Weight reduction: Running out of ideas.

Motivational said:
I still have 52 more pounds I can get out of it easily. 1 piece fiberglass t-top being made right now and carbon fiber lithium ion battery.
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OK that's got potential for the racer. I too am a fanatic on shaving ounces cuz they add up to pounds. It really shows on my 200 HP road racer. Who made the CF seat? I have a Kirkey alloy seat now.

Colin Chapman of Lotus said something like 'horsepower makes you fast in a straight line but lightness makes you fast everywhere':idea:
 
Motivational said:
I ordered a Lexan pre formed 3/16 windshield this morning.:nuts:
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I made my own rear window for a fastback by sandwiching a piece of plexi between two rear glasses in the Mojave sun. After about two weeks I had a perfectly formed rear screen.

This wouldn't work with Lexan but it does demonstrate the power of our solar out here.:beer:
 
Trans crossmember and shifter bracket.

Been making some progress on the replacement trans crossmember when I'm not out getting more argon for the tig, and blades and repair parts for my jigsaw. Another trial fit for the crossmember:

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Right now I'm at 10# (the original was 22#). I'm still adding some gussets and assorted pieces to it. I'd like to stay at or below 12# for this, but we'll see where it's at when I'm happy with the strength of it. I've hung my weight on it (and that number is none of your damn business :amused:), and it feels pretty good. Adding 20% more material to it to increase the stiffness will still keep me at 12#.

Cut out my shifter bracket yesterday. I'm mounting the stock shifter to the Muncie transmission rather than to a separate bracket that bolted to the crossmember. The bracket is half inch aluminum and currently at 13 ounces, but I can get a couple more out of it with a bit more machining away of the "excess" material.

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The major players with my transmission swap (taking out the 5 speed and putting the M21 back in for the season) give me about 40# off the car. The trans is about 30# lighter, the crossmember will hopefully be 10# lighter, the new pressure plate is 3 1/2 # lighter, and the tubular shifter rods and aluminum shifter arms are about a pound lighter.

One other item on the list. The stock shifter has a 1 3/4" ball on the top. It's steel and weighs half a pound (obscenely heavy for such a small part). I'm hoping to get back to my favorite scrap yard in the near future to see if I can find a chunk of aluminum to make a replacement shifter ball. It won't be much weight reduction, but it will be a bit less unproductive weight in the car.
 
You need to hit a pool table/billiards supply house, and buy an 8 ball for shifter knob.....

I have a HURST chrome lever with a 8 ball on it, and if you don't have a 8 ball shifter, you know you just ain't COOL.......:1st::shocking::beer:
 
So my stock deluxe door panels weigh about 11 pounds each. There is weight to be saved if you also take out inner door release and lock handle mechanism and rods. I also found the power window motor cover weighs 1 pound so I will be taking those out as well. I am thinking of making some new door panels and release handle to save 20lbs total between both sides.
 
mrvette said:
You need to hit a pool table/billiards supply house, and buy an 8 ball for shifter knob.....

I have a HURST chrome lever with a 8 ball on it, and if you don't have a 8 ball shifter, you know you just ain't COOL.......:1st::shocking::beer:
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CV products has a super light yet tiny shifter ball, I have one too

cvc-130-300x300.jpg
 
Twin_Turbo said:
mrvette said:
You need to hit a pool table/billiards supply house, and buy an 8 ball for shifter knob.....

I have a HURST chrome lever with a 8 ball on it, and if you don't have a 8 ball shifter, you know you just ain't COOL.......:1st::shocking::beer:
Click to expand...

CV products has a super light yet tiny shifter ball, I have one too

cvc-130-300x300.jpg
Click to expand...

50's, James Dean, there simply is NO sub for a 8 ball shifter.....:nuts:

But the above is nice, I have to admit.....:hijack:
 
Motivational said:
So my stock deluxe door panels weigh about 11 pounds each. There is weight to be saved if you also take out inner door release and lock handle mechanism and rods. I also found the power window motor cover weighs 1 pound so I will be taking those out as well. I am thinking of making some new door panels and release handle to save 20lbs total between both sides.
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I was similarly annoyed with the bulkiness of the covers. I took out the originals and put in some substitutes.

IM001685.jpg
 
Twin_Turbo said:
mrvette said:
You need to hit a pool table/billiards supply house, and buy an 8 ball for shifter knob.....

I have a HURST chrome lever with a 8 ball on it, and if you don't have a 8 ball shifter, you know you just ain't COOL.......:1st::shocking::beer:
Click to expand...

CV products has a super light yet tiny shifter ball, I have one too

cvc-130-300x300.jpg
Click to expand...

Sharp looking.
I'm using the stock shifter which has a 9/16 or 5/8" thread into the ball, along with a large counterbore underneath to allow the tee handle setup to engage into the ball. I think a custom piece is my only option.
 
Mike, I have a Hurst chrome shifter handle rather similar looking to the one shown above, I bought a 8 ball, drilled it in the press, large enough hole for the metal insert I epoxied in place, and I think the rod end was done in 3/8-16 standard bolt, I ground down the Hurst rod and ran a die over it....shaped the end so as fit inside the ball nice and snug.....

:gurney:
 
You have to buy a whole kit to get the hubs from Strange Engineering. Aerospace Components makes some too as well as Wilwood.
 
Motivational said:
You have to buy a whole kit to get the hubs from Strange Engineering. Aerospace Components makes some too as well as Wilwood.
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Okay, thanks. I saw the wilwoods, but they are sold as 70 impala, and Corvette guys say they are identical ( last time I looked). Not sure I want Aerospace, my other car has them.
 
@69427-- the hurst super shifter 3 is way better than the factory shifter, and has a plastic ball.
 
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