I spent some time doing a search the other day on trying to get my truck to warm up faster in the cold and decided to try a winter front. I had been running a piece of luan behind my grill but it really didn't seem to help so I grabbed a piece of 1" rigid foam insulation and cut it to size then slid it between the bumper and the intercooler/radiator/tranny cooler setup. It goes from top to bottom and basically covers the entire works. I haven't really had a chance to drive the truck yet - but I am wondering if I need any holes for the intercooler or tranny cooler? If this works I will probably make a better one out of vinyl with snaps or something similar to the MOPAR ones I saw on this site.

 

I would worry the foam might get too hot. A piece of cardboard is all that is really necessary.

 

button it up tight unless your going to be towing. mine is blocked solid all winter unless i tow something and then it depends on weight and distance. i use stainless winter front as in my pics.

 

MOPAR piece is great...~$100. Easy to install and you can adjust airfolow with the flaps on the front. I just leave two open almost all the time.

 

I would worry about the foam as well. Even if it doesn't get too hot, it may flake off and clog up your radiator.

Regarding whether completely blocking it is okay, I would try allowing some airflow. How much would depend on the temps that you expect to see and whether you are hauling or not. A lot of people like to put a circular hole in the center and call it good. Then, the airflow is uniform to the fan as well.

 

I had a vinyl cover I found from a ford school bus on my old truck and it had a small oval in the center to allow some airflow but still blocked most of the air and it worked great. I have since lost it and havent put anything in my truck yet this year but I like the idea of having some kind of hole in there especially if you tow with it. just my .02

 

I have a piece of cardboard set in place between my Rad and Aftercooler. I didn't want to stop air getting to the tranny or aftercooler rads. And the Fan has enough suction to hold the carboard piece in place very well. I have a little circle cut where the Fan clutch is just for my peace of mine for keeping it cool.

 

Seems with all the hood/grill accessories available @ JCWhitney, somebody would build a "winter" insert or something... Hey--I might have just invented velcro!...

01 2500 65Kmi auto plain-stock

 

almost exactly what i did but i used 1/4" plexi glass

 

Hey why don't yall just move to California, right around the Sacramento valley. It rarely reaches below freezing. Problem solved! Just kidding...
Actually I'm thinking of making one myself for a trip over the mountains. I'll probably try the cardboard myself. My buddies and me are planning a trip over to Reno Nevada in January sometime. We gota check out the brand new Cabelas. With 4x4 and winches there's noway we'll get stuck in the snow going over the pass.

 

If you put a winter front on it, then cut a hole in the middle, won't that just keep the fan clutch nice and cold so it will never engage? I never have liked the idea of putting a block right on the coils. Too easy to get something jammed into, or damage, the coils and they are expensive.

 

How are you guys getting cardboard in between the intercooler and the radiator? The radiator support is in the way on the top and the bumper seems to be in the way on the bottom?

I drove the truck to work today and it got nice and warm WAY faster than before I put the foam in. Before I did this the truck would never get much past 160 or so - today it warmed up to 195 or so - then fluctuated like it seems to do in the summer. I used the foam as more of an experiment to see how it would affect the warmup - because blocking behind the grill didn't seem to do anything. There is a big gap below the grill and then there are the vents in the bumper - so there was still a ton of air flow. The posts I saw on the mopar winter front are what prompted me to try this and it seems to work. I think I may try to make my own winter front like the MOPAR one using some vinyl from the fabric store.

 

Heh, we might have to sell the trucks and buy Priuses if we were to do that. Problem solved allright
I too put cardboard in but I simply put it in front of everything, covering about half of all radiators. Seems to work fine and helps war up faster. I would not use anything stiff and brittle like plexiglas, I think that if it breaks it could do damage to the radiator fins.
-P

 

Winter fronts go in front of the grill. Installing anything against the air conditioning condenser or restricting the flow through it will cause the AC system to run with high head pressures. Even bug screen tied across the condenser makes a big difference in the summer. I know we don't run the AC in the winter... But the AC runs when defrost is selected and the pressure is NOT too low. Most of the time it won't run but heated indoor parking or forgetting it's there on a long trip from cold to hot climates will give problems. Most AC problems even if you fix them yourself are expensive. I use a winter front that has 2 flaps that installs on the outside of the grill. I snaps on and off and came with a bug screen the same size for use in summer. It think it was like $30 for the kit.

 

I bought a black plastic Lund Cold front kit a couple of years ago and like it real well. Regarding the use of cardboard, I have read on this site as well as other sites that it's advisable to cut a 6"-8" hole in the center if the cardboard is placed between the intercooler and radiator.
The hole is to allow cold air to reach the fan clutch thereby keeping it from getting too warm and engaging the the cooling fan. With no hole, the cooling fan can engage and cause stress on the fan blades, or so I've read.