Corvair Forum

Looking at seeing if I can get my 1963 spyder down to a 2000 lb curb weight.

So far I have the following weight savings in mind:

• 1. Eliminated the heater system completely
  2. Eliminated the radio and all brackets for it.
  3. removed rear seat
  4. considering changing buckets out for aluminum racing seats
  5. Replace door panels and quarter window panel with 20 Gauge aluminum
  6. Replace package tray with 20 gauge aluminum
  7. remove spare tire and mounting bracket
  8. Eliminate windshield wiper

Other things I am thinking of are:

• 1. replace generator with internal alternator
  2. Lexan rear window
  3. Lexan quarter windows
  4. Lexan front window
  5. Remaking engine air baffles out of aluminum
  6. Dropping one of the horns
  7. dropping the back up lights
  8. Looking into light weight aluminum rims
  9. Telling the wife to walk

Am I forgetting any of the easy weight savings tricks? I know number 9 in my other thing list would also lighten my wallet in the long run.

Carpet? Lightweight (expensive) battery? Geared down starter (good ones are expensive, cheap one don't last).

Stock front seats are relatively heavy compared to racing seats.

Aluminum master cylinder and maybe Wildwood brakes. Front and rear deck lids from fiberglass, and 'glass bumpers if available (aluminum brackets too).

flat6_musik wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:06 pm Aluminum master cylinder and maybe Wildwood brakes. Front and rear deck lids from fiberglass, and 'glass bumpers if available (aluminum brackets too).

I'm not sure if they make fiberglass hood and deck lids for Early models. It seems most fiberglass accessories are for late models. But I think I did see fiberglass front fenders, but that would be a long term plan as I think you would be cutting out structure with that. With that said though I might be able to skin them down and make them into pin on applications. I don't suppose anyone knows if they make an Aluminum or plastic fuel cell that fits the factory location?

I wouldn't be surprised if an aluminum engine lid could just be fabbed up by a good sheetmetal shop. Probably not the front trunk though....at least not very easily.

You can get to 2000lbs without much trouble with everything mentioned, although I wouldn't recommend lexan windshield and rear glass. Lexan side windows and remove all window crank mechanisms and use straps to open or close. For the boot and bonnet just remove the inner bracing and secure with pins.
Are you building a race only car? If so than go HAM on weight reduction but if you intend to drive on the street and track I would sacrifice some weight reduction for OEM windshield and rear glass and aftermarket seats(not aluminum).

If you're going racing, then yes the window winder mechanism is worth removing - they are heavy.

Don't worry about the wife riding along -- a stripped out car is not a pleasant ride. Do add in weight for ear protection, you'll need it.

Plan for the car is to build a turbo engine that gets me to 1 horse power for every 10 lbs of weight. The car will take some passes on the weekend in the quarter mile and I want to see how much I can get out of the flat 6. I'm guessing I will stay slow enough that I won't need any kind of roll bar, but time will tell. Yes, I will also drive it on my own, I can't see the wife going for a ride with me though. It will almost exclusively be just me driving it on 0% chance of rain days as It will have rear street slicks, but the fronts will be swapped out to skinnies on drag day, but regular tires when on the street. If I want a Cadillac to ride around in I have my Silverado LTZ for that. Once I see what it does at this level I will decide whether I want more streetable or more speed and go from their.

There has been a car in my area for years that runs down near 12 seconds in the 1/4 mile. It is a 63 coupe with a roughly 200HP turbo engine. Owned and campaigned by Billy Bruce. I am not positive but I seem to recall him saying the car was under just 2000 lbs. He is not running a stock carb nor a completely stock turbo as I recall.

If you're going drag racing then removing the window winders is recommended. Install Lexan and put a strap on it to pull it up in the window channels.

200HP is a realistic number for a turbo -- keep in mind a flat torque curve is what makes a turbo fast and what breaks transaxles.

LM 110HP torque was 160, 140 HP torque was 160, 180HP (turbo) torque was 265!!!! A 283 V8 two barrel was 170HP and torque was 275.

Unless you improve the EM transaxle it won't tolerate much more than 265 torque unless you drive it easy. If you could computerize the turbo and a powerglide to dump some boost on the upshift --- that would be a goer on the strip.

Deadwolf wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:45 pm

flat6_musik wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:06 pm Aluminum master cylinder and maybe Wildwood brakes. Front and rear deck lids from fiberglass, and 'glass bumpers if available (aluminum brackets too).

I'm not sure if they make fiberglass hood and deck lids for Early models. It seems most fiberglass accessories are for late models. But I think I did see fiberglass front fenders, but that would be a long term plan as I think you would be cutting out structure with that. With that said though I might be able to skin them down and make them into pin on applications. I don't suppose anyone knows if they make an Aluminum or plastic fuel cell that fits the factory location?

I thought I had a picture of my fiberglass trunk lid. Clarks used to offer these, and I managed to buy mine through Clarks. It weighs 20 lbs vs the stock steel one at 40lbs. additional weight reduction comes from removing the torsion springs to open the hood. The early rear engine lid only weighs 20lbs, so on this it might be easier to get it lighter by liposuction... remove the rain gutters and excess material.
One thing that is frequently overlooked when doing a hotted up turbo is INTAKE FLOW!! by far, the most plugged up part of the whole thing is that woosy little pea shooter intake cross over manifold! holy moly it is small!! It is sized okay for around 10psi on a stock engine, but when you turn the boost up to 20psi, the turbo has to put out 25 psi to read 20 at the intake manifold on the head!! 2 1/4 id is about as small as you really ever want to go on that, most blow throughs use 2.5 id, but now all the flow loss is at the carburetor, because of the throttle, choke and venturis and the carb pad opening. Those small valve heads flow 30% more just from opening up the carb pads from the stock 1.2" to 1.5". Amazingly enough, the 140 heads are equally plugged up at the carburetor pads, because they are the same i.d.... these heads will flow almost 50% more air when the carb pad openings are bored out to 1.5", and this is almost as much as individual runners will do!! Always remember, it aint boost that makes power, its how much airflow you are making at a given boost level that makes power, and on all stock Corvair turbos, the intake cross over manifold is the biggest restriction of all!

Last post by "Deadwolf" was over two years ago. I wonder how it turned out.