superchip owners: how do you "fill the gap?"

[tbomb]

im sure everyone with a superchip is aware that the chip hangs out of the back of the ecu, which restricts how far you can push the ecu back into the firewall after installing the chip. this makes the ecu actually stick out into the engine bay about 3/8 - 1/4". i was just wondering how everyone else fills that gap?

i used to get these sheets of packing rubber in the plumbing department of a local hardware store and cut out the shape i needed, but im wondering if theres something better or maybe just a different way to do it?

thanks.

 

[Alec]

The Hypertech chips came with spacers

You can either make your own full spacer; use nuts on the studs to just push the cover out (which leaves the computer open to dust and water); or grind out the rear of the computer cubby with a dremel or similar tool.

 

[tbomb]

well, i cant leave mine open to the elements, like your first suggestion, alec - thats how i ran into my "corrosion problem" with my first chip. i was considering the second one you mentioned, but then, if i dremel the back part out, what will support the back of the ecu? i really need to yank the ecu and take a good look back there to see if i can shave off a 1/4".

 

[Alec]

you can dremel it out, it's been done. the solid rubber gasket you made didn't work? i'd try reusing it and sealing with silicone or duct tape. I'd actually move towards duct tape in case you need to pull it off again.

 

[tbomb]

no, the rubber gasket i made worked awesome, but i guess im so paranoid that moisture will find its way in, that the last few times i had the ecu out, i maybe tightened the bolts up too much, and the holes that the bolts go through on my gasket started to get ripped up, so i just made a new one, but i dont wanna have to keep making new ones every year or 2. i actually couldnt find any rubber that was 1/4" thick, so i had to buy these 6"x6" sheets, 1/8" thick, and the template is longer than 6", so i had to actually make 2 templates (each was 2 pieces since the template was longer than 6") and "glue them together to get the correct thickness - i used "plumber's goop" to glue em together. i was just thinking the other day, while i was inhaling the fumes of the goop that theres gotta be another way to do this, heh.

thanks for the info about dremeling out that little piece behind the ecu. next weekend, ill check it out and give it a shot. itll give me a chance to use my new dremel that i just got on saturday - i got the one with the optional 3' flexible hose attachment thing to get in smaller places than the actual dremel itself can fit into

 

[yob_yeknom]

Just dremel out the part where the chip hits. You don't have to dremel out all the plastic brackets behind the ECU, just one or two.

That's the kind of dremel I used too. That hose thingy is great!

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by yob_yeknom
That hose thingy is great!

yah, i was walking down that aisle looking at all the different dremels, and then i saw this one at the end, and i was like, "whoa, im getting that one right now!"

i dont think mine has a whole lot of plastic brackets behind the ecu - it just has the one metal stopper thing all the way in the back. ill take it apart this weekend and take some pics and dremel it out.