Help:Making Custom Strut Bars

[E30_pilot]

Hey guys,

I'm working with a local guy for awhile to make front&rear strut bars to fit all/most e30's.We have one made for my early iS.But we do have some questions.I know some of you had problems with you Sparco bars, so I'm trying to learn from their mistakes.

Do all e30 have the same strut bars measurement like for early/late coupe,sedan,cabby,?
And IE says that bmw made two slightly different unibodies, so two different measurements, is this true or bs? Because I have heard some sparco bars that were brought from the gb had to be cut or didn't fit.
Also trying to include the M42 folks also, how do I fix the clearing the intake manifold issues. Make the bar a bit higher or just sugguest using washers(which is easier for us, but might worry some of the m42 guys)

Please enlighten these two nobodies trying to get involved in
the industry with you advice.

Thanks!

-Frank

[e30 gangsta]

if you made a bar, make it like the sparco but adjustable.

[KenC]

Make one for the M10.

[bimmer8604]

yes, and adjustable center would be tits.

kyle

[boom-monkey]

Adjustable is useless, don't go with that.

For us M42 guys, just make the bar about 1/4" taller.

What would be cool is to make the center part of the bar removable, but not hinged. There is an M3 picture online with what im talking about.

Also make sure the end plates that bolt to the strut towers have a big enough hole so that all camber plates can be used.

Also the end plates should bend around the strut tower ala Sparco bar with the 3rd bolt hole, provides much better surface for forces to be dissapated.

[E30_pilot]

is there a differents in length in 2dr/4dr/cabbies? Early and Late models?

Ireland Engineering says the bmw factory measurement is
like 1002.2mm(39.5") and but some e30 have measured at 980mm (38.5")
and thats about a whole inch difference. Is this true? If so then
we might have to be like IE and have you guys measure from center to center,from where the shock sticks thru.

[asubimmer]

about how much are these gonna be....I'm w/ the guys that say NO!!! to adjustible bars...make them right and there is no need to adjust them and they will be stiffer...I'm a m42 guy and would like to not have washer spacers....also you should try to do somehthing like this bar:

[boom-monkey]

Make them the size of the Sparco bar, I think it's the 39.5" one. IE make 2 sizes for people with sagging strut towers, but if you jack your car up by the front subframe, the strut towers will go back to normal.

Only make one size.

That blue one that was posted looks good, but make it with the Sparco style ends.

[E30_pilot]

[QUOTE=asubimmer]about how much are these gonna be...QUOTE]

We are trying to shoot for under $220(no higher) for both front and rear bars sets.With your choice of finishes. And its a solid bar not adjustible.

Only make one size.

So it doesn't matter between cabby sedan and coupe then.good! :)

So Sparco style ends is a more effective design than that on the blue one?
But have two smaller bars instead of one big tube? I'll try to talk to him about
redesigning. But can't really hold promises,you know.

Whats the biggest/average diameter camber plates come in? So
we can make the end plate holes large enough for all to fit.

I'll see if I can get some pics of the prototype bar that he made
base on his friend's '89 cabby. And everyone's input.
And maybe you guys can post up more pics of bars, so
it would give us more ideas about different designs.

[1991 318is]

Strut bars?

All the photos I have seen of the E30 M3 Group A cars did not have strut bars. I thinkl that strut bars are way down on the bang for the buck scale. They come in after better sway bars, springs, shocks, faster steering, and shifters. Unless you think they look way cool. I think the biggest opportunity is an economical BBK for 4 bolt hubs using OEM calipers and rotors, The machining of the adapters is really straightforward.

[Digitalwave]

Rear strut bars are pretty useless for almost all street suspension setups, and I don't see anything wrong with the Sparco front bar. What will your price on just the front bar be? It should be noticably less than the Sparco I would hope.

[E30_pilot]

I think the biggest opportunity is an economical BBK for 4 bolt hubs using OEM calipers and rotors, The machining of the adapters is really straightforward.

I don't think we are capable of machining adapters or bbk. Each bar is going to be hand made not by rebot ;) lol
But maybe if we sold enough bars,we could buy used machinery to make
them. But for now, we're going with struts bars, and other suspension related
products.

Rear strut bars are pretty useless for almost all street suspension setups, and I don't see anything wrong with the Sparco front bar.

Rear struts bars useless for street setup? Well, depends on what you "prefer" for a street setup. :) If you only doing regular driving than yeah,but than you wouldn't need fronts. But if you do alot of back road gripping/drifting than I think you'll like to have rear struts for a more stiffer setup. But I do see what you're saying tho.

I don't see anything wrong with the Sparco front bar. What will your price on just the front bar be? It should be noticably less than the Sparco I would hope.

Well, I read either on here or e30tech and someone had to cut the bar to fit.
How much do Sparco go for?
As for price just a front, I really can say yet. We don't
to have a so low price that people will think that it's a ebay special/scam or
a POS bar thats made of coke-cola cans.

[Digitalwave]

$100 for the Sparco front.

There are plenty of tried and true strut bars available for the front and rear of E30's, and most aren't expensive.

The reason you don't need a rear bar with most suspension setups is because there is very little load on the strut mounting points since the rear is not a coil-over setup.

[1991 318is]

Strut Bar?

There has been a lot of debate over where the actual stresses go from the contact patch of the tire into the hub/spindle and then into the suspension and into the unibody. Strut bars may be a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[E30_pilot]

what guage steel is the end plating for the sparco bar? 16 gauge?

and how thick would you say the bar was for the bracket?