heinzboehmer's 2002 Topaz 6MT Coupe

[heinzboehmer]

Well, that was fast! Got to me from Spain in two days, crazy:



Bed/layer adhesion is high enough that I was able to print them standing up with no supports. They do flex a little bit when printing the upper layers, but they still come out fine:



I was too impatient to dry the filament before printing, so the surface quality kinda sucks. Drying it out now and will keep messing with the profile to try to make it better.

Fit is excellent though:



Unlike the insert -> plug gasket, these are super chunky and are made to flex a lot to accommodate any slight variations in the angle of the braces. Similar idea to the filter housing -> hood gaskets.

Printed this test piece with 0% infill and it's suuuper flexy, very happy with that:



(the part easily bends with just finger strength, pliers are just there for a clearer picture)

[heinzboehmer]

And god damn I love how the filament prints.

Printing it standing up helps a LOT with surface quality since you don't get any of the weird interleaved layers on the curved surfaces.

Kind of a pain to print in this orientation (involves lots of supports), but necessary for strength of the retaining tab in the back.

[Obioban]

Looks great.

And god damn I love how the filament prints.

[heinzboehmer]

Really happy with the design of the firewall plug insert. Prototype fits great and the magnets make it snap right into place, can almost just throw it on and it'll go where it needs to:






(tape is only there to hold the magnets in place, didn't want to glue them to the prototype)

Quick video showing how careless you can be when installing, it's pretty great:

[heinzboehmer]

You could do a sort of tongue in groove too. I’d be trying to make the gasket a simple cross section if I were you.

Yep! Tongue in groove is how the larger gasket is designed. That's just gonna be a loose press fit like the stock firewall gasket is.

The smaller ones that seal against the braces have a T slot so they slide into place.

I made sure all gaskets were just a simple profle (a U and a T) swept around the sealing area. They will likely be a bit challenging to print due to all the bends, but should be pretty simple to cast.

We'll see how it goes.

[Bry5on]

I think some sort of adhesive gasket is the last resort. I really want make this style gasket work, it just feels more elegant (and serviceable).

You could do a sort of tongue in groove too. I’d be trying to make the gasket a simple cross section if I were you.

[heinzboehmer]

You could make the seal out of neoprene sheet, it’s pretty easy to cut to shape, especially with a fixture, and it’s available with adhesive backing. Just an idea

I think some sort of adhesive gasket is the last resort. I really want make this style gasket work, it just feels more elegant (and serviceable).

[Bry5on]

You could make the seal out of neoprene sheet, it’s pretty easy to cut to shape, especially with a fixture, and it’s available with adhesive backing. Just an idea

[0-60motorsports]

Amazing work heinzboehmer

[heinzboehmer]

Finally sat down to finish the design for the firewall plug. As mentioned, the removable insert that provides tool clearance was the only part that still needed work. This is where the design is at:




Those two tabs house the magnets that hold it in place before the filter housing is fastened. I'm fairly confident they'll be strong enough to hold the part up, but I might have to tweak that part of the design a bit.

Currently printing out the insert to prototype with. I did a lot of guessing with the clearances needed so that it can pivot forward and out, so it will definitely need some testing.


As for the gaskets, I'm thinking of printing them out of this stuff: https://recreus.com/en-en/products/filaflex-82a

It's a bit firmer than I would like, but I really need something that can withstand the heat in the engine bay. Vicat softening temp for that stuff is 113 C, so it should be fine. If that doesn't work, I'll have to resort to printing out molds and casting some silicone gaskets.

[heinzboehmer]

Also, I feel like I should clarify this. I am in no way trying to compete with Slon or offer a cheaper version of their kit. Slon pioneered and tested this idea and should receive all the credit for it. I never would have started this project had I not driven a car with the Slon brace installed.

Mine and Slon's versions are simply optimizing for different things and both have their pros and cons. Mine is optimizing for max "factory-ness" (including the crash safety stuff) and for ease of removal to make engine work simple. Slon's is optimizing for stiffness of the part and minimal interference with the cabin air filter housing.

I would really only pick my version if you care about what I mentioned above our if you want a much more involved project

[heinzboehmer]

The windshield mount using forged carbon fiber would be about 1/2 the cost of the CNC part.

Yep! That's also an option.

[bigjae46]

Hmm, here are my guesstimates for just materials (not accounting for welding/machining/install labor, 3D printer cost, tools, etc.):

• E86 braces: $100
• Windshield mount CNC machining: $1000
• Laser cut parts: $150
• 3M adhesive: $100
• Filament for HVAC plastics: $200
• Fasteners: $100

So a total of roughly $1650 for parts. Let's say $2k all in with labor and random tools you might need to buy.

I'll add a detailed cost breakdown of what I paid for everything to the assembly/install document I'm drafting up. Should give people a good idea of what to expect.

The windshield mount using forged carbon fiber would be about 1/2 the cost of the CNC part.

[heinzboehmer]

2K is still much less than the Slon kit, and I must say it looks "factory" from your photos. Impressive. Most impressive.

D-O

Thank you! That really means a lot.

I've put a ton of thought and effort into making sure it doesn't look out of place, glad to hear it has paid off. Should be very hard to tell it's not stock, once I've smoothed out the strut tower brackets and painted everything black.

[D-O]

2K is still much less than the Slon kit, and I must say it looks "factory" from your photos. Impressive. Most impressive.

D-O