just as it says im looking for ideas on what others have done for more in depth weight loss. beyond the basics of interior and dahs and seats and what not. basically im down to extra wiring and cutting sheet metal ideas?
any help would be great thanks
The one, the only, ME.
Do you want pictures?
I've now almost finished taking out all extra wiring (stereo, A/C, rear window defroster, trunk popper cable, interior lights, seatbelt signal, ABS, airbags, bumper lights, ebrake signal, door sensors, ...) along with every connector, and in some cases (like the main underhood connector) the prongs from the unnecessary wires that are in the connectors. I also cut out most of the 'frame' on the bottom of the hood and trunk lid. I will probably be gutting the doors as well pretty soon. Obviously there is no more interior either.
And for those going *huh?!* this is not a daily driver
fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.
pictures would be great of the hood and trunk areas and other areas where youve cut out for now im wanting it to be somewhat decent for daily driving but eventually ill do more and add in a cage for repllacement reenforcement. also have you by chance weighed the car recently ?
The one, the only, ME.
Bigari Balsagna(04eco) wrote:pictures would be great of the hood and trunk areas and other areas where youve cut out for now im wanting it to be somewhat decent for daily driving but eventually ill do more and add in a cage for repllacement reenforcement. also have you by chance weighed the car recently ?
I'll see if I can get some pictures tomorrow. The car doesn't have an engine right now, so it's probably pretty light
When the car goes back on the road (well, more the track than the road), it will have about 400 extra pounds of metal that it didn't have from the factory, so it's still going to tip the scales like a pig (I'm hoping to be less than stock weight though).
fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.
drill both bumper supports like swiss cheese, delete heater core/blower motor box
and of course, for the extreme... their's companys that make lexan complete replacement window kits-this would drop at least 200lbs.
I used to make Lexan windows very light and very strong
15.2@89mph 2.171 60ft. 9.830 1/8 R.I.P. "LULU"
Quote:
z yaaaa
for the extreme... their's companys that make lexan complete replacement window kits-this would drop at least 200lbs.
I know that Class Glass Performance makes fiberglass doors (12-15 lbs) & carbon fiber doors (9-10 lbs) but says only 95-02. Not sure if 04 doors are any different.
Class Glass Performance
Bigari Balsagna(04eco) wrote:just as it says im looking for ideas on what others have done for more in depth weight loss. beyond the basics of interior and dahs and seats and what not. basically im down to extra wiring and cutting sheet metal ideas?
any help would be great thanks
Eat salad.
Although that sounds funny, I'm being somewhat serious, if you're overweight at all, now would be a good time to go on a diet if you want your car to be lighter haha
There will always be someone faster than you, but thousands slower and dumber than you.
I didn't see these two, but i was just skimming thru the responses. cut out the spare and put a sheet of fiberglass, aluminum, etc. remove stock hood latch in place of pins.
Weight reduction is pretty much futile in these cars. If you start cutting up the car you risk the integrity (or lack there of... stupid cavaliers) of the car in case of a collision. In all honesty, you MAY lose 100 pounds, if you're lucky. Even then the gain you'll see is minimal.
" To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous. "
Ummm, I've lost closer to 500lbs with all interior plastic still there, one seat, front bumper swiss cheesed, no rear bumper, lightweight rims, and lots more.
It all adds up.
Built, bottled, ready for 11s. 14.446@93.74mph, 1.848 60' N/A.
You can drop a good 80-100 lbs by just gutting all the carpet, seats, and interior panels.
A lot of the really fast, drag-only VW guys chop out the spare tire well... you can just rivet/weld in some sheetmetal, but to be safe (since it is a somewhat structural part of the unibody), just take some 1x1 angle iron, or hell, even some aluminum stock, and bolt it in an X across where the hole is before you cover it with sheetmetal/fiberglass whatever. Not only is this pretty big weight reduction, but its weight reduction in the back half of the car, which, for a FWD, is where your focus on weight reduction should be. I honestly wouldn't remove an ounce of weight from anywhere in front of the firewall, because that weight helps keep the tires planted. Less weight in the rear means less weight to transfer, less squat, and a better launch. Of course, naturally, cutting the spare tire well out wouldn't be recommended for a street car, but I'm assuming since you want "beyond the basics of interior and dash and seats and what not" that's not what we're talking about.
Also remember that lighter wheels and suspension components go farther toward weight reduction because they are unsprung weight, which the old timers tell me is worth 3 times more than sprung weight (removing one pound unsprung is equal to removing 3 pounds sprung weight). So lightweight wheels and lighter rotors (i'm guessing crossdrilled would be the best bet, but I don't know for sure that any of the ones on the market currently are ACTUALLY any lighter, since I haven't weighed them myself) will go farther than most of the little things you can remove. Also, don't forget that lightweight flywheels and pullies also count toward overall weight reduction, not just rotating weight. A fidanza flywheel over the stocker saves you something like 17 pounds on the car, I'm sure at least another 5 is to be lost through lighter pullies. The carbon doors from Class Glass are a BIG weight loss, but it would be outright stupid to have those on a street car, at least without a full cage.
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
The J-body spare tire well weighs 8lbs
Built, bottled, ready for 11s. 14.446@93.74mph, 1.848 60' N/A.
i only weigh 130 lbs
cant wait to see those pics of the hood and trunk heh heh
owen what areas did you cut out if you dont mind sharing i know your car is pretty light?
The one, the only, ME.
i lost a lot of weight so far by cf everything. i.e. the fenders, bumper, trunk, hood, and the doors are in the mail.
first thing is to take out the spare and jack and back seat.
Sorry, forgot about the pics. The trunk is covered in crap, but this should give you and idea:
And here's what was cut out (don't know why I still have it lol):
Cutting out more than that would most likely compromise the safety of it at high speeds. Later, I'm going to be stitch welding some of the areas down to help reinforce it a little.
No, it's not a ton of weight, but I'm going on the "every little but helps" premise, and I'm on a non-CF budget
fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.
Props OHV notec !!! Very cool. Give us an update after a while to show us how much you've totaled on weight loss!
I took out all the interior except the dash, gutted the drivers side door, removed all glass and lights, and then put in a roll cage added a FEW pounds of lead to the left side and put it on the dirt track.
-1995 Cavalier for dirt racing-
-1995 Sunfire for parts-
-1998 Dodge Durango for getting to the track-
-1997 Dodge Avenger for playing-
Aight, time to get my cut off wheel... I've been thinking of doing that OHV notec. My intake is rubbing on the hood webbing... and hey, weight savings are good
Built, bottled, ready for 11s. 14.446@93.74mph, 1.848 60' N/A.
Indigoturbo200218 wrote:Quote:
z yaaaa
for the extreme... their's companys that make lexan complete replacement window kits-this would drop at least 200lbs.
I know that Class Glass Performance makes fiberglass doors (12-15 lbs) & carbon fiber doors (9-10 lbs) but says only 95-02. Not sure if 04 doors are any different.
Class Glass Performance
Doors are the same, and they are the outer skins only
I looked at the top dash piece and the metal bracket there, and on the air bag cover. Is there a way to get it off without damaging the dash? Getting the metal pieces off and gluing the airbag cover on I think could save 5-10lbs. Not much, but every bit helps. And I don't have airbags in the car anymore.
I want to share something with you - the three sentences that will get you through life. Number one, 'cover for me', Number two, 'oh, good idea, boss', Number three, 'it was like that when I got here.'
thanks looks good
thats about where i was guessing. so im guessing the trunk lid would be roughly the same? ill be starting cutting on friday probably after i can weigh the car as it is now and then i can get an idea how much im cutting out afterwards. ill take pics and post them afterwards.
The one, the only, ME.
