strut bar ? Where to find one - Page 2

dguzzardo22 · 07-04-2009, 02:16 AM

i caint find one they make for the ti and the prices are like $600.!!!

dguzzardo22 · 07-06-2009, 02:08 AM

does any one want to do a group on the sparco.

im about to order mine but i think he'll help us out if we do a couple

gimp · 07-06-2009, 03:34 AM

I have the Sparco. With the strut towers close enough to the firewall, I doubt it does anything to "stiffen the chassis", but what it does do is reinforce the top of the strut towers to keep them from mushrooming with higher spring rates. I also have Vorshlag camber plates with full access to them.

spidertri · 07-06-2009, 04:00 AM

I might be interested in the sparco group buy, what kind of price are you talking about?

dguzzardo22 · 07-06-2009, 04:14 AM

just like a lil cheaper nothin major, the more ppl the better .

tiFreak · 07-06-2009, 04:21 AM

I'd be in if I didn't have to relocate the battery. how bad is the clearance? would it be something that getting a smaller battery could fix?

dguzzardo22 · 07-06-2009, 04:23 AM

to me i wasnt plannin on relocating the batt. it dont look like itd be in the way. but correct me if im wrong ..

spidertri · 07-06-2009, 04:05 PM

Have you contacted bimmerworld at all? If it says it won't fit without the battery being relocated then it probably won't fit with the battery there. Bimmerworld knows what they are talking about.

I believe the older design, which gimp has, clears the battery but I could be wrong.

gimp · 07-06-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidertri

Have you contacted bimmerworld at all? If it says it won't fit without the battery being relocated then it probably won't fit with the battery there. Bimmerworld knows what they are talking about.

I believe the older design, which gimp has, clears the battery but I could be wrong.

Mine clears the battery, but I did have to notch the corner of the battery box to clear.

dguzzardo22 · 07-06-2009, 06:04 PM

yes if you notch the battery box like said above it will work and .

after talking to him we would need 10 people to purchace for a group buy ,

round about savings ---- $20

if we can get 10 im in but for $20 savings ill just go ahead and buy it out right .

can we get pics of it gimp ...?

**maverick** · 12-30-2009, 10:49 PM

I am looking for a member who has preferably a 96+ 318ti with the M44 motor and
no DA supercharger to maybe take a trip to Simi Valley in Southern California to allow John Mason of
Mason Engineering to test fit one of his e36 318i braces or make a template for
a prototype front strut brace for possible production and possibly a group buy
deal. Is there anyone near by willing to do such a task?

I look forward to hearing from a volunteer.
Thanks,
Dave Ellsworth

**maverick** · 12-30-2009, 11:03 PM

I did the test fit of the Sparco for Bimmerworld and with the stock battery you might be able to fit the bar by trimming the battery box cover, but I discussed it with them and neither of us recommends it. The bar will cross dangerously close to the positive terminal on the battery and in any sort of a significant shunt it could easily short out solid with the bar being ground the results at best would be a nasty mess and could easily start an electrical/under hood fire and if fuel was involved it could really get interesting very fast.

Also, I have yet to find a quality after market battery that is exactly the same height as the original. I am currently using one of the Deka AGM "Exact Fit" batteries and it is the proper model and it too is 1/4" taller than the original as was the prior Delco. Even trimming the corner in this instance would not work as I had to slip a piece of thin cardboard on top of my battery without the cover to test fit the bar and it interfered.

I do not recommend the Sparco Bar as is without relocating the battery or at the very least, and it still would be a risk in a heavy shunt that the battery case would split and expose live plates to the bar, reverse mounting the battery and thus you will need to change out both the pos and neg cables make the connections.

I am investigating the possibility of a new design by a very respected engineer and suspension designer/builder and I am looking for a member who has preferably a 96+ 318ti with the M44 motor and no DA supercharger to maybe take a trip to Simi Valley to allow John Mason of Mason Engineering to test fit one of his e36 318i braces or make a template for a prototype front strut brace for possible production and possibly a group buy deal. Is there anyone near by willing to do such a task?

I look forward to hearing from a volunteer.
Thanks,
Dave Ellsworth

**cooljess76** · 12-30-2009, 11:10 PM

I'd love to help you out since I'm not far from Simi, but my M44 is loooong gone. That's a bummer about the Sparco bar because IMO it was one of the better designs. Mason Enineering makes some good stuff, hopefully they can make one that clears the intake manifold and the battery. The other option is to relocate the battery, but that's probably not worth the effort if you're running an M44. I too have experienced the taller non-OEM battery issue. My Diehard is just barely too tall for the battery cover to completely seat.

**maverick** · 01-28-2010, 07:16 PM

The Bars are ready!!! The Group Buy is on!!!

These are the best bars ever made for our beloved 318ti’s without a doubt!!!

These new E36/5 318ti front bars work with the stock air boxes and should easily work with most any aftermarket CAI’s . They clear the stock intakes which is the stumbling block of most of the 6-cyl bars fitting our cars. They clear the battery box and allow for + height batteries as well. They are very similar in layout and construction to the Rouge Engineering RaceBrace made for 6-cyl E36’s as John designed and manufactures the RaceBrace for Rogue and these new bars give our beloved ti’s the same benefits over the average strut brace. They are very rigid and very light in weight, they are custom fit for our beloved ti’s and are tig welded and superbly made as it is recognized that John makes some of the very best bars in the business and has loads of real world race fabrication and engineering experience. These are very high quality and light pieces.

Carbon Steel weighs 5 lbs. with Raven Black Satin Powder Coat

Aluminum Alloy weighs 2.5lbs with Scotch Brite Brushed finish

Here is the deal:

Minimum for a group buy is a total of 6 or more bars in one go for these prices:

Steel: $250.00 - $25.00 = $225.00 + $28.00 shipping = $253.00 total

Aluminum: $285.00 - $29.00 = $256.00 + $28.00 shipping = $284.00 total

These prices are a minimum 10% off the normal sale price and include a small shipping discount, so John is offering us a nice deal!!!

All funds are to be sent to me either as cashiers check or money order made out for the total price listed above for your choice of materials along with your shipping addresses and phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I will keep you all posted and once a total of 6 bars are ordered I will forward all funds to Mason Engineering and he will immediately ship them to the address you provide. If a personal check is sent I will have to cash it and it may cause a delay in shipping and PayPal will impose fees that I will not cover so please send cashiers check or money order.

Place your orders and send your funds now!!!

David Ellsworth
9841 Talleysville Road
New Kent, Virginia 23124-2608

maverick@infionline.net

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