Another Wreck, another Race Car.....

**Preen59** · 03-04-2011, 03:17 AM

Way cool, Pete.

Don't throw all those bits out.. I'd like to see how much it all weighs when you're finished.

**Peter Jones** · 03-04-2011, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Preen59

Don't throw all those bits out.. I'd like to see how much it all weighs when you're finished.

I'm kinda curious too.

I've been collecting all the metal I remove, I'll weigh it all up at some stage and let you know.

Ultimately of course I'll weigh the finished car.

**Peter Jones** · 03-04-2011, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Volksee77

looking very nice and professional there Peter, what are you using to pull those holes through

As Grant pointed out the gadget is pictured earlier in the thread.

The device is a combined punch and flare. It's quite vestatile and can be used to punch a hole, flare an existing hole or punch and flare simultaneously.

They come in a range of sizes from 1 1/2" through to 2 5/8". These holes are 1 1/2" but the diameter of the flared section is about 2".

Here's a link to the manufacturers site. You can buy them off e-bay or places like Summit racing.

Allstar Performance - racing and high performance car parts, accessories and specialty tools.

Summit Racing

As well as removing weight, flaring the edges of the hole stiffens the panel, making it quite rigid.

My reasoning behind perforating the rear apron was to reduce drag, With the wheel well gone it's just hanging in the breeze.

I could have removed the apron entirely but I wanted to keep the shape of the car.

**Dimitri** · 03-04-2011, 04:14 PM

really nice work so far!

**Preen59** · 03-04-2011, 07:57 PM

Yes I notice a lot of people cut the apron off the Mk1s in full race trim.

Originally Posted by Peter Jones

I'm kinda curious too.

I've been collecting all the metal I remove, I'll weigh it all up at some stage and let you know.

Ultimately of course I'll weigh the finished car.

Yeah, weighing the finished product is the ultimate goal I guess.. But it is definitely interesting to know how much you got out of removing metal from it.

**Peter Jones** · 10-04-2011, 09:52 AM

Moving a bit slowly this weekend, I slept badly and have put my neck out. Google tells me the condition is Torticollis and that I'll just have to tough it out for a couple of days 'till it sorts itself out.

Anyway... I did manage to get a little more work done during the week and perforated the C pillars. Mostly for looks I guess, that's not a lot of weight saving

**dubmc** · 11-04-2011, 11:23 PM

just a question pete, i know ive this on many race cars, but what impact does it have on structural integrity if any?

**Peter Jones** · 12-04-2011, 06:35 AM

Depends which bits you remove.

In a Golf anything behind the rear shock towers is only there to hold the tail lights up. (From a racing perspective)

Flanging the holes can actually add to the rigidity of the panel whilst removing weight.

**Peter Jones** · 16-04-2011, 10:08 AM

With the dollar so strong at the moment I've been doing a bit of shopping.

Finally bit the bullet on sway bars and opted for the lightweight hollow ones from Autotech.

Autotech Sport Tuning: Swaybars

Light weight means lighter race car and less postage

, they're only about 10kg.

Front is 25mm and rear is 28mm.

Front bar uses stock mounts and I was able to get a kit with nearly all of the brackets new.

Rear bar uses stock mounts on the beam and custom mounts on the shock tower.