DupaHead

Built a set of my own race ramps this weekend. Dimensions modeled closely after the real thing. Picked up some 2x12s (8 foot, x3) and a box of wood screws at the Home Depot (~$40). I was worried they would be abnoxiously heavy, but luckily they are not too bad (25lbs each).

If anyone is interested to build a set of these, I could provide the exact dimensions (7.5 degree incline over about 42 inches)

Don't have the front spoiler installed here... with it installed, there is about a 1 inch clearance...

AllanJ

Did you install a short wooden block between your two vertical "risers"? Woodworking is a hobby of mine and I've learned to never trust fasteners alone. Outdoor wood glue and reinforcements are my heroes. You'd probably be fine without the block, but having that little piece of insurance would make sure your "risers" wouldn't fall over.

Cheers,

DupaHead

Woodworking is a definately a good stress reliever... The blocks are 1.5" wide, and at their maximum height, only 3" tall... so yea I'll be fine. Great idea though.. I didn't even think of it... maybe if I find some scrap pieces... hmmm

AllanJ

I love my Unisaw! Built my own 5HP cyclone too. I've got this thing about power.

Keep an eye on the pith of those boards since that's the most unstable part of the tree. After some time don't be surprised to see some warping in the wide boards and maybe even cracking along the pith. Since the top board isn't supported, a crack on that top board might make the ramp fail.

I built some nice ramps for a friend of mine. Basic style where it's level on top and I used a 7 degree slope for the ramp bit. I used 2x4 as the main supports (3 of them over a 12" wide span), 4 rows of blocking and skinned the top in 5/8" mahogany plywood. A little bit of class for my buddy's race car.

Cheers,

DHI

The race ramps give you access to what exactly?

My understanding is that if you manage to get a jack under the rear jacking points (directly in front of rear wheels) that the entire side of the car lifts. In light of that wouldn't "ramping" the rear wheels (raising the rear of the car) ever so slightly be the objective?

Cheers!
David

AllanJ

Depends on what you want to do.

The type in the pics that DupaHead made are great for extending short ramps on a car trailer when you have a low car like a GT3. I'm looking at buying a car trailer right now and the ramps that come with it are only 5' long. I'd need something very similar to the pics above that have the notch at the end of the wooden ramps for the steel ramps on the trailer to fit into.

A shop-made version of this:

http://www.raceramps.com/customtrailerramps.html

Cheers,

DupaHead

AllanJ got it right.. I'll be renting a U-Haul car hauler this spring and needed something additional to ease the arrival angle. The U-Haul ramps provide somewhere in the neighborhood of a 13 degree incline, our GT3's however can only handle about up to 9.5 degrees.

DupaHead

Nice... you're definately leagues beyond me in the woodworking realm! My ability is more the like of a caveman with a sawzal and a rusty old circular saw. These ramps only need to last me a few times... as I am still fighting the urge to be a full blown track addict (track wheels/tires, data acquisition, truck, trailer, the list goes on..) First it was, "i'll go to the track once to check it out." Then "i'll go again, but i definately need the GT3 seats and harnesses." And now its "i'll just rent a trailer and build my own ramps, cuz this isn't a full blown thing yet."
THe ramps you built for a friend got me thinking.. I could build another section that has a level section for when I want to do oil changes or other inspections..

AllanJ

Norm Abram is my hero.

I know exactly what you mean about these cars. Soon you'll have your own (enclosed) trailer and you'll be thinking of what tracks you want to drive and how you can convince your family that a road trip would be a fun holiday.

If you want to add on another flat section to what you've built, then you'll want a way to lock the two parts together so they can't come apart. You'll see the design of the pieces in this link and how they can't slide apart. You need to lift one piece off the other.

http://www.raceramps.com/portablepitstopramp.html

I'd probably do something like that or use an overlapping piece of plywood on the side and bolt the two pieces together. An embedded T-nut on the back of the boards makes bolting as easy as driving a screw.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/SSN-...Steel-Tee-Nuts

I have a few hundred board feet of maple in the shop and I need to do an oil change next week so I'll probably just make short stacks of maple and bevel the ends. Four of those will get my car off the ground a few inches and keep it level to change the oil.

When I inspect under my car I usually want to take off a wheel or four so tall ramps wouldn't help me out.

Just filling your head with goofy ideas....

Cheers,