10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

PRETTY PROTECTION
BY PENNY J. TOWNER - ARTIST AND TRUCK OWNER

Spring is in the air and summer is just around the corner. Along with all the blooming flowers come campers, extra four-wheelers and bugs. While campers and four-wheelers are certainly cause for caution on the road, those bugs are wreaking more havoc with your truck than you may think. They don’t just get stuck to your windshield and stacks – they are finding their way into your grill and beyond.

Stop to consider for a moment what’s behind the grill of your truck: the radiator core ($800), AC condenser ($200) and air-to-air ($600). These prices are estimates, but by the time you add in the cost of downtime and labor you can see that what’s right behind your grill is worth at least $2,000. These parts are very fragile and it doesn’t take much of a rock or bugs to lessen your engine’s cooling abilities, performance or permanently damage your cores.

While some newer trucks have a built in bug screen behind the grill, this mesh has a larger grid than the add-on type of bug screens. Simply by opening the hood and taking a flashlight to your grill, you will see whether or not your radiator is protected. If upon inspection you find small bits of dirt, stones or bugs in your radiator, condenser or air-to-air, it’s time to consider putting on an external bug screen. Bug screens are an inexpensive way to protect everything behind your grill. The price range for one is anywhere from $30 to $50 for a plain screen, and they can be purchased at any truck dealer, chrome shop, and a few truck stops as well.

While a plain bug screen is virtually unnoticeable while traveling down the road, they can be decorated as well to add to the appearance of your truck. Many dealers (including the manufacturer of the screens themselves) offer standard designs and they are increasing on these designs each year. While I’m sure everyone by now has seen the teeth on the grill, teeth may not be for everyone. Some of the recent additions to the standard bug screen designs have been the American Flag, the Rebel Flag and flames. These standard designs can be ordered through your truck dealer for most brands of trucks.

Some chrome shops offer custom printed designs as well. The secret behind these standard/custom bug screens is that they are screen printed. Screen printing can be costly if you only have a couple of bug screens (or just one) that you want printed, but if you have a large fleet it would certainly be the way to go. If your company has a simple logo, this can make for a unique and valuable (advertising) design for your bug screen (see photo above). Some chrome shops offer custom stitched designs as well. You can also check with your local screenprinter, although you will have to show them what a bug screen is first. A one-of-a-kind bug screen will cost you more, but it is not out of the question – not at all. I’ve been painting them for years (see photo on right).

Although I use an airbrush for painting custom bug screens, this is something you can do yourself or have the artist of your choice do for you. The first step is to purchase a PLAIN bug screen. Some dealerships tend to stock bug screens with their logo on the front, so you have to be specific when ordering. Next, mount the screen on an old piece of plywood using some screws through the mounting holes in the screen. If necessary, I imagine you could mount the screen to the truck to paint it, but be careful to place paper between the screen and the grill to protect the truck. Then, paint the screen.

When painting bug screens I prefer to use lettering enamel for it’s durability, but there are other options available. Paint markers, which can be purchased anywhere they sell plastic models, work nicely. Paint markers are also now available at many chrome shops (these are the same markers that the contestants at the truck shows use to letter their tires). If you use a paint brush be sure to have a way to blow air through the screen, otherwise the paint will plug the holes of the screen. If your paint should plug up some holes it’s nothing to worry about – you usually won’t be plugging up so many of them as to restrict airflow and the wind and dirt will eventually knock them out. If you don’t want to wait for Mother Nature you can simply poke them out with a needle or toothpick.

The border of a plain bug screen is usually white. Should you wish to match the vinyl border of your screen to your truck’s paint, vinyl spray paint can be purchased at most automotive stores that sell paint. Simply clean the vinyl frame of the screen using alcohol, let it dry and then spray. I recommend that you do this before painting the screen itself. Here is something to remember when considering painting your bug screen: painting the screen with a dark color or black will make the bug screen appear more transparent, so if you don’t want it to be seen, keep it dark. White and bright colors make the screen appear more opaque, so with the proper angle, it will appear that the screen is actually solid.

Eventually, stones and bugs will chip away at the paint, but you can touch it back up later with a spray can or a matching paint pen. The important thing is to keep a screen on your truck. If you don’t like bug screens, keep it plain and remove it when on display at a show. Although it can be a creative and decorative addition to the front of your truck, its most important purpose is to protect what’s behind the grill.