Ideas for lighter, but similarly equipped interior/body??

[SHOblime]

I have been thinking that maybe better improvements in overally driveability might be had in the realm of weight removal. Would it be worthwhile to remove the maximum amount of dead weight/ interior materials and replace it with lighter weight and perhaps better equipment? The seats obviously ROCK, but I think the subtraction of the front and rear seats, sound deadening everywhere could be replaced with a single lighter more advanced layer of materials used for car audio. The doors could be cut, heavy power window equipment removed, maybe a little bracing here and there...I love this car, but I wish it weighed about 500lbs less...I think I'd even give up the second sun visor to get there....

 

[jelloslug]

Here is a quick a dirty list of things you could remove or change and still have an SHO in the inside:

All the carpet padding and rubber/tar sound deading in the cabin and the trunk. Even better get an inexpensive aftermarket molded carpet, they weigh about 1/4 as much as stock. This should net you 50 lbs or so.

Swap out the power seat racks with manual racks, thats where the weight in the seats is. That should get you at least 30lbs or more if you do both.

Simple aftermarket sound system (no big sub boxes or amps). If you remove all the stock wiring and other unused parts you sould see at least 10-15 lbs depending on which gen.

The power windows don't really weigh that much compared to there manual counterparts. I think the net on that is around 5 lbs or so. Same goes with the power door locks. That would be roughly another 5 lbs.

Ditch the spare tire, jack, and tire iron. Thats another 20 lbs or so

Sheet metal removal: The skys the limit, just don't make it unsafe. I would say 30 lbs with just the doors and the rear package tray.

A/C delete: Thats a good 50lbs right there. Even more if you swap out the EATC with a heater only control box and heater only plentum.

Rear seat delete: They don't weigh much but with the back seat out and the seat belts gone you could save anouther 30lbs or so.

Fiberglass hood. If it's a first gen the Plus hood will save 20lbs. The aftermarket hoods are even lighter. The proposed carbon fiber ones would be even lighter.

Airbag(s): Not a recomended change but you could save 15-25 lbs depending on the year.

That's about 275 with just the stuff I listed. Ther are several other things you could do like ditch everything on the inside, go crazy with a hole saw (even under the body clading and bumper covers), fix the windows in place and remove the actuators completly, ditch the heater, radio, and any other option not needed for racing, ect.

 

[sho_bc]

basically have it look like Glen's (Hack) SHO. nothing in there but the front two seats and parts of the dash.

 

[mosho93]

I say, Leave one seat and you are good to go. Some racing seats would save a bunch, but man it would be tuff to give up those nice comfy seats! Let us know what the outcome is!

 

[sho_bc]

I say, Leave one seat and you are good to go. Some racing seats would save a bunch, but man it would be tuff to give up those nice comfy seats! Let us know what the outcome is!

Recaro makes some nice, comfy looking racing seats. not sure on their weight though.

 

[n8rsk8r]

Cobra racing seats are good too, they weigh almost nothing. That would be cool to have someone make some fiberglass front fenders:nice: probably save some good weight with that, and fiberglass hood, alot of savings~!

 

[FAST4DR]

You know I have considered removing the interior in my 95 to save weight, but I just don't think it will save enough weight to make that big of a difference in relation to all the noise, etc. that I would have to put up with.

How many of us are actually racing these cars in a competition where you win anything? I mean, I can see it if you are going to contest some kind of championship, but for a play/street car, I don't know if I can do it. If you only use the car to go to the track, then by all means do it. But, I like to drive my car on the street and have some sort of comfort.

I think you could save a lot of weight if you could replace the side windows and rear window with some sort of plexiglass.

I think the most I will do is change the seats to lower weight racings seats, pull the carpet and scrape up all the seam sealer and put down a lightweight carpet. If I could get plexiglass windows the same shape as the factory windows and were operable, I would do that.

Will

ps. How about this for an idea... What if you took say a fender and cut out all the metal you could, but left the parts that bolt to the car and layed fiberglass or carbon fiber in between. I mean you could cut out a huge section of the roof, rear quarters, trunk lid, hood, front fenders, etc. So the frame would be metal but all the parts in between would be fiberglass or carbon.

I did this with a sub box I built out of 3/4" MDF. I used a hole saw and cut holes everywhere, symetrically. (I have a picture somewhere) Then I glued masonite over the outside of the box. Dropped 30 lbs from the box and didn't change the structural integrity.