We have a pretty extensive build going on with my 04 GTO. As we are getting the engine and drivetrain combinations sorted out with the suspension systems we have begun to look at the safety equipment that we will need. One of my initial purchases was an FFE Fire Suppression system, Quicktime Bell Housing, and a BMR driveshaft safety loop.. Now we are getting near the end of the build I have been trying to figure out what to do about a roll bar/roll cage. To do it up right I really felt an NHRA certified cage would be the most appropriate. Still, I wanted to be able to demod the car to a degree if I chose to do so.
We found an excellent product from RPM Roll Bars which is a bolt in 6 point kit advertised to be certifiable to 10.0. We picked up the Chrome molly version of the kit with two swing out door bars. The construction was of high quality and we were very pleased with the product once it arrived. Ours was among the first GTO's that had the kit installed so there were a few things that the manufacturer ironed out.
We set about bolting the kit in last week and I thought I would share the process and results with you guys and gals.
The premise of the kit is that it bolts to the floor with sub-floor plates attached on the bottom of the car to stiffen the install. What we did not know was that the subframe connectors I had installed were right where the forward posts were intended to go. We also didn't realize the excellent fitment of the product was designed for a GTO without Tubs. Heck its all in the heart and its all good anyhow so we charged on.
First things first we had to remove the seating and plastic panels from the kick panels back to the rear wheel fender wells (tubs). I opted not to remove the carpet which may have been problematic. We had to cut off the rear fender well mounts since the tubs were a different diameter than the OEM inner fenders. Once everything was out of the way we wrestled the main hoop into the car to start the process of measuring and centering it.
First thing we discovered was that the main hoop would not fit on top of the carpet. We had to peel it back and rest the foot plate on the main flooring. We also discovered that the sound deadening material was a problem for precision measurement and fitment. Some of the guys had tried to fit the hoop in earlier and had cut the carpet from the back to the point the foot rested. If I do another one I will cut the carpet from the outside in as the cut will be shorter and the molding will help hold the cut seams together.
Real attention and determination came to play when fitting the front foot sections for the swing out down bar. Serious trimming of seam sealer and sound deadener was necessary. It was also clear that we could not and should not start drilling the front plates until the main hoop plates were fit exactly where we wanted them to be. Lots of studying on the exact location and the positioning vis a vis the clutch was necessary. We also frequently test fitted, but did not drill the down bars at this point.
When we had everything positioned, we measured to ensure the main hoop was centered with equal projections of the down bar bracket beyond the passenger and driver door posts. We also measured for centering in the cabin and the fitment of the feet for the main hoop. Keep in mind my rear two feet were amputated because they would not fit due to the tubs.
Once everything was centered we bolted the main hoop down using the sub floor plates provided in the kit.
Drawing the main hoop tight the bolts also distorted the plates when tightened. This was important because it also had the effect of moving the main hoop off center of the initial measurements and marking. You probably will not experience this it you are mounting the rear plates to the OEM fenderwells. The net effect was to draw the forward feet back towards the rear of the car about an inch making the point that you should not drill and bolt the forward plates until the rest is measured, centered, and bolted down.
A Bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere Tractor.
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