Front engine cover interference

[tmoretta]

I am test fitting body panels on my 818S. After mounting the rear quarter panels, the front engine cover very definitely touches the top rear of my stock '02 WRX intercooler. My car does have new motor mounts, but I don't think they are causing the interference as the right side Y pipe under the IC sits only about 1/8 inch above the horizontal strut. If I lowered the engine (different mounts or whatever), the Y pipe would be touching the strut. Jay at FFR says they have not seen this problem. I am thinking I may have to cut out a portion of the cover. Maybe this is a good excuse to custom mount a hood scoop and increase the airflow to the intercooler. Any ideas or experience with this problem?

[Quiny]

Strange I have an 02 WRX donor as well and mine has plenty of clearance. There seems to be a big variance in the fiberglass parts. I know this sounds wrong but publish pics of yours of your and I'll show you mine.

[RM1SepEx]

Try supporting the rear of the engine cover off the shock tower brace, it might be sag. Many of us have added a support. Chris has a nice hoop that is 8 inches high to get it to sit correctly and mate with the trunk. Check his thread for a photo

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?10991-Metalmaker-s-build-thread-begins/page24 post 954, 8 inches above the straight tube across the shock towers

[tmoretta]

Good idea. Don't know if I can get the fit I want with the extra brace. Raising the engine cover may increase the gaps to the rear quarter panels.

[Mechie3]

My engine cover sags in the middle. Pushing up on the center underside doesn't change much of the fit on the edges.

[flynntuna]

On the green right hand drive car, it looks like F5 used a couple of rubber capped posts on either side of the air cleaner as what appears to be deck lid supports.

[RM1SepEx]

Good idea. Don't know if I can get the fit I want with the extra brace. Raising the engine cover may increase the gaps to the rear quarter panels.

I found that I had better gaps on the hood with a center support and I'll do something in the rear as well. It is important to get it to sit with a constant shape and sagging in the middle will increase over time.

[Goldwing]

There is some adjustment room in the intercooler brackets as well. You could give them a nudge to have the intercooler sit a bit flatter as well. I'd try that last as we want to encourage all the airflow through the intercooler as possible.

[AZPete]

I also found that the front engine cover sags and the sag was screwing up my hinges, so I added a brace to the rear of the cover. I first epoxied (Six 10 epoxy + fg fabric) threaded studs from McMaster-Carr to the underside, and mounted the steel L hinge mounts I had fabbed. Then when sagging was a problem I added an aluminum L piece across the panel to prevent sagging. I mounted the brace with more threaded studs and then sprayed it black to hide against the bed liner I had brushed on the fiber glass.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb180/AZPeteCobra/frtengcoverbrace.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/AZPeteCobra/media/frtengcoverbrace.jpg.html)

Now that it doesn't sag both covers open and close smoothly. The 2x2 wood prop looks nice but my next project is making prop rods or finding the correct gas struts.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb180/AZPeteCobra/engcoversopen.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/AZPeteCobra/media/engcoversopen.jpg.html)

[RM1SepEx]

Excellent Pete! more hinge detail please

[AZPete]

Dan, I'm just a hack with a hack saw and no CNC machine, plasma cutter or tools real fabricators use.
I epoxied 2 threaded studs to the fiberglass, then bolted a 3/4 x 3/4 steel piece to the engine cover. I had to cut chunks out that hit the hinge of the rear eng cover - all trial-and-error. For the bottom of the hinge I started with a 90-degree L-shaped 2 x 2 x1/8 piece of aluminum. I bolted it to the pin mount for the rear of the front engine cover and drilled, cut and filed it until it fit with a 1/4" hole at the top for the clevis pin. The engine cover sagged so I had to add an aluminum L-shaped piece across the cover, from hinge to hinge. After the hinge was working smoothly, I marked the aluminum lower piece and then made the final lower hinge piece from 2 x 2 x 1/8 steel.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb180/AZPeteCobra/frtengcoverhinge.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/AZPeteCobra/media/frtengcoverhinge.jpg.html)

[RM1SepEx]

From one hack to another, great job!