I have some off season sorting to do (temps won't go below 100+ until September) and while under the car I found some more brackets that can come off.

So I spent 30 minutes removing the metal flap that was meant to protect the stock fuel filler (I have a cell) and the passenger side fuel tank mount. My reward for this 1.3lbs saved which got me thinking (always bad) about other things that might shave 1/1000th of second.

Door hinges: as I've stripped the innards those don't need to be as beefy and they weigh 1.5lbs per set. I can drill and mill them down so between both doors there is a least 1lb to be had.

I've yet to strip all of the undercoating off the rear fender wells.......got to be 1/2 a pound there.

The A15 block has several accessory lugs on it and if I mill back the casting for the fuel pump and if I cut off the ID casting there must be a pound there.

The front fenders really are just wheel covers and at 8lbs a piece if I Swiss cheese the reinforcing panel back by the door I bet I can get a pound there.

Then there is the battery tower/tray that thing weighs over a pound.

The front tranny case / bell housing; at 10lbs I'm sure one could mill 1mm of the inside gotta be a pound there.

Now there are all those bolts on the car that have 5 or 6 threads sticking out past the nut. How much extra weight am I dragging around with that.

Then there is the cast iron 280ZX calipers; they've had some metal milled off the back and that carrier could probably stand to have some metal taken off, oh and those 280ZX cast iron hubs surely they'd still be sturdy enough if I milled some weight of the inside (no danger there)

Those aluminum 13" wheels at 13lbs each are clearly street wheels, bet you could mill a pound or two off of them. (Nothing dangerous in that)

If I cut 1440 1" flared holes in the chassis that'll save 10bs.

OR

I could spend money on actual components that save real amounts of weight.

Tom

Hi Tom, I don't know you well so take this for the fun that it's meant to be in.

Does the driver still have his appendix, gall bladder, or any other body part that's not necessary for driving? Maybe trim toe and finger nails? Shave excess hair? Shed excess clothing?

don't eat or drink before a race?

I lost 3 positions between go kart races the other week, one for every chocolate bar I ate between the races...

Demacoz, mostly tongue in check but from time to time I suffer from Chapman disease.

As for me most my hair has migrated, I eat lots of bran and I always empty the bladder, this keeps me right around 138-140lbs. When I got married I was 118lbs but over the last 25 years the wife's cookin has fattened me up.

I've told my fabricator friend I'm sure we could mill .020 off the roof and shed a few pounds as well as weld up the whole rear end out of aluminum.

I actually calculated a money is no object weight savings for the car. $6000 will shave close to 200lbs taking it to 1614 with me in it. Half that would build a motor with 25 more horsepower, which is what the car really needs.

In ow I wonder how many sanding discs it takes to sand enough metal off the inner rear fenders to shed a few pounds?

Tom

How about that cast iron very heavy bracket that bolts onto the block and supports the alternator ?
that must weigh a few kg.....

Quote:

"Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere" - Colin Chapman.

radiator alloy? alternator suzuki firefly? bellhousing can be drilled, block has plenty of areas to shave, belt driven cam, oil pump, lectric h2o pump and lastly magensium rims will be the most savings my 13 x 7 weighed in at 4.25kgs each. and much lighter calipers and hubs are avail from time to time from pjz.

best savings are stay off white bread or processed wheat products and dry chips

@thaifrog that alternator bracket weighs 1.5lbs

@fandastick I carry 1-2 mph more corner speed than any of my competitors, I'm getting gang raped on the starts and up the long straights. I give away 2-3 lengths on the start regardless of how good a start I get.

D I have a late model Sentra radiator and tiny alternator. Here are some of the fun things;

Lithium battery $210 saves 21lbs
Uber light wheels $1100 saves 16-18lbs
280ZX aluminum hubs $900 saves 4lbs
Wilwood Calipers $300 saves 12lbls
Wilwood Rotors $350 saves 11lbs
Fiberglass Hood $300 saves 20lbs
Fiberglass Trunk Lid $250 saves 4lbs
Redo Cage 1.5" x .095 wall $1500 saves 42lbs
Composite leaf springs $300 saves 21lbs
Aluminum door skins $100 saves 20lbs (hours of labor) .

Here is what I'm actually doing over the summer:

Getting the car on a dyno to see exactly where the powerband is to optimize shift points and make sure the mains are spot on. (Dyno tuning the A12 picked up 5 peak HP)

Installing an a/f ratio gauge to make sure I've got the lower rpm part throttle carburation ispot on as well.

I'm going down from a 4.38 rear gear to a 4.62 R&P, this brings the RPMs up in 4th for the corners procedimg the longest straight always.

Modifying the crossmember so we can lower the motor and trans 1.5" and possibly move them back another 3/4 to 1" (it's already pushed back 1.5" from stock now).

There is 35lbs I can pull out of the car for vintage race weekends (passenger side 5 point harness is near 10lbs worth of stuff, wiper motor 5lbs and the passenger race seat with hardware is another 20)

Clean up some of the aerodynamics; no air dam right now and there are some body panels that could fit better (this is last is what can be easily done is worth the equivalent of 2hp).

Tom,
Don't forget acid dipping the body shell while you have it apart.
A properly timed Fleet enema will delete some mass that needs to be accelerated and decelerated all around the track too. (though it should be noted that timing is everything in this case...)

haha Ogre! classic procedure removing rear end sloppiness :)

Id leave cage and hubs alone but definitely the following
l.batt, c.springs, f. hood, ww brakes = 80-85lbs!
and a dyno tune for the meantime. Gut doors & acid dip
then install if you havent aircraft/rallye sliding lexan setup.
As for the savings on hubs and rollcage you should
consider the B6 mazda head swap which with those carbs
can make 200+ hp as done by many miata s1 fans with the
highest recorded 160kws at wheels or 240+hp at 9200rpm
head is heavier than A series but eliminates front cover
as its all belt drive which will rid chain and weight the same
as the original ohv head setup in the end.

if tc head is allowed then aftermarket support and info
for miata 1.6 is awesome and you will be revving the
engine with longer rebuild periods thanks to less friction


I guess already lexan glass? and cheap hot wires in oz are around 250-400aud or $50usd :)

bread change to gluten free old heritage grain spelt and no sweets or fruits after 2pm