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aussiesmg
aussiesmg UltimaDork
11/4/12 12:52 p.m.

Open to ideas where to get weight out of it.

Can't get aluminum heads under budget so that is not happening.

Current list is

1) wiring
2) K member
3) Front tubular control arms
4) rear 1/4 windows/lexan
5) front and rear bumpers removal and light replacements
6) Miscelaneous brackets etc under dash
7) Heater removal (not so sure on this one yet)

dj06482
dj06482 GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
11/4/12 12:59 p.m.

Aluminum heads can help, but they're typically not Challenge-friendly. 2200 sounds absurdly low without investing some serious money, that's roughly the weight of an FFR Cobra (small, fiberglass body, no roof, etc.). I think even 2400 with a cage would be very difficult, and near-impossible on a Challenge budget.

Given the current condition of Aussie's car, I think a challenging but fair goal would be to lose enough weight to offset the additional weight of the cage (150 lbs). He's already gone after the low hanging fruit in terms of weight reduction, so dropping additional weight will be tough.

Or you could build an entire CF body like Paul Bird!

TeamEvil
TeamEvil Reader
11/4/12 6:00 p.m.

"Most of it is the fog lights and the 8" wide, 1/8" thick STEEL bar behind the fascia connecting the fog light brackets together."

Wow, I'll say, and then some ! I'm in the process of stripping out my '85 Mustang to get at the bits and pieces that I really want off of it,, using a Sawz-All rather than a wrench, and there is a WHOLE lot of extra crap that can be cut out or drilled out or square holes put into to save weight. Brackets holding brackets holding a third bracket with nine bolts when one bracket and three bolts would do fine. Crash bars and heavy steel all over the place that can be removed. Under and behind ever square inch there's something else that ought to be pulled or chopped down.

I would think that,if you stripped a Mustang down a bit for access and such, you could go in there and pull a LOT of weight off of it and none of the "diet" would even show. You could easily cut a one inch border off of every hole and access opening on the car, then go back for another bite later. Maybe the middle is a bit weak, but the ends are FAT with extra weight ! !

SVreX
SVreX MegaDork
11/6/12 10:32 p.m.
aussiesmg wrote: Open to ideas where to get weight out of it. Can't get aluminum heads under budget so that is not happening. Current list is 1) wiring 2) K member 3) Front tubular control arms 4) rear 1/4 windows/lexan 5) front and rear bumpers removal and light replacements 6) Miscelaneous brackets etc under dash 7) Heater removal (not so sure on this one yet)

Weren't the Challenge weights inclusive of the driver? Less cheeseburgers!

  • Side impact bars in doors
  • Sound deadening and undercoating
  • Wheels and tires (also helps with rotational mass)
  • Lightened flywheel
  • Fiberglass hood and deck
  • Fuel cell/ fuel
  • Battery (Optima, or motorcycle)- Looks like you already got this one
  • Remove window glass and regulators
  • Rear window
  • Lexan windsheild
  • Fender liners
  • Wheel well liners-
  • Those diamond plate door panels are pretty, but still have weight.
  • Rubber weather stripping in doors/ windows/ hatch/ trunk
  • Hole saw swiss cheese frame rails/ pan
  • Passenger seat
  • Do the heater- it also reduces water weight

Serious weight reduction is painfully slow and tedious. I reduced over 1000 lbs from 2 different cars, but it is more like removing 16,000 ounces. Grinding bolts, drilling brackets, pulling every little detail possible.

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