Plastic Panels

Cater_Racer · Jan 24, 2015

We (T&G) are trying to loose some weight over the winter, and thinking about plastic/GRP bonnet badge panel etc.

What experience can the forum provide? If we replace the bonnet is the firewall compromised? Matt/Anthony can you help?

Must/should we remove the heater? Is there much weight advantage to be had?

Must/ should we block off the heater inlets?

What about front wings?

Can any other racers advise?

Is there a good source for panels, any must to avoids?

Any help gratefully received.

Andy97 · Jan 24, 2015

I think there is an outfit called Club Autosport in Birmingham who do plastic panels for Porsches. Might be run by Mark Chilton who races a 928 in CSCC, but I may be getting my wires crossed there. Mark does do plastic panels I'm sure, anyway.

The 924 racers can get their cars pretty light by using plastic panels, doors and "glass" - 1000kg inc driver.

I have a plastic bonnet on the 924 S and that's worth it but I'm not convinced the plastic wings I have in the garage are much lighter than the steel ones, as they are reasonably thick to maintain shape.

Be wary of plastic doors unless you have a good weld in cage with double door bars.

You can save weight by replacing the glass hatch with a plastic one, about 25kg, allegedly, but EMC Motorsport thinks that taking weight away from the rear axle rots up the handling. The 924 racers vehemently disagree! My hatch is still glass. A compromise might be to fit a plastic hatch and then put back in about 10kg of weight as low down and as far back as possible??

I kept the heater in as I found it useful to be able to demist the screen!

I assume you have removed the pop up lights?

944 man · Jan 24, 2015

If you remove the hoses then youll have to block the pipes, but I wouldn't. Youll save a little weight but lose at lot of functionality and the fractions you gain will be paid back ten-fold whenever you windscreen mists up. Useful secondary radiator too, which has saved many an engine/head.

If you do remove the heater then don't remove the fan!

Id look towards either Club Autosport or Pro-9 for GRP panels. Neither are great and either will require fettling to fit. Simon's (Pro-9) are a little cheaper than Mick's (CAS). EMC use both.

Neil Haughey · Jan 25, 2015

It must be at least half of the 944 or 968 race cars I have seen have had the heater binned off, saves quite a bit of weight allegedly more than 20 Kg. If I do mine I will replace with a rally car demister, have a look on Demon Tweekers its like a little heater core and tiny electric fan in a little package that weighs about 1 kg. There are some really easy wins, PAS and headlights takes a lot of weight out of the front end. Second fan on the radiator can go ala 968 CS. Specifically on the bonnet mine was supplied by EMC and includes all the same structure underneath as a stock bonnet so it has the shape to seal onto the top of the firewall/scuttle.

Cater_Racer · Jan 25, 2015

We've always used the heater as you've said Simon, useful cooling etc. But I'm concerned with the fire wall integrity as I'm not sure that a GRP bonnet will seal against the inner firewall. I guess we'll have to try it an see. I'll take a look at Mr Chilton's (unfortunate windscreen visor) and Pro-9's sites and check out the prices.

John Sims · Jan 25, 2015

ORIGINAL: 944 man

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...Id look towards either Club Autosport or Pro-9 for GRP panels. Neither are great and either will require fettling to fit ....

It would seem the purveyance of GRP parts goes hand in hand with spectacularly poor web sites. They are obviously spending so much time laying up chopped strand that they don't have time to address their virtual shop windows.

Don't forget another good way to loose weight from the car .... eat less pies. I removed 15 Kg from my car without going near it. [

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Cater_Racer · Jan 25, 2015

ORIGINAL: John Sims

It would seem the purveyance of GRP parts goes hand in hand with spectacularly poor web sites. They are obviously spending so much time laying up chopped strand that they don't have time to address their virtual shop windows.

Don't forget another good way to loose weight from the car .... eat less pies. I removed 15 Kg from my car without going near it. []

I agree with you there John, poor web sites, club Autosport is the best, at least the prices are there, but last time I ordered from them I got a shock from his P&P prices, I ordered a splitter shown as £75 but by the time he'd added P&P and the VAT, it came out nearly twice that price!!!

I'm already pie light, at 67Kgs if I lost another 15kgs I'd be getting food parcels from Oxfam.