Lightest 911

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jyl

I admit to just fast forwarding through the video - while I like drillium, it got tedious.

I wonder what weight reduction is possible by replacing body panels with aluminum or carbon fiber, glass with Lexan, and NOT doing all that drillium? If you want to go further and blow even more money, remake as many steel components as possible in titanium.

The front fenders, hood, and front bumper are all fiberglass. The seats were custom made fiberglass. The gas tank is a plastic Porsche racing. The windshield is lexan and I think all of the other windows are lexan. Some other stuff was fabricated in aluminum. They swapped an old Al case motor for a Mg case motor.

I think this thing is considerably lighter than the 911R, so they used all/most of the original tricks, plus added a bunch more.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by jyl

I admit to just fast forwarding through the video - while I like drillium, it got tedious.

I wonder what weight reduction is possible by replacing body panels with aluminum or carbon fiber, glass with Lexan, and NOT doing all that drillium? If you want to go further and blow even more money, remake as many steel components as possible in titanium.

I really regret not taking pics of the 911K body that Tuthill Porsche has engineered, but given any random 1973 tub, they replace the roof, floors, entire rear bulkhead (package tray & seating sheetmetal) and rear quarters with carbon fiber. Doors, fenders, decklid, bumpers, etc. are also CF. The bare, painted body was stunning on so many levels.

They do the same with later G body tubs all the way up to 993 to create their RSR interpretation which weighs in at 1800+ lb. complete. They even detuned the engine from 450 or so down to 330 hp (if memory serves) because the 400+ was just too much for the car and too easy to get into trouble fast. They must have watched some Mustang videos and then detuned.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by jyl

I admit to just fast forwarding through the video - while I like drillium, it got tedious.

I wonder what weight reduction is possible by replacing body panels with aluminum or carbon fiber, glass with Lexan, and NOT doing all that drillium? If you want to go further and blow even more money, remake as many steel components as possible in titanium.

Agree here and with Higgens. I think there are ways to lighten a 911 significantly w/o making Swiss cheese. The 914 rear lids with balsa ribbing come to mind and that was then. The rocker panels on a 911 may or may not be overengineered. There isn't a lot of change to the Targa body with the exception of some additional pieces near the footwell. And there's that heated tube ass'y and all the connections.

If roll over concerns are not considered, the windshield frame is quite heavy being 3 folded and spot welded members. 2 would do it easily.

I can't think of a lot of redundancy in the front except for the smuggler's box and more tubing. Early cars had the metal battery boxes.

Suspensions can be surprisingly heavy and I would think need so for longevity. But for the point, there is some to gain there. The rear spring plates are complex and once dialed in could be greatly simplified.

IDK if the car here had CF rotors and that sort of thing but light wheels and tires could probably save quite a bit.

The front and rear bulkheads along with the package tray could very well be bonded AL of CF. That could be true with the tunnel as well. If the tunnel is a torsional component, it should be one piece CF.

It is obvious to state that the roof and all bolt on body parts be CF, even the welded rear quarters including the entire rear glass area. The rear lid would not touch metal anywhere including the entire rear latch panel. All composite. The front equivalent as well. That's a lot of work.

All in all, I think a stock 911 could be operated without the floors or rear seat area, and certainly no gas tank as we know it. Could all that be CF? I'm far from an engineer, just a guy who has a lot of time with a Sawzall in hand.

And I didn't even get to the dash or interior, or lack thereof.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Agree here and with Higgens. I think there are ways to lighten a 911 significantly w/o making Swiss cheese. The 914 rear lids with balsa ribbing come to mind and that was then. The rocker panels on a 911 may or may not be overengineered. There isn't a lot of change to the Targa body with the exception of some additional pieces near the footwell. And there's that heated tube ass'y and all the connections.

The front hood was fiberglass that they lined with balsa wood.

IDK if the car here had CF rotors and that sort of thing but light wheels and tires could probably save quite a bit.

Those were custom made wheels. They were steel centers with custom aluminum rims. The steel wheels were milled for thickness, and the holes in them were ground to be twice as large as they had been originally. And they used lightweight dunlop racing tires. I think he said the whole thing was 4.3kg

The front and rear bulkheads along with the package tray could very well be bonded AL of CF. That could be true with the tunnel as well. If the tunnel is a torsional component, it should be one piece CF.

It is obvious to state that the roof and all bolt on body parts be CF, even the welded rear quarters including the entire rear glass area. The rear lid would not touch metal anywhere including the entire rear latch panel. All composite. The front equivalent as well. That's a lot of work.

I'm pretty sure that all of the bolt on body work was thin, lightweight fiberglass. I think the rest of the body was steel. The car when he bought it had been converted to look like an SC, so they did patch back in the original steel rear fenders for the original style fender lip.
He did discuss that a lot of the lightning was with a mind to maintaining structural rigidity where it was needed, but that they kept in mind that a much lighter weight car shouldn't need the same sort of rigidity as one weighing twice as much.

They built it and the whole thing weighs 627kg, but he's going to put in on a diet to try to get it down to 595kg.

[mistertate]

“Don’t touch touch that window winder, it’s a crumple zone”

[TimT]

My 911 weighs 1846# with 180# ballast in the drivers seat when I scaled and corner balanced it..



It has a full cage







Also:

Carbon front spoiler and rear duck
Fiberglass front fender,doors,rear fenders, roof skin.
Fikse FM10s 9X17F 11X17R
Kirkey seat
Front,rear, rear quarters all Lexan
2.2mag block,ITB,EFI about 210 in current tune
Regeared 901
LSD
Gauge delete, has Aim dash, Mychron?
Koni 3012 aluminum rear shock by Truechoice
Raised spindle Bilsein RSR front struts
No front headlights
911R taillights
M&K v-band headers
M&K RSR exhaust or megaphone depending..




There is still weight that can be removed, I've thought about removing the rear seats and replacing with an aluminum deck. The rear trailing arms are still steel.... I have a set of alum arms... but am running out of motivation to install them..



Watkins Glen with a car with Lemans history




Even though is caged, and I used an FEA program to find hotspots and areas where the cage needed beefing up.... I don't think being in this car and balling it up would end well..

[look 171]

Originally Posted by LWJ

I’m sort of drooling over the green car. Love the execution of this. And, has a track approved hood raising device!

It aint comfortable that's for sure. No wiper motor, nothing that's necessary only signal indicator lever. Steel door went back on there. Glass rear windshield and side read windows instead of plastic. Glove box remained but everything else is just a button with nothing behind to "save weight". I am thinking of going with a thinner torsion bar and semi solid motor for better street feel. it was decided a couple years ago that my track will be my Cayman S instead of this. This will be my ear plugged street driving hooligan car.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

OK so he wanted to do something to win a bet. Fine but, it has not real value other than being an oddity. No seatbelts, really? Key structural areas massively drilled out? That thing will fold if it hits a pothole. I respect that he wanted to do a project - good for him.

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Dangerous and stupid. Vastly, vastly diminished structural integrity.

Originally Posted by pwd72s

I'll agree with that...

[QUOTE=masraum;12019711]I could live with the holes and diminished structural integrity...

Originally Posted by Zeke

Agree here and with Higgens...

LOL Observation that 3 people agree with Higgens when I said the same thing a few posts earlier. Maybe I'm not showing up on the thread..

[look 171]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Can you insulate them? Or are they insulated and still get hot?

No insulation and not gonna to do it. I am not seating in the passenger seat so the natural heater is reserved for passenger if they dare to ride in it. Insulation add weight

[stevej37]

I'm surprised he didn't swap the solid wood shift knob for a whiffle ball.
Coulda saved a hundred or more grams there.