Guest TonyC Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 A few more questions actually guys: Do you know of any who supplies these items in lightweight materials (Fibreglass, alloy, carbon - whatever) Bonnet, Tailgate Bumpers? Splitters? Are the front wings welded on or bolt on? The glass I presume is bonded in - all the side glass and rear hatch glass will be replaced with perspex. All the door electrics etc will be junked. (Or perhaps sold as spares.... might be a beter idea!) As will the rear wiper (unless the Jap spec cars do not have them) Is the rear (giant) spoiler cosmetic - Experience suggests it will be, and I think it was an option on the cars anyway? I'd prefer to not have one if possible - the kick up on the rear hatch looks like it has more influence on rear stability. From reading specs it seems a lot of the cars have traction control built in - does anyone know how this can be permanently disabled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D3xt3r Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Bonnet is aluminium already so you wont save much for the "fake" carbon stuff out there. There are a few real carbon hoods but really expensive. You can get tailgate and doors in carbon fiber from Seibon. Front wings are bolt on. Glass is bonded in. Rear wiper is there on all cars. Spoiler isnt cosmetic you will need it or another wing. On manual cars just pull the TRAC fuse and its gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 A few more questions actually guys: Do you know of any who supplies these items in lightweight materials (Fibreglass, alloy, carbon - whatever) Bonnet, Tailgate Bumpers? Splitters? There are lightweigh alternatives for the tailgate and doors but they are not pure carbon fibre but fibreglass backed with carbon fibre. The bonnet is Aluminium and i doubt you would get much of a weight saving from one of the aftermarket ones. Are the front wings welded on or bolt on? They are bolted on The glass I presume is bonded in - all the side glass and rear hatch glass will be replaced with perspex. All the door electrics etc will be junked. (Or perhaps sold as spares.... might be a beter idea!) As will the rear wiper (unless the Jap spec cars do not have them) Is the rear (giant) spoiler cosmetic - Experience suggests it will be, and I think it was an option on the cars anyway? I'd prefer to not have one if possible - the kick up on the rear hatch looks like it has more influence on rear stability. From reading specs it seems a lot of the cars have traction control built in - does anyone know how this can be permanently disabled? The spoiler isn't required as you said it was optional but it does produce downforce, there was a thread somewhere about it. Have a look at this link for weight reduction on the Supra, they have achieved fairl[y low weights: URL=http://www.suprahardtopregistry.com/WeightReduction/car.php]CLICK ME[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonyC Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Alloy bonnet! Didn't know that. Carbon Doors as well - Imagine those are big money - I was thinking more on doing it old school by cutting lumps of frame out - works wonders when you don't need to house motors and glass! Bolt on wings means it's a bit easier to repair the odd racing ding Rear wiper will be going then. How do you know the rear spoiler isn't cosmetic? It looks to be far too high in the air flow to achieve anything worthwhile. Do the broucher for the car give any data - IE: sometimes you'll get 'spoiler generates xxxkg of downforce or reduces lift at xxx speed' in the data pages. Thanks for the fuse info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Shame you didn't post this thread a day earlier i did have my interior completley stripped out and could have taken a few snaps for you. Looking at the car without any interior there is definitely scope to trim pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 IMO the stock spoiler does very little, run a proper wing if regs allow. Doors weigh a ton, if someone makes carbon shells go for them. Tailgate weighs a ton, change that too, if you can. Bonnets quite light, front wings and bumpers weigh sod all, but crash bars behind them are heavy. The alloy subframes weigh a ton, the electrickery and loom weigh several tons. The stock brake discs weigh a lot. ABS, air con and stuff can go, with significant weight savings. Do you know John and Bill Hewitt then? And someone called Jock who used to race MG's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 A few more questions actually guys: Do you know of any who supplies these items in lightweight materials (Fibreglass, alloy, carbon - whatever) Bonnet, Tailgate Bumpers? Splitters? Are the front wings welded on or bolt on? The glass I presume is bonded in - all the side glass and rear hatch glass will be replaced with perspex. All the door electrics etc will be junked. (Or perhaps sold as spares.... might be a beter idea!) As will the rear wiper (unless the Jap spec cars do not have them) Is the rear (giant) spoiler cosmetic - Experience suggests it will be, and I think it was an option on the cars anyway? I'd prefer to not have one if possible - the kick up on the rear hatch looks like it has more influence on rear stability. From reading specs it seems a lot of the cars have traction control built in - does anyone know how this can be permanently disabled? If you buy a silver car I'll have the oem wings & bumpers plus some miscellaneous items! The big wing does provide downforce, but it's not going to rival a F1 car's wing- it's something like 80lbs @60mph. Rear wiper is standard. The rear hatch & bonnet are alloy and quite light, personaly I'd leave the bonnet alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonyC Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Do you know John and Bill Hewitt then? And someone called Jock who used to race MG's? I certainly know John, it's a car he looks afte that keeps damn well beating me! Mike Peter's has a 160bhp car that is around 250-300kg lighter than me - when you get into that area of lightness and the low power outputs we have it is very hard to find time by driving better. The bugger scampers off down the track like his ass is on fire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Nic is your man for sourcing quality goods from Asia...especially the speciality stuff...he may well know of a carbon parts dealer...Stout make a full blown dry carbon bonnet...Envy have one and can supply more. Varis and Seibon make carbon hatches...with plastic windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angarak Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Tony, I don't know if you have a source for perspex windows, but I know of a company called Plastics4Performance. They're based in bolton. They do lots of work for the motorsport industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonyC Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 Cheers fella, but I can actually make my own up at home - have done it before. I'm really quite excited by the possibility of doing this - but I still need to see if I can get a base car cheap enough and work out budgets. And I really need to look at a car in detail to satisfy my curiosity in many areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 IIRC The Seibon doors (and possibly tailgate?) aren't really any lighter than stock. Fair weight savings to be had junking the door electrics, and putting Lexan windows in though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted October 13, 2006 Share Posted October 13, 2006 I'm really excited about this project Tony, I hope you go ahead with it If you do, it would be good if you can keep us all upto date with your progress. If I can be of any help with parts advice or sourcing, please feel free to contact me. I am a Brit living in Hong Kong and have a lot of very good sources for Jap branded and OEM parts, at good deals. ps. Thanks Alex for the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonyC Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Thanks, handy to know - although it's finding the right base car at the right price that may be the hard work. Anyway..a few more questions: where is the fuel tank located, and how large is it Is it plastic? steel? Thanks. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 It'll still be a heavy understeery beast I noticed this yesterday even with sticky tyres, on the tight corners especially. The long sweeping ones didnt cause me issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Thanks, handy to know - although it's finding the right base car at the right price that may be the hard work. Anyway..a few more questions: where is the fuel tank located, and how large is it Is it plastic? steel? Thanks. Tony On the right hand side. It's a 65litre plastic jobbie. The only issue I can see it that it could be too small for a full race? How long is each race & can/do you refuel during each race? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angarak Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 I think Tony mentioned it would be around 20 minutes racing Gaz, I'd have thought the stock tank would be ok for that duration, but then again I've never 'given it death' on a full tank of petrol for 20 mins to confirm that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewen Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Golden thread:) Hope you go through with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TonyC Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 On the right hand side. It's a 65litre plastic jobbie. The only issue I can see it that it could be too small for a full race? How long is each race & can/do you refuel during each race? 65 litres should be more than adequate! Where abouts on the left is it.Is it unde the boot floor? I'll have to construct the car to ensure the fuel filler and tank do not encroach on the driver area,an dif they do I'll need to firewall them off. Also, its normall to move the filler so it cannot spill fuel outside onto the track. It may even be better to change to a smaller, custom alloy tank mounted nice and low at the rear of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angarak Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 You can just about see it in the attached picture Tony. Its pretty much under the boot floor (the fuel pump is located below the spare wheel in the boot). I'd have thought a smaller custom tank would be better for racing to prevent fuel starvation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLicense Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Tony, I work for an F1 team as a mechanical design engineer. I would love to see what a Supra could do in race trim. If you decide to go ahead with this, and there is anything I can do to help, please feel free to ask. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 It's already reg friendly, under the floor, but sadly well back, it will easily do a 20 minutr race, unless the engine is absolutely drinking fuel for some reason. No firewall issues. Plastic tank, well protected and safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Do it Tony C.... Just do it!! I also hold a race licence (National B) and would LOVE to enter a Supe in a series. I just don't have the cash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Tony... Now you've got me thinking about selling up & prepping a racing supra. I was going to think about another low budget car after I sell the 2CV (yes... Ha Ha) but??? I guess once I sell the Westy SEight I'll have some budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dee_rz Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Good luck with this tony sounds like some interesting and great plans hope this all goes ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.