front bumper cooling

[Craig M]

Noticed on a custom bumper site GMC/Chevrolet has a special bumper for the diesel vehicles. I guess that is the two 5" x 5" holes either side of center. Has anyone done anything special to the plactic shrouds inside the bumper area to increase/help cooling of the radiator areas? Some of the custom bumper have "larger" openings in the area between the 5x5 openings . This might actually increase cool air into the area in front of the radiator. Cool is good, anyone do some trick stuff in this area?

[cruzer]

Craig, I just had to replace my bumper and plastic parts that are behind the bumper. There are 3 pieces to it. 2 in front of holes to cover oil lines, and 1 piece that is about as wide as the radiator and runs from the core support to the bumper. It seemed pretty adequate to me.FYI

[Craig M]

Hi cruiser,

I am considering replacing the front bumper. Some of the "custom" bumpers have an area 36" x 5" or so open. Was thinking this might provide an increased area for cooling. I do not think cooling was the idea of the customizers. They put louvers in this area to match the upper grille.

[tanker]

Craig, anything you can do to increase the cooling of a 6.5 is a big help. One over looked item is keeping bugs, critters, birds, etc. out of the fins on the radiator. If you haven't done so yet, pull the radiator and flush the inside out, and if it looks bad, have a professional shop rod it out and cook it clean. You can use "Simple-Green" and clean the outside, being careful not to bend the fins between the tubes, flush well with a garden hose. I use a bug screen in summer, and some say that is a restriction, but I can shake off the bugs and go. I don't overheat so I just clean it every few years. smile.gif

[a5150nut]

I've had good luck running nylon window screen behind the grill for a bug screen. It has enough flex the bugs don't stick and its out of site. Never had any heating problems either. I used to run through Sacramento twice a week and the front of the truck would look like green fur from all the bugs coming out of the rice fields.

[MikeC]

Cabela's sells a set of summer screen/winter cover for our trucks. Their catalog has only the Chevy version in it but a call to them resulted in them shipping me the exact pieces for my GMC. The quilt is on my truck in the readers rigs photos.

Mike C

[cruzer]

Craig I've seen the bumpers you are talking about
and I like them especially the ones w/holes for the driving lights just outside the air hole.
What I was getting at, there is a plastic piece
running just about the whole width of the rad and goes down to the bumper. So there wouldn't really be any additional mods required to direct the air.