OK guys, since I have the interior out I am thinking about squeezing every ounce of weight out of the car.

See the image below and let me know what you think...

The green are going to be cut out, the yellow looks like it is just extra metal and can be cut out, and the blue looks structural but I think a few extra holes with a small hole saw or brill bits couldn't hurt it any...

What do you guys think?



With this as a closer look at those brackets circled in yellow and blue.

Also the area around the mid speakers and B pillar (blue circle below) looks hollow, is it OK to hole saw there as well?



How far have some of you guys gone for a few pounds?

 

I'm a little confussed as to your intent? If you remove these brackets, then the interior will never be able to be reinstalled. I.e. you will have made this a pure race car. In that case you may as well go all the way and remove everything. At this point it will be so quick, you'll have to install a full roll gage so you'll have plenty of structual ridgidity.

 

I somewhat agree that with those brackets removed, I would never be able to install the rear seats since that is what most of them are for. but none effect putting the interior panels back up, there will just be less metal behind them...

 

yep....better look to install a cage soon budd

 

you can cut out the seat brackets but I wouldnt cut out the area around the speakers. There are alot of other places to loose weight from other than cutting metal out of the car.

I started on wiring. I bet I have dropped 50lbs out of the wiring, if you start removing the circuits you dont need you can easily do the same for a real race car. You will gain more there than you would by cutting out that metal. The metal is probably only 4 lbs anyway, not worth the loss in structural support offered in that area.

I still see alot of parts in that interior that need to go before you start cutting metal out of the body. (I still see airbags and airbag sensors there) If you want "every ounce" then I can help you out bro... but you better be ready for some serious weight reduction I have 30+ hrs of labor in removing wiring wire by wire

Too bad the motor wasnt in so I could test my cuts, lol

 

Thanks for the heads up Brian, but I promised the wife that I would leave the airbags and door bars in till I get a cage, and at that point the weight from pulling them will be negated by the cage. I am not ready to add another 75# of weight to the car when it is currently a 12 second ride just so I could pull that stuff...

Then again the wiring idea sounds doable...
But that's going to take a lot more time then I have before my first race on the 22nd. How tangled together are they because I already have quite a few exposed that I can clip and leave hanging or pull out of the loom if I have the time, things like the power seat wires, console lighting, and a bunch of those types of things...

BTW, hear from Frank yet about pulling his motor this weekend?

 

There is a line you must cross to get "every ounce". cutting the brackets can take some weight out but not nearly as much as yanking all the wiring, abs, airbags, hvac, radio, lighting, speakers, carpet insulation, ductwork, ect...

Your a long way away from cutting metal out to save weight.

As for the wiring... not so simple. its no a cut and pull. you need to cut open everything! and I mean everything! Its vaery time consuming and much of it will require rewiring other things to get it to run again. I have deteted all wiring for lights, hvac, pdl, abs, air bags, guage cluster, seats, BCM, alarm, ect... there is a ton of it and I have alot of man hours sitting with a factory service manual in my lap and a knife in the other. Not a simple task at all. There are a few things I removed like the BCM that I amy still have to do some tricks to make the car still start and run. I'll find out when I get it ready to run.


BTW, yeah Frank called me tonight. I'm busy Saturday but i'll be down when he puts it back in

 

All those brackets except the shifter mount, I cut out of my car but I also have no interior.

Removing ounces isn't very much but ounces add up to pounds. Of course you'll need to remove 50+ pounds to see any sort of difference on the track.

Unless it's a full race car, I wouldn't bother with the nickel and dime savings. There are bigger weight savings that can be removed. Take your door panels off and look at the size of the crash bar inside the doors. Stuff like that.

 

To directly answer your question about how much CAN come out, my '97 Formula NHRA Super Stocker, with LT1, 9" housing, two aluminum seats, completely upholstered interior, all stock exterior body panels and a cosmetically stock dash, meets minimum weight requirements of 2820 pounds with my 210 pound body in the seat. Oh, and there's a 25 pound bar in the weight box. It just depends on how determined you are to have a light car.

 

Do you mind sharing what was removed? I assume this is with a tubular k-member and lightweight brakes and all that stuff too right?

My race weight last season was 3490 with me (200ish #), stock rims and tires, and 3/4 tank of gas. I still have most things under the hood minus, AIR, TCS, EGR, and Cruise control, the car still has A/C, and full stereo and stock seats, so I know there is a lot of weight there to pull. Also don't you need a bar or cage to run lightweight/aftermarket seats to be legal or did I mis read that?

 

Obviously, the list is long. Among the most notable:

All stock upholstery including door panels were replaced with tweed-covered, lightly padded upholstery. (Bracing, console, arm rests, radio equipment, etc. all gone)
All underdash items, ducts, wiring, and most of the supports were removed.
Side-impact door braces were removed.
All stock braking system (replaced with Lamb brakes)
All stock springs and shocks replaced. (rear has four-link, narrowed 9" Ford housing w/wheelie bars, gun-drilled axles, backcut ring gear, aluminum spool, Lamb coil-over shocks, full wheel tubs, etc. although the stockflooring between the tubs is retained.
Stock front cross member was modified (not replaced) to accept Pro Stock style, full-length oil pan (stock crossmember and front upper and lower control arms are retained.
Light weight Bogart aluminum wheels are added (3.5 x 15 front and 14 x 15 rear)
T-top supports removed from above headliner.
Full roll cage with bars to front frame through firewall added.
Aluminum driveshaft.
All extraneous bracing and bracketry under the hood and car are removed.
Stock radiator and double fans were retained.
Stock fuel tank and all plumbing removed and replaced with 3 gallon cell and braided steel lines from back-to-front.
Stock exhaust system removed and replaced with step headers.
Motor mounts and braces replaced with motor plate and mid-plate.
Steering column impact mechanism removed.
Steering rack replaced with manual unit.
Window motors retained.
Custom fabricated transmission crossmember added.

The list goes on but I would guess that the most important things to remember when lightening a car is that nothing should remain that is not completely consistent with the ultimate use of the car. Race cars are race cars. Cruisers are cruisers. Anytime structural items are removed or modified, be sure to consider how the original function of that item is being addressed. Nothing worse than to cut something out and then experience a structural failure in public.

If you have specific questions about the things I mentioned or didn't mention, PM me.

Good luck and be careful.

c

 

For a race car I always tell people;

If it's not required for speed or track safety, take it out.

My "race weight" last year was just under 3100 pounds and I run a BBC with a full cage. I'm guessing my weight is around 180 pounds. The car was back halved over the winter so I have no idea what the current weight is now.

 

this is the key!

if you still want to drive on the street then its not a race car. If you still need or want a radio and HVAC then you dont need to bother with spending 3 days to cut out 6 oz of brackets.

 

It's not that I need or want HVAC or the radio, I was just stating I had not pulled them yet... As far as HVAC I think I would want a working defroster, other then that it can all be pulled, I am still debating on going with the delete pulley or just getting a manual rack and pulling all accessories, that why its still there. The radio is going to come out soon enough, it would have been Saturday, but I am going to help Frank pull his motor...