Weight reduction - cutting away the rusty metal I don't want..
Lemons is all about performance restrictions due to cost, but one thing they simply don't poilice is weight, no minimum weights or restrictions on bodywork save rules
3.D.2 Doors: No Gull-wings! Or Lambo-doors; or anything else that will trap you in the event of a nasty incident.
and
3.J.1 Windshields: A sturdy, driver-protecting windshield is required. Minimum requirement is a laminated windscreen, and windshields must be thick enough and suitably braced to resist a heavy object striking the windshield at speed.
3.J.3 Guards, Doors, and bonnet required.
and
3.K.1 Engine Firewall: Gaps or holes in the engine firewall must be sealed up with metal plate or OE-type grommets. If you can see through it, we want it closed up. In addition to the required unbroken firewall between engine and cockpit, rear and mid-engined cars must have a sturdy rear window or other complete upper barrier for driver protection against fire, hot oil, angry villagers, etc. Metal, heavy polycarbonate (1/4-inch or thicker), and OE glass are all acceptable.
so it's pretty much open slather except for dealing with safety related issues.. I still want the car to look like a Fiat X1/9.
Fortunately in a previous race car build for a friend, I made a full set of moulds for fibreglass bonnet / boot / engine cover / door skins with glass removed / targa bar inner and outer skins. I can also lose quite a lot of weight from the bodywork with selective removal of metal which (for a race car) just isn't needed and I now think I have the car to the point where I have pretty much all the "excess" steel removed, and IMO haven't compromised the structural integrity of the unit. Would I race or drive the car just like this, well no, as the roll cage and bracing needs to go back in to ensure the torsional ridgidity is at least (hopefully more) that the OE sheetmetal, but overall a lot lighter...and in the spirit of the lemons rules the materials for the parts going on the car will be a "lemon's dollars" spend, but I can get an awful lot of perfomance improvement ith $200 of fibreglass matting and resin...again all labour is mine so it doesn't count towards the spend.
The car was pretty rusty too when I got it, not in the chassis or structurally important places, but enough to make the car an unconomical fixer IMO, so I'm not worried about cutting this chassis up for this purpose.
the engine firewall will hinge along the lower edge (or perhaps the side edge if there are clearance issues to the seat) and inside will be the fuese box / relays and electrical wiring.
lemons rule 3.F.5 Fix Sharp Edges: Sharp edges in any location, but especially in and around the cockpit, must be rolled, removed, or securely covered
all the edges on the front of the targa bar I considered an issue, so I removed them... I'm going to repurpose the roof as the engine cover as I need a solid cover above the engine, I shortened a cracked roof I had, and this is where it will sit n the car to clear all the components. Sealing the sides in wont be too hard
I will be replacing the taga bar with a fibreglass replica... I'm going to try and incorporate a roof and targa bar into one piece, I want the car to be closed roof. I'll make fibreglass bonnet / boot / targa bar roof / and door skins for weight reduction.
the plan is somethng like this.
I'm going to make the targa / roof in one piece, pinned into the windscreen frame up front (nice holes already in the frame) and fastened at the back, so it should lift off in one piece and fit over / around the roll cage hoop, I think the angle doesnt look too silly... I was going to make it a sort of curved top, but thats getting difficult so sort a "fixed head coupe" and not a targa anymore
I'll notch out the drivers side section of the roof too to give more room to get in / out. lifting/ tipping the back of the roof by 3" / 75mm makes the opening a lot bigger
SteveC
