weight loss program for the 81 SC ???

[aigel]

Well, I think it wouldn't hurt to loose a few pounds, I feel that I have added more to the car (e.g. rollbar, strut brace) than I have taken off. The car is still a daily driver in the rainy season (my only car that doesn't leak water!), but I don't need to haul family or ned every creature comfort available...

1. How much weight is in the back seats? I would like to take the seats out but keep the rear sail panels and install a carpet kit. Does someone make a carpet kit for the rear seat area?

2. How much weight is in the door panels, compared to a set of RS panels. My panels are nice (the standard jobs with the storage compartments) and I wonder if it is worth taking them out and replacing them with RS panels>

3. I have a huge interstate battery. Thinking that I will wait until it goes (can be forever). Then put a small optima in the smugglers box. Weight saving here?

4. Center console. Since I have no A/C, do I need the fan control stuff on the console? Can this be removed completely. Again, I like that compartment. How much weight can I save here. Doesn't seem more than 10lb?

5. Power windows? Switch over to manual cranks? How much does that save? I'd probably do that whenever the p/w give me trouble, or when going to RS door panels.

6. Sunroof motor and mechanism. Sunroof is broken anyway. How much does the motor and small bits weigh? They are in a bad spot, high up and probably will be a nice weight saving?

I want to keep the stock bumpers for now since I still drive it on the street on a regular basis. The paint is presentable, so no time soon will there be carbon fiber body panels either. I have sparco sport seats already. What else is there?

TIA!!!

George

[911Velocity]

Get rid of spare and replace with flip phone or puncture repair kit and minicompressor, lose the big black bumperettes on the rear bumper if you have them. Did you ever have AC if so then get rid of all hoses and wire associated with it. Mats and unnecessary carpet gone. Headlight washer if you have one gone. Shall I continue or do you see?

[aigel]

Gerry:

Please continue!!! I wonder if my headlight washer works or is empty. You see, that's after 1.5 years of ownership!

George

[911Velocity]

George, after you get rid of all unnecessary stuf and the wire, switches and hoses associated with it then it becomes expensive as you are replacing heavy with lite. Think about race seats. If I think of more I will let you know. Good luck.

[Randy Webb]

use the search button to get examples of what others have done.

eliminate the a/c, and toss the bumper shocks for Euro crush tubes to maintain safety w/ less wt.

it's a waste of $$ and time to change the door panels - the savings is minimal.

power windows may be heavy - take the motor out and weigh it. post here for others' info.

the power door locks are usually only a few ounces. You need to do things that will save dozens of lbs. first, then lbs. Keeping the bumpers is a lot of wt. and your car is heavy to begin with. If serious, sell it and get an early car.

[aigel]

Originally posted by Randy Webb
If serious, sell it and get an early car.

No kidding. I should have bought an early car. Main reason is smog, not weight. There is only so much you can do to the 3.0 before the smog gets you. Unfortunately things are changing from where I thought they'd be. The SC would have been smog exempt in 5 or 6 years, leaving me with 2 more smog tests. But that ain't gonna happen with the new law almost gone through.

For now the SC is well sorted and I will enjoy it for a few seasons. Skill is more important than performance for now. I have a lot to learn.

There is an early car in the future, I am positive. Getting something that's at the level my SC is now, however, would mean spending about 5-10k. I also would dread having to do all the little fixes all over again, to get the car where I want it to be.

Cheers, George

[Randy Webb]

Ok, but that means you have to als consider being able to sell it in a few years - (another strike against the door panels).

You might (laboriously) chip out all the sound & heat barrier behind the seats [search engine] - this will save 30 lbs. but for street use, you will need to add back in some modern noise and heat barriers, adding maybe 10 (?) so a net of 20. Remove the rear seats tho.

[Chuck Moreland]

Actually the heavy pad under the rear seats is easily removed. There are also some heavy pieces that run up the sides in the rear, also easily removed. Together they are good for about 25 lbs. Add in the rear rear seats and you are talking 40-50 lbs.

You will hear the rear mounted sound system better. You may or may not find that a plus.

You will also feel significant heat through the rear firewall, which you may find objectionable in the summer. If you keep the engine side pad, the heat won't be problem. Better yet replace the engine side pad with one of the lightweight replacements.

[Doug E]

Interesting - you have headlight washers on an '81? You know if they were options back then as my '81 doesn't have them.

As for weight loss, good information here. All I've done to this point is remove the AC pump and associated hoses but it sounds like you've already done that. What we wouldn't give for 100 to 150 less lbs ...

[Randy Webb]

It isn't easy to get out whatever they sprayed back there -- and it is heavy.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by Randy Webb
If serious, sell it and get an early car.

I don't know if I agree (totally) with this. You can either backdate your SC, or just through serious dieting get it pretty light and fast. I believe Hans Stoer's SC is seriously light. And you don't have to worry so much about rust...or finding a good one (assuming your SC is good).

[Trust Me]

My 81' also has the headlight washers. I also pulled the fog lights. Hate the look of them sticking out. Never used them anyway.

[aigel]

Sorry, I have no headlight washers. I have windshield washers. Should keep them though ...

Yup, the later cars have their pros, to find a car that's equal in peformance and build to my SC, I'd likely have to spend 5-10k. How much does a 155k mile mildly prepped SC in decent but not great shape sell for? 12k? For 12k you won't get an early car that's to the same level, especially if you are looking for something that doesn't need suspension work, has a roll bar, has seats, harnesses, etc. etc.

I'll be stuck with my car and I will go at some of the insulation in the back and also delete the back seats. How aobut that carpet kit. Anyone???

Don't get me wrong, I like what I am 'stuck' with. Just addign some performance by loosing weight smartly would be good!

George

[Randy Webb]

Nostatic: "I don't know if I agree (totally) with [selling it for an early car].

My idea is partly based on the extreme amt. of work to convert a later car to a light wt. one. With an early car, you can just swap a few parts for plastic and then change out the suspension and eats for the later, lighter versions. If were a pro welder or body shop guy I might think differently. But to me it is a lot easier to just start with an early car - they are about 400 lbs. lighter.
No one has ever been able to figure out the wt. difference of the early and late (Thiessen [sp}) tubs. So there may be a big diff. there or there may not be.

If I lived back East, I'd be tempted to go with an SC or newere just so the car wouldn't rot away while I was driving it.

[Trust Me]

Aigel, www.appbiz.com Bob can help you out with the interior. I am getting an rs kit from him.

[nostatic]

here's my plan: lose the harness bar, but replace with a roll bar. That will probably gain me some weight, but the roll bar is mostly CroMo, so it shouldn't be that much. AC is going away, so that is compressor and condenser from the rear, condenser, evaporator and fan from the front. Might leave the lines for now...haven't decided yet. I want to reconfigure the vents so that the ac fan (which blows through the center/side vents) draws air from the front hood vent. Center console might or might not go away (I actually use it to hold change and other stuff)...if it does then the thermostat knob goes away, and the rotary switch can be either mounted elsewhere or replaced with a different switch.

Rear seat backs have to go for the roll bar, and the package shelf and rear seat bottoms might go too. Already running a fiberglass driver's seat, but I need the recline/flip forward on the passenger side so I have to pay that weight penalty.

After that I'll take a breath and think. Don't think I want to do bumpers or other surgery yet.

[msailer]

Here is my Diet Plan, that I am slowly working on.
Remember, LIGHTER = FASTER

Phase ONE - remove rear seats, belts trim and anything you can unscrew inside the car and trunk. Looks are still somewhat important.
weight loss: 50-60lbs

Phase TWO - if you complete this phase you can drop between 250 - 300 lbs off the car. Some cost but still low.

Remove All AC and Heating junk. Leave just enough to defrost the windshield. This means the AC compressor, mounting bracket, the almost 40lbs of hoses, condensor, two evaporators, blower motor in smugglers box (ask me how to remove that.... it's under the driver's side foot board), wiring and relays. Total: 100lbs+

Remove AC controls and replace with Blank aluminum plates
Replace Battery with light weight version and custom mount - savings of 50lbs
Remove clock and replace with Big Red Oil Light
Toss Spare Tire - 35lbs
Toss any sound system and speakers - your favorite band is now "Flat 6" and that is all you want to listen too. - 25lbs +
Install blank filler plate
Remove Center AC vent - Install blank filler plate
Replace stock door panels with lightweight RS panels - ~30lbs
Remove center console - ~10lbs
Sun Visors - 2lbs
Remove Rear Deck panel and sound insulation (~50lbs)
Replace stock seats with Recaro SRDs and low rise sliders. (Passenger seat can be bolted directly to the mounting rail, saving even more weight and $$)

Phase THREE - is much more labor intensive, but still near zero in cost. You have gotten to the point where the car in no longer stock and cannot be returned to stock condition. Remember, weight is your ENEMY!

Remove all Carpeting - optional replace with Perlon Carpet Kit
Scrap all sound insulation out of interior - ~20lbs+
Drill out any unused brackets on the interior. Stock interior can no longer be reinstalled
Remove fan control from over emergancy brake handle
Remove unused wiring circuits - VERY labor intensive - in the range of 15lbs +
Scrap undercoating from under car - extremely labor intensive
If you have a 5 point harness, which you probably do at this point in the game, remove front stock seatbelts (~20 lbs)
Remove Passenger side wiper arm. Flip Drivers side wiper, See 101 Projects for you 911 and replace the 13" wiper with a 18" wiper. Within an inch of the same coverage as the two wipers.
Gut out Windshield washer system and replace with small pump & bottle
Remove lower rockerpanels (~25-30lbs)
Replace heated windshield sprayer noozles with plain VW pieces
(still looking for pieces that fit)

Phase FOUR You are over the edge now. This car is probably not driven daily anymore, unless you are totally obsessed.

Remove Glove box and door
Remove Dash cover and replace with carbon fiber cover
Replace any body panel that bolts on with Fiberglass or Carbonfiber pieces
All glass is replaced with LEXAN, except windshield
Convert windows to manual regulators - remove wiring for power windows
Replace stock mirrors with 935 style RUF mirrors - remove wiring for heated and power adjusted mirrors
Install RUF rain gutter filler panels
Remove lower dash knee pad
Remove all carpeting, media blast and paint

Phase FIVE - this starts costing major $$$$$. This is now a single seater. No one will want to ride with you anymore, except someone who is just as nuts Bascially, this is now a race car!

Remove emergancy brake system
Acid Dip car
Remove sunroof and replace with Carbonfiber panel
Every bolt on panel MUST be carbonfiber
Remove Passenger seat
Replace Driver seat with lightweight racing seat and 6 point harness
Full rollcage
Remove interior door panels
Consider replacing doors with fiberglass or carbonfiber shells, you now have a full NASCAR style cage, right?
Fire supressant system
Remove all lights and wiring harness. you only need to start the car now and run the ignition and fuel systems

Good luck in your lightweight endevor. It is a slippery slope once you get started.

Phase 3 completed and working on Phase 4

edit: for those interested. car now weights in at 2450 with 190lb driver and a full tank of gas

[MichiganMat]

i just removed the sound/heat pad from the rear shelf this weekend and Im happy with the results. Its not much noisier in the car than it was before and the weight savings was substantial. A worthy upgrade.

Im looking forward to dumping my battery and replacing it with a Miata race battery. The stocker is so freakin heavy and the Optima batteries aren't much lighter. That alone will be a 25lb loss.

[Randy Webb]

msailor - some of those wts. are way off - e.g. 50 lbs. for changing to a different battery. The general idea of doing the wt. reduction in phases is sound.

I advise everyone to review Jim Calzia's web page at the Early 911S site - he has accurate wts. Also see the Excellence articles on his car and on Gant G's Carbon Copy. Search on calzia to find various threads on this.

[widebody911]

30lbs for door panels? What were yours made of - lead?