44 replies to this topic

[b16_destroyer]

I already gutted everything out but plan on gutting the metal webbing thats around the rear windows and around the bottom of the hatch. Will the car deform after I do that? I don't want to go roll cage and this is a drag car with occasional street racing.

I also want to gut the rear floor from the where the doors end all the way to the back. Is this possible without a rollcage?

[rpr]

Gut as in completely remove? Um, no, I wouldn't do that...

[Maine_Honda_Racer]

My question is, how do you intend to do serious drag racing without a roll cage?

[b16_destroyer]

Why not? So many people tell me that but they would never take out their A/C for performance either. I need to know because this car is hardcore and will only be raced. No daily driving just dragracing.

I know that honda didn't design the CRX for this but our cars weren't meant to road race either. Honestly do you think completely removing the metal will work without a rollcage?

[rpr]

If you are talking about removing the COMPLETE floor, then have fun watching the car fold in on itself. Seriously, these cars are flimsy as hell once you start removing stuff like that.

[b16_destroyer]

Thats what I wanted to know. I didn't want to fully gut this car out to just the frame and a seat and it start twisiting on me as I am driving. I am very serious into drag racing but on a very tight budget as we all are. I am trying to eliminate all of the weight in the back and lighten the car as much as possible.

I know about lexan windows, gutting the bumper, gutting the doors, and taking all of the enterior out...I just don't want to add all of the extra weight back with a rollcage if I don't have to.

What about gutting the entire rear floor and putting a rear strut tower bar in the back, will that be enough?

[rpr]

I doubt it. Is there a minimum weight for the class? I got my car down close to 1600lbs without driver, and that was without cutting major stuff out, aside from the bumper. And mine is a Civic hatch. Have you done the other stuff already?

[b16_destroyer]

The car is at 1780 with 3/4 full of gas and no driver. I want to get it below 1600 lbs. I already gutted the rear bumper and all of the enterior, gutted the dash, removed the sound deadening material, and gutted the doors. I still have to remove the sunroof, remove the rear sway bar, and lexan all of the windows.

The car is an 87 CRX Si. I don't think all of that stuff is over 250 lbs. I am willing to go to extreme levels of weight reduction. Any other suggestions?

[Vandemar]

What about gutting the entire rear floor and putting a rear strut tower bar in the back, will that be enough?

No. Also, a rear brace along those lines would be a shock tower brace- the rear end aren't struts. This is important, since shocks are only loaded in the vertical direction, whereas struts have to deal with side loads (which is why a strut tower brace is actually useful).

If you want to cut out structural body panels, at least cage it, if not tube frame. Also, upon seeing a car that's gutted to the extent you're planning on, that's not fast enough to require a cage anyway (11.99 most places), most serious drag racers will laugh their asses off at you .

If you're really looking to cut weight and build it into a drag car, try ditching the fuel tank & going to a 1gal cell up front, get HF brakes (less weight, and you won't be using them much), and ditch the front sway bar. Also, get slicks & skinnies- it'll save a ton of weight, in addition to improving traction.

[Maine_Honda_Racer]

I meant how do you intend to drag race without a roll cage as most tracks will throw you out if you do not have one and run below XXX time. I figure since you are doing all this weight reduction you must intend to run some serious times.

[jsgprod]

Not trying to put a damper on your ideas here but if you are really serious about drag racing, or ANY kind of racing, put a cage in the car. It'll save your SS!!!

Your talking about cutting out a lot of the structural integrity of the vehicle to save weight. Which just puts you in a much more perilous position if something does go wrong. Keep it safe. Cut out what you want but put a cage in it!

Just a scenario I thought of: Hard off the line, shifting through the gears you happen to snap an axle! Car has a welded diff and suddenly veers left (I just picked one). You snap the throttle shut while countersteering.

Anybody here EVER done that in one of these cars???

And you want to do it in a car with little to no rear chassis stiffness and no roll bar.

So, now you're heading towards the edge of the track doing tank slappers (if you're lucky). Flimsy car drops off the edge and digs in. Now your going onto your roof, maybe a nice rollover, maybe a sudden snap and you LAND on the roof! Neither is fun, BEEN THERE . The front A pillars WILL collapse, trust me, the cage will save your ASS!

Sorry man, I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching but saving wieght just isn't that important. My son did one of my CRX rollovers and came down hard on the pavement at a racing school. The entire front edge of the roof was smashed hard against the front roll hoop. Other than feeling mad at himself for wrecking my car.he learned a hell of a lot that day about how easy these things bend.

Again, Sorry for the long rant.
Be Safe,
Jay

[baxter]

Yes the A pillars will fold badly in a roll, and this would be a good area to reinforce on any g1 if allowed. But lightening the rear sensiably won't effect that at all.

I wouldn't fully remove the steel around the rear windows, it looks kinda structural. But I would cut some large round holes (about an inch?) in it, in a way the doesn't comprise it too much. There's probably other odd brackets etc that can also be filtched like this on the car.

Definatly replace the sunroof with some flat steel or something - it weights a ton (if it hasn't rusted away).

Have a look at the rear hatch, they're quite heavy and aren't really structural, so you may be able to take its outer skin off and simply replace the window with some lexan and fasten the whole unit with bonnet pins or similiar.

Front doors are the same, but you'll need some kind of brace for the door skins, like a 1/2 inch diagnonal pipe (and this is probably best only done with a cage, as it will compromise your saftey in a crash).

You might also be able to remove some of the rear floor between the rear chasis rails (ie where the spare tyre goes), I wouldn't remove any more than just the floorwell in this area; and don't forget to check local regulations about how your cockpit must be sealed.

I assume you're removed your ac? Have you also removed all of the ac compenents under the dash? They weight heaps as well.

Have you got some nice light alloy wheels? I understand this helps alot as well.

Most important - check the regulations you'll be running under, as once you've chopped something out it's hard to put it back...

[RexKrazy]

Thats what I wanted to know.  I didn't want to fully gut this car out to just the frame and a seat and it start twisiting on me as I am driving.  I am very serious into drag racing but on a very tight budget as we all are.  I am trying to eliminate all of the weight in the back and lighten the car as much as possible.

I know about lexan windows, gutting the bumper, gutting the doors, and taking all of the enterior out...I just don't want to add all of the extra weight back with a rollcage if I don't have to. 

What about gutting the entire rear floor and putting a rear strut tower bar in the back, will that be enough?

frame?? what frame?

[b16_destroyer]

I want this car as light as possible. Our cars don't have to make plenty HP to go fast because of their light weight. I would rather trade flimsy car for stiff chassis if the weights would be the same. I didn't want to go roll cage because then the car wouldn't be a sleeper and no one would want to race. It already has no exhaust and the turbo sounds like an 18 wheeler big rig while driving normal.

This car is a sleeper. A full racecar sleeper. This car is to remain a mystery and no one will ever see under the hood or know its true et's. This car's only mission is beat cars at the street races. I know alot of people have a negative look at street racing but the real true street racers down here that are in their 30's and 40's meet up and race at a different secluded location every different time and its only like 4 cars with only 2 cars racing one time.

Will a roll cage aid in the rigity of the chassis of the car and help with traction issues? I know it is a safety issue, but will it also help in keeping weight from transferring to the rear and keeping the chassis from flexing on a hard launch?

[crxhybrid85]

WOW, where do I begin with this one. Let's assume for the moment that you really do have a big turbo on your b18b, c whatever you have. First off you allready are going so fast that saving a couple hundred pounds wont help you a bit because you are already spinning your tires into fourth gear. 250lbs MIGHT get you two tenths at the track IF you could get traction. My car has less than two hundred hp and I can't get any traction off the line so you must have some real problems with your semi turbo. Do you have a lsd, or sticky tires? What tranny are you running? If you have what you say you have you should be able to afford a type R final drive or even a whole tranny. That stuff would save you maybe a whole second depending on your setup.
However judging by your attitude you sound like the kids that run around here with primered out front bumpers and fart can mufflers that think they have race cars. You probably think your 92 hp d15 will outrun corvettes if you gut the frame. I doubt you know anything about thermodynamics or turbocharging in general because an educated car guy wouldn't even suggest what you have. If I am wrong I appoligize profusely, in which case you should follow the above mentioned steps to get traction as they will help you alot more than turning your car into a death trap.
One more thing: Take it to the track, et's don't lie.