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there is just something
about a BB hanging from a chain
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I don't know about you guys but I don't trust four little bolts in aluminum holding a 700lb BB Chevy.
BTW great looking car. Good luck with the sale.
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Here…maybe this will help you sleep better at night. I’m not sure of the specific type of aluminum that the manifold is made out of so we’ll assume it’s 6063-T5 aluminum for this example and that the carb studs are the typical 5/16-18 and made of SAE Grade 2 Steel.
The first thing to determine is how far the stud goes into the aluminum…in this particular example the threaded depth at which the stud and the aluminum can handle the same amount of force (tension) is 0.385 inches. At that depth the mathematical failure will occur at 1551 pounds (for one fastener). If the stud is turned in further the stud is the weakest link (will fail at 1551 pounds) and if the stud is turned in less the aluminum will fail first (at less than 1551 determined by the actual threaded depth).
So in theory you would only need one carb stud to hold up the engine and I’m sure the manufacturer of that plate that connects the engine to the engine hoist ran the calculation otherwise I could definitely see a lawsuit if the engines were falling off the plate.
It is important to note that the above information assumes a purely static loading (just hanging there) with the stud concentric to the threaded hole. But if the engine is swinging it’s a different scenario because you’re adding dynamic loading which may add shear stresses among other things…but I would think you’re still pretty safe as long as you’re not swinging the engine like a kid on playground swing.
Disclosure…each situation is unique and many factors play a role for component failure in real world applications such as thread condition and material used…the above example is for information/entertainment only and is not to be used as a basis or justification for doing something stupid.
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I knew you were an engineer
I used to have a CNC Machine shop.