Technical Topics specific to the 2 dr. coupe body - NOT where you post pics/build specs of your car.
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By Treezy
#151452 I'm looking to do some weight reduction to my coupe and would like to know what options I have. I'll be doing an ITR swap as soon as I get back from Iraq. Rims will come later, transmission will get worked, swapping to rear disc, and of course the light-weight flywheel. But what else? Here's what's done so far:

All seats removed, will be replacing with a single racing seat
All seat belts removed
Panels were removed, all the shit sanded behind them(grime), then replaced (staying on for appearance)
Heater Ducts removed
A/C removed
Just got the power-to-manual steering rack
Of course the spare and accessories are gone
Both airbags are removed and an aftermarket steering wheel attached
Stock sound deadening removed

The car is going to be a show car, but I want it to be fully done, not just half-assed. The weight reduction will be to make room for the additional equipment or accessories that I'll be adding so I don't further weigh the car down. Included in the reduction will be carbon body pieces (hood fenders doors, etc..) My main focus is on shaving off as much as possible, even if I need to put the grinder to it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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By Chance
#151453 Sounds like you have the weight reduction well taken care of as far as removing stuff. Just have to focus on light parts not (like the CF you have planned) Light 15" wheels.

This "additional equipment or accessories" you speak of......explain.
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By Treezy
#151486 The car will be for the show circuit, so while the performance will be there, everything will be built to support that end goal. Additional items will be added, maybe audio or lighting, etc.. to bring more appeal to the crowd and judges who are not looking for just bare metal and bars inside. I just reviewed my previous statement and realized that I left out one important part.. After my return from Iraq, I'll be heading to Italy. After having been there for four years, I have an idea of what I need to shoot for and am headed that way.

Right now, I'm more interested in raw material weight reduction. I'm not staring at it right now, but I know there's a bump in the passenger side where the seat bolts into.. Going off of memory, I think I can cut that out without needing to fill in any holes.. Anyone? What about the rest of the car.., anything else like that I can get rid of? Inside or out? I can sheetmetal if I need to, just looking for ideas, options, and if anyone has done any of this stuff before.
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By That One Dude
#151499 All of the brackets for the back seat can be cut out. Drill out the spot welds there. Not sure how it is in the EGs but in my DC, there is a tab sticking up for the spare tire tie down. Drill out those spot welds. Anything that doesn't look structural probably isn't.

You can cut out a lot of sheet steel and replace it with aluminum. Aluminum weighs 1/3 as much as a sheet of steel of identical size and thickness. If you have a sunroof, take it out and fill the hole with .032" aluminum sheet metal with a doubler around the edges. Rivet it in place with real rivets, not pop rivets. They're more expensive, but they look better than pop rivets or bolts. You just have to make sure you put a physical barrier between the aluminum and steel or they will corrode each other.

Replace glass with Lexan. Hood and hatch/trunk lid replaced with carbon fiber units. If you can find/afford it, replace fenders with carbon fiber units.

Lightweight wheels will give you an enormous edge on someone else with the same performance setup but with heavier wheels. Cutting down on unsprung weight is a must if you want it to handle better. F7 or S2 rear LCAs are a must.

Remove ALL excess wiring. Anything you do not need to drive the car, cut it out.

If you are good with sheetmetal, you could try to fabricate an aluminum dashboard.

When it comes to weight loss, everything you take out counts. On my last DC Integra, I shaved it down from 2560lbs to roughly 2250lbs just by removing panels, AC parts, seats, PS parts, radio, speakers, and wiring.

If your car has ABS, remove it the right way. The ABS module and motor alone weighed 12lbs on my old DC.
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By teal_dx
#151516 if it is not a daly driver, you can ditch the windshield wipers & their motor. I just have rain-x on my windshield and it saves me if I get caught in the rain.

I got an Odyssey PC680 battery. it is about the size of a head unit and only weighs about 15 lbs. stock battery is close to 30 lbs. If you plan on running a large stereo/amps then it may not be a good choice for a battery though...

aftermarket lower control arms are usually aluminum and lighter.
By JNav93
#151527 if u gots the money go ahead and ditch the whole body and make it like a funny car :lol: i know a guy who ownd a race shop and he did this to his hatchy
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By Treezy
#151537 lol, definitely not a funny car. Thanks for the info though, I will definitely be looking into cutting and drilling what's not needed. The wheels will come later and will be decided on to help balance the hp I'll be putting to the ground. Even though I'm not looking to boost high on the street, I'm still looking at roughly 350-400 cruising. The wheel weight will become a factor for just helping me maintain traction.

Good ideas all around, expecially the lexan and battery. I'll be running a seperate battery for my audio, so that leaves room for sizing down the primary. The DX model doesn't come with a sun roof, so I'm good there. As for the dash, I'm trying to decide what to do.. I'm not gonna go blazing sheetmetal, thats for sure. Since it's for show, I'm looking to mold a fiberglass dash. Will also be looking for info on wire-tucks to clean the bay up after I do my swap. Thanks again guys!
By JNav93
#151581 i would say take out your whole dash and leave ur speedo but u want a showcar so go with the fiberglass :D
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By That One Dude
#151695 You could still cut out the roof panel and rivet in an aluminum piece.

I get carried away when talking about sheetmetal...I'm an aircraft mechanic...
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By Treezy
#151749 werd.. I'm not gonna go that far with the sheetmetal.., i'm an ammo troop ;) But thanks again for all the input!
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By That One Dude
#151754 Hey man, when it all comes down to it, you're in the service. You deserve all the thanks and help anyone can give you.

I do what I can to provide valid and accurate input where it's applicable.