13 replies to this topic

[neil_g]

what can be ditched?

ive seen carbon and fibreglass bonnets and boots, but any more ideas suggestions or comments?

[The Roadie]

No interior, just a driver's seat. Plastic windows. Fibreglass doors. Carbon fibre boot floor and floorpan.
Also you could drill lightening holes in some heavy steel components.

[miniman5]

well.... lol if u want to keep it street ligal qwite alot, get all the interiour out and get one bucket seat and flog the enterior! erm... loose the spare wheel :tongue: and all the other C**p in the boot ditch teh dash maybe and the door cards and carpets ! :grin: and radio/cd player

[philster]

you can actually get a carbon fibre roof skin, also there is a titanium front subframe available (if you've got plenty of money). I know mini spares do a plexiglass window kit. You can also get doors with aluminium skins. Ditching the carpets, sound deadening, headlining saves weight. You could put carbon fibre bumpers on or loose them all together. You could go the whole hog and get a fibreglass body shell. Then there are always things like cutting holes in the subframes with a holesaw to reduce weight.

curley carbon fibre
forceracing
streetfigher

[Dom]

and all the other C**p in the boot ditch

as long as you dont get a puncture, and make sure you dont disconnect or get rid of the battery!

[Bluemini]

I have gone down the weight saving route with mine, I ditched all the none vitals like the spare wheel (no point having one if there isnt a jack to go with it!), sound daedening, carpets, seats front and back (replaced fronts with Forza buckets), dash was replaiced with an alloy item, back seat pan and rear pockets cut out, inner wings removed. Next to go is the inner door skins, rear valance, glass (replaicing with macrolon) and possibly the boot floor and lid. In my car, if it isnt vital I've cut it out or am going to lighten it i some way. Remember tho, when cutting bits of the car off that it might weaken the structure. If in doubt - ASK!!

www.richspeed.co.uk

[Dan]

You can take most of the rear seat pan away, to where it joins the heelboard, rear bins and stuff as Bluemini says, but if you do you might be wise to fit a weld-in cage to get the strength back. I don't know if you're after this for road or track but either way you'll need some strength. If you ditch the inner front wings then you'll need bracing bars for the front subframe forward mountings as they provide a lot of the strength around there. If you have trouble insuring this then get an engineers report on the shell as if you were building a car for the SVA test. I have to say I don't like the idea of cutting holes in subframes for a road car. They take a hell of a lot of dynamic load.

Macrolon, very nice stuff Bluemini. I have to use it at work to make ballistic screens. Certainly is strong, scratches easy though. Have you used it before?

[redmini]

:wales: you can also get rid of the rear subframe in favour of a beam with coilovers

[Quick]

Cut all your hair off!!

Drive around in your underware!!

[lewis]

if you really want to save weight buy a carbon bucket seat, lighter engine parts.

[lewis]

dont know if this will make it any lighter but cut the whole back seat area out and reinforce afterwards, may become lighter but the space will look phenomenal

[Sam]

Go on a diet

[Bluemini]

Macrolon, very nice stuff Bluemini. I have to use it at work to make ballistic screens. Certainly is strong, scratches easy though. Have you used it before?

Never used it before, was gonna try and get some tailor made windows. Scratching isnt really an issue, the only areas that will get scratched will be were the sliding bit of the door windows goes.

Can you get this stuff out of work for a fee??

[Dan]

Wouldn't cut the back seat out, it is a bulkhead and forms most of the support for the shell.

Not much chance I can get away with any Macrolon I'm afraid Bluemini, it is really expensive. Like over a hundred and thirty quid for an 8' by 4' sheet in 6mm. And come to think of it, the stuff I use is really quite heavy. But you can get it in 4mm I think.

All I will say is have LOTS of spare hacksaw blades for your jigsaw, and put something on the jigsaw base to stop it scratching the plastic 'because the vinyl stuff they cover it in doesn't protect it very well. You could try to use a normal hacksaw, but you'll be there all day. This stuff don't like being cut.