Ping Ray O -- Supra Project Update

Ray,

I'm sorry that I forgot to post it sooner but I have an update on the
supra project that I asked you about. Just as a reminder, I wanted to
improve the overall performance of the car so I was trying to find
ways to shed some weight on the car without sacrificing streetability
or reliability. Not only was weight loss the goal but also to lose
it from strategic points which also help handling. To accomplish
this, I targeted losing weight on the car at higher points to lower
the center of gravity. I also targeted losing weight on the front of
the car to even out the weight bias more. Here's the result:

1) The jack was replaced with an aluminium one from the NSX.
2) The horns were replaced with lighter ones from newer Toyotas and
were mounted lower.
3) The assist grip is gone (your suggestion).
4) The sun visors are gone and the top of the windshield has been
tinted with double "fives".
5) The hood and front fenders are now carbon fiber and color matched.
6) The catback exhaust has been replaced with a titanium one.
7) The single din CD player was moved to the lower slot.
The brake pedals were replaced (not covered with) aluminium ones.
9) The rear hatch dampers were removed (credit to you again). They
were replaced with an aluminium "stand" specially crafted to fit in
the factory location. I just have to press a button to hold it up.
10) The front speakers are gone.

I decided to keep the airbags to keep it street legal. Also, I added
more insulation to cover up more of the rear tire noise. The overall
weight loss was 75 lbs. The car's not quite Corvette Z06 weight but
it's close enough. We just reworked the turbo system anyway that
improved boost response. Thanks for your input on the project!

"Viperkiller" <nothing DeleteThis @nothing.net> wrote in message
news:j4tmg25bqb717ri10lgujmcec18tl3m36t@4ax.com...
> Ray,
>
> I'm sorry that I forgot to post it sooner but I have an update on the
> supra project that I asked you about. Just as a reminder, I wanted to
> improve the overall performance of the car so I was trying to find
> ways to shed some weight on the car without sacrificing streetability
> or reliability. Not only was weight loss the goal but also to lose
> it from strategic points which also help handling. To accomplish
> this, I targeted losing weight on the car at higher points to lower
> the center of gravity. I also targeted losing weight on the front of
> the car to even out the weight bias more. Here's the result:
>
> 1) The jack was replaced with an aluminium one from the NSX.
> 2) The horns were replaced with lighter ones from newer Toyotas and
> were mounted lower.
> 3) The assist grip is gone (your suggestion).
> 4) The sun visors are gone and the top of the windshield has been
> tinted with double "fives".
> 5) The hood and front fenders are now carbon fiber and color matched.
> 6) The catback exhaust has been replaced with a titanium one.
> 7) The single din CD player was moved to the lower slot.
> The brake pedals were replaced (not covered with) aluminium ones.
> 9) The rear hatch dampers were removed (credit to you again). They
> were replaced with an aluminium "stand" specially crafted to fit in
> the factory location. I just have to press a button to hold it up.
> 10) The front speakers are gone.
>
> I decided to keep the airbags to keep it street legal. Also, I added
> more insulation to cover up more of the rear tire noise. The overall
> weight loss was 75 lbs. The car's not quite Corvette Z06 weight but
> it's close enough. We just reworked the turbo system anyway that
> improved boost response. Thanks for your input on the project!

75 lbs is a pretty big weight loss without stripping the interior! Some
more ideas...

If the car has a sunroof and you never use it, you can remove the motor,
sunroof computer, and wiring and leave the sunroof in the closed position,
or if you can figure out a way to hold the sunroof panel in place, you can
remove the track as well.

Remove the rear seats, seat belts, and arm rests if nobody rides back there.

Replace the original power seats with manually adjustable ones from a Celica
or even Recaro-type shell seats or remove the leather seat covers and
replace with fabric.

Replace the hood struts with a prop rod if you have not already done that
when you installed the carbon fiber hood.

Remove the headliner and spray on acoustic insulation or use thin fabric.

Remove the plastic inner panels from the rear hatch and spray on acoustic
insulation or cover with thin fabric.

Remove the overhead map light and dome lights and install LED types lower in
A-pillar or B-pillar.

Remove the power door lock actuators.

Remove the rear hatch release cable and mechanism and just use a key.

Remove the rear cargo cover and mounting hardware.

This may not even be possible and the pressures may not be compatible, but
remove the belt-driven power steering pump and install an electric PS pump
from an MR2 somewhere lower in the engine compartment or in the cargo area.

If the car has a power antenna, replace with a whip antenna.

If this is a fair weather car and you never drive in the rain or snow,
remove the rear wiper motor and wiper arm.

Remove the plastic storage bin part of the glove box and just keep the glove
box lid.

Remove the plastic storage bin part of the center console and just keep the
exterior and lid or remove the entire center console.

If you do not use cruise control, remove the CC actuator.

If the cast iron exhaust manifold is still in place, replace with header
pipes.

Remove the fuel door release and re-rig so you can release it from the cargo
area.

Move windshield washer reservoir to the cargo area.

Put the battery in one of those plastic containers used for boats and move
to the cargo area.

Move the coolant overflow bottle back towards the firewall.

Thanks for the update!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)