Weight loss.

[Dirty1]

So far during the race car build I've tried to cut off every bit of metal bracket or tab that's not required. I've removed all the sound deadening an added Lexan glass. There's still a bit to do that I hadn't time to do in the run unto the 24th but I figure soon I'm gonna be adding weight when I add a roll cage, rear deckled an valance etc. I don't want to Swiss cheese the car with a hole cutter either as I want to keep it strong an watertight for rallying in the future. Perhaps I'll have to have wings for lights, an wings without too.

I'm going to weight the car at it's current weight soon to set a benchmark, so as I add stuff, I'm going to have to loose it somewhere else. Doors seem to be the worst but there's not much too loose out of them.

Are fiberglass wings an bonnets much lighter than stripped down stock steal?

 

[Roadcow]

Good idea Tsar. My goal weight will be under 1200 pounds . I'm cheating though. Lighter means you aren't as hard on the drive train, don't break as much stuff and can get by with less HP.

 

[trev]

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Are fiberglass wings an bonnets much lighter than stripped down stock steal?

I have steel and fibreglass wings in the shed. I'll weigh them when I get home later and post the results. The steel one is not a genuine wing but it is a very good quality repro and would be similar in weight to an OG wing.

Where did you source the material for your lexan windows?

 

[johnnyg]

Street weight wings will shed a few pounds but not much but race weight wings will virtually blow away in a stiff breeze (very flimsy).
If you know any boat builders how about getting your own made?

I have running fibreglass running boards and carbon fibre bumpers for the 03 .they are a huge weight saving alone.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Stripped down stock steel front wing is 10.5lb, GRP front wing is 7.5lb. That's 28.6% lighter

If you extrapolate that for 4 wings on a car, GRP would be almost a stone lighter. And the GRP wings I have are not race weight or anything, just standard Day Mouldings jobs.

 

[johnnyg]

Stripped down stock steel front wing is 10.5lb, GRP front wing is 7.5lb. That's 28.6% lighter

If you extrapolate that for 4 wings on a car, GRP would be almost a stone lighter. And the GRP wings I have are not race weight or anything, just standard Day Mouldings jobs.

Didn't think it would be that much.Thats a lot of pies.By the time i'm finished with mine (wings,bonnet) I'll have shed nearly two stone.No need for me to Diet so..

 

[Dirty1]

That's quite a bit considering the lengths some folk go to to lighten parts. On Callook lounge there's some silly things happening on the weight loss thread.

I think I'm going to end up with different bodywork for street/rally use and drag use. Steel wings with lights on the road, even doors, one set with glass an one with Lexan.

I had the Lexan in work but it's only 3mm an scratches with the lightest wipe of a rag so I'm looking into scratch resistant stuff. I got it from Amari Ireland.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Even though I have the GRP wings I'm going to run steel ones. Not going to run any lights, it will be a strip only car. The plan is to fill the front light bowls with a thin sheet of lexan and just fit empty rear taillights so it doesn't look odd. Cheap repro steel wings are probably quite light in comparison to stock steel. I'll weigh one when I get hold of one just to compare to the stock and GRP wing out of interest.

Other weight saving plans are to run lexan rear and side windows. I'll leave the doors stock, even though they're heavy. The interior is stripped anyway so all I'll be running inside are two front seats. There is a bolt-in cage fitted. I might run without the front half to save weight. The rear half will still function as a roll bar. I only plan to fit enough wiring for the engine and a few gauges to run.

 

[kvinyl]

Even though I have the GRP wings I'm going to run steel ones. Not going to run any lights, it will be a strip only car. The plan is to fill the front light bowls with a thin sheet of lexan and just fit empty rear taillights so it doesn't look odd. Cheap repro steel wings are probably quite light in comparison to stock steel. I'll weigh one when I get hold of one just to compare to the stock and GRP wing out of interest.

Other weight saving plans are to run lexan rear and side windows. I'll leave the doors stock, even though they're heavy. The interior is stripped anyway so all I'll be running inside are two front seats. There is a bolt-in cage fitted. I might run without the front half to save weight. The rear half will still function as a roll bar. I only plan to fit enough wiring for the engine and a few gauges to run.

Sounds like a cool plan but when you're going to all that effort why wouldn't you run the GRP wings and take the small bit of weight saving there too?

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

It's because the GRP wings are part of a longer term plan for the car

The plan is to build it up as a drag car to have fun with for a few years until I'm in a better position to give it the resto it deserves and I had always planned. The GRP wings are too nice anyway, they're a work of art! The ratty steels will do for the track

 

[Dirty1]

I presume your talking about the Oval?

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Yup.

 

[Dirty1]

I got the car weighed yesterday. It's 640kg including the fuel it finished the drag day with. That's 1411 lbs(US). Pretty happy but sad as its only going to get heavier. The benchmark is set! 714kg with me in it wearing helmet.
1574 lbs, car an driver, all steel body, lexan windows, no cage or deck lid.

 

[Lazy Dog]

I'm gonna fill my tyres with Helium................

 

[kvinyl]

I got the car weighed yesterday. It's 640kg including the fuel it finished the drag day with. That's 1411 lbs(US). Pretty happy but sad as its only going to get heavier. The benchmark is set! 714kg with me in it wearing helmet.
1574 lbs, car an driver, all steel body, lexan windows, no cage or deck lid.

640kg is next to near nothing! 714kg is still very good, can you offset any of the proposed weight gains (assume traction bar and bits or are you thinking of attacking the pies..) with some more weight loss i.e. drilled door inners, etc?

I was amazed at the difference throwing a few things out of the 356 made to my times e.g. spare wheel, heavy toolbox, etc. I was kicking myself at the end of the day though when I figured out how much weight in fuel I was carrying. The fuel gauge bounces all over the place so I kept brimming it everytime we had a stop. With a 55L tank I worked out I was carrying nearly 40kg in fuel alone, might have been able to shave another couple of hundredths of a second off if I was running on fumes

 

[kvinyl]

Actually, meant to post this link too, found it when I was looking for the weight of unleaded...

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc...unit=m&g=1&g_unit=m&p=1&p_unit=m&w=1&w_unit=m

Interesting that diesel is heavier than unleaded, Trev might have to change his plans after all
Just dawned on me that my 1L bottle of water in the car that day added another kg...doh

 

[58Panel-Youny]

I'm gonna fill my tyres with Helium................

Im gonna fill YOUR tyres with water....

 

[JustinOval]

Im gonna fill YOUR tyres with water....

Fill 'em with ice. By the time he figures out what's going on it'll have melted. Head = wrecked.

 

[Lazy Dog]

Im gonna fill YOUR tyres with water....

I'll still beat ya...........