E86 Front Triangulation Braces Retrofit

[bigjae46]

Mold is almost done. Have to do some minor repairs and clean up.

[bigjae46]

Pics when done please!

Absolutely!

[heinzboehmer]

Pics when done please!

[bigjae46]

Working on the strut tower plate compression mold. I added a tab for the firewall tubes. Just needs a little more prep, install the barrier fences, release, and then pour the casting resin. I will use long strand carbon for better strength and stiffness properties. I may add additional steel reinforcement underneath where the bars bolt to.

This should be cheaper to make but may require a different brace bar. And the tab may not be on the same plane as the firewall mount so the tubing may need a bend.

[heinzboehmer]

Looks so OEM an clean! Great work.

Epic! Not many DIY projects incorporate an actual performance improvement and maintains all OE functions, serviceability and aesthetics. Remarkable!

Thanks!

Did my best to retain all OE functions, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some compromise. Fortunately, the compromise is almost entirely related to the install of the modified HVAC plastic parts.

There's just more stuff crammed back there (braces and all the gaskets needed to seal around them), so it takes a bit more wiggling to get it to seat nicely. The access for the middle fastener on the cabin air filter housing is also tight, but it does work just fine.

Everything else is very much stock-like

[bigjae46]

It's done!



Well, sorta. Still need to do some finishing work (sanding, painting, etc.) to make it truly invisible in the engine bay, but all design work is complete.

I'll try to spend some time this week bringing the documentation up to speed. Will update here when that's finished.

Epic! Not many DIY projects incorporate an actual performance improvement and maintains all OE functions, serviceability and aesthetics. Remarkable!

[0-60motorsports]

It's done!



Well, sorta. Still need to do some finishing work (sanding, painting, etc.) to make it truly invisible in the engine bay, but all design work is complete.

I'll try to spend some time this week bringing the documentation up to speed. Will update here when that's finished.

Looks so OEM an clean! Great work.

[heinzboehmer]

It's done!



Well, sorta. Still need to do some finishing work (sanding, painting, etc.) to make it truly invisible in the engine bay, but all design work is complete.

I'll try to spend some time this week bringing the documentation up to speed. Will update here when that's finished.

[Maxhouse97]

This looks awesome, an alternative to the Slon brace that I so wanted (I love chassis rigidity) but could never justify spending that much money on. But it does seem a little intimidating for a guy who has never worked with a machine shop or welded (I do great at bolting on stuff🙂).

EDIT: In reference to my question above, I went back into the Google doc in detail.

Again I would like to recognize Heinzboehmer for his amazing ingenuity, dedication, and attention to detail of this design. It is truly high watering for an enthusiast to do this themselves. And the fact that this has been provided all open source, free of charge, is a testament to him, this website and the community in whole.

However, with the amount of 3-D printing, CNC machining, and other welding/fabrication currently involved i’m not confident in my ability to do this. I will cheer you all on from the sidelines and wait until either this develops into a full purchasable kit (if Heinzboehmer or someone else so chooses) or bite the bullet for the Slon brace. This makes the Slon brace look not as overpriced as I thought before. If it weren’t for that damn cabin air filter housing…

[heinzboehmer]

Fack! I store my car at the track, 40 min away and I forgot to measure how long.

Could you hook a brother up with the length too? Damn I'm a pain in the ass! 🤣🤣🤣

Lol all good.

My design puts the brace mounting studs 555 +- 10 mm apart.

I don't really know how long a stock E86 brace is, as the ones on my car have been shortened a but. Guessing stock is closer to 600 mm.

[bigjae46]

25mm

Fack! I store my car at the track, 40 min away and I forgot to measure how long.

Could you hook a brother up with the length too? Damn I'm a pain in the ass! 🤣🤣🤣

[heinzboehmer]

Does anyone have the outer diameter of the E86 braces?

25mm

[bigjae46]

Does anyone have the outer diameter of the E86 braces?

[CrisSilberGrau]

If there's a list for parts order for this project to bring the cost down per piece, let me know please.

[heinzboehmer]

Track day thermocouple results are in!

The max temp the windshield mount saw was 65.5 C, but at steady state, it hovers right around 40 C.

This means that the part will see essentially no temp degradation at that location. Rest assured that the 7075-T6 version will not spontaneously fail on you

For anyone curious, here's a more detailed analysis of the data: https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...636#post327636