DIY: Race Ramps

[dirtyfreebooter]

So I needed some ramps to install my ///M Performance Exhaust. Race ramps are $200+. Blitz and other $25-$100 ramps get such terrible online reviews, I decided to make my own. I followed this design:



I got the following at Lowe's

• 5 - 2"x12"x8' pressure treated boards
• 2.5" deck screws with square heads
• wood glue
• 2" grip tape roll
• wood finish
• $1 paint brush

Tools used:

• Jigsaw with angled base
• Portable electric screw driver
• Measuring tape
• Drill bit for drilling pilot holes

You can ignore the hand saw, I went right to the jigsaw after about 2 minutes of getting nowhere fast.



Here is all the boards for one ramp, cut like the model shown above.



Glue the boards, each layer.



Drill pilot holes, and screw layers together.



Using two pieces of trim wood I had in a bucket of spare wood in the garage, I installed bumper stops at the end of the ramp.



Here is one ramp assembled.



Add grip tape to the bottom, one strip on each end.



Add grip tape to the edge of each step.



Drive up the ramp.




I went to 2x12x8 boards instead of 2x10x8 of the model, since 2x12 is really 1.5x11.5 in lumber dimensions, and the rear wheels of ZCP rims are 10-inches wide, so 11.5-inches is just a hair larger then the tire width.

Pros: Quality build, low-profile angle, handles wide tires, 7.5" of lift.
Cons: Weight. Each ramp must weight like 45 pounds. It is ridiculous.

I still haven't decided if I am going to stain the wood or not. Probably. I already used it to remove my OEM stock exhaust, as I am scheduled to receive my M performance exhaust this Tuesday, and I wanted to take the stock exhaust off ahead of time..

Here is the thread showing the removal of my stock exhaust: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...0&postcount=47

[swhat]

what was the total cost of this project?

[dirtyfreebooter]

Originally Posted by swhat

what was the total cost of this project?

Items I had to buy:

• 5 - 2"x12"x8' pressure treated boards. $12.97 each
• 2.5" deck screws with square heads. $8.68
• 2" grip tape roll. $9.68
• $1 paint brush. $1.15
• jigsaw blade. $5.97

Total: $91.48 + tax.

Items I already had:

• Jigsaw with angled base
• Portable electric screw driver
• Measuring tape
• Drill bit for drilling pilot holes
• wood glue
• wood stain (left over from other projects)
• wood trim pieces for bump stops on the end of the ramps (left over wood pieces from previous house project).

Not as cheap as I imagined it the night before (but isn't that always true for these types of projects?), but the ramps are really heavy duty, and they don't slide while driving up them (and I have a really slippery concrete garage floor).

I still think they are too heavy (maybe if I was doing it again, I would look at lighter, non-pressure treated lumber), and I would probably reduce the length of the ramps also. This design the length is 6.5 feet. So storing ramps that measure 6.5 feet x 1 foot x 7.5 inches, and weigh ~40 lbs each is a pain-in-the-butt for me, since I have a tiny one car garage currently.

[coogs08]

great job, thanks for sharing.

[armyav8tor]

Thanks for sharing. I thought about doing something similar but also thought it would be too heavy and bulky.

[Kyoshi71]

You're off your rocker building that contraption. If you invested in the Race Ramps, they'd last a lifetime and are probably much lighter the what you have.
C'mon man, you spend $4,500 on a muffler but stop short at 2 hundie for Race Ramps?

[dirtyfreebooter]

Originally Posted by Kyoshi71

You're off your rocker building that contraption. If you invested in the Race Ramps, they'd last a lifetime and are probably much lighter the what you have.
C'mon man, you spend $4,500 on a muffler but stop short at 2 hundie for Race Ramps?

Well, I only spent $3500 on the muffler.. haha. I don't really care about $200-$300 for ramps. I just wasn't super impressed with what was available for both price and quality, and thought I may be able to do better for less. Maybe if I had somewhere to see ramps in person beforehand I would of had a different opinion, but all that was available to me locally were those shitty Blitz ramps at autozone et al.

So, I gave it a shot, as a fun weekend project, and attempted DIY race ramps. I also wanted to share my experience here, since I have benefited from this forums on numerous occasions, and thought I could give back by posting my experience here.

In retrospect, my only gripe is the weight. If I knew what I know now, I would have probably just got these: Race Ramps RR-56 instead of building my own.

[armyav8tor]

Yeah, the Race Ramps are awesome. I store them on the top shelf in the garage because they hardly weigh anything. What you got going is pretty cool too, like I said, I thought about doing what you did also. Laziness got the better of me.

[Kyoshi71]

Originally Posted by robackja

Well, I only spent $3500 on the muffler.. haha. I don't really care about $200-$300 for ramps. I just wasn't super impressed with what was available for both price and quality, and thought I may be able to do better for less. Maybe if I had somewhere to see ramps in person beforehand I would of had a different opinion, but all that was available to me locally were those shitty Blitz ramps at autozone et al.

So, I gave it a shot, as a fun weekend project, and attempted DIY race ramps. I also wanted to share my experience here, since I have benefited from this forums on numerous occasions, and thought I could give back by posting my experience here.

In retrospect, my only gripe is the weight. If I knew what I know now, I would have probably just got these: Race Ramps RR-56 instead of building my own.

Dude, I just realized something.....Forget about the F**KING RAMPS.....What about the M-P-E!!!!!!!!

I have it and it kicks ASS!!!!!!!!!!! Are you done with the job yet???

[dirtyfreebooter]

Originally Posted by Kyoshi71

Dude, I just realized something.....Forget about the F**KING RAMPS.....What about the M-P-E!!!!!!!!

I have it and it kicks ASS!!!!!!!!!!! Are you done with the job yet???

I don't know what M-P-E is... and if you are asking if I have my performance exhaust on yet, the answer is no. It won't be here until Tuesday, according to UPS.com. I just have limited time this Tuesday and Wednesday, so I wanted to take the stock exhaust off ahead of time, so that I can try to put it on Tuesday evening in like 30 minutes

Edit: Duh, M-P-E == M Performance Exhaust.. haha, sorry I am idiot.

[Kyoshi71]

Originally Posted by robackja

I don't know what M-P-E is... and if you are asking if I have my performance exhaust on yet, the answer is no. It won't be here until Tuesday, according to UPS.com. I just have limited time this Tuesday and Wednesday, so I wanted to take the stock exhaust off ahead of time, so that I can try to put it on Tuesday evening in like 30 minutes

M-P-E
M-Performance Exhaust.

It's an easy job

[RuthlessE90]

this is great