BulletProof-TMIC Mod - LGT, 08+ WRX

do the rails actually press the tabs in when you push them on or do they just rest there with play in them?

Mod prep requires the tabs to be pre-tightened using Vice Grips. Otherwise the rails may not fit. If the TMIC is new and unaffected, or after preconditioning, the rails fit tightly onto the seam... tight enough that there are instructions for getting them to seat properly.

Sending PM...

I see (said this blind man )

Your avatar decreased the blood supply to my eyes...

Here are my comments, taken from instructions:

TIGHTEN ALL TABS. They may already be bent and failure to tighten them will make installation of rails difficult or impossible. Using Vice grips adjusted to dimension, pinch tabs until they're tight.

 

CAUTION: Do this wrong and you could break your IC and ruin it. It's plastic, don't crush, pinch firmly.

 

PREPARE SEAMS. Using a large flat file, 'square' up your IC's seams; lightly file the top and tab sides of each seam just making sure they're flat and even. Do this for all seams.

NOTE: This is not to file the tabs, it is to dress the seams, removing burrs, etc., ensuring your rails fit perfectly.

You can't really see it in the pic but I did file the drivers side that hits the BPV return line. It actually doesn't touch it.

As far as re-doing the tabs I didn't bother. Gently hammering the channel down over the tabs actually bent them back in place. The tabs are actually pretty soft AL.

Oh and I forgot to mention that the length of the channels after cutting is 10.5".

You can't really see it in the pic but I did file the drivers side that hits the BPV return line. It actually doesn't touch it.

 

As far as re-doing the tabs I didn't bother. Gently hammering the channel down over the tabs actually bent them back in place. The tabs are actually pretty soft AL.

 

Oh and I forgot to mention that the length of the channels after cutting is 10.5".

Thank you for the clarification. I should have know that anyone who could do what you've done would attend to that. I wasn't sure and wanted to comment so future readers would pay attention there.

I had to actually pinch my WRX's tabs as they had almost spread to failure. It is amazing how soft the aluminum is, and more amazing that Subaru has never done anything to reinforce the seams... given the failure rates even unmodified cars suffer.

Once again, although with a bigger grin now, excellent work!

Thanks for kind words Seeeeeya!

I was surprised to see some of the tabs bent out a little at my low boost level. At my altitude I'm just a little above stock levels taken at sea level. What I found interesting was where they were starting to bend out...was at the lower part near the intake manifold and turbo outlet. Thinking about it now I guess that's where pressure would be the greatest since its right at the turbo outlet..then it gets lesser the further away.

I'm with you though that the design of the OE TMIC is good, just the execution poor. They should have used steel for the tab design.

The BulletProof TMIC Mod has now become not only cheap to buy, it is easy to make as well.

Seemingly made just for this project, Dremel recently announced a product I wish had been there when I was making mine.

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=Dremel+Saw-Max%E2%84%A2&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=dremel%20saw&utm_campaign=SawMax%20Branded

The BulletProof TMIC Mod has now become not only cheap to buy, it is easy to make as well.

 

Seemingly made just for this project, Dremel recently announced a product I wish had been there when I was making mine.

 

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=Dremel+Saw-Max%E2%84%A2&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=dremel%20saw&utm_campaign=SawMax%20Branded

i used a metal cutting wheel on my dremel and it worked just fine to make the kit.

I used a dremel with attachment A576. Use the fiberglass Reinforced Cut-Off Wheels instead of the drum sanding wheel that come with it. The attachment makes it very easy to adjust the height. Go back and forth when cutting and the line will be very straight. You will need about 2 wheels per edge. Very messy and very time consuming but it does cut good.

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/5408/asdft.jpg

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4213/img20120126183545small.jpg

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http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/126/img20120126183642small.jpg

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http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1200/img20120126184042small.jpg

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just be careful when u set the dremel down if you're constructing it on a table like i was. I had a towel down to protect the table, didnt let the dremel finish spinning and it snagged the towel.....

metal shavings and pieces of the BP kit EVERYWHERE!!!!

With joop's additional pictures this mod's major trauma, cutting the sides of the U-channel, has been eliminated.

Wish I'd known that. Bet my wife does, too. The aluminum bits in the basement from my saw will be there forEVER!

You cannot beat better, cheaper, AND easier.

To trim the AL channel all I used was some sheat metal shears and a file to smooth the edges. Worked like a charm and took all of 5-10 minutes total.

You guys are, in a word, amazing. You also continue to make this into the project I always wanted it to be, but just didn't know how.

No one should have to live with the fear their car will fail and leave them stranded, even stock.

No one should have to be between a rock and a hard place over no more than a simple tune.

Solved.

I did this mod yesterday and I just thought I would contribute my way of cutting the channels. I created a basic jig using a 3/8 piece of "craft wood" from HD. I had to shave it down slightly to get the channel on the end of it, but a tight fit is what your looking for. I then put a piece of card board on top of the wood to compensate for the thickness of the aluminum. I took the appropriate measurements and then used a C-clamp to hold down a guide board. I then used a jig saw with a metal cutting blade to cut the channel.

Note: Don't forget to keep the blade lubed.

Cell Phone pics included for a guide.

Update: I think my channel was not 3/8 maybe 5/16 even though I peeled the 3/8 sticker off. Like I said I had to shave the board for it to fit and it was and extremely tight fit on to the intercooler, I had to lube it up with pblaster and even then it took hammering not tapping. I hope my extra force didn't hurt the integrity of the intercooler.

I've been thinking of a slightly different attachment method for this mod.

As I understand it - the expanding IC flanges are opening up in a lateral direction (parallel to the face of the IC) - correct?

Therefore the AL channel is constraining the flange tabs to they can't open and cause leak paths from the plastic to AL. <--> this force is supplied by the aluminum C-channel.

So the 1/4" bolt holding the top and bottom 3/8" channel in place is doing just that (keeping the channels in place)... not necessarily holding back the forces of the expanding IC.

I am thinking of cutting the AL channel to just fit the flanges of the IC, but not overhang for the bolt thru-holes. Then either attach the channels to the IC with JB weld (load the inside of the channel and press on/clamp until cured), OR find some 3/8" width (or smaller) steel bands ("hose clamp") to wrap around the AL channel.

I like the idea of the JB weld loaded channel to yield a nice clean look, and not interfere with the BPV or engine cover.

Thoughts? (maybe someone did this and reported in this thread... I didn't read the whole thing). The bolts just seem to be overkill and unnecessary

Car is the shop (some idiot pulled a left in front of me and I need a bumper, light, hood, etc... ) but I'll be doing some kind of preventative IC work as soon as it's back... I'll Probably use the Mill at work to knock down the channel lengths as well

The channels tap on (i.e. a bit of a press/friction fit). That is, they won't slide off on their own due to gravity, for example. However, they're quite easy to remove with a screwdriver. It won't happen in a day or two, but in a year? I could easily see them rattling loose.

From reading mixed reviews, and a bit of my own tests, JB Weld seems to be somewhat overhyped.. I spent a bunch of time brainstorming about how to do this, and I kept coming back to bolts... OTOH, I am not a mechanical engineer...

I've been thinking of a slightly different attachment method for this mod.

 

As I understand it - the expanding IC flanges are opening up in a lateral direction (parallel to the face of the IC) - correct?

Therefore the AL channel is constraining the flange tabs to they can't open and cause leak paths from the plastic to AL. <--> this force is supplied by the aluminum C-channel.

 

So the 1/4" bolt holding the top and bottom 3/8" channel in place is doing just that (keeping the channels in place)... not necessarily holding back the forces of the expanding IC.

 

I am thinking of cutting the AL channel to just fit the flanges of the IC, but not overhang for the bolt thru-holes. Then either attach the channels to the IC with JB weld (load the inside of the channel and press on/clamp until cured), OR find some 3/8" width (or smaller) steel bands ("hose clamp") to wrap around the AL channel.

 

I like the idea of the JB weld loaded channel to yield a nice clean look, and not interfere with the BPV or engine cover.

 

 

Thoughts? (maybe someone did this and reported in this thread... I didn't read the whole thing). The bolts just seem to be overkill and unnecessary

 

Car is the shop (some idiot pulled a left in front of me and I need a bumper, light, hood, etc... ) but I'll be doing some kind of preventative IC work as soon as it's back... I'll Probably use the Mill at work to knock down the channel lengths as well

The channels tap on (i.e. a bit of a press/friction fit). That is, they won't slide off on their own due to gravity, for example. However, they're quite easy to remove with a screwdriver. It won't happen in a day or two, but in a year? I could easily see them rattling loose.

 

From reading mixed reviews, and a bit of my own tests, JB Weld seems to be somewhat overhyped.. I spent a bunch of time brainstorming about how to do this, and I kept coming back to bolts... OTOH, I am not a mechanical engineer...

One of the members here had similar thoughts... that the U channel was so firmly gripping the seam that the bolts seemed unnecessary, and overkill. Somewhere during one of his track days he found out that the bolts are not over kill after all... when his un-bolted U-ch fell off mid-session. He got a new U-channel piece and bolted everything down as designed. He has never had an issue since.

And JB Weld is a major reason this Mod was originated. It is fundamentally unreliable... at least with regard to the subject TMIC.

There are prettier ways, I'm sure, but the bolt FUNCTION is essential for the security of the Mod. Think about it.

The OEM TMIC is a collection of pieces poorly clamped together. From the beginning they not only alternately expand and contract, thus change shape, like most things do, the difference with the TMIC is, the expansion doesn't always result in a 100% contraction... parts begin to separate. No press-fit solution is ever going to be as secure as a press-fit solution THAT IS BOLTED to another assembly that is press-fit and pulling from the other side.

There is a BIG difference between BulletProof, and almost.

Contact SeeeYa directly. That's where I got mine.

IMHO, the bolts are necessary, though you could go with a long button head bolt for engine cover clearance. Problem would be finding a bolt in that length.

You could counter sink the hole on the top surface and use the appropriate bolt, which would leave a nice flush look with no cover interference.

You can trim (cut) the bolt to whatever length you'd like, if it is long enough to start with. Then throw whatever nut you want on the bottom.

Back to my bolt-less thoughts (heresy )... I certainly wouldn't rely soley on friction to hold the channels. The JB weld would only need to adhere the channel to the IC rails, it would not need to hold the tabs closed (how it was used, and seen to fail in the past - or as seeeeya said "fundamentally unreliable") - the AL channel does the work, you just have to hold it to the rails.

The thing with all adhesives is surface prep. Dirty/oily parts don't hold, which can be problematic with a used/leaky IC. I work in the design and manufacture electrosurgical medical devices (Principal Engineer, of the mechanical variety) and have used adhesives in a number of ways in sealed fluid systems (Rf and microwave energy-based surgical devices used in tumor ablation). While I have had my fair share of frustration with glues and expoxies, they realy do work well in the right application. Medical devices have to be "bulletprooof" - and ours are.

The bolts work - for sure. But there are other ways. I'm going to research some long hose-clamp style banding as well.

Agreed - mechanical fastening is generally superior for holding things together if you have the room and can live with the asthetics. (however, adhesives have an edge with regards to fluid sealing)

I'll post some pics when I get there.

Yeah for no leak IC's!!