2G Weight reduction running out of ideas

[Archer Fabrications]

Hey everyone. So I'm gutting my car in preps for a cage soon that I'll be building, so i want to offset the weight. I removed 115 lbs tonight from the door plastics, both oem seats, radio, speakers and bunch of random bolts and screws I'm running out of things to remove, I'd like to stay legal for the street 32 shootout class if i decide to attend at some point, so my door pannels will be going back on, center console, dash, door sills, headliner and carpet will all stay, and ill eventually have a second kirkey seat.

I was just under the dash removing the blower motor, does anyone have a link to a thread to remove all the hvac ducting under the dash? Is dash removal required?

I havnt cut any of thr wiring harnesses yet but i have a bunch of stuff that can be cleaned up down the road.

Some other things to note that are already gone or replaced with lighter stuff that are not pictured:

-power steering
-AC
-all emissions stuff in the engine bay.
-Front roll stop i fabbed a new one to half the oem weight
-carbon hood
-spare tire well deleted
-front and rear crash beams and brackets
-Everything in the rear of the car
-SRS ECU
-Rota slip streams at 14lbs each



Heres where I'm at so far to give you an idea. I am not opposed to cutting things but I'll be cutting things necessary for the cage as is. Any and all help appreciated from those with "tin cans"

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[dsmcrzy]

You will have to remove the dash to get the rest on the HVAC stuff out. Once the dash is out its pretty straight forward.

 

[ferruchnuts44]

You can get creative with a spot weld drill bit! That steel piece that runs from shock tower to shock tower can go. I'm not sure what the rules were for the dash, but removing the bottom section under the steering column clears up some weight. If you have a carbon hood with pins, just ditch the hood latch and cable. The glove box is also on the heavy side and would save some pounds. Hope that helps a little!

 

[Archer Fabrications]

You can get creative with a spot weld drill bit! That steel piece that runs from shock tower to shock tower can go. I'm not sure what the rules were for the dash, but removing the bottom section under the steering column clears up some weight. If you have a carbon hood with pins, just ditch the hood latch and cable. The glove box is also on the heavy side and would save some pounds. Hope that helps a little!

Is that shock tower brace structural though? I dont know if i ahould cut that before the cage is ready. But i agree it should go. I have removed the latch and cable. I will remove the glove box to get to stuff under the dash like passenger airbag but i want to keep the dash "looking" like it's all there.

Speaking of the passenger airbag. Is the leather cover attached to the airbag? Or am i able to seperate them and out the cover back?

 

[tylersevo]

Have you gotten all the sound deadening out yet? I attached some pics of what all I removed last winter. Most went back in to keep the car semi-comfortable on the street . Hood latch delete is a good suggestion, I just picked up a VIS so I'll be sure to do that.

 

[rEclipserGST]

Have you taken out that sheet of metal inside the glove box door? Hit some truck scales & see where you are at. I was 3010 lbs with me inside & 3/4 tank of gas.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Have you taken out that sheet of metal inside the glove box door? Hit some truck scales & see where you are at. I was 3010 lbs with me inside & 3/4 tank of gas.

Are you able to just pull off the highway to those scales? Lol i never tried it usually i weigh at the dump but highway scale would be easier. What sheet metal in the glove box? Most of my sound deadening is gone. I painted the rear seat metal because indidt like the grey color , the only deadening i have left inside is some ofnthe tar rubbery type on back ofnthe rear wheel wells. And the deadening that was behind the rear speakers. I'll do that today. I have assumed my car is somewhere at 2700lbs wothout me in it. And I'm 250lb fat ass so i fan probably cut down there too . So by my guess 2950 with me in it.
Thanks for your sugguestions everyone! Any more helpful tips? Thinking about just removing the dash and going to town on the heater core and ducting I'm moving to arizona so i doubt I'll be needing that...ever

 

[rEclipserGST]

You will have to pop the tabs off, its the actual cover door to the glove box. Use a screw driver. There should be a thread on it somewhere on dsmtuners, because thats what i followed when i did mine. Its inbetween the plastic & the glove box cover. You will be amazed & wonder why they even put it there. Glove box is so much easier to used after. That alone is worth it.

But I weigh 160 lbs or so back when I weighed mine at the track.

Pilot truck stops & BP's have scales usually for truck drivers. Thats where I would go weigh it, not the highway. State Highway might hassle you haha.

 

[dsmcrzy]

I am sure the metal is there for security as the glovebox does lock. Beside that I don't get why that metal is there. It does weight a lot though! Good to know it's easy to take out and is easier to use with out it!

 

[tylersevo]

I'm moving to arizona so i doubt I'll be needing that...ever

Where at in AZ? I'll be moving to Scottsdale/Phoenix area next year.

 

[ferruchnuts44]

Is that shock tower brace structural though? I dont know if i ahould cut that before the cage is ready. But i agree it should go. I have removed the latch and cable. I will remove the glove box to get to stuff under the dash like passenger airbag but i want to keep the dash "looking" like it's all there.

Speaking of the passenger airbag. Is the leather cover attached to the airbag? Or am i able to seperate them and out the cover back?

It's not as structural as you'd think, I had it cut out of my old chassis without a cage and the cage in my new car has the rear bar of the cage attach across the rear shock towers so it had to go regardless.
You can separate the airbag cover from the airbag and just use something to attach it back on the dash. I even removed the metal bracket on the pad as well.

 

[twicks69]

The metal in the glove box door and under the steering column is for crash safety.

 

[darknezz7]

Dude it still gets cold sometimes in az along with flooding rains. I would leave the heat if its still a DD. The plastic hvac boxs, ducting motor and heater core are probably only 15-20 lbs.

Sometimes I dont think A little bit of weight saving is worth it, just make the car more powerful .

Otherwise dash removal is not that bad then you can gut it underneath.

The passenger air bag cover is attached with rivits, we drilled them out and ditched the air bag unit, now its a nifty stash spot , a 10" netbook on a swing arm will exist there one day for tuning and sound control.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

you can cut the rear wheel wells out and replace with aluminum, look for carbon or fiber glass fenders! start buying Chromoly items and perhaps build the cage from it aswell! that will help ALOT! you can try remove all double skins on the trunk as much as possible, are you going to run poly windows? you got to try take as much double layers off as possible so if you got CF parts thats great if not then doors, inner body everywhere there is extra layers REMOVE THEM!

you got gas struts still on so they can go, locks and latch brackets are all added weight

 

[darknezz7]

Obviously CF doors, fenders and hatch would cut down a lot on weight, I think OP is trying to do free weight reduction stuff though.
First Cf piece I'd get would be hatch, since you have hood.

 

[91stocker]

Are you auto or manual? The e-brake handle, brackets, cables, etc are pretty heavy.

-The wire harnesses do add up to quite a bit.
-Half radiator/ebay honda rad
-heat shields under the car and gas tank
-brake dust shields

Probably a few more things without having to spend an arm and a leg.

 

[Tiki2777]

I personally really really want to go carbon fiber hatch/trunk. I'm sick of them rusting, and they can save a lot of weight.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Where at in AZ? I'll be moving to Scottsdale/Phoenix area next year.

Scottsdale/rio verde

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Dude it still gets cold sometimes in az along with flooding rains. I would leave the heat if its still a DD. The plastic hvac boxs, ducting motor and heater core are probably only 15-20 lbs.

Sometimes I dont think A little bit of weight saving is worth it, just make the car more powerful .

Otherwise dash removal is not that bad then you can gut it underneath.

The passenger air bag cover is attached with rivits, we drilled them out and ditched the air bag unit, now its a nifty stash spot , a 10" netbook on a swing arm will exist there one day for tuning and sound control.

Definately not a DD, definately not ever driving it in the rain again this car is for weekend tuning/cruises and drag racing. Ive got an 02 ram 1500 for the DD

I like your netbook idea, i habe an 11" macbook air that i use would be a good plce to keep it.

 

[Archer Fabrications]

you can cut the rear wheel wells out and replace with aluminum, look for carbon or fiber glass fenders! start buying Chromoly items and perhaps build the cage from it aswell! that will help ALOT! you can try remove all double skins on the trunk as much as possible, are you going to run poly windows? you got to try take as much double layers off as possible so if you got CF parts thats great if not then doors, inner body everywhere there is extra layers REMOVE THEM!

you got gas struts still on so they can go, locks and latch brackets are all added weight

Although carbon goodies would be nice, and i do plan to get a hatch with lexan or FAL glass, but other then that it's a little too expensive to justify for me. The fenders arent too bad i guess. What do you mean double skin? Like sandwiched sheetmetal? Think i gotta keep the door locks for obvious reasons

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Obviously CF doors, fenders and hatch would cut down a lot on weight, I think OP is trying to do free weight reduction stuff though.
First Cf piece I'd get would be hatch, since you have hood.

I like you. Lol your on point

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Are you auto or manual? The e-brake handle, brackets, cables, etc are pretty heavy.

-The wire harnesses do add up to quite a bit.
-Half radiator/ebay honda rad
-heat shields under the car and gas tank
-brake dust shields

Probably a few more things without having to spend an arm and a leg.

I'm a manual. Think i always will be. I ise the ebreak for preloding the drive train while launching so gotta keep that. Unless i get staging break.

I have a koyo half radiator but i just replaced it with an mk3 golf rad thats mounted in the rad support. The half rad stuck out too far for my turbo.

Heat shields are gone, i have a side exit exhaust as well
Gas tank, yes i want to make a 5 gallon fuel cell.

Break dust shields. Good idea, but is it worth it for keeping the engine clean? (If dust even reaches) arent they only a couple ounces though? I know everything helps, just curious.


Thanks for your replies everyone!

 

[91stocker]

Do the 2g's have the long heat shield above the driveshaft? Also i meant the gas tank shield.

Yeah the brake dust shields dont weight much, but i remember a quote from a while back, "there isnt one thing that weighs 1,000lbs, but there are a 1,000 things that weigh 1lb", or something like that .

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Do the 2g's have the long heat shield above the driveshaft? Also i meant the gas tank shield.

Yeah the brake dust shields dont weight much, but i remember a quote from a while back, "there isnt one thing that weighs 1,000lbs, but there are a 1,000 things that weigh 1lb", or something like that .

Oh i understand and agree, i just like a clean car and it was a risk vs reward thing . I remember reading about a guy shaving things on his car like the letters on the valve cover to take any weight off anything he could. Infact i just removed 3 pounds of bolts from my rear seat belt and seat mountinf

Yes the 2g's habe a driveshaft/exhaust heat shirld. I removed all that.

 

[twicks69]

Break dust shields. Good idea, but is it worth it for keeping the engine clean? (If dust even reaches) arent they only a couple ounces though? I know everything helps, just curious.

Remove them. If you haven't already, and want to drop some more, lightweight front/rear brakes. If you don't have a need for the E-brake, remove it, and all the associated hardware, brake dust shields, cables, lever assembly and bracketry. If you intend on keeping your factory E-brake, then at least remove the dust shields from the fronts, if you haven't taken apart the rears its not worth trying to fully remove them and destroy stock axles/hubs until they break or are too worn.

There is alot behind the dash you can pull, and a TON of wiring that can be removed.