Soooo... I installed a ZZP FMIC and found that my bumper doesn't quite fit well, more-so on the drivers side. The bumper itself is clearly making contact with the IC, which leads me to believe I installed it incorrectly (unsure how but I'm open for criticism) or there's some "massaging" needed in areas on the inside of the bumper?

Help me out please

 

Hello T-Man,

Our FMIC should mount exactly the same as stock one does. Make sure everything is tightened down properly.

 

When I installed mine about 4 years ago it was fine. It's close to the bumper and I'm thinking that I slightly bent one of the mounts for it to fit perfect.

 

Mine fit fine. I think I remember that it could be installed up-side-down as it is assymetric just slightly. I was worried and spent a few minutes making sure mine went on the correct way.

Could you have installed it upside down?

 

Mine fit just fine, but I had to "massage" the bumper back on as you put it. While not super flimsy, the bumper isn't the sturdiest unit out there either. If it has been off many times before, it might not fit perfectly again just from handling, but that's most cars with plastic bumpers.

 

Never had issues with mine

 

Ive installed a few of these. Ive had a couole issues with tbe bumpers slightly rubbing but nothing where it was causing majot issues. A few went on with no issues.

Make sure the foam in the bumper is seated properly to the metal support. That hangs up on occasion

 

I can guarantee it's tightened down but properly?

Seriously though, the only thing I can think of would be to bend the metal brackets that were supplied with it so that it sits back a bit more?

Thanks for the insight. I'm thinking this is what needs to be done as well.

I made sure not to install it upside down. When I was searching the forums about installs and what not, I came across a few posts speaking to the fact that you had to be careful not to do so. Thanks for the insight

This is the first time (to my knowledge) that the bumper has ever been off and I can guarantee that prior to removing it, it fit better than my previous two sedans.

Yeah, not a major issue but it (the bumper) doesn't necessarily fit like stock either.

For the record, I'm extremely pleased with this IC. My IAT 2's used to sky rocket during a 3rd and 4th gear pull, especially with the K04R. Typically 8* through 3rd and another 17* or better through 4th (longer pull, it's to be expected)

I'll take some pictures to better explain what I'm experiencing. Thanks everyone.

 

Debating on this instead of just replacing my piping... Let me know how it fits. Every car is "different" per se. You might need to bend stuff like mentioned haha

 

I had the same issue. I believe the mounting brackets have a slight angle to them so if you installed the ic "upsidesdown" it makes the top of the intercooler stick out instead of suck in.

I realized this after making the bumper fit lol.
?"but also it has the ZZP logo painted on it sonifni were to flip it it would have looked stupid.

 

Bend the brackets whichever way you need to make it fit where it should. Using two Cresent wrenches to bend them work well. Fitment is not always 100% the same on a given model. I was just happy they supplied brackets that were easy to work with. I had to enlarge 1 hole on each bracket too but hhr might be slightly different.

 

I had no problems with mine either. Post some pics

 

sheyyyyt its on sale for $599!

 

Just to update the thread -

I was able to take care of my issue by releasing the top fasteners and working the bumper around a bit. It's still an incredibly tight fit but all in all, I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

I installed mine ~4 years back with (a lot of) help from my friend and Cobalt owner who at the time was a GM service tech and we also had the hardest time getting the bumper to fit back on. We had to put both our full weights against it for the bumper clips on the passenger side to go in. Once it was back on, I haven't had any issues with it all these years though.