Metal lightening.

[tigran]

I have always planned to get as much weight out of the capri as possible, so seeing how it's been stripped of everything possible it's onto the next stage. I want to know how this process is done properly:



It looks more specific that just a hole cutter as it looks like the metal is then pushed in somewhow (guessing for strength?). So does anyone know how this is done properly and now with just hacking bits of metal out. Will try and find other pics.

[steveo3002]

cut the hole then theres a press attachement to shape it like that

seen em for sale...rather expensive

[tigran]

Hmm interesting, so it sounds like there's no real way of doing it in-situ without just doing the hole cutter thing. I'm guessing that with this you are able to use the method on fairly stress bearing bits of metal?

The hole cutter+sander may just get used on the non essential panels.

[v8ian]

Drilling holes is really a waste of time, , OK they look trick, but, think about what you have to remove to save 1lb

I heve just been thru my engineering books, and assuming the car is made from 22swg sheet steel, which is 0.028" thick, you need around 38 holes stacked together to make 1" of steel, 1" dia weighs 0.2225of a Lb, so you need to drill 112 x 1" holes to save 1Lb in weight, and that is an aufull lot of holes to drill and make neat to save the weight of a MacDs and a coke, there has to be better ways to save a bit of weight

anyway to make those swaged holes you really need access to behind the pannel to fit the back side of the swaging tool, then remove tool as well,

[montythemole]

This months PPC has a section of belling the holes to form the impression. You could practice with a decent sized metal ball and just smack it?

[popuptoaster]

You'd be better off going on a diet, weraing racing driver pixie boots and a shell suit instead of jeans in a road car, holes in the panels are the last resort for shedding those last tiny amounts if you serioulsy need to get all the weight out. filling the car with exactly the right amount of petrol for every journey rather than carrying the extra around with you works better.

they do look good in the right car though.

[Mystery Machine]

Those holes aren't actually there to save weight, but to make the structure more rigid (while saving a tiny bit of weight in the process)

Having the metal swaged like that makes the flat panel much MUCH more rigid and much less prone to flexing.

[tigran]

Yeah i've just thought of the physics of it MM. Hmm guess it's time for polycarbonate.

[claymore]

Aug 18, 2009 13:53:59 GMT tigran said:

Uummmm, v10 e30 bmw

[tigran]

i know i just saw that pic in the thread and that jogged my memory

[Team Blitz]

But the discussion photo you used doesn't show weight saving. It shows gussetting and butressing for strength, on whatever lump of auto that is.

Lightening a Capri is a well-practiced art. 40 years of Capri, 40 years of lightening them.

Is this being done for competition, needing to adhere to a set of regulations? If so, inform please.

If this is strictly for kix, how radical do you want to go? How much do you want to spend? We can start at a 1979 Zakspeed carbon-fiber shell and aluminum cage and then go down from there in cost and up from there in weight.... seriously.

State goals. State restricting parameters. Then well-sorted solutions can be brought to bear on your project.

Norm

[tigran]

I am at the stage now where all that is left interior wise is two seats (soon to be light buckets, and that's it. I will get a CDS cage eventually but not for the moment. From what i remember the standard mk3 capri with a 2.0 pinto and a manual box was aroundabout the 1300kg mark. If so I would like to get my capri (mk3 '79) down to a dead tonne. After i've done the current bout of work on it the dash will be coming out and i will be knocking up some sort of brackets to hold the clocks and essential switches in place. The bonnet is drilled for bonnet pins and the bonnet brackets, latch and cable will be taken out. Boot is on latches and the struts will be gone soon - everything apart from the glass has been removed.

I am trying to think if there is any more free weight saving that can be had from the car before i have to outlay money to save weight.

[tigran]

Aug 18, 2009 14:50:19 GMT Team Blitz said:

But the discussion photo you used doesn't show weight saving. It shows gussetting and butressing for strength, on whatever lump of auto that is.

Yeah i know, as i said it just jogged my memory of the holes i always see on mk1 escorts.

[Deleted]

Aug 18, 2009 14:37:47 GMT tigran said:

Yeah i've just thought of the physics of it MM. Hmm guess it's time for polycarbonate.

Indeed, swap all your windows for poly and you'll save around 25Kg. Chuck out the interior, scrape off all the bitumen, lose the spare wheel, etc etc.

[montythemole]

Biological weight saving works too. Lightweight driver + lightweight car. Not gone down that route myself mind!

Lightweight exhaust? Ditch bumpers? Carbon fibre roof skin?

[tigran]

bitumen is being scraped off, when i say there is nothing apart from seats i do mean it - everything that isn't the shell is gone. Bumpers n all, brackets for bumpers as well.

Lightweight driver - hmmmm we'll have to work on that...

[Colonelk]

if you go for polycarb windows (which depending on what you do may not actually loose you HUGE amounts of weight (polycarb weighs something, and its a toss up between thin for lightness and thicker so it doesnt just pop out!)) you can get sliders for the front windows and then cut out the majority of the inner door skin and window winder mech.

you leaving the pinto in there? or swapping? as IIRC the pinto is not a lightweight engine! in fact its farkin heavy!

also, smaller thinner battery. doesnt have to be race spec (and priced!) could be a small cheapy from a supermini.

Wiring loom..... guessing theres not a huge one in the capri, but if you are looking for those final few kgs, de-looming and stripping out unnecessary stuff can save a reasonable amount.

got any photos? might give us some inspiration

With a cage, doubt youll get under the ton, without... may well be possible.

You sure it weighs 1300 though?

this thread reminds me I need to pay a visit to a weighbridge with mine!

[steveo3002]

just have a good dump before going for a drive ..works for me

[v8ian]

Front crashpad, heater, dashboard, parcel shelf, windscreen wiper mech.then mount a single on the drivers side, you can mount somthing like a mk1 escort instrumment pod on simple brackets to replace the capri dash,

[tigran]

This car





The pinto is only staying in long enough to get through mot - after that it'll be getting a 24v.

I don't think 300kg's is much to lose - my saab 900 went down from 1300 odd to 1050. Some good points you brought up there colon.