JamesWade2002

yeah I might be interested in a fibreglass one that was light and easy to install and had removable guage windows for multiple guages and the logicon. I also like the idea of being able to remove it in 10min or less. the stock one has lots of screws and parts and I wanna be able to pull my carpet for cleaning and not have to worry about not being able to put the dash back in. I too am obsessed with wieght reduction. The car I really want is a Lotus Elise. need a better job for that.

RX-Heven

iTrader: (1)

There is a significant weight difference between the two series of dashes. The gutted series 4 dash (metal frame still in there) couldn't be much more than 10 pounds. The Series 4 uses thinner gauge steel for it's bracketry/bracing/tubing than that of the series 5, not to mention there is just less of it in the earlier dash. Otoh, the gutted series 5 probably weighs around 25 pounds.

A properly made cf dash would probably be only a few pounds.

RX-Heven

iTrader: (1)

Let me get this straight, you are obsessed with weight reduction and are talking about undertaking a major job by creating a new dash to shave only a few pounds but will still have the heavy *** carpet in there?
I thought you said just stuff that makes it run....
Get real.

pengarufoo

I have a s4 t2's dash in my garage waiting to be junked, I can weigh it in varoius states of being gutted sometime this week. I'm using it's steel bracing as the skeleton for my buck.

andrew lohaus

if you guts are that hard-core about weight reduction, just take the dash out all together. unless you have acces to a large scale vacume press to properly for a CF peice that big, no dash is gona look no worse than any 1/2 assed atempt at a CF one.......

pengarufoo

I'm probably just going to use fgrp, and you don't need big money or space to do decent vacuum bagging, the end results will be fine, not F1 class laminates but still worthwhile.

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

Just to input on the bumper beam subject, I am a body man and i own a collision repair shop, a buddy of mine had a 89 honda crx that was stripped for racing but he drove it on the street, it was minus a front and rear re-bar among other things. One day driving home from the srtip bar he got in a seemingly light collision in the city doing about 45 - 50 kms an hour and let me tell you, ive never seen a car going that slow in to a stationary object (pole) get crushed that badly, needless to say it was totaled. i have nothing against taking them out i just wanted to say that they are there for a purpose and do an amazing job at that purpose

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

on the subject of reducing the weight of the dash - simple, pull it out and cut away all the bracing and steel portions possible, it'll be super flimsy but it'll also be as light as it'll get wether its cf or not

ddub

Lightest dash you can get is none at all! Just take it out and mount the gauges onto something else, problem solved. Doesn't look too pretty, though.

JamesWade2002

Okay how the hell did I **** you off??? I am free to second an idea when ever I feel like it. maybe I don't like having to hack a stock dash up? maybe i don't wanna keep up with all the stupid little parts in it? Maybe my stocker doesn't fit right anymore after 17 years and I wanna get something new for it? maybe I wanna beat off on your mother!!! don't quote me bith cas! I'm dangerous.

'86_fc_drifter

Alright, lets not start a flame-war here. I was wondering if removing the bumper bars would have any effect on chassis stiffness. I want to build a drift car, so lighter is better, but a friend mentioned that some cars rely on the bumper as part of the unibody. Obviously a drift car cannot sacrifice any chassis stiffness at all, even for weight savings, so would an aluminum replacement bar be a better idea. My thinking is that this would reduce weight while still maintaining the original bracing effects of the stock bumper if any. Any thoughts?

RX-Heven

iTrader: (1)

For starters, you didn't **** me off.
Second, I mistakingly thought you were the thread starter and were about to embark on a major cf dash project to save maybe ten pounds, yet still have the carpet in there. Obvoiusly, that is not you I now realize. My mistake.
Third, only a complete idiot would take the dash out to clean the carpet.
Last, the only beating having to do with someones mother is the one your Mother woud give you if she heard what an idiot you are. I might just tell here when she comes over later.

Oops, did I quote you again?

Dan H

The bumper bar is not an integral part of the stiffness of the chassis. Its just attached to the front with bolts. If you're drifting, I wouldn't remove it. If you get in an accident, you'll just be messing up the car even more.

RX-Heven

iTrader: (1)

No real chassis stiffness is gained from the inner bumpers in our cars. Your friend is correct though, some cars do need/use them. Most, if not all RX racers remove them not just because they are heavy, but also where the weight is located being so far away from the centerline of the wheels. This is definately not what you want in a drift car, especially the rear beacause of the increased polar moment when they are there, making iot ever so slightly harder to control when sliding, epsecially during transitions.
So replacing the stock fg inners with aluminum would not provide any weight savings if you want the aluminum to provide the same 'protection' as the stockers since the aluminum would have to be pretty thick.

The bumper supports do not 'stop' working after 5 mph as someone had mentioned. Their job is to absorb energy at any speed and not just protect the unibody from damage, but to reduce the amount of energy being transeferred to the occupants.

JamesWade2002

okay so you must be one of those rich snobs that has never cleaned up a really nasty car. My FC was junk when I got it. It came from a junkyard. have you ever seen a carpet filled with leaves and vomit?? do you know what its like to try to scrub that **** out and get the smell of smoke out of that ****, *** face? Next time you think you wanna clean your carpet, vacume and scrub all day and then take it out and pin it up at the car wash and pressure wash all the crap out. Then compare the difference. Once again, 16 year old kids that screw up FCs should not have them, I'll probably be buying yours next and bringing it back from the dead. If you think you can finance my mom's spending habits, then by all means take her. She would drain you dry in less than a week and leave you braken and homeless. Take her. Get rid of her. She needs a rich snobby bastard who can't read to ride around with.

'86_fc_drifter

Thanks for the insightful reply rx-heaven, but seriously you guys both look like pretty big losers right now. I wish I had the authority to close a thread.

poor_red_neck

Why CF for dash? If you're going all out stripped interior.. use some 1/16" aluminum... couple holes cut in it for gauges and you're done!

ImprezedRS

Ok I don't want my thread closed so if you 2 want to bitch then leave this thread do it somewhere else.

Ok back to what I was talking about. Yes I want to make a hardcore light as hell car, and yes all carpet being removed. So what I'm making is a carbon fiber dash thats just going to hold some gauges and switches and maybe hide some electrical stuff behind it. Even though I'm going **** on the lightweight stuff i still want it to look somewhat decent, and I don't know about everone else's dash but mine looks like total ***, its gray to start with and looks like it got warts on it, from heat damage.

It won't be hard for me to make these and I have access to everthing needed to make one. I will be pulling the dash out of my parts car to start making a dash to make a mold off of and will hopefully have pics of it soon.

Also I will be making some carbon fiber door panels for the interior.

Also I do want to say this again this dash will have no spot for HVAC, stock gauge cluster, vents, glove box, ashtray, etc. I will be putting a spot for a 1 din so that you can put a radio in it or something else in there and there will be a place for the idiot lights, hope fully can have that so it can been seen right in front of you instead of off to the side.

Madrx7racer

bleh.....all this crap is too expensive for me....and I cannot make anything due to my lack of experience......