hanging weight

[redracersmod]

Can you hang two 50 lb valve cover lead weights horizontaly off the grade 8 studs on the aluminum weight clamps or is it to much and the studs break off?

[TCmod]

Ive hung 75lbs off 2 weight clamps before but they were vertical.. Should be fine.

[stock car driver]

I wouldn't. I would buy some steel clamps. Why save weight on clamps to mount lead?

[redracersmod]

The only reason I'm using them is because they were with the car when I bought it. Otherwise I would agree with you completely. I mounted the weights so the studs stuck out horizontally just because where I needed my weight was the only way to get it in there. This is all new to me so thanks for the help guys.

[stock car driver]

are they welded on? buy some steel ones and remove the alum

[72Dubya]

I would definitely use steel. I do use aluminum weight mounts, but only for lead that is less than 25 pounds. Everything else is steel. Too afraid of the threads stripping on aluminum to go with any more weight. Have had that problem before... not enough surface for the clamp bolts.

[LM14]

Some places won't let you use studs to mount weights and limit you to 50# per bracket for a reason. That's to much weight for 1 mounting point and a stud is the worst way to mount weight. Use steel brackets, grade 8 bolts and 1 weight per 2 brackets or weights on opposite side of the brackets with 4 bolts total. Horizontal would be the weakest way to mount the weights.

Rough track, 100# hanging on a couple pieces of threaded rod is a disaster waiting to happen. Ever seen anyone hit with a weight off the track?

SPark

[redracersmod]

They are hanging on two clamps one on each end.

[charcoal01]

Something my grandfather told me a long time ago: if you have to ask if something is safe to do, you've already answered your own question. Use steel if it's more than 30 pounds and use two clamps. Also, think about the bar you're mounting 100 pounds of weight on. How thick or strong do you think that bar is?

[7uptruckracer]

We ended up with a legends car driver in a helicopter headed to the trauma hospital after a piece of tungsten came unfastned from a stud, spun his car and hit the driver behind him and knocked him out and hit Brian full speed in the door and broke his femur, better safe then sorry

[redracersmod]

That's why I was asking is to be safe I don't want to hurt myself or anyone else. I don't know how much weight one of the clamps by them self can hold. So I assume I would be safe with 50lbs per clamp?

[stock car driver]

Some of the alum clamps cant hold a body strap. If you tighten a bolt in a allstar brand alum clamp till it bottoms out it will break right in half instantly...

I use alum here and there for temporary body mounts etc.. I would never hang 50 lbs on alum clamps.

I suppose you also used all thread?? not hardened grade 5 or 8 rod?

[zeroracing]

I have most of my weights in 25 lb blocks that are all the same, we use two aluminum clamps per block with this arrangement, I would not put much bigger on aluminum clamps, even on steel i think 25 lbs per clamp would be absolute max, the risk of failure and consequences to said failure are too much to go around overloading the clamps.

[redracersmod]

I used grade 8 threaded rod. Where do you buy the steal weight clamps?

[stock car driver]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steel-Ballast-Mount-Clamp-1-1-2-Weight-mount-IMCA-Dirt-Car-UMP-Dirt-Modified-/271187090230?pt=Race_Car_Parts&hash=item3f24029b36&vxp=mtr

heres the first one I found on ebay

here is a place that popped in my head

http://www.ubmachine.com/shocksround.html

[mudeater18]

Is there another option available rather the hanging that much weight in one spot ? Can something be moved to help with your desired percentage ? ( battery, fuel cell, wheel offsets ?) Is the rear end located correctly laterally in the car? If you can get your percentages closer that way you can add ballast more toward the center of the car where it needs to be. Just some ideas to think about.