Lightening e30 325 rally car

Need technical Q/A then you're in the right place

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:43 pm

Hola. I'm in the process of lightening my rally car. The carpets and rear seats have already been removed and in the last two days I've been gutting the bonnet and bootlid. By removing most of the innards of the bonnet (whilst leaving enough to be able to use the standard mounts) I've managed to remove approx 1.5 kgs according to the simple scales in work which go up in 0.5 kg increments. ( it now weighs 11.5 kg)
I've taken more out of the boot which must be about 1kg plus removed the mtec rear spoiler which I love the look of but weighs a ton. Plus removed the lock and catch.
Has anyone gutted the doors on their e30s? Mine has manual windows so would like to keep the winder but don't mind trimming it down.
Any ideas for weight reductions? Thanks
Ziggy
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 11534
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: floating round my tin can...

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:45 pm

Sunroof/tray if it has one?
E30 in need of wiring loom smoke since April '11...
suchy
True Zone Relic
Posts: 6604
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Portsmouth

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:47 pm

F/glass bonnet and boot and polycarb. windows??
suchy
True Zone Relic
Posts: 6604
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Portsmouth

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:53 pm

Oh and if you haven't already, that tar type stuff over the floors etc... (read that weighs a bit!)
Ziggy
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 11534
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: floating round my tin can...

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:57 pm

What wheels is it running? Gizza pic so we get an idea of what it's like so far?
E30 in need of wiring loom smoke since April '11...
e301988325i
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 3701
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:03 pm

foam inserts in the bumpers can be removed!
I said:

Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?

e30topless said:

lock the wife in there
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:41 pm

Floors are free of sound deadening. Bonnet now scrap as when I fitted it, it buckled when I closed it! Start again.
It's a non sunroof shell with no headlining. It's runs 15 inch team dynamics and sometimes 14" bottle tops on the rear. Got about 24 wheels n tires!
Didn't know about bumper inserts! ;)
Image
Image
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:49 pm

This is how much material came out of the bootlid!
Image
Picture from Pembrey last weekend having a little skid
Image
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:52 pm

I removed all the electrics from the doors, solenoids, and door cards and handle the fitted plastic card to cover the door and a nylon strap as a handle. Nice bit of weight saved there
User avatar
mattrs
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1810
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:00 pm

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:58 pm

You could cut the spare wheel well out and put a light sheet material over it.
User avatar
mattrs
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1810
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:00 pm

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:07 pm

Dash could go too, but you would need to get a data logger or the like to use as clocks and a small electric fan heater to demist the windscreen.
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:14 pm

Spare wheel well is gone. I'm quite a fan of having a good heater though. Ideally cheap or free mods would be good. Don't mind the work just trying to put the money into doing rallying!!
e301988325i
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 3701
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Taunton, Somerset

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:19 pm

kipsy wrote:Ideally cheap or free mods would be good.
kipsy wrote: Image
Remove some keys from the ignition key ring, toilet visit before you drive LOL?
I said:

Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?

e30topless said:

lock the wife in there
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:28 pm

Just scrapped 2 keys as no longer need boot lock etc haha
mrLEE30
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 6589
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Sweating buckets in Bahrain

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:45 am

Remove pass door card and window, replace glass with polycarbonate, keep your drivers side for comfort.

With such a roll cage the rear shelf and seat back can be chopped out

Remove pass side window wiper or covert to single wiper

Run just enough fuel to finish your stage

What do you weigh? Easier for you to drop a few Kgs, plus suit helmet etc weigh couple kg, thus go for lightweight options
Image
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:06 am

I weigh about 15 stone, I'm down a stone since Xmas. I'll keep passenger window wiper as sometimes looking out of it whilst cornering (sideways as much as I can)
Polycarb rear screen I think I'll knock up. I have opening rear windows which might end up being opened in the summer months on an event as all the floor gets hot etc
will consider removing passenger window and putting poly carb and totally gutting the door though. That should save a bit. Cheers peeps.
Ingot a fuel calculator from the last owner. It does 8mpg competitive and 18 between stages. He also drained the tank and filled it 5l at a time then took photos of the gauge which is handy. We are approx told the stage mileage before hand too!!
Morat
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 8943
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: The Peoples Republic of Yorkshire

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:08 am

What has been done to the engine?
E30 Touring 0.35 cD - more slippery than prison soap :)

Image
Praise the Lard... and pass the dripping!
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:02 am

It's had steel flywheel and paddle clutch, runs cherry bomb lightweight rear silencers. That's it really. Had a full standard rebuild last year with new standard cam etc. Runs 172 bhp.
I got a 2.8 in the garage with an m50 manifold if it blows but to be fair it goes quite well. It runs a 4.4 cwp with a 320 e30 box so geared nice too
nickphine
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 282
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: Kendal

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:33 am

Looks like thereis still some sound deadening on the rear seat base and possibly on the front of the tunnel? There will also be some inside the doors. Rear bulkhead is a good idea as long as your turrets are tied together ish and your boots on pins. Bumper inserts also. All free.

You coud also have a go at alloy door skins, diy bends using a bit of angle iron then bend them over cut down door frames and glue with a bit of sikaflex, can't be that hard i reckon?
User avatar
mattrs
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1810
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:00 pm

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:54 am

Any idea of its current weight? If not you could go to a weigh bridge or scrapyard and get it checked out of interest. (should be accurate to + - 20 kg).
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:28 am

The rear seat base has a sparco helmet box on it. It's difficult to see through the glass.
I removed the door cards yesterday but the photos are from before. I've put corrugated plastic sheets on the doors which is lighter than ally and free from work. The rear turrets are tied into the roll cage.
I might as well gut both the front doors and fit sliders into polycard windows. I can make these up as not that difficult really.
I havnt had chance to weigh it. Had all my other cars weighed at my mates paper recycling plant but he just got layed off.
User avatar
kipsy
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 354
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: South wales

Post Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:29 am

Any idea how much the bumper inserts weigh?