DIY Cooling Radiator Cooling Plate Corolla 93 - 97

The making of a Radiator Cooling Shield .


First you remove the screws on the top that hold the front grille .

In the bottom of the back of the grille is a snap thing that you have to open apart then the bottom will push out .

Then you pull forward gently not breaking the snap thing in the back .

Then with a 12m socket you remove the radiator hold down brackets.

Then you lay the aluminum sheet metal flush to the edge where you see my finger then you mark the holes to drill and tap on the center so that the hinge will make a tiny indent . Then you drill in the center .

Once you make the hole in the center you then put just the bolts back to hold the shield in place so that you can cut the center out where the hood hinge and handle is at .

Once you have it lined up then you grab your dremel and you cut the are where you can expose the hinger area first , Then you cut open the area where the handle for the hood can be exposed .

Once you finished then it should look like this . You would still need to trim it some more but you don't do that until after you make the bends of the aluminum sheet metal .

Then with a rubber mallot you bang the metal so that it forms the same shape as the radiator frame and the hood rod area so when you lay the hood rod down it will have enough room with out messing up your sheet metal when you close the hood . When you are finished it will look like this . ( Reminder - Then you can trim open up the hole a little wider because you need that metal to lay as flat as you can . )

Then you gently lay the hood down making sure the hook and the handle are clear so that you can open your hood and that you can close the hood to . It should look like this .

Then you put the grille back on and then you close the hood so that the metal lays straight and the hood will give you a leading edge to mark off with a marker . Try to get under the hood a little but not to short . Because the metal will tuck under the grille .

Behind the grille will be some plastic tabs that need to be cut . Do not worry this will not affect the integrity of the grille , But will make it easier for the metal to slide under the top lip of the grille . ( Advice - The more that is under the lip the better your shield will set and be lower in the front .)

Then you remove the grill cut across and put the piece of metal back then you put the grill back . This is what your shield should look like when it is all done ready to be painted . ( Reminder - You have to remove the shield by the bolts first cause you wont be able to reach the snap thing on the bottom anymore .)

Then with a grinder stone you round the edges so that it looks clean and remove the metals sticking out . Then you can sand the sheild and clean it with degreaser before you paint it .

Once you painted your sheild you bolt it back with the radiator brackets . Do not but the grill back on yet . Because you still have to check out the hood rod .

Then you put the grill back on and re-check the hood rod and make sure you have clearance .

Then you bring the hood down and re-check the handle and once you feel that every thing is ok then you close the hood completly .

Then you open your hood up and this is what it should look like when you are done .

DIY Cooling Radiator Cooling Plate Corolla 98 - 02

The making of a Radiator Cooling Shield .







First I measured . Then I went to my local Home Depot and purchased a pre-cut piece of aluminum sheet metal . This sheet was 27 x 12 .

Then I removed the bolts that hold down the radiator and the clip that holds the bar that keeps the hood open .

With the leading edge of the sheet metal laying across the radiator frame , Then centering the hood hinge , marked it and cut a hole so that the hook shows through and then re-aligned the piece .

Drill out your bolt holes for the radiator hold down clamp & the clip that holds the hood bar , so that the sheet metal doesnt move when you start to cut the openings .

Then with my air tool dremel I would raise the sheet metal so that I knew how close I wanted to be near the hing and the handle with out cutting it but yet not making the opening big .

Then with my rubber malot I tapped slightly on the edge so that the aluminum would slighty bend on a angle leaning towards the front so that the handle and the hinge would be slightly higher then the metal .

You can use the palms of your hand and push down to help it form into shape with out having alot of dents from the rubber malot .

Once that is finished you test the height out by lowering the hood and not shutting it but hearing it click . Check the clearance so that when the hood is completly shut that there is no rubbing or hitting and then make sure the handle is higher then the metal so you can open the hood . ( If it still needs to be trimmed or bent then you repeat the other steps above . )

After everything is good then you draw a outline , but give yourself some extra cause you want to make sure it goes under the lip of the nose , Plus you have to put the screw holes to for the nose . Then you unscrew the hole piece and cut away from the car . ( Advise : Do not trim this piece while its still on the car . You might scratch the paint or bend the aluminum upwards .)

Then you keep trying to fit the piece and then when you finally think this is what you want then you remove to paint it or if you dont want to paint then you are finished at this point bolt the piece down . ( Remember : Make sure you put a hole for the hood clip . )

Once you sandpaper the aluminum sheet metal so that the paint can stick to the surface . Then you paint it with a couple of coats . Then when it is dried you can bolt the cooling plate down . ( Make sure you sand the edges for sharp metal sticking out be very careful you can cut yourself .)

Then you give it one more look , Then you can shut your hood , And there you have it a Radiator Cooling Plate .

You can drive around town and test it .

I recently drove the car and it defintly moved the coolant needle down . Very noticable .

Note :
This sheilds purpose is to maximize cooling capabilities, a radiator needs a direct flow of air to allow an engine to maintain consistent temperatures on the race track or highway . Because of structural gaps above the radiator, the flow of air could escape making the radiator not as efficient as it could be. Especailly if you run your A/C in the hot summer months .