| Author | Message | ||
     Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 671 Registered: 05-2003 |
I'm trying to make something to carry with me and easily attach to the front of my grill to keep debris out of the radiator during water crossings. I try not to wade in water with lots of debris, but just getting the little stuff off of the radiator is difficult for me. I've got a TJM winch bumper with winch solenoid mounted to my bumper right in front of the radiator, so I need to get around that too with water I make. There are also lights on my bumper. The last time I was at the welders shop to get PT filled, I bought 2 small rectangular welders aprons to try to use for this. They have snaps on them. Both aprons side by side they will bed wide enough for the front of my bumper. They are still sitting in my pile of "stuff to figure out and do". I would like to be able to get it on and off quickly without alot of fussing with it. I'm not sure where to even start and what to use to attach it. Any ideas? Thanks in advance, Jamie | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1246 Registered: 02-2002 |
You can use a tarp: http://www.discoweb.org/deanbrown/103-0331_IMG.jpg And its a VERY good idea. It will save your fan clutch and a whole lot of other crap getting where it shouldn't. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 675 Registered: 05-2003 |
Thanks Dean! If it would be of any help in brainstorming a solution, here is a pic of the aprons side by side, view of the front of one apron showing snaps, view of the back of one apron, and pic of the bumper mounted stuff that I hope to find a way to work around. Each apron measures 20.5" x 14.5" I'd like to have some kind of permanent attachment hardware (hooks?) on my bumper and some kind of "hooking up" things on the apron so I can just quickly put it on and take it off. I might need to have the aprons sewn together, but I'm not sure? If this works, I'll just leave it with my winching equip on the floor behind drivers seat so I can get to it fast. Putting it back in after use won't be a problem because I have rubber mats and that area of the floor usually gets wet anyway. I think it will work if I can just figure out the "how to" part. Thanks, Jamie      | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 676 Registered: 05-2003 |
p.s. I luv your pic! | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1247 Registered: 02-2002 |
I had two climbing links (not sure what they are called) that attached underside, I don't remember to what now. Go pretty far under though. On the front two corners, I just had some soft rope that I could wrap over the mirrors quickly to stretch it out over the hood about half way. Look at the pic and you might be able to see them. I'm planning to do something a bit stronger than this - it was only a thin tarp and it tore in the end. When you stop sometimes, the water rushes forward and pushes on the inside of the tarp quite hard. I'd use a proper tough canvas, maybe a welding blanket or something like that, if I did it again, and I am planning to do this at some point. Hope this helps | ||
| Brian Dickens (Bri) Senior Member Username: Bri Post Number: 894 Registered: 08-2002 |
Carabiner, use the locking type or it could get shoved open defeating the purpose of the protection. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 680 Registered: 05-2003 |
Dean, These are welders aprons made out of the same material as welders coats. Are welders blankets tougher than welding coats? Thanks, Jamie | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1248 Registered: 02-2002 |
Jamie - it might be worth buying a single piece of something, rather than trying to use those two aprons. I think Brian is trying to say that they could come apart, and they are not very big anyway. You might as well cover as much as possible, not just the radiator inlet. Glass fiber is also very strong, you might look into a blanket made of that or similar. | ||
| Jim Reynolds (4x4xfar) Senior Member Username: 4x4xfar Post Number: 258 Registered: 05-2003 |
Jamie I have an old Bill Burke video "Bike , Boat ,Bog " and in that they used a huge piece of plastic slammed in the hood for the deep stuff. Once though they opened the hood and on they went. It was very primative but was enough to keep the WAVE out. | ||
| Brian Dickens (Bri) Senior Member Username: Bri Post Number: 899 Registered: 08-2002 |
Careful of the fan and shroud though! Bill *must have* taken some preventative measures. ;-) | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1249 Registered: 02-2002 |
yeah basically you will start pushing the radiator backwards, and also the fan will be hitting water. I know one guy who's fan clutch died after a few water crossings, although it already had 100K on it so it was ready to go anyway. The canvas is definitely a good idea. | ||
| Kennith P. Whichard III (Kennith) Senior Member Username: Kennith Post Number: 409 Registered: 05-2002 |
I have a piece of Gutter guard for houses wrapped in red duct tape that I tape on the grill. It cost about 3.99 for five of them, and it works fine. It actually looks pretty "trick" from afar. Cheers, Kennith | ||
| Lawrence Tilly (Beowulf03809) New Member Username: Beowulf03809 Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2003 |
I've been wanting to set up a dual-purpose cover for water crossing and cold-weather use. When I'm driving the highways in single-digit temperatures, my engine has had a tendancy to actually cool-down if I have the heater blowing full (yes, I've replace the thermostat a couple times). When I was in the USAF at some of our remote bases we had vechicles with a blue canvas cover that snapped over the grill for severe cold weather use. The snaps made it quick and easy to remove, plus you could unsnap a couple of the snaps and let various amounts of corner "hang", allowing more ventillation. It would also be quick to swap in and out for a water crossing. I have seen similar covers on Defenders and Series trucks, but have never seen anything like that sold for our Discos. Making the tarp w/ snaps (or similar hooks) is as easy as a trip to a local shop. The confusing part has been trying to figure out permanent mounting points on the truck that are effective but not too unattractive. In the mean time, I carry a chunk of blue tarp with me and if needed for water I just close it down in the hood and bungie the bottom corners under the truck. Lawrence 96 Disco - "Beowulf" - NH, USA | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1256 Registered: 02-2002 |
Interesting.... If you want only just semi-permanent, as I said you can pull ropes from the corners over to your mirrors and wrap them round a few time. It was working well. I only broke the tarp at the underside on the corner grommets. |
