front end weight savings
 

Well on an already gutted car, the goal was to remove an additional 40lbs off the front end which would also allow removal of some ballast weight in the rear.

Re-fabricate SC manifold and mount from aluminum rather than steel. (check)
Tubular subframe from V8 roadsters. (check)
Fabricated adjustable tubular upper control arms. (check)
Fabricated tubular lower control arms. (check)
Willwood aluminum calipers. (check)
Keisler Automation aluminum drop spindles. (check)
Single high volume radiator fan. (check)
Lightweight rotors and aluminum hats ( not yet done )

Current weight savings..........52lbs!!! :yippee:

Dimple Die all the frame rails and sheet metal. The Opera S2000 is done that way and they shaved I think 700 lbs.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1372294841

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1372294841

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1372294841

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1372294841

Please post photos of the arms and build process, please :)

Dann

I assume you've done a lot more than you've listed, so you're going to have to start picking some pretty high up fruit. A lot has been covered before. Just brain storming the usual racecar stuff.
Fibreglass front fenders
Any interior left at all? Stock dash stripped or in the bin, heater box, etc
Half size radiator if you can get enough cooling out of it
Light weight fasteners<rivets<nothing at all
Seam sealer
Strip loom
Stock reo and rad supports and generic bits of metal. Strip what you can live without, make light weight alternatives of the necessities
Sodomize everything in sight with a drill? Pedals, door and bonnet hinges always seemed overly robust to me. And thats just the beginning. Cut holes in bonnet for cooling and save weight.
Old school racing porches used bulsa wood for gear knobs, gives you an idea of how ---- it becomes. All those little grams start to add to kilos. Every gram counts.

It would probably help if you told people what your car is aimed at. Is it street driven at all? If its autocross/track/etc. When you get to extreme stuff a caged wheel to wheel track car is different to a stripped streeter/autocrosser.
Whats your budget?
What comromises are you willing to make?
WHERE IS HE!?

Pictures please!

The pictures above show how far the car is at this point. Autocrosser, already stripped, purpose built car.

40lbs more is going to be tough.

CF or Kevlar fenders will help. It looks like you already have a lightweight hood of some sort? If it's not under 8-10lbs, then there's a couple there.
Lightweight flywheel?
What about engine internals? Yep, that's high $$$ weight, but it's there.
What is your header like?
Radiator stock with a single fan? (maybe lighten up the fan with another model?)
What about your brake disks? Al hats and skinny rotors would help there too.
Al bodied shocks?
Have any pictures of your engine bay and a front corner? That might help.

What are you all going on about? His goal was to loose 40lbs, he removed 52lbs.

A polite golf clap and request for pics would be appropriate :)

The new kevlar fenders from AK that havent come out yet are supposed to be 3 pounds each while the carbon and FG versions are supposed to be 8 pounds. For baller dollars I'd be looking at a 1 piece kevlar front end.

I'm sure you've removed all the random bolts that just plug holes under the hood, I found almost 1/2 a pound of bolts that I pulled out of the under hood that I either had left over after putting stuff back in (and it hasnt fallen apart yet) or took out because they obviously didnt do anything. There's also a good couple pounds in metal brackets for the wiring harness, some that I removed like the ones for the A/C setup, and some that I kept because I was iffy on the rules.

Take the grinding wheel to the engine block if you're allowed, there are a few features on it that I are just for casting, and if you're not making big turbo power there's probably a good bit of thinning you can do without compromising the block.

I think everyone in this thread does not know the OP's mad weight reduction skills.

You guys crack me up. Let's go back and read my original post shall we? Look at pic of the car in my signature and profile picture.

Already completely gutted of interior, windshield, door guts, stock gas tank, etc. By far not a street driven car!

40lbs will be tough? The result was 52lbs and I haven't completed the last item. I appreciate all the suggestions. This car has a twin screw SC on it that's heavier than any turbo and a 5gal capacity water to air intercooler setup and weighs in right now at 1747lbs.
My original post wasn't asking for help, but rather providing it. Just wanted to share what can be accomplished even when you've already stripped a car of all the unnecessaries.

I'll post some pics tonight.

...by the way that weight is also with some huge meats for a Miata. 23.5x11.5 on 16x12s.

I have been paying attention to the mods on your car. I have a goal of getting the weight of my car into the 1900's, but maintain as many Miata characteristics as I can.

Could you elaborate on your fuel cell?

I would love to see some pictures of those control arms.

Check out the Keisler Automation facebook page. Cool stuff there.

Sorry, I thought you wanted ANOTHER 40lbs off your current setup. :fawk:

How light is the car at this point? or is that a card you're playing close to your chest?

Yes, as close to my chest as possible except for where I publicly stated it in my post above THAT YOU QUOTED ! Seriously?!

You won't find the control arms on there. Andrew does the drop spindles. I started a thread a few weeks back that I can't link from my phone. Look for "my adjustable upper control arms".

Damnit.. Yep, deserved that one.

That sounds like a really expensive 52lbs, but nice work regardless.

I seem to have endless ideas for shedding weight in the back of the local NA N/A track rat, which is currently at something like 1950 lbs without driver, with a full windshield and hard top.

Taking weight out of the front is another issue, once AC and PS are out, I'm at a bit of a loss. Your list is roughly twice what the entire car has cost.

Weight reduction is an evolutionary process. It does not happen in one day.

It is fun for me to see what I can modify to reduce weight, and the process can be quite addictive. If you get bit by the bug, it starts to get expensive once you move past the removal and modify existing parts stage.

The results are fun, fun, fun.:party: