JINMA FINE MESH RADIATOR SCREEN
By Norm S
Some posts were made on the CTOA message board last year about designing a finer mesh screen to protect the radiator from clogging up with seed pods, etc. The factory screen is a decent design even though it is not good for much other than keeping rocks out of the radiator. I decided to work with it rather than build a whole new frame. The goal was to keep this modification simple and cheap.
I went to my nearest home improvement store and purchased a small roll of fiberglass screen-door mesh. For about Five dollars, I got enough material to make several screens. I then cut a piece to fit over the "Rock stopper" screen of the factory frame. I cut lengths of duct tape to fit each of the four sides and attached the screen on the battery side of the frame. I placed it on the battery side (The side away from the radiator) because, when the engine is running, the air being drawn into the radiator keeps the fiberglass screen snug against the factory metal screen. By cutting the duct tape into strips just wide enough to hold the screen in place, I was able to avoid getting tape in the area on the sides of the frame which slide into the channels that hold the frame in place (see upper picture and note the bare metal areas on the sides of the frame from sliding into the channels).
Now, when the screen gets dirty or clogged, I can just remove it, throw it away and replace it with a new piece. The whole operation takes about 20 minutes.
If you have any questions or comments, please email me [ranchsol@hotmail.com]
Norm S
