Guest ON3GO Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Hey guys. im trying to find all kinds of ways to shave weight off my 280Z. sense i will be adding weight, with the likes of a turbo motor, intercooler, air dam, flares, and etc... im trying to make it loose a few lbs. I willbe taking out the a/c and heater, along with all the controlls. taking off the bumpers and replacing them with Euro ones. whats some other places i can shave weight on this car? Thanks mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Get rid of your fuel tank and replace it with a plastic or aluminum fuel cell. Get a fiberglass hood, or entire front end. Swap to coilover suspension (a little weight loss, but everything counts). Peel up your carpet, theres about 10 pounds of undercoating that can be chipped and peeled off under there. Replace your full size spare tire with a mini spare. Dust covers behind front disc brakes can be removed. Rear quarter windows and rear glass can be replaced with Lexan. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff I'm forgeting too. Oh yeah, Move to Yuma, wear heavy winter clothing, and eat nothing but rice cakes and water for an entire year..... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 well im gonna take out the spare. also where can i find Lexan windows? mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 I've seen sheets of Lexan at Home Depot on occasion. 1/8 thick lexan should be flexible enough to curve to the same contour as the stock windows. You'll need a skill saw or something similar to cut it to the desired shape. If you cant find it at Home Depot, You could look around in your area for companies that deal with industrial plastics and composites. Hope this helps. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAD D Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 use 240 bumpers or shave the rear bumper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Z Bushido Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 most of the basics have been covered, here are some things you could do to take it a step further... -remove soundproofing behind the dash -scrape the tar soundproofing off -take off the door panels, cut out any unnessecary metal in the door skeleton, (fabricate cf door panels). -cf dash i'm sure there are so other things... full titanium exhaust haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAD D Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Yeah, when I took out my dash I was shocked how heavy it was. If my dash was cracked I would pick up a C/F dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 the bumpers are a great first step. if you wanna go nuts, go fiberglass front end and hood lexan side and rear windows gut all the stock sound proofing take all the interior out take the dash out and run a small aluminum one (even though i love a z dash stuffed with autometers) passenger seat and all the brackets aluminum 3 gallon fuel cell a short exhaust out the side of the car aluminum radiator i bet theres more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAD D Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 One more thing, I just got my Momo RS2 GT seats in the mail. And they are light 22lbs each. I dont know what the stock seat is but it feels lighter. So that could shave a lb or two, I think And they bolth come in one box, so at first I thought I was missing one seat but there was two in the box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Im using a sparco sprint seat. it weighs next to nothing, And to save even more weight, you can remove the seat adjusters (just find where you like it and mount it solid) If you want to get creative, buy a full dash cover, then fabricate a alum tubing frame and mounting system and attach the cover to the frame, like brad mentioned, the dash is heavy. you would most certianly lose ten-15 pounds like that. Add in some autometer ultra lites and tach on the savings. make your own wiring harness! when i pulled the 240 harness out i was surprised at how much it weighed. If you made a simple 8 circuit system, It would probably save you 10 pounds...easy! the 70-72 doors are a good deal lighter, they are a different shape on the backside, but its nothing a welder and a cut up 280 door would be able to fix. fiberglass bumpers or no bumpers at all. Fab up your own radiator support out of steel tubing. be sure to cross drill your brake lines, and drain your blinker fluid! laterZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Thanks for the info guys. im prob gonna take all the sound proofing out, and replace the carpet with a lighter one. take the spare out, put a lighter fuel cell in, Euro bumpers, no a/c, no heat, carbon fiber hood, and other stuff.. but 1st thing is to do the free stuff and take it from there. thanks for all the ideas. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhaag Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 You might want to check out the last two issues of Grassroots Motorsports magazine to see a two-part series by Dave Vizard titled "The Weighting Game." He covers how less weight equals more speed but he focuses on the tremendous impact of dropping weight on things that rotate (assuming the structure of the vehicle is not compromised). Rotational mass. He covers the impact of weight reduction on non-rotating parts such as lightweight seats, Lexan windows, fiberglass fenders, etc. versus the impact of reducing the weight of rotating items like engine, clutch, flywheel and wheels. He states, "The savings delivered by lighter brakes and other suspension components are easy to see, but wheels can deliver far more benefits than [just] a reduction in unsprung weight. Not only do they have mass that is moved up and down with the suspension and forward with the car as a whole, but wheels also have rotational inertia. And reducing such inertia adds up to a whole lot more in terms of performance gains than just the weight savings itself." As with any Vizard article, it's very thorough. Check out the magazines and get a FREE copy of http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com/ Grassroots Motorsports (Click on the link that says 'Get a Free Issue.' Part II of Vizard's article appears in the June, 2003 issue which just came out. I have nothing to do with the magazine except that it's very down to earth and practical. John[/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 thanks man, ill go pick one up. i have a few of there mags and love them. Thanks mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 don't forget a dry cell battery.. thats good some some weight.. also there is a vibration dampner under the 280 rear diff... take it off.. it weighs 5 lbs easy. I also removed most of the rear sub floor.. on a 280 it has a wooded sub floor.. I removed most of the supports etc.. thats good for 7lbs or so. stock 280 seats weigh 30lbs.. no seat rail hardware.... Scott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Don't forget the power antennae. and as you replace some of the electrics, don't forget to remove the stock stuff.. ie ign setup etc.. don't forget when you do the body, to remove all emblems, side lights, drip rails.. ok ok I'm getting a bit out of control here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR8ED Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 oh yea.. remove the sun visors, side view mirros (replace with lighter stuff if ya have to).. Remove the spacer between the motor mounts.. flat piece of steel with rubber on booth ends.. Remove the spring steel hold ups for the hood.. torsion bar stuff..yea thats what its called. don't forget the shocks that hold those bumpers on.. they are very heavy too!.. so are the bolts that hold them!! Hmm have I gone too far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livewire23 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 saw the top off and go topless perhaps? Although the bracing required might be just as heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 You might want to check out the last two issues of Grassroots Motorsports magazine to see a two-part series by Dave Vizard titled "The Weighting Game." ... As with any Vizard article, it's very thorough. John[/b] Yep, Vizard's the engineer's engineer. Always thorough. I'm re-reading his book on head porting now - great book! I hadn't fully thought through the double whammy of unsprung weight before - taking it out of the wheel/tire/brake-rotor takes dead weight out the car, reduces resistance to acceleration for and aft (off corner and braking into corner) as well as makes it easier for the spring and shocks to work (side benifit.) Hmm. Lightweight wheels, tires and only enough brake rotor for your need would make alot of sense to go after this double whammy weight trimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Actually, the 240Z dash is not very heavy once you remove the guages, controls, wiring, HVAC ducting, etc. The one out of my 1970 weighed 14 lbs including the glovebox door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 Very interesting Racer X! I'm always trying to come up with ways to lose weight. One thing about reducing weight on a car not talked about alot is going on a diet. I know I could loose some pounds. I'd rather loose some weight instead of losing my a/c. Adding weight though to gain traction is a good idea not usually mentioned when this topic comes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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