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Thread: e36 M3 Kirk Roll Bar Installation

  1. #1
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    e36 M3 Kirk Roll Bar Installation

    I spent my saturday installing a Kirk 4 point rollbar. Other than some mild profanity and some bloody knuckles everything went well. The fit was good but as others have brought up I wish the plates followed the contours of the chassis and the fender well better.

    Thank you to those who advised me to buy longer bolts for the plates underneath the car. That helped out a lot.

    A couple of questions:

    1) How many feet of roll bar padding do I need to buy to cover the bar properly?

    2) Do I need to worry about the tire making contact with the bolts that come through the fender well plate? It looks like it is close or perhaps I am just being anal.

    The car is being hard parked till I get the padding for safety's sake. Sparco EVO's and Schroth harnesses soon to follow.

    Some pics.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
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    Question, why did you reinstall the seats ?? isn't this going to be a track car?
    Less LBS = Fast

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by drpctp View Post
    Question, why did you reinstall the seats ?? isn't this going to be a track car?
    Less LBS = Fast
    Well it's been a track car, it's now just a safer track car. Safety was my main concern but I will be removing them to install Sparco EVO's and Schroth Harnesses asap. I kept the seats in the meantime for short trips.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMW4LIFE View Post
    Well it's been a track car, it's now just a safer track car. Safety was my main concern but I will be removing them to install Sparco EVO's and Schroth Harnesses asap. I kept the seats in the meantime for short trips.
    I think he meant why you kept the REAR seats in place. Also how's the fit against the roof, after tightening the main hoop base plates, did it suck the whole bar down away from the headliner?

    Mike... aka Track Junkie
    '98.5 M3 Coupe Titan Silver

  5. #5
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    Nice. I wish I could do that, but I need to get people in my car sometimes.


  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMW4LIFE View Post
    2) Do I need to worry about the tire making contact with the bolts that come through the fender well plate? It looks like it is close or perhaps I am just being anal.
    Close is not good. Not to ask the obvious but are the bolts pointing down? If they are then reverse them, I installed all of mine facing up so there are no clearance issues underneath the car.

    Mine is a McMahan roll bar though not a Kirk.

    Cheers,
    Carlos.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by clopez95m3 View Post
    Close is not good. Not to ask the obvious but are the bolts pointing down? If they are then reverse them, I installed all of mine facing up so there are no clearance issues underneath the car.

    Mine is a McMahan roll bar though not a Kirk.

    Cheers,
    Carlos.
    Ditto for my Autopower Bolt In Cage.
    Scott Norton
    E36 GTR 3.2L 2560lbs
    Blog/Website http://www.nortonracingteam.net/
    2010 BMW Only Race Winner in borrowed E46M3
    Thanks to my Wife, Crew Chief Cam, Mad Scientist-Ashis
    And all my drinking friends whom have a racing problem

  8. #8
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    Hate to tell you after you've already buttoned everything up, but I also have the Kirk bar, and you definitely need the bolts pointing to the interior.

    You also don't want to put anyone in that rear seat with that bar. Think of the liability. That thing is a noggin cracker.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael9218 View Post
    Hate to tell you after you've already buttoned everything up, but I also have the Kirk bar, and you definitely need the bolts pointing to the interior.

    You also don't want to put anyone in that rear seat with that bar. Think of the liability. That thing is a noggin cracker.

    Turds! Double Turds!!! That's just great. I sealed it up with 3M Body Seal and sprayable undercoating.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmwpowere36m3 View Post
    I think he meant why you kept the REAR seats in place. Also how's the fit against the roof, after tightening the main hoop base plates, did it suck the whole bar down away from the headliner?
    I kept the rear seats in place because I like the completed look and I had driven a stripped out track rat e36 M3 for 2 years and on long trips it wears on me. Maybe I am getting too old for that. Also I have plans on the future to turn her into an I-Stock race car which requires a stock-ish interior.

    The fit against the headliner/roof is great. I can barely slide one of my sausage fingers underneath. I have a moonroof delete car which may fit differently than a moonroof car.

  11. #11
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    Jeff- Dont worry about the bolts. Grab a grinder and cut off the end of the bolt by the nut. It wont stick out much farther than the hex head of the bolt would have. I did this on mine and never had any contact with the tire.


  12. #12
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    Thanks Jesse! I will do that. How is the IP car coming along? When is your first track day?

  13. #13
    NeilM is offline Member BMW E36 M3 Expert
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    Quote Originally Posted by JClark View Post
    Jeff- Dont worry about the bolts. Grab a grinder and cut off the end of the bolt by the nut. It wont stick out much farther than the hex head of the bolt would have. I did this on mine and never had any contact with the tire.
    A Nylok type locking nut is about twice as thick as a bolt's hex head. Since there's zero downside to pointing the bolts into the car, I can't see where pointing them outward and cutting the shanks flush with a die grinder is beneficial.

    Pointing them inward also keeps the threads and nuts clean and corrosion free.

    Neil

  14. #14
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    i'm installing (kirk) one right now... can you get a close up pic of the floor mounted base plate, interior side? much thanks!
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    Looks great, I'm having my Kirk bar put in next week in my E46.

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    Car is behind schedule as expected but still looking to make Mid-Ohio April 4-6.

    Quote Originally Posted by NeilM View Post
    A Nylok type locking nut is about twice as thick as a bolt's hex head. Since there's zero downside to pointing the bolts into the car, I can't see where pointing them outward and cutting the shanks flush with a die grinder is beneficial.

    Pointing them inward also keeps the threads and nuts clean and corrosion free.

    Neil
    Absolutely, however when I installed mine years ago I did the same thing the OP did and put them in the other way and sealed it up before I realized. I hacked off the threads since I didnt feel like pulling everything out again and never had any clearance issues.


  17. #17
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    Hey guy's,
    On the main hoop base plates that are angled, are the holes to be drilled pumb (straight/vert) or perpendicular (angled)?
    Instructor - NASA MidAtlantic, Chump - Racer

    Team Constitutionalists Racing LIFE-LIBERTY-BEER

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by NASA144 View Post
    i'm installing (kirk) one right now... can you get a close up pic of the floor mounted base plate, interior side? much thanks!

    My car is not stored at my house so I need a couple days to get you a pic.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by NASA144 View Post
    Hey guy's,
    On the main hoop base plates that are angled, are the holes to be drilled pumb (straight/vert) or perpendicular (angled)?
    I drilled them straight. As I tightened them it molded the plate to the contour of the floor. Hope at least that was done properly.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckd1356 View Post
    Nice. I wish I could do that, but I need to get people in my car sometimes.
    I just ordered one but I got the optional removable horizontal and vertical bar. www.kirkracing.com

  21. #21
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    6 feet OR 9 feet of this roll bar padding?

    http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pro...p?Product=2395

    Or any suggestions of better padding?

  22. #22
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    I only used padding on mine to hold the harnesses in the right place. My seat was ~6" forward of the main hoop so I cant see how I could ever hit it.


  23. #23
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    For some reason I thought it was a requirement to have roll bar padding even for DE...

  24. #24
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    Wrote to Kirk yesterday... they emailed me a copy of there 4-point bar installation. They said to drill at an angle on the base plates!
    pm with an addy if you would like copy of install.
    Instructor - NASA MidAtlantic, Chump - Racer

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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMW4LIFE View Post
    For some reason I thought it was a requirement to have roll bar padding even for DE...
    Nope. All they care about is seats and harnesses.

    Carlos.

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