on the OURSIDE of the lower grill frame and used four plastic clips to secure it. Not a perfect looking installation, but my first one. I am pleased.

Again, I got the courage to do it from this board. I would never have done it (or thought of it) on my own. Thanks guys and gals!!!

Well, here's one more endorsement for the Gutterguard plastic mesh. I installed it only two weeks ago but I've already made two long road trips since then and definitely has made a difference in protecting the condenser... Total cost $2.50...

Love it!

My only concern is to prevent condencer coil damage so I'm not concerned about the upper grill. I think it looks fine. That's why I can't see springing for the after market grill inserts. I like this gutter guard installation because it's easily installed by one person with no drilling and no Element grill detatching.

Jett;
See photos. Screws don't detract at all in my opinion. The single sheet type aluminum gutter guards are the only ones rigid enough to be mounted this way, in my opinion. Plus they have a nice rolled shape. You can almost see the reversed wing nut assembly hooked to the Element's main horizontal grill cross piece in the close-up


I really liked your solution, and tried it yesterday. When I put the screws in and tightened it down, the screen got pulled in closer to the grill where the screws were! I didn't like that, so i zip tied it on. I'll paint it black eventually, I think, but at least I have some protection now. http://lifeizgood.ws/page5.html

Well, here's one more endorsement for the Gutterguard plastic mesh. I installed it only two weeks ago but I've already made two long road trips since then and definitely has made a difference in protecting the condenser... Total cost $2.50...

Love it!


You used the black plastic for your guard? It was pretty easy to attach huh? I might have to do that until i can save up some extra cash for a real one.

Yep. Over three months now and it's holding up great! It definitely catches a lot of moths and stuff and I haven't seen any add'l damage to my condenser since I installed it. And I still have practically a whole roll of the gutterguard left for replacement installs when and if it does ever wear out!

You used the black plastic for your guard? It was pretty easy to attach huh? I might have to do that until i can save up some extra cash for a real one.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16862
Go here for best install directions.:)

I used the rigid plastic gutter guard from Home Depot. It cost me $1.03 for the one piece. I cut it to size with snips, spray painted it black, and used some black zip ties to secure it. Using the rigid type required removal of the front of my E, but it was easy thanks to the instructions I downloaded from HandA's website (instructions were for fog light installation). It took me about an hour to remove the front end, do the install, and put the front back on. I took my time and enjoyed the satisfaction of doing it myself. Here are some pics.

that looks killer

I especially like your fog lights!

Thanks! I got the "fog lights" from the local Pep Boys. 3" orange reflectors. The total cost was $4. I got the idea from a post elsewhere on the site. EOC is the best. I appreciate all who take the time to contribute.

I used the rigid plastic gutter guard from Home Depot. It cost me $1.03 for the one piece. I cut it to size with snips, spray painted it black, and used some black zip ties to secure it. Using the rigid type required removal of the front of my E, but it was easy thanks to the instructions I downloaded from HandA's website (instructions were for fog light installation). It took me about an hour to remove the front end, do the install, and put the front back on. I took my time and enjoyed the satisfaction of doing it myself. Here are some pics.


Nice grill... I spent +$ for my cloud rider and like it, However your black works/looks great!:-D

I was tempted to go Cloud Rider but my frugal side got the best of me. Let's see a picture of yours.

I was tempted to go Cloud Rider but my frugal side got the best of me. Let's see a picture of yours.


I will after my bug guard install....:grin:

I did it as well. worked out great and brightens up the front end.

Holy smokes! I was at Pep Girls today and they are selling a grill guard kit which is nothing more than a piece of aluminum gutter guard for $39. If only all those kids in their Mitsubishi's and Nissans bought E's, they could have saved $35 just by joining the EOC. :grin:

It's that fancy packaging. Probably costs a fortune to put it in a box! :roll:

The DYI Home Depot was the first DYI mod I did and the best.I was just mad that I hadn't joined EOC and done it earlier. I used the silver aliminum guard and primered/spray painted it. Still holding up great.

Would love to see pics! Pic links seem to be broken :)

I followed the instructions today at http://64.142.39.120/e/

here are my 40+ pictures:
http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Element_Grill_Install
http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/albums/Element_Grill_Install/20060206143848_G.thumb.jpg http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/albums/Element_Grill_Install/20060206150037_G.thumb.jpg http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/albums/Element_Grill_Install/20060206150242_G.thumb.jpg http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/albums/Element_Grill_Install/20060206152744_G.thumb.jpg http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/albums/Element_Grill_Install/20060206164030_G.thumb.jpg
(http://tera.kuren.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Element_Grill_Install )

It was pretty straight forward, except putting the paneling back in, was a bit tricky, trying to get stuff to fold in right, but after taking a minute to look stuff, it was pretty simple to figure out.

The grill isn't as taunt on the bottom as I would have liked, but I didn't want to drill a zillion holes. The top is tight, though.

And after only 800 miles, I could already see damage to my radiator, so I'm glad I went through the effort.

Aluminum gutter guard $1.79
Roll of black door edge guard $11.99
Plastic zip ties $0.99
Not getting any more rocks in the radiator...Priceless!

For everything else there's EOC.COM.

Outstanding pictoral guide there Beak. Nicely done.

Has anyone using Manik Nudge Bars been able to modify the gutter screen so that it looks halfway decent? If so, let me know how you worked it out.

Outstanding pictoral guide there Beak. Nicely done.my pleasure

thank Seb for posting the how-to on his web site!

(and *DING* level 500, well, post #500, now I'm not "Tin" anymore)

I did the Home Depot lower grill with the gutter guard on my '03 Element but since I traded it January and got an '06 EX-P Tango Red Pearl, I was back in the situation of what I was going to do this time. While on patrol and having just stopped someone for speeding on I-69, I was walking back to my cruiser when I saw this black object laying there on the shoulder. I picked it up and through it in the back seat. Just quick look I thought it would be a perfect fit for the Element. After measuring it several day's later, I knew it would be. Well the Mrs. left for Seattle this morning and I got busy when I got back home from the airport. I did it jut like the Home Depot install and I'm pretty happy with the work I did. I'll probably get my hood deflector tomorrow and the rear bumper trim and call it the day. Anyway, the grill piece I found came from a Toyota product. There are many crashes on I-69 between 116th street and I-465. All I can say is one man's trash is another man's treasure. I hate someone had a crash but I thank the tow truck operator for neglecting to pick this article up and as a good trooper, I removed the debree that could later cause damage to someone else by hitting it.
Let me know what you think of the add on. Also the part number was 58112-21030 and it was either a lower or upper grill for a Toyota and that's the number that was stamped on it.

Peace!

Very nice indeed.

Thanks! It should fulfill the void that Honda created.

While on patrol and having just stopped someone for speeding on I-69, I was walking back to my cruiser when I saw this black object laying there on the shoulder.

The fact that it's salvage makes it the coolest grill guard I've seen yet.

Thanks Gladestrider! I never put or thought about the salvage value of it. Good point! I'm always in to recycling where and when I can. I think it looks pretty good and the fact that I shot a little flat on the outter edges of the condensor helps too. I'm still open to doing something funky with the upper but more than likely I'll leave it be. Thanks again!

I just did mine today too. Wasn't quite as professional as yours. My "grill" material isn't quite as nice, I got a roll of black gutter guard and put two layers in my bumper. I wasn't brave enough to take off the bumper so I actually folded it and pushed it through the grill then zip tied it to the small crossbars of the grill. It doesn't look great, but I figured it is there for protection. I think that only people who are really looking closely would notice it though. I do want to eventually do a better job, I just don't have the time right now.

Yea, I felt the same as you when I did my first Element back in '03. It took me the longest to get it done. In fact when I was getting ready to do my foglights, I walked through it in my mind several times before I actually did it. I too was leary of taking the nose off and tampering with a perfectly good car but I did. You'll find that it's not that hard to do and you'll say to yourself that you can't believe you didn't do it sooner. Taking the nose off gives you a better perspective on how it should be versus how you can get it on. I'm not very mechanically inclined but it takes me about ten minutes to take the nose off and then about five minutes or less just to drill the holes, which I put them right beside the verticle cross members and then use the zip ties. You can't really see where I've joined the two sections together. Total time was about 30 minutes to do it all and then reverse order putting the nose back on. You'll get it done and you'll like the work that you've done. One thing I do know, the person who has my previous Element won't have to do any of this stuff, grill, spoiler, fogs, steps or deflector. That was my test car but most of all I didn't want to take something and end up with nothing! Kind of like a doctors motto, " First do ye no harm".

I bought a brown plastic gutter guard from Lowe's tonight, but I spray-painted it black. I'm going to install it tomorrow.

Thanks Gladestrider! I never put or thought about the salvage value of it. Good point! I'm always in to recycling where and when I can. I think it looks pretty good and the fact that I shot a little flat on the outter edges of the condensor helps too. I'm still open to doing something funky with the upper but more than likely I'll leave it be. Thanks again!


That piece you found on the highway looks like the bottom lower grill of a Scion xB or possibly from a simular toyota product..... Interesting!

It may be from a Scion Xb. All I know is that I was at the right place and time to pick it up off the side of the road and use it on my ride. I do know I saw the Toyota markings on the inside of it stamped and I couldn't really think of a vehicle it could have come from. Now that you mention the Scion it could very well be since I have no pre-info on it's design. If so, funny that I got something that was made to be a direct competitor to our beloved Element!

So I did a very basic Home Depot-style grille cover. I uploaded some pics...hopefully they'll come through...

Went to my local hardware store and they had black gutter guard for $1.49 a roll. They were also selling black ties for ten cents a pop...so I went crazy and bought fifteen for a whopping $1.50. Ten minutes of work and for $2.99 I had my grille cover.

Bought the chrome exhaust from H&A and a minute with my torque wrench and boink!

Thanks so much for all the advice! Gonna slap some orange reflectors in the fog light spots like someone else on the forum did...great idea.

This board rules.

I bought a roll of black rain gutter stuff, but it's not rigid enough. I'll get the metal, paint it black and use it. Tons of plastic under the bumper I need to remove first. :-|

These grill gards are aluminum with a hex mesh pattern that I painted yellow with engine enamel paint.

21256

21255

Tell me what you think! 8-)

Wow Tooljedi...that looks excellent. Nice work! Really does sharpen the whole package.

Thanks for the complement! :cool: I was wondering if the yellow was a bit too strong? But I think It gos well with the green!

and many more to go.

I believe that after I stuck the reflectors on, my E started smiling at me. Home Depot Grille and cheapo fog replacements: $7.45 Smiling E: Priceless

Thanks for the headstart on my new E! This board is very helpful!

Sweet Ride there PDXTeach. :cool: I like the reflectors! :)

Thanks Mr. Jedi. The mods aren't as sweet as yours...but I'm working on it!:) Next paycheck...vent visors for the front and some side molding from the local Honda parts store. They told me they had CRX and other model moldings which could do the job. Matter of preference of whether I want fatter or thinner lines.

I am also on the budget plan. I have Lund bug deflector and vent shades. I found them at Summit Racing for $48 & $40 respecfully. That was the best price I could find and shipping was also cheap.I saved $20 & $16 from my local Autozone even after shipping. No matter where I went I was goining to have to wait up to 2 weeks for ordering. Summit was not fast, but the kept me really informed. I live my E's Lund Armor! :)

I don't buy locally much anymore because our last Mom & Pop auto store closed 2 years ago!:cry: I miss them very much!

I just did this mod too! $1.69 for the brown gutter guard (painted gloss black with some Fusion plastic paint), had the ties (just used 3, just below the center horizontal bar so you can't see them unless you lay down in front of my E), and it looks great!

I love the EOC!

:D I am also on the budget plan. I have Lund bug deflector and vent shades. I found them at Summit Racing for $48 & $40 respecfully. That was the best price I could find and shipping was also cheap.I saved $20 & $16 from my local Autozone even after shipping. No matter where I went I was goining to have to wait up to 2 weeks for ordering. Summit was not fast, but the kept me really informed. I live my E's Lund Armor! :)

I don't buy locally much anymore because our last Mom & Pop auto store closed 2 years ago!:cry: I miss them very much!

Do you like the Lund vent shades? I can't decide on Lund or Weathertech's. Does the Lund have adhesive that sticks to the paint? Send pics if you get a a chance. I have the Lund bug deflector and love it.
:D

I just did this mod too! $1.69 for the brown gutter guard (painted gloss black with some Fusion plastic paint), had the ties (just used 3, just below the center horizontal bar so you can't see them unless you lay down in front of my E), and it looks great!

I love the EOC!

Is this the brown plastic sheet? I think I saw it at HD for a couple of bucks. Do you have pics?

Is this the brown plastic sheet? I think I saw it at HD for a couple of bucks. Do you have pics?

How's this? If you look closely, you can see the 3 wire ties I used.

How's this? If you look closely, you can see the 3 wire ties I used.

Looks Great! Did you have to take the front off to put it on?

Nope. All I did was to remove the lower bumper cover (the part the license plate bolts to). I think there were about 7 clips along the bottom, and the top edge snaps in. After I undid the lower clips, I was able to reach the clips w/ a long flat balde screwdriver and compress the snaps and pull the upper edge away. After that, I cut about 6" from one end of the gutter guard , and slipped it into the opening that was revealed when I removed the bumper cover.

Simple!!:cool:

10 minutes at Home Depot down the road

10 minutes to install....

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/9742/elementgrillb4ys7.jpg
the opening before i did any work

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2089/elementgrillthruthetopap0.jpg
Where i went in

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/9003/elementthruthetop2bw9.jpg
opened up

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3100/elementpopclipssk5.jpg
clips to pop out =5

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9619/elementgrilltiescd7.jpg
curled the ties for a few seconds, so they would fish through the front.


before you proceed... i know! it's not painted yet. tonight. i promise i'll remove it to paint it!!!!














http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/982/elementgrillb4paintmu2.jpg
Finished before paint.

the wife likes it, so i will remove it tonight and paint it black.
reinstall tomorrow.

insane easy to do.
scale of 1-10.... 1

thanks guys and gals.

LOVE THIS FRIGGIN SITE.

PS - my 100th Post

Did mine today. Took 20 minutes. The deer avoidance whistles probably don't work, but I figure if I hit a deer without 'em, I'd regret not having them.
http://www.truckwithaheart.com/grilleguardsupplies.JPG
http://www.truckwithaheart.com/grilleguard.JPG

Okay, so it's been a couple weeks since I did the gutter guard mod for the grille. I decided to go get some corner fasteners to zip tie the bottom left and right more securely.

When I finished that, I decided to apply a second layer of gutter guard OVER the the plastic grill. I threaded the new layer through the zip ties on the inside gutter guard. Now because I did this at about 9:30 last night...and was going by flashlight...you can see I need to realign the zip ties to make them less prominent. In the second photo I am pointing out the jutting tie that I have to redo. BUT, I love the way the second layer gives a more rounded look to the grille. Plus, with the corner ties secure, I feel quite secure about the protection this mod offers. I figure someone else has beaten me to this, but I was so excited I had to post regardless!

Okay, so it's been a couple weeks since I did the gutter guard mod for the grille. I decided to go get some corner fasteners to zip tie the bottom left and right more securely.

When I finished that, I decided to apply a second layer of gutter guard OVER the the plastic grill. I threaded the new layer through the zip ties on the inside gutter guard. Now because I did this at about 9:30 last night...and was going by flashlight...you can see I need to realign the zip ties to make them less prominent. In the second photo I am pointing out the jutting tie that I have to redo. BUT, I love the way the second layer gives a more rounded look to the grille. Plus, with the corner ties secure, I feel quite secure about the protection this mod offers. I figure someone else has beaten me to this, but I was so excited I had to post regardless!
I don't know about the extra protection part (My condenser fins look the same as when I first did this a year + ago), but that second layer does give a little more blacked out look. I might just string one up to see what it looks like. Thanks for the idea!:cool:

...BUT, I love the way the second layer gives a more rounded look to the grille...

Cool! That rounded look is what I ended up with here (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=210362&postcount=152) and I really like it. Eventually I may paint it, but the ties are so hard to see without bending down, I just may let it go. :cool:

Here's mine, it's not HD, but stainless steel from my local scrap yard. Painted black like the rest of the bottom half of my E it pretty much disappears. It's notched for the vertical "ribs", so sits flush on the back of 'em. It's held on with screws into the license plate bracket, and pins heated up and pushed through the vertical ribs. I should have snapped pics of the install, oh well.

Home Depot by my house had the metal gutter guard on close out for 79 cents :D I just popped out the 5 clips on the plastic piece by the hood release & fished it down from the top with no problem. I used small 4" zipties so I put them top & bottom on all the vertical fins for added overall strength. Since I tied it from the front & had no place to secure the corners I just cut the gutter guard approx 3" wider than the radiator. Figured that way if something heavy bent the corner it wouldn't bend directly INTO the radiator but will hit corner. Hopefully it works out that way :rolleyes:

BTW thanks for all the tips. Really helped since it was 103 outside & slightly warmer in the garage...beat that all you it was cold people :???:

haulingstuff,

That is the look I am going for in mine. I meant to get on this mod last weekend, but just ran out of time. The wife said with hesitation "Just don't break the car honey". Her faith in my automotive skills is low at best.

didn't paint my gutter guard yet (still running around with a brown nose.)... looking for a stainless alternative. our two HDs... a 1/2 mile from each other were cleaned out. was their a run on gutter guards lately????

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/982/elementgrillb4paintmu2.jpg

I just wanted to jump in and add something for people doing this project on an E with blue comp. panels.
I used Rust-oleum #7251 cobalt blue metallic spray paint on steel gutter guard attached with wire-ties and it is a good match on mine.
Below is a photo of the result.

10 minutes at Home Depot down the road

10 minutes to install....before you proceed... i know! it's not painted yet. tonight. i promise i'll remove it to paint it!!!!

the wife likes it, so i will remove it tonight and paint it black.
reinstall tomorrow.

insane easy to do.
scale of 1-10.... 1

thanks guys and gals.

LOVE THIS FRIGGIN SITE.


I just installed mine, painted black, yesterday following your instructions, TheOle34. Worked great! It was so nice not to have to remove the front bumper. Your detailed pix were a huge help!

Plus, I don't know about the gutter guard you used, but mine actually had steel mesh attached to the back of the plastic. And it was precut to the exactly right size, so no cutting was needed either.

Closer but darker view.

Beauty job...Makes ya wonder why the Honda folks didn't think of this!
------------D.45:rolleyes:

I finally did this tonight. I used plastic grill covering that comes in a roll from Lowe's. I decided to take off the front end so I could do it right. I spent about 1 hr 45 minutes, start to finish, but I work slow.
Pics are ok, I have to link to them cause I cant get them to upload. Great mod.
http://chrisahophoto.blogspot.com/

Hmmm...maybe we should all look into this for ALL our vehicles. The Mrs. calls me Sunday to say the a/c in her car (which just got $1000 new compressor, etc in June) wasn't working. Problem found in no time, hole in the evaporator from some sort of road debris. 350 bucks gone! Note:The evaporator sits by/below and looks like a mini version of the radiator. My buddy that fixed it called to say once he pulled it there were matted feathers everywhere near the hole :confused: We're unsure whether it's a pure coincidence or if a bird's beak, foot, whatever actually caused the hole on impact. Weird expensive Murphy's law crap...which is killing my road trip budget!!!

Hmmm...maybe we should all look into this for ALL our vehicles.

You'll find numerous posts on this very subject. This is one mod that's a must! Here's how I did mine...
http://www.lifeizgood.ws/page5.html

I was surprised to notice over the weekend that my father-in-law's 2006 4Runner also has an exposed compressor. First time I'd thought to look, actually. I'm thinkin' this is a lot more prevalent across the auto industry than I'd realized, no doubt because protecting it would cost manufacturers something like 0.03 cents. :rolleyes:

I was surprised to notice over the weekend that my father-in-law's 2006 4Runner also has an exposed compressor. First time I'd thought to look, actually. I'm thinkin' this is a lot more prevalent across the auto industry than I'd realized, no doubt because protecting it would cost manufacturers something like 0.03 cents. :rolleyes:


Yes, spend 3 cents to prevent thousands in spare parts sales!
See where they are coming from! :x

I was surprised to notice over the weekend that my father-in-law's 2006 4Runner also has an exposed compressor. First time I'd thought to look, actually. I'm thinkin' this is a lot more prevalent across the auto industry than I'd realized, no doubt because protecting it would cost manufacturers something like 0.03 cents. :rolleyes:

Yeah I was showing my buddy the mechanic my 79cent gutter guard retrofit he said cool, but look at all these other vehicles w/exposed radiators. Though I think one main difference is most other vehicles have a much smaller opening and the opening isn't as square of an angle to the road. they are bent vertically & horizontally which helps deflect stuff.

any pics?
how is so far? pretty durable?



Aluminum gutter guard, that what I used!

I purchased two pieces, but one piece is more than enough.
I put my on with black cable ties and cable ties anchors, they designed for outdoor use. I regretted that I didn't painted the screen black, it would look much better.

Project cost:
$1.79 Aluminum screen
$3.00 cable ties(black)
$6.00 cable anchors(black)

After lurking for months and researching the information I finally purchased my new "E". After 200 miles and a few bent fins it was time to do something about the front end protection. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I'm attaching some pictures to hopefully guide others in this very functional DIY mod.

First things first..... My "E"

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/359/element03brl4.jpg

Here's an overview of the screen using hinged gutterguard - I found this at Lowe's and discovered it was actually galvanized steel... at least sparks flew from the cut-off wheel I used to trim it up. The lower notch fits over the license plate holder.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5117/elementscreen01acm4.jpg

The door trim really cleaned things up - multiple miters were accomplished with careful measuring and a pair of side-cutter pliers.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3637/elementscreen02abx2.jpg

Here's another close-up of the outside edge - all of the mitered corners were filled with RTV silicone and taped until dry. This should help keep things together and also made for a nice joint on the curved ends.

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/760/elementscreen03atq7.jpg

Using the ingenious reverse wing nut mounting method here is a front view. I boogered up the threads on the nylon wing nut with a hot-knife to work like a lock-type nut. I had to use 3" long machine screws since I placed them toward the outside of the opening. I also opted for stainless steel but that may be overkill.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2961/elementscreen04aui1.jpg

Here is a side view that highlights the curvature - I like it but should have paid attention to the end profile and not cut it straight up & down. Still, I think it's a keeper.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2355/elementscreen05asa7.jpg

Once again - thanks to all the previous posters for the ideas. Looking forward to more mods as time permits. http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/7861/banana10sq.gif

txbxdrvr, looks great. Welcome to the Club.:)

I was surprised to notice over the weekend that my father-in-law's 2006 4Runner also has an exposed compressor. First time I'd thought to look, actually. I'm thinkin' this is a lot more prevalent across the auto industry than I'd realized, no doubt because protecting it would cost manufacturers something like 0.03 cents. :rolleyes:
I've been noticing some of the Dodge products (Nitro?, Durango?) with the same issue.

Aluminum gutter guard $1.79
Roll of black door edge guard $11.99
Plastic zip ties $0.99
Not getting any more rocks in the radiator...Priceless!

For everything else there's EOC.COM.

Omg! i got my same color 4wd E from Robertson! Did you buy it through Mike Cano? he's the greatest

After lurking for months and researching the information I finally purchased my new "E". After 200 miles and a few bent fins it was time to do something about the front end protection. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I'm attaching some pictures to hopefully guide others in this very functional DIY mod....

Beautiful job, txbxdrvr. Welcome aboard and thanks for the great pics!

Thanks for the kind words and hearty welcome. As mentioned by several others time and time again...this site is a tremendous resource of information. :cool:

My first mod (after putting on convex spot mirrors) was the Home Depot mod, with the flexible plastic mesh. (pic#1) I plan to do a more permanent guard using the flat hard plastic gutter guard from WalMart when I remove the front bumper to mount the Fog Lights. A couple of 'hints' if you are using the flexible mesh and squeezing it in behind the lower plastic grill;
Use a light colored marker (a silver gel ballpoint works) to mark a small 'dot' along the center line where each of the vertical ribs are (helps to get it level and centered) to aid in putting the 'tie wraps' through the right holes the 'first time'. I also used a curved craft needle to tie a knot around the 'center' point to keep it in place (and centered) while I was putting on the tie wraps.(pic#2)
Great, easy, cheap Mod; Thanks group!!

Here's a pic of the aluminum stuff some people have used. This is the unused edge and you can see the reddish primer I applied on the visible section. (this is where I held the screen while spraying) I will spray this satin black and try to insert from the top. Good tip Rog on the temporary string...

TXBX,good looking mod :)

Here is my version of the HD grill. I used gutterguard on the inside and outside of the radiator opening. First I cut out the top and the bottom pieces to fit the outside. Then a cut out to match the inside. I spray painted them with textured black paint. Took the front of the E. Attached the front pieces with zip ties from the inside. Next I drilled holes on the inside grill frame and attached the inside gutter guard with zip ties. I just love a cheap and effective mod.

Here is my version of the HD grill. I used gutterguard on the inside and outside of the radiator opening. First I cut out the top and the bottom pieces to fit the outside. Then a cut out to match the inside. I spray painted them with textured black paint. Took the front of the E. Attached the front pieces with zip ties from the inside. Next I drilled holes on the inside grill frame and attached the inside gutter guard with zip ties. I just love a cheap and effective mod.
That's a very clean look. I like being able to see the horizontal grill bar. Did you use the plastic or metal gutter guard? Do you recall the measurements you ended up with on the front strips?

DJA,

I used the galvanized steel. Sorry, I did not right down the measurements. I used some heavy duty wire cutters to cut through the gutter. After you are done cutting you may want to hammer the uneven cuts on a flat surface.

If you use the plastic gutter guards it is already the right height and length. All you have to do is paint it the color you want, remove the plastic over the front grill/radiator and slip it down into place. Use a couple of black wire ties to hold it in place and you are all set. Takes maybe 10 mintues to do.
http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/049821852795_4.jpg

If you use the plastic gutter guards it is already the right height and length. All you have to do is paint it the color you want, remove the plastic over the front grill/radiator and slip it down into place. Use a couple of black wire ties to hold it in place and you are all set. Takes maybe 10 mintues to do.
http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/049821852795_4.jpg
HobbyTalk;
I presently have the Lowe's flexible plastic 'gutter guard' behind the lower plastic trim. It was easy to 'fold' and insert behind the horizontal and vertical grill bars (without removal). I also have the the 'hard' plastic 'gutter guard' like you show, from WalMart, but was waiting to use that until I had to remove the front bumper when installing the fog lights.
How were you able to: "remove the plastic over the front grill/radiator and slip it down into place", and secure the 'gutter guard' in 10 minutes? You didn't have to remove the bumper section with the fog light to install the rigid plastic grill?

No need to remove the bumper. It will fit down between the radiator and bumper. Takes a bit of trial and error but it goes down there fine. One reason I like the plastic is because it doesn't get all deformed when getting it into place. There is another thread on this.... maybe I can find it.

Added: Here it is but the pictures are gone. :sad:
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13938

No need to remove the bumper. It will fit down between the radiator and bumper. Takes a bit of trial and error but it goes down there fine. One reason I like the plastic is because it doesn't get all deformed when getting it into place. There is another thread on this.... maybe I can find it.

Added: Here it is but the pictures are gone. :sad:
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13938


I didn't remove the front end when I put my screen in either. I used the rigid metal screen and there was no problem getting it in there. Just measure it to fit. Rather than just cutting it off, I would suggest bending the edges over and making a clean seam at each end. Roll something heavy over the ends to crimp them down. That will protect you from some cutting to your hands.

When sized to fit right, again, I had no problem getting the screen behind the opening. You will need to remove your license plate frame and the plastic cover that goes over the bottom of the bumper. There may be a few screws and are a few clips that need to be taken out.

The only problem I had was the space between the condensor and the front end is quite narrow. I have fairly large hands and arms and found it a tight fit to reach up. If you have smaller hands and arms, you probably won't have much of a problem. Other problem was trying to get the zipties through the screen and around the dividers in the grill. With such a tight fit and long reach it was a little difficult. I was able to do it but it took about twice as long and was a bit more painful than if I had just taken the front end off.

From what I have seen, it was only about 4 more clips and 2 screws from coming completely off anyway. After I had taken the cover off of the top to try and get in from above, and the cover off to get up from underneath. Had I known I was so close to just having it off, it would have saved a lot of time and trouble.

When I say Pain, I point out that the fins on the condensor are kind of sharp. Between that and the sharp edges of the screen I cut up my knuckles a bit trying to get the screen installed. Nothing serious but still, a little annoying and a few explatives that the neighbors would have been better not hearing. You might also want to throw a blanket down on the driveway so you don't get your clothes too grungy.

I don't know what happened to them but there are a lot of how to threads that get 404 errors on them now. Seems that they have been lost. I did find some of my old posts by searching Primer AND Rustoleum as I recalled using those terms in my discriptions. Leave AND in all caps between the two terms to get a llist of threads that I have contributed to. Here is a picture that I still have of my screen. I host all my own pictures on my FTP site so it is still out there. A lot of others, some good, sadly have been purged from the EOC server.

http://members.aol.com/wmas1960/WebPosts/HDGrill.jpg

I didn't remove the front end when I put my screen in either.
Had I known I was so close to just having it off, it would have saved a lot of time and trouble.
You might also want to throw a blanket down on the driveway so you don't get your clothes too grungy.
Primer AND Rustoleum as I recalled using those terms in my discriptions. Leave AND in all caps between the two terms to get a llist of threads that I have contributed to. Here is a picture that I still have of my screen. I host all my own pictures on my FTP site so it is still out there. A lot of others, some good, sadly have been purged from the EOC server.


Thanks; the lack of pictures, and which 6 fasteners to remove, and WHAT to bend to slip the grill in, along with the sharp edges on the screen, caused me to wait until I have a couple of warm/dry days here in FL to remove the front end (I also have to do the fog lights anyway). Think I'll do the rigid plastic guard inside, AND the 'split' metal guard (with rubber edge trim) on the outside. I have a 'soft' tarp to lay the bumper on and get under the vehicle; just don't want to do it in the wet & cold (by southern standards) since the garage is full of 'projects' and "E" parts. Slowly making progress (only had it a month) and plenty of time till 'camping season'. Love my "E"!!!!!!!

A Big Thank you to everyone who posted on this mod. Yesterday, did the HD lower grill install. It was surprisingly easy. And only cost about 3 bucks! After looking at the condenser with just 1500 or so miles on it, I'm glad I installed it. Now if I can just keep whittling away at my Mod List, instead it keeps growing because I keep reading this forum!


BlacknBlueBox

Here are some pictures to help out. (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=304450&postcount=197)

Here are some pictures to help out. (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=304450&postcount=197)
Thanks for the pictures. Now it makes sense on how to get the 'rigid plastic', not just the 'flexible screen' guards behind the front grill. Didn't know the top plastic piece came off so easily.

Tonight my husband and I tackled our first modification together. Well- he did it... but I took the pictures!


We found a sheet of aluminum grid at Lowe's for $8. We didn't want to go with the flimsy gutter guard because it doesn't seem very durable.
First we painted it black:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill002.jpg

Finished paint job:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill005.jpg

Then we removed the the cover and slid the grid down:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill012.jpg

Then we slid the zip ties through:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill008.jpg

You can barely see the zip ties. Nick put a bunch on to make it sturdy.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill011.jpg

And that was it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/Jamiga/Element/Grill%20Guard/grill010.jpg

Nice job! But you are in trouble, you won't be able to stop the mod madness now!

Looks really nice. Great job !

Thanks. I followed your step-by-step instructions and it worked out great.
Pat L. :)

Tonight my husband and I tackled our first modification together. Well- he did it... but I took the pictures!


We found a sheet of aluminum grid at Lowe's for $8. We didn't want to go with the flimsy gutter guard because it doesn't seem very durable.
First we painted it black:



Finished paint job:



Then we removed the the cover and slid the grid down:



Then we slid the zip ties through:





You can barely see the zip ties. Nick put a bunch on to make it sturdy.



And that was it!

I used aluminum as well. I have thought about painting it black, but it looks good straight off the shelf too.

I thank all who thought of this mod. I used the HD metal gutter guard rather than the one made out of plastic. I had to cut about 3-4 inches off its length. Did anyone else have to? The metal guard is the same length as the plastic one so not sure how you all made either of them fit without reducing their length. It's all good. Thanks again!

I thank all who thought of this mod. I used the HD metal gutter guard rather than the one made out of plastic. I had to cut about 3-4 inches off its length. Did anyone else have to? The metal guard is the same length as the plastic one so not sure how you all made either of them fit without reducing their length. It's all good. Thanks again!

I, too, had to trim the guard, rounding it on the ends. The end result is here (http://lifeizgood.ws/page5.html). Don't forget to post your pics!

I thank all who thought of this mod. I used the HD metal gutter guard rather than the one made out of plastic. I had to cut about 3-4 inches off its length. Did anyone else have to? The metal guard is the same length as the plastic one so not sure how you all made either of them fit without reducing their length. It's all good. Thanks again!

I had to cut mine also.

Lynn

So simple yet so useful. Just finished mine a few minutes ago. :-)

Just did mine, what a great idea! :D

ok. so the local crappy home depot only had the gutter guard in brown or white. I got the brown and installed it before our last road trip and I've been hoping to find the black at one of the other equally crappy local HDs... no luck. :-(

So what is the best way to get the brown one out of the front so I can paint it?:confused: thread it back out through the top or take off the bumper? :confused:

Well, if you've never taken the bumper trim off, now is a good time to do it for the experience alone. Who knows, you may need to take it off again to install some fogs or upgrade the horn or something. Anyway, if you can't find the black at Home Depot go to WalMart and get some Krylon Fusion in black, shot it on both sides and then reinstall it. Taking the front bumper cover off is to, too easy and everyone should have to do it at least once. I'll be taking mine off on Tuesday so I can take my headlights out again, open them up via the oven method and I'm going to shoot them black like the '07 headlights. Just wish I had done all this when I took them out and cleared them last April/May.

I used some expanded metal material (basically BBQ grate). It looks a bit industrial, but ok. I'll try to get a picture of it up soon.

Standard aluminum unpainted & tie wrapped 12 times (maybe a little excessive?). Total cost - about 5 bucks from the Home Depot.

that looks very clean, waste.