dumb quick question..
dumb quick question.. What is the thickness needed to make a HVAC delete plate? I know there has to be a NHRA rule about the sheet metal thickness... Also I will have to box in my cowling so will that require the same thickness?
The rule is 7.4 under General Regulations and states.
7:4 Firewalls
Each car in competition must be equipped with a minimum .032 inch aluminum or .024 inch steel firewall, extending from side to side of the body and from the top of the engine compartments upper seal (hood, cowl, ore deck) to the bottom of the floor and /or bellypan. Firewall must provide a bulkhead between the engine and/or fuel tank and driver compartment. All holes in the firewall must be sealed with aluminum or steel. In certain instances, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other composites may be used. See Class Requirements or consult NHRA. Use of magnesium prohibited
0.024" mild steel is 24 gauge and weighs 1 lb per square foot.
0.032" aluminum is 20 gauge and weighs 0.45 lbs per square foot.
7:4 Firewalls
Each car in competition must be equipped with a minimum .032 inch aluminum or .024 inch steel firewall, extending from side to side of the body and from the top of the engine compartments upper seal (hood, cowl, ore deck) to the bottom of the floor and /or bellypan. Firewall must provide a bulkhead between the engine and/or fuel tank and driver compartment. All holes in the firewall must be sealed with aluminum or steel. In certain instances, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other composites may be used. See Class Requirements or consult NHRA. Use of magnesium prohibited
0.024" mild steel is 24 gauge and weighs 1 lb per square foot.
0.032" aluminum is 20 gauge and weighs 0.45 lbs per square foot.
So if I used 20 gauge aluminum to block off the hvac hole and leave an extra 3/4 all the way around it i should be ok right?
As far as the cowling I'll use 24 gauge steel and just weld it like a seam will work right?
As far as the cowling I'll use 24 gauge steel and just weld it like a seam will work right?
If you are cutting the cowl back to the windshield I would run the piece straight back to the bottom of under side of the dash then down to the firewall at a 90* so you'll have all the space available.
You'll want to stitch weld it, so you don't over heat the metal and warp it.
Yes and yes, you may get some vibration from the hvac panel if you go that thin, you may try something thicker.
If you are cutting the cowl back to the windshield I would run the piece straight back to the bottom of under side of the dash then down to the firewall at a 90* so you'll have all the space available.
You'll want to stitch weld it, so you don't over heat the metal and warp it.
If you are cutting the cowl back to the windshield I would run the piece straight back to the bottom of under side of the dash then down to the firewall at a 90* so you'll have all the space available.
You'll want to stitch weld it, so you don't over heat the metal and warp it.
I sent you some pics of what little I have done so far. I want to just start hacking away but I have to be able to move the car in a few months.
Cage should be here soon I hope.
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You support the body up in the air, mine is on jack stands with little shims to level the body. You make 6x6 plates on the rocker panels you leave them straight on top, and just bend the bottoms.
You drill and screw the plates to the rocker panel so it'll hold it to the rocker panel, then you measure, cut, fit and tack all of the pieces in from the fire wall back to the rear shock cross member.
Then you support the cage from the bottom and remove the screws on the rocker panel plates and the cage will drop down, then you lower it as much as you need to get up top and fully weld everything. Some people pull the whole body off.
Then you raise the cage up back to where it goes and mount it back up, then you put some welds on the plates and then bend and weld the rest of the plate. Some people break the welds that hold the cage to the rocker plates and do it that way.
Here is a photo of some car so you get an idea how it attaches.
You drill and screw the plates to the rocker panel so it'll hold it to the rocker panel, then you measure, cut, fit and tack all of the pieces in from the fire wall back to the rear shock cross member.
Then you support the cage from the bottom and remove the screws on the rocker panel plates and the cage will drop down, then you lower it as much as you need to get up top and fully weld everything. Some people pull the whole body off.
Then you raise the cage up back to where it goes and mount it back up, then you put some welds on the plates and then bend and weld the rest of the plate. Some people break the welds that hold the cage to the rocker plates and do it that way.
Here is a photo of some car so you get an idea how it attaches.
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Damn it doesn’t weigh a thing! Is it caged and all?No my back was killing me so I took the day off of working on the car. Tonight I have to pack and leave before sun up tomorrow for a family trip. I want to start on that tunnel. Thanks for your help with that. I was also thinking about making the rear seat area flat (where the seats would sit at)
All I really know is that I need more cardboard for templates
Damn it doesn’t weigh a thing! Is it caged and all?No my back was killing me so I took the day off of working on the car. Tonight I have to pack and leave before sun up tomorrow for a family trip. I want to start on that tunnel. Thanks for your help with that. I was also thinking about making the rear seat area flat (where the seats would sit at)
All I really know is that I need more cardboard for templates
Bad side is my buddy is a big guy and weighs 326 without his helmet or gear on lol. I'll take photos, we got a better baseline this time and we're looking to do a 6,200 transbrake launch out of the gate.
Plus he's only been shifting it at 8,200 and the motor peaks at 8,200 so we'll see how it does when we raise the 2nd gear shift point up a few hundred rpm.
You know you can keep the stock back seat with mini tubs right? Here is a pic with 40" tubs and the back seat in the car, mine were 17" wide, while most guys only go 16" wide so it would fit even better. I can tell you how to get the rear seat back in, it's very easy and would keep the car looking much more sleeper. Besides how many mini tubbed cars you seen with a back seat?
I will have to take it somewhere to have it fitted after I widen the tunnel. but that looks awesome! how are they held in? what front seats are you going to use?
How did he get his car's weight doen so low? swiss cheese the whole car?
What class are you two thinking about running in?
man I just asked like 10 questions lol
How did he get his car's weight doen so low? swiss cheese the whole car?
What class are you two thinking about running in?
man I just asked like 10 questions lol
hmmm I just checked out VFN's site again and I'm thinking about speending a lot there..
maybe a dash. A front end clip, wide extended sunoco hood, doors, trunk hatch, and maybe the rear bumper clip
total weight 77 pounds. total cost 2,711 thats a lot of weight saving!!!!
maybe a dash. A front end clip, wide extended sunoco hood, doors, trunk hatch, and maybe the rear bumper clip
total weight 77 pounds. total cost 2,711 thats a lot of weight saving!!!!
I will have to take it somewhere to have it fitted after I widen the tunnel. but that looks awesome! how are they held in? what front seats are you going to use?
How did he get his car's weight doen so low? swiss cheese the whole car?
What class are you two thinking about running in?
man I just asked like 10 questions lol
How did he get his car's weight doen so low? swiss cheese the whole car?
What class are you two thinking about running in?
man I just asked like 10 questions lol
The seat is help in by pressure of the foam under neath the seat cover, you basically push the seat in between the tubs and it stays, the bottom uses the regular bolts on the bottom.
hmmm I just checked out VFN's site again and I'm thinking about speending a lot there..
maybe a dash. A front end clip, wide extended sunoco hood, doors, trunk hatch, and maybe the rear bumper clip
total weight 77 pounds. total cost 2,711 thats a lot of weight saving!!!!
maybe a dash. A front end clip, wide extended sunoco hood, doors, trunk hatch, and maybe the rear bumper clip
total weight 77 pounds. total cost 2,711 thats a lot of weight saving!!!!
Light weight race seats are pretty cheap to drop weight, also stripping off anything you don't use adds up fast.
It sounds ok, but honestly there are better ways to drop weight you could buy light weight spindles and get front 3rd gen drag brakes that would drop at least 65-70 pounds for around 1,100.00 bucks.
A k-member and lower a-arms will drop around 30 pounds for around 650.00 and lots of times you can find these new or slightly used on the for sale boards for probably less than that.
So that is about 100 pounds for 1,750.00 so 17.50 dollars per pound dropped vs. 77 pounds for 2,711 which would be like 35.20 dollars per pound removed. So you see looking at cost vs. pounds dropped is important.
If you shopped and planned well you could probably drop 2x as much weight for the price instead of just buying everything everyone else goes and buys just because it is light weight. Like upper a-arms you save like 5 pounds for what 350-400 dollars? That would be like paying 70-80 dollars to remove one pound, so some deals aren't as great as they seem.
My way dropped 23 more pounds for 961.00 less, plus big items like doors hoods and stuff have to be frighted and freight is not cheap right now. Look at the parts, see what they cost how much they drop then decide.
Light weight race seats are pretty cheap to drop weight, also stripping off anything you don't use adds up fast.
It sounds ok, but honestly there are better ways to drop weight you could buy light weight spindles and get front 3rd gen drag brakes that would drop at least 65-70 pounds for around 1,100.00 bucks.
A k-member and lower a-arms will drop around 30 pounds for around 650.00 and lots of times you can find these new or slightly used on the for sale boards for probably less than that.
So that is about 100 pounds for 1,750.00 so 17.50 dollars per pound dropped vs. 77 pounds for 2,711 which would be like 35.20 dollars per pound removed. So you see looking at cost vs. pounds dropped is important.
If you shopped and planned well you could probably drop 2x as much weight for the price instead of just buying everything everyone else goes and buys just because it is light weight. Like upper a-arms you save like 5 pounds for what 350-400 dollars? That would be like paying 70-80 dollars to remove one pound, so some deals aren't as great as they seem.
My way dropped 23 more pounds for 961.00 less, plus big items like doors hoods and stuff have to be frighted and freight is not cheap right now. Look at the parts, see what they cost how much they drop then decide.
It sounds ok, but honestly there are better ways to drop weight you could buy light weight spindles and get front 3rd gen drag brakes that would drop at least 65-70 pounds for around 1,100.00 bucks.
A k-member and lower a-arms will drop around 30 pounds for around 650.00 and lots of times you can find these new or slightly used on the for sale boards for probably less than that.
So that is about 100 pounds for 1,750.00 so 17.50 dollars per pound dropped vs. 77 pounds for 2,711 which would be like 35.20 dollars per pound removed. So you see looking at cost vs. pounds dropped is important.
If you shopped and planned well you could probably drop 2x as much weight for the price instead of just buying everything everyone else goes and buys just because it is light weight. Like upper a-arms you save like 5 pounds for what 350-400 dollars? That would be like paying 70-80 dollars to remove one pound, so some deals aren't as great as they seem.
My way dropped 23 more pounds for 961.00 less, plus big items like doors hoods and stuff have to be frighted and freight is not cheap right now. Look at the parts, see what they cost how much they drop then decide.
I'm going to buy the spindles a k member most of that stuff. I think the rear hatch will loose a lot of weight bc stock they weigh so much. I'm cutting out all the stuff I don't need as you know from all the emails. I'm just looking at all the options.
I need to find out how much doors weigh and the hatch with glass with out glass... ect ect that way I will know if it will be a good idea or not.
Where did you get your wheel tubs at? also around the sail pannel can I cut the extra out like where the speakers would mount?? (the inner structure)
I'm going to buy the spindles a k member most of that stuff. I think the rear hatch will loose a lot of weight bc stock they weigh so much. I'm cutting out all the stuff I don't need as you know from all the emails. I'm just looking at all the options.
I need to find out how much doors weigh and the hatch with glass with out glass... ect ect that way I will know if it will be a good idea or not.
Where did you get your wheel tubs at? also around the sail pannel can I cut the extra out like where the speakers would mount?? (the inner structure)
I need to find out how much doors weigh and the hatch with glass with out glass... ect ect that way I will know if it will be a good idea or not.
Where did you get your wheel tubs at? also around the sail pannel can I cut the extra out like where the speakers would mount?? (the inner structure)
You can cut out around the speakers, but if you're doing that I would have a cage also if you cut that much out. As far as removing weight, start with everything up front, you want to remove weight there before any place else.
Cutting some out like this helps too.