Getting ready to pull the trigger on an RPM 5pt bar, install looks pretty easy but have a few questions.

Going with the removable door brace and also thinking about doing a removable passenger side to bring it to 6pt thinking it will also stiffen up the car better and I'm ripping out the interior anyway... Anything wrong with this thinking?

Also thinking of going with the rear brace for additional safety. Can't find detailed docs on the install for this but it looks like it simply bolts to the top of the rear frame rails. Are spacers needed to mount to the frame?... and does using the rear brace get me legal under 9.99 or 10.0 still the min ET?

Final question is how is the quality of the "standard" flat black finish? I don't need carbon dipped coatings or skulls and crossbones on the finish, but still want the cage to look good and just blend into the black interior of the car

Thanks

 

I installed a chrome moly 6 point RPM bar in my 09 base car just over a year ago. I went with swing outs on both doors which makes getting in and out of the car really easy and if you don't need the bars just take them out. I had help installing mine and the extra pair of hands came in handy! The only things I really had to take out of the car to install was the seats and pulling back some of the carpets. I re-padded the bottom of the drivers seat while the seats were out.

Your going to need more then the rear brace to make the car 9.99 or faster legal. I'm not quite sure what the rules are now but a couple years ago I had a chassis guy tell me what it would take and its pretty extensive. My car is a high 9 low 10 second car and I run several tracks here in the south that are pretty picky on the rules and so far once they see I have a 6 point in the car along with a 5 point harness with good dates I'm good to go. I have seen them tell guys running 10.90's are quicker to slow down or go home without any kind of bar in their cars.

I have the standard black finish on mine and after a year in the car still looks like new. A few scuffs on the drivers door bar from me getting in and out but other then that all good.

 

From what I've read, the RPM 5pt. can go to 8.50 with an "extension" but sounds like that means going with the front hoop and A-Pillar bars, not the rear extension but there's no way I'm going to tear into the dash to run a front hoop and not going that fast anyway. There's a small track up here in North Jersey doing chassis certs next week and I'll head up there to see what the rear extension gets me...but sounds like nothing.

Tracks here are tough and pretty sure I'll get booted under 11.5 without at least a 5pt. Hopefully my setup will run similar times as yours and I can push it into the 9s with the right tune and enough boost.

Thanks man...

 

You'll find a lot of difference between a tech at a "tough" track and one doing chassis certs to go sub-10's. It's because the cert actually requires the car to fit the rules, rather than simply having the appearance of fitting the rules.

You first need to understand that a track continues to exist because they make money. To insure a profit, they're willing to take risks by allowing non-conforming cars to run on their track. When there are 100+ cars going through tech, they can't spend 5 minutes with each one to verify they comply with all the rules. So anything that even looks close to being a rollbar at first glance, will pass tech for 10.00 or slower. Since there is no certification available for rollbars and most tech guys just see the result, not the application, you could make something out of PVC, cover it with pool noodles, and Velcro it in place. Some advertisers falsely claim their's is legal to 10.00, because most tech guys never check it. After all, do you really believe a sales ad?

The chassis certification guy will check the chassis (frame and cage) to ensure it conforms to all the rules and affix a sticker to the cage for 8.50 and slower.

If you ask the chassis guy what you need for a rollbar, he'll tell you what's in the rulebook. But if you install a rollbar and let the chassis guy inspect it, you better make sure it really complies with the rules or he'll laugh at the time and money you wasted.

The bottom line is that no one makes a legal bolt in rollbar for a C6. Wolfe makes one that can be modified to be legal or you can get one custom made. Anything that doesn't weld or bolt all 5 points to the frame isn't legal per the rules.

 

I say skip the PCV pipe all together and just use pool noodles. LOL.

Seriously, you bring up something new to me that bolt-ons aren't legal. From what I understand RPM rollbars (proposed vendor) are NHRA legal, even the bolt ins, and guaranteed to pass tech or they refund your money. The 5pt has a guarantee to pass 10.0 and I'll be going 6pt with the rear brace so calling that good enough.

Not that I fall for sales babble...but it's in plain writing on their site

From the RPM website:




As for the track being in business to make money... I hear you. This local NJ track here shut down in 2013 because of IRS and EPA trouble and is barely surviving so I would think any flexibility in the rules will go my way.

 

The rules are very clear that a rollbar must be welded or bolted to the frame. The key word here is frame. Neither the thin sheet channel fuel crossover cover or the composite/balsa floor are the frame.

http://promod.nhra.com/userfiles/fil...en.%20Regs.pdf See page 21 & 28

If you want to buy, install, get rejected, un-install, and return for a refund, that's your choice. Talk to the NHRA chassis guy and show him the pics and install instructions.

 

Looks like you saved me a bunch of money here because aluminum plates are needed, welded to the frame to bolt the pads, not bolt the pads to the floorboard. The only reason I was going with that setup was because of the "legal" NHRA claim and willing to pay a premium for that, but that turns out to be bullshit anyway....and like you said, sure they will "buy it back" after I rip it out and pay to ship it back to them.

Since it's a weekend driver and will only see occasional trips to the track, I'll might drop the need for NHRA legal and just get something that keeps me from getting booted when/if I do run low tens. Wolfe has a nice setup at 1/2 the price and there's a few custom shops here in the NJ/NY area doing bars.

 

No bolt in bar is legal without welding plates to frame that extend out to attach it too. Rule book shows type and thickness of plates that need to be welded to frame for the bar to attach too.

 

My interpretation of page 20 is you can bolt directly to the aluminum frame on vettes... key word is "directly", but that's impossible if you want to have doors on the car so a weld on aluminum plate to the frame is needed. The welded plate doesn't look too bad and the rear points in the trunk can bolt right to the frame easy enough but this is getting crazy. Seriously, all I want to do is run the car for a few test and tunes, maybe hit 9.99 without getting my ***** busted and have some protection so my skull doesn't leave a snail trail down the track if I flip it over. And not get ripped off by someone who bullshits me into paying $2800.

 

Someone here has modded the Wolfe rollbar to be legal, so you might do a search or post a question like "Wolfe rollbar - who did it?"

Here's one, but it's not legal either. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-my-cage.html

If you get one custom made, have them put a little bend at the top center of the main hoop so it nearly touches the roof. It'll make seeing out the rear window a little easier. Mine has a .600 gap and I lose a lot of vision.

 

Talked to Julio at Cartek and he said MTK in Roselle does their work so going to give Mark a call there...not sure if it's a wolfe install or a custom but they do a lot of vettes and read a lot of good stuff about them.

Hopefully I can prep the car, trailer it down there for the rough install, then bring it home, remove it any paint it nice. Not because I want to, just that I'm cheap.

PS: get you on the bend in the middle of the hoop

 

When you prep the car (remove seats, panels, and all carpet), you can still throw the driver's seat back in to transport if you want. You don't need to remove the console.

You'll also need a harness, Crow makes a nice 6-point package for Vettes where you can retain your OEM seat. The sub belt can attach with 1/4-20 bolts to the holes on the front of the slider frame where the push pins hold the plastic covers. The lap belt can attach to eyebolts if you drill the holes just inboard of the rear seat mounting studs.

Here's how I modded my OEM seat for the belts. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...in-my-car.html

 

Those look really nice...I saw all kinds of abortions and extra brackets to allow using OEM seats and really like that pass through setup but the back of my seat is sewn in so can't just unzip it at the track and route the belts through. My front pad is re-moveable so I can get at the plastic insert and cut the slots from the front but need a clean way to exit the belts through the back leather. Seen some grommets where people cut slots through the front and back of the seat but that looks like crap. Maybe only use the back side of the grommet around the leather cutout for the belt exit like this:



BTW... I see Halon type extinguishers are available but only mention of FAA approval. Do you know if they are NHRA legal?