Getting Some Weight Out

[Peredur]

Hi,

I'm currently building a 4dr Loon Road Rally car. The number one priority at the moment is lightness so:

Anybody got some innovative ideas on how to get some weight out of the loon? I'm planning on chopping out anything and everything form the shell (carpet support, rear bulkhead, seatbelt anchors) but I was wondering if there are any ideas out there that I haven't thought of.
And please don't say that I should have got a 3dr hatch shell, I'm sticking with the loon.

Thanks

Peredur

[turbojolt]

how much do you weigh?

[bazzap8389]

Gut the doors of everything not needed and just cut away any metal not needed, poly windows etc

[Peredur]

TJ, I'm about 70kg, gonna work on that don't worru.

Bazza, I've taken 8kg each out of the back doors, fronts will be the same.

[JJL]

If you're planning on using it for competition i'd leave the rear bulkhead or replace it with an ally one. Relocating the battery to the boot or cockpit will aid weight distribution. With regards to the gutting it depends how far your willing to go but it's not really advisable to take a starrot cutter to every visible panel without a cage (to gain strength that is lost with gutting) although this will just add weight. a way to shed a lot of weight would be to remove the rear doors completely and weld shut just the outer skin.

[turbojolt]

TJ, I'm about 70kg, gonna work on that don't worru.

Bazza, I've taken 8kg each out of the back doors, fronts will be the same.

you weigh 11 stone I hope by working on it you mean eating something lol

what about fiberglass bonnet and front wings and a superlight weight battery

[JJL]

you weigh 11 stone I hope by working on it you mean eating something lol

what about fiberglass bonnet and front wings and a superlight weight battery


Might only be three feet tall in which case he has a problem

[Peredur]

thanks guys, there will be a pretty comprehensive cage going in, a FG bonnet will go in, battery will be a dry cell job in the nav's footwell

[phunkynova]

Don't forget to take out the sound deading material on the floor of the car it has some weight in it.

[8valve-craig]

Don't you have to keep the rear seats for road rallies?

[nova.mike]

Remove the heating system? I'm planning on doing that with my nova other next winter. Disconnect the heater matrix and join the 2 pipes going into with with a copper pipe.

[Peredur]

Thanks, I'm keeping the rear seat just chopping most of the bulkhead out Craig.

[bazzap8389]

Put in carbon/fibreglass buckets, will be a good weight saving there.

[Benn]

Extra doors wont help tho... Hole saw holes in to large areas of metal, that will help.
Cut the spare wheel well, strip the wiring loom down to the need only wires, cut down dash, cut all the frame out the bootlid, the pin it on.
Cut the rear shelf out (make sure a roll cage tag is there some where tho, for strength)

[Peredur]

Any more ideas anyone? I've studied Colin (novarally), trackdaynova, the count and oli's threads for ideas and was wondering if there's anything else that can be done?

Thanks

[bazzap8389]

Replace all panels with fibreglass ones. Should be a good saving there.

[mowgli]

don't go too crazy with removal of stuff..

look at things like decent suspension, brakes & rubber first..

for god's sake, don't remove the heater, its for road rallying usually in crap weather or at night, thus you'll need it.

personally, I wouldn't recommend removal of any structural metal. this is a road car, and will be insured as one.

[Stuart]

pulling a few grams of metal out here and there wont help much if you are a)a crap driver or b.) on a compromised chassis setup.

I'd only be chasing weight after the chassis and driver have been setup. then pull weight, then chase power.

[philip]

Dont know if possible on the mova. But with the evos. Weve drilled outer b pillars and sills and single skinned everything. Saved circa 80 but did include all brackets et . Lots of work.

[Peredur]

Thanks guys, Heater's staying as Welsh nights can be cold!
Suspension will be HH Bilstein Coilovers on the front and yellow bilsteins on the back with the appropriate bumpy tar spec springs.
Brakes will be 4 discs with 4pots on the front, rubber will be Yoko 21's, 35's, 48's or dunlop A2s (Proper rally tyres)
I'm a total beginner driver however I want to build the best car I can given limited time, money and talent.

I'm removing weight as (to me) it seems to be the most time/cost effective method of increasing all round performance. The budget is fairly tight so I can't compensate with big power (1400cc 8v 120bhp hopefully)

Thanks

[mowgli]

120hp is plenty in a nova on rough country lanes for a start. unfortunately there is a good chance you will stuff it & need a new shell, so keep it pretty stock, remove stuff that can be unbolted, but keep everything else std.

[RallyMarshal]

I'm removing weight as (to me) it seems to be the most time/cost effective method of increasing all round performance. The budget is fairly tight so I can't compensate with big power (1400cc 8v 120bhp hopefully)

Thanks

I think youll struggle to get that kind of power out of a 1.4 8v roadrally engine with std induction system or twin choke carb..

Paul..

[phunkynova]

The BIGGEST performance improvement you can make as a novice road rally driver is to have a good navigator END.
Me and my brother used to do loads of road rally's in a standard MK1 Astra 1300 bar Bilstein's a sump guard and some good tyres and finished in the top 5.
Road Rallying Rule 1 you need a good NAVIGATOR
Road Rallying Rule 2 you need a good NAVIGATOR
Road Rallying Rule 3 power is nothing when your going the wrong way !!!!
Are you getting the picture. :thumb:

[Peredur]

Thanks, I know the value of a good nav as i'm a road rally nav so know the ins and outs, got 17th o/a lats weekend. A fried of mine will nav and his dad is an international co-driver so I'd bloody hope he knows his way round a map

[phunkynova]

Sorry to say the days of a good co-driver was that he came as a top road rally man are long gone, road rally navigating and stage rally navigating have now very little skill's in common now a day's.