Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I have had a Kilby Condenser Guard, and accessory Kilby Stainless Steel Tool Tray that I bough at Genos sitting in my garage for several years. I never got around to installing it because I had this idea that I wanted to make and install a removable stainless steel bug screen that would sit between it and the truck condenser so that it would be super convenient to clean all of the bugs that still fit between the relatively large 1/2” spacing of the grid on the Kilby Guard and then end up smashing into the condenser, but now the Kilby condenser guard is in the way to easily clean them off. #@$%!:-laf
Last week I finally had some time to figure it all out, and it is a relatively painless project, that took only an hour to do, once all the parts were in hand, and the screen was fabricated. With the exception of finding someone to weld/braze a folded stainless steel frame to stiffen the edges of the 1/8” grid stainless steel woven wire cloth that I purchased from my local hardware store, it was easy to do all of the work myself.
The outside dimensions of the framed screen are 22 1/4" on each side. This dimension allows the screen to fit in between the guard and the condenser and still be able to use the tool tray on the top edge. First, though, you have to use an angle grinder to cut away the short 1/2” angle return that makes up the finished top edge of the Kilby guard. After cutting the angle flush back to the front of the guard, I primed the bare steel and also use a strip of generic black plastic fender trim to cover and soften the new top edge of the guard. By removing this 1/2" angle return, and following the rest of the instructions below, you are creating a pocket into which to slide the 22 1/4” framed screen that you have had made. It might be possible to simply use an unframed piece of nylon window screen to slide into this same pocket, but since I wanted to use SS screen, I wanted to frame it with a smooth frame that would EASILY slide into between the Kilby guard and the condenser, rather then have the wire ends on the floppy screen digging into or stopping up on the condenser fins. I also added a few tabs of generically available black plastic door trim, (the kind you crimp onto door edges) and crimped it onto the bottom of the frame, so that when it rests on the bottom of the Kilby, it does NOT rattle at all.
Installing the condenser guard is even easier then in Kilby instructions, because instead of removing the brackets that hold the condenser in place on the truck and slipping the Kilby guard in place between the bracket and the condenser, one simply removes one screw from each bracket and then mounts the guard IN FRONT OF the brackets, using a stack of (5) 3/8” diameter flat washers (of course I use SS washers cause I had them and everything else I was doing with the project was SS) between the back of the Kilby guard and the front of the bracket. This still lets you tighten up the guards to press against the brackets, but it also allows a 3/8” space between the back of the guard and the front of the condenser into which to slip the framed SS screen. I also added another set of washers and screw down low on the guard, as well as the pair up high that hold the top Kilby panel and Kilby tool tray in place. All you need to do to clean the screen is to remove the 2 screws that hold the tool tray in place, remove the tray and pull up the screen to brush or wash it, then replce and you are good to go. Once everything is installed, removing and cleaning the screen is a 10 minute maximum job.
Here are some pics. . feel free to ask questions if something is not clear. Once you have the Kilby in hand and you are looking at the front of your truck, it all becomes clear-- just remember that you install the Kilby guard in FRONT of the oem condensor mounting brackets, NOT behind them like in the Kilby instructions.
First pic is dirty, mangled oem condensor.
Second pic is condensor cleaned and fins straightened as best as possible.
Third pic is with Kilby installed.
Last week I finally had some time to figure it all out, and it is a relatively painless project, that took only an hour to do, once all the parts were in hand, and the screen was fabricated. With the exception of finding someone to weld/braze a folded stainless steel frame to stiffen the edges of the 1/8” grid stainless steel woven wire cloth that I purchased from my local hardware store, it was easy to do all of the work myself.
The outside dimensions of the framed screen are 22 1/4" on each side. This dimension allows the screen to fit in between the guard and the condenser and still be able to use the tool tray on the top edge. First, though, you have to use an angle grinder to cut away the short 1/2” angle return that makes up the finished top edge of the Kilby guard. After cutting the angle flush back to the front of the guard, I primed the bare steel and also use a strip of generic black plastic fender trim to cover and soften the new top edge of the guard. By removing this 1/2" angle return, and following the rest of the instructions below, you are creating a pocket into which to slide the 22 1/4” framed screen that you have had made. It might be possible to simply use an unframed piece of nylon window screen to slide into this same pocket, but since I wanted to use SS screen, I wanted to frame it with a smooth frame that would EASILY slide into between the Kilby guard and the condenser, rather then have the wire ends on the floppy screen digging into or stopping up on the condenser fins. I also added a few tabs of generically available black plastic door trim, (the kind you crimp onto door edges) and crimped it onto the bottom of the frame, so that when it rests on the bottom of the Kilby, it does NOT rattle at all.
Installing the condenser guard is even easier then in Kilby instructions, because instead of removing the brackets that hold the condenser in place on the truck and slipping the Kilby guard in place between the bracket and the condenser, one simply removes one screw from each bracket and then mounts the guard IN FRONT OF the brackets, using a stack of (5) 3/8” diameter flat washers (of course I use SS washers cause I had them and everything else I was doing with the project was SS) between the back of the Kilby guard and the front of the bracket. This still lets you tighten up the guards to press against the brackets, but it also allows a 3/8” space between the back of the guard and the front of the condenser into which to slip the framed SS screen. I also added another set of washers and screw down low on the guard, as well as the pair up high that hold the top Kilby panel and Kilby tool tray in place. All you need to do to clean the screen is to remove the 2 screws that hold the tool tray in place, remove the tray and pull up the screen to brush or wash it, then replce and you are good to go. Once everything is installed, removing and cleaning the screen is a 10 minute maximum job.
Here are some pics. . feel free to ask questions if something is not clear. Once you have the Kilby in hand and you are looking at the front of your truck, it all becomes clear-- just remember that you install the Kilby guard in FRONT of the oem condensor mounting brackets, NOT behind them like in the Kilby instructions.
First pic is dirty, mangled oem condensor.
Second pic is condensor cleaned and fins straightened as best as possible.
Third pic is with Kilby installed.
Last edited:
