Ballast mounting opinions

I'm going to have to carry 100 lbs of ballast for the first race or two until I get my cage beefed up, cool suit installed, and whatever other things I think of to add weight. Somebody suggested using gym weights from Wal-mart and the one near me had 45 lb plates for $25. So I got two and then got a couple 4" x 16" x 1/4" steel plates to use as mounting brackets. The plan was to put one on top and then one underneath the floor pan, drill through the weights and plates, and use two 1/2" bolts to sandwich the gyms weights between the plates attached to the floorpan.

This was a good plan until I actually looked underneath the car. The passenger side floorpan is split in two by the side rail and the brake lines run next to the side rail. So there's no way a 4" x 16" piece of steel could fit down there. My modified plan is to use the 4" x 16" piece on top, but use two, one on each bolt, 2" x 4" x 3/8" pieces (I had a 3/8" bar lying around) underneath the floorpan.

My question is do you guys think using the two 2" x 4" pieces underneath the floorpan are enough support? The floorpan seems pretty flimsy and my concern would be the weights ripping out of the floorpan in a crash, especially in some type of roll. I have plenty of support for normal racing, it's a crash that's making me think. Not that I plan on crashing, but nobody ever does.

What do you guys think? Thanks.

David

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18.1.3. Forward braces and portions of the main hoop subject to contact by the driver&#39;s helmet (as seated normally and restrained by seatbelt/shoulder harness) shall be padded with non resilient material <strike>such as Ethafoam® or Ensolite®</strike> with a minimum thickness of one half (1/2) inch. Padding meeting SFI spec 45.1 or FIA 8857-2001 is <strike>strongly recommended </strike> required.

Last time I looked I didn&#39;t see a SFI or FIA rating stamped on padding. How do you enforce this?
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Well I severly hope thats enough to keep 100# in place because that IS my design that I am planning to use. Also given that my in accordance to the GCR rules my harness is mounted using a plate about that size and thickness on the drivers right portion of my car due to the way VW mounts factory belts I really hope that will hold.

I figure it this way, I am 180lbs and I can stand on the floor pan, so I would hope that with securing it that way it will hold. the only other thing I considered was in the area that will hold the weight was to weld in a 1/4-3/8 plate of metal to beef up the floor pan where I was going to mount the weight. But some told me that was overkill.

take a look at the links inside post #29 or so in this thread regarding ballast mounting:

http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/...opic=7057&st=20

How fast my memory fades. I forgot that post. But correct that shunt was really hard and. So basically the mounting I would use would work. the only reason for me to beef up the mounting more then needed is due to some minor rust that was sanded and painted in that area of the floorboards.

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take a look at the links inside post #29 or so in this thread regarding ballast mounting:

http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/...opic=7057&st=20
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Good thread. The post about the 30 lb brick deforming the floorpan seems to confirm my thoughts on the strength of the floorpan.

Each of the 45 lb weights is about two inches high, so my stack of two is 4" high. The weights are about 15" in diameter so the weight is spread out over a pretty good area. It sounds like my 2" x 4" backing plate on each bolt will be enough to keep the weight attched to the floorpan. Hopefully the floorpan itself is strong enough. Running a wire cable tether to the roll cage, which is only an inch away, doesn&#39;t sound like such a bad idea for insurance.

David

now that you mention it, safety wireing the ballest to the cage might be a good idea to keep it from hitting you. hrmmmmm.

What I do know is when jim rolled his ballast never moved in his golf, but I tend to overengineer stuff.