Burken01

iTrader: (88)

So I'm in the middle of my install and ran into a few questions before I continue..



Those 2 points at the top of the K member that slide into the fram rails are a super tight fit, So i reamed open the holes in my frame 1/8th of an inch and the k member slide right in..

Now I go to bolt it up and the holes in the k member don't quite line up with the frame holes, But It looks like if I ream open those holes that the points slide into then I can allign the mounts up and everything will be fine..

Has anyone ran into this before.

And it seems once the k member is bolted down that those 2 points will serve no purpose really?? so whats up peeps?

Oh and those 2 washers that are zip tied to the k member, are they supposed to stay exactly where they are at? because if they stay then there will be a small gap between the k member and the frame rail, I was thinking that the washer would go underneath when putting the bolt through...



any help thanks..

duh

iTrader: (16)

The two tabs are for locating purposes. I would worry more about the bolts lining up. As for the washers, I would put them under the bolt head, not between the K-member and frame. Should work out.

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

yea thats what I was thinking, I guess I needed confirmation from other people.. I've never done anything like this before so I tread carefully..

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

Bump and I added some pics of what I'm dealing with now...

driver side rear mount



driver side middle mount



driver side front mount



Passenger rear mount



Passenger middle mount



Passenger front mount



As you can see the front mounts are pretty dead on accurate, and the passenger rear is dead on, the others are a hair off.. I used a pry bar to allign them better, right now they are just snug and not torqued down yet..

My question is if they are a hair off like this will it be a huge problem, I know the allignment will compensate for any irregularities...

Or Do I absolutely need them to be directly centered over the holes? In a perfect world yes, but this car is 15 years old and this could just be normal?

Please anyone here install a bmr/umi k member run into this???

quiddity

i just installed this same k member i didnt run into this problem with mine or i did pay that much attention to it i would tell you to continue with the install and not worry to much about it there is plenty of adjustment in the lower control arm to adjust for 1/8 of an inch good luck and if you bought the lower controll arms they also have an adjustment on the rear rod end

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

yeah I mean at the most its an 1/8th of an inch off and I know it still needs an allignment and the shop adjust tie rod ends and what not to get the steering straight...

just wanted to see if anyone else here ran into something similar...

care to crawl under your car and check yours that you just installed? Im curious..

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

bump for more help

duh

iTrader: (16)

It should shift into alignment without too much fuss. But I would keep a close eye on your alignment specs as, to me, this could indicate that the front rails are tweaked a bit. Depending on the history of the car, I would consider taking it to a body shop and having it put on a frame jig. But, I'm over cautious and have access to one. On the other hand, as stated, it's not that far off and there is plenty of adjustment in the control arms.

BMR Tech2

iTrader: (5)

First of all...STOP!!!! haha

Do not enlarge any holes on your chassis at all. The dowels are there for alignment purposes so if you touch those holes, you'll be in a bad way. If those holes are modified the K-member will not be aligned properly under the car.

It's a common misconception that these are actually supposed to extend into the chassis, they're not. It should sit elevated across the surface and mount flush. If they're not perfectly aligned to the holes, do not worry because it's about the bolts going in. There is tolerances built into the cars, but the dowel holes are spot on. As for the rear spacers, you will use them between the K-member and the chassis as viewed. Remove the ties that hold them on.

Let me know if you have any questions,
Kevin

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

Thanks for all the help Kevin..

97FormulaWS-6

iTrader: (1)

Also, from the looks, your front end maybe tweaked. If things are that bad in lining up, there's a good possibility your unibody is twisted. Just food for thought if things keep not lining up.

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

theyre not supposed to lign up 100% he said.

97FormulaWS-6

iTrader: (1)

But there's a difference between lining up 100% and having major alignment/fit issues.

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

Agreed, it fits fine. I was just under the assumption that the holes have to be 100% aligned and no gaps showing. But that's not the case they say, as long as the dowels are in the middle then the k member is centered under the car..

BMR Tech2

iTrader: (5)

The dowels dictate the placement and alignment of the K-member. The other bolt holes are only there to secure the K-member to the chassis. It's very common for the holes to not be perfectly centered as shown in the photos. As long as you have those dowels working and the bolts go through, you shouldn't have any problems with the installation, operation, function, and safety of the K-member.

- Kevin

2000lsvette

What do you recommend the bolts be torqued at? Just got mine installed and was curious, thanks, Larry.

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

The rear 2 are 92 ft lbs

Front 4 are 107 ft lbs

2000lsvette

I was installing my bmr kmember and was at 100ft lbs when one of the four front bolts snapped! Any ideas on getting the broken one out?

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

The head of the bolt broke?

They're pretty long, you might have to drop the k member a bit and cut it off flush with the frame rail, then fish the chassis nut for it out and then remove the bolt from it..

I can't remember how much wiggle room the chassis nut has to slide all the way out with half a bolt in it