| This is an Auto Ventshade smoked Bugflector, #22249 for a '01-'04 Ford Escape. The shape is very close to the contour of the hood, but modifications are needed to fit a Vehicross. Do not attempt this unless you have a lotta patience and strong eye-hand coordination skills with hand tools. Start by taping cardboard spacers along the front edge of the hood. With the hood popped open in the safety position, center the guard and mark the sides that overlap the headlights. Stay about an inch from the edge of the lights. Remove the guard and cut them away. Be careful not to cut away too much or the guard will be ruined. You can always cut off more, but you can't add on. The final cuts will be made later. I used a Dremel Rotary Tool with a cutting bit. Wrap the guard in a towel to prevent scratching and do not apply too much pressure with either hand to avoid breaking it. Test fit and mark places where the guard continues to contact the lights, cladding, and the top of the grille. Repeat cutting small sections, and only enough to clear these parts. Do not cut out the center section yet, just enough to avoid the grille. You're now ready to mount the guard so you can mark the final cuts. However, the mounting tabs are at the wrong angle and are too far from the hood and contact the hood stop supports when closed. The tabs must be bent upwards closer to the hood by using a candle to heat them. Practice heating some scrap pieces to get an idea of the amount of time and heat that's needed to bend them. Go slow and be very careful here. Use masking tape on your thumb to avoid getting burned on the hot acrylic. Do not apply too much heat and pressure, and do not change the bottom curve of the guard, only the tab angle. Bend each tab in several stages so the edges are 1.25" from the underside of the guard. Test fit with the hood open and the mounting holes should be about 1/2" from the inner hood. There is not enough room between the inner and outer hood to accept a screw. Therefore, a bolt head needs to go up under the hood, and the guard can be tightened upwards with a nut. Head out to the mega home center to get some fasteners. |
 #8, 1" round head machine screws #10 internal tooth washers 3/8" long, 5/8" OD nylon spacers 5/8" rubber washers 5/8" nylon washers #1/4 flat steel washers |
| Place the guard exactly in the final position you want, and tape the trailing edge to the hood to hold it. With a sharp screw or center punch squarely thru the guard mounting hole, mark a spot to be drilled in the hood. This should be about 1/4" past the oval drain holes. Drill a hole equal to the bolt size on your mark. Use sharp diagonal cutters and a file to remove material to create a slot that the bolt can slide into. Be sure to cover all exposed metal with primer. Put the toothed washer on the bolt (to help keep the bolt from spinning when tightening), then the nylon spacer, and one or two rubber washers. Put the bolts thru the back side of the guard mount holes, then add a nylon washer, a steel washer, and a nut. The guard is between the nylon and rubber washers, the rubber washers and nylon spacer are between the guard and hood. Use a small screwdriver to guide the toothed washer and bolt head to the back of the slot. Tighten the nuts to check the position on the hood. When you close the hood without the center cut-out, it's a little hard to release the safety latch. You may want to make a cut in front of the latch, without getting near the hood, to make it easier to reach the latch. Add or remove washers to each side to get the proper space off the hood you want. The end of the bolts come very close to the hood stop support when closed. Look in from the grille to make sure there is no contact. If so, cut or file a small section from the support. Now you're ready to mark the final cuts. I used a sharp center punch to scribe a line over the edge of the headlight lens. The guard will overlap the hood and the rubber gasket. Make the cuts and test fit. Use an assortment of flat, half-round, and rat tail files to give the cut-outs their smooth, final shape. Mark the center cut-out from the backside, staying about 3/8" below the hood. Go slow because it's hard to cut a long, clean line by hand. Test fit, file, and repeat as necessary to get the look you want. Round off all the cut edges and corners with a file. The center part of the guard fits tight against the hood, so to create a little space and protect the paint, cement a 1/8" thick, soft rubber patch on the back side of the guard in the center. Cement rubber patches in the deep part of the curves to prevent hood contact there also. Use the supplied soft bump stops on the under side of the trailing edge to prevent hood contact at high speeds. As with all plastic parts, do not over tighten. Just snug it up, use a double nut to keep it tight, and enjoy the looks and function of this deflector. This project could be a lot easier with a band saw and belt grinder. I've only done this once, so adjust the above instructions along the way to fit your own situation. |
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