As I write this I am sitting in a motel in the middle of nowhere waiting for my radiator to be replaced. This could cost me a couple hundred for motels and at least that much for a radiator. Nevermind 2 lost days of travel!

As a couple semi trucks passed by in the oncoming lane they threw up some road gravel (for ice sanding purposes) onto the front of my JK. Several miles down the road and my temp gauge tops out and soon after the Jeep goes into limp mode. A rock hit the radiator and caused a leak. This will be a costly day I could have avoided with some sort of protection in front of my rad.
What can i use that will stop gravel and rocks but not limit air flow dramatically?

 

Grill Mod.

 

Precisely this. I did this too and it has held up for me for about a year now. Protects my radiator from rocks from the vehicles in front of me on gravel roads.

Look in my photo album for how to do it. it's super simple and costs nothing near a new radiator.

Hint would be to glue the plastic squares directly to the grill, scrape off the sticky stuff off back of plastic squares.

Good Luck and enjoy this cheap mod.

 

Yes, that mesh should protect you well.

Also, there is a chance you can destroy your radiator fan in a similar fashion:



This happened to me on a logging road, and no one was driving in front or behind me. I suspect a small rock kicked up and got jammed in the shaft area of the fan. Just something to watch out for.

 

^^^This. Lots of options from $20 homemade to $150 styles from different vendors. My $30 homemade had lasted well over a year.

 

Finding someone who uses gutter guard to admit loosing a rad from a stone thrown from a dump or cement truck tire leaving a construction site or a tree branch offroad is about as rare as people saying they lost money at a casino
Go with a manufactured billet aluminum kit or buy some 16 to 18 gage expanded metal diamond mesh from your local steel supplier.
Some companies will even give the mesh for free as an off cut to get rid of it.

 

Yes, go metal if you are doing it for protection.

 

Mesh - looks great and gives protection. Mine is black powder coated. This should be a stock staff.

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I concur with the rest. I did mine after I pulled a stick from my AC condenser.

 

Just found a photo of my Rampage 3D grille. Installation was only. 15 min.

Sorry for the poor quality but it was taken by night.



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