I'm planning out the next steps in getting weight out of my car. Anyone know the difference in weight between door skins like Roger Sheridan's or GT-Racings versus doing a hack job on the existing 914 doors? I've seen the hollowed out doors and they feel lighter when you open them, but I was wondering if anyone actually had experience weighing them.

Sheridan says his door skilns are 4 lbs. each. The positive on hollowing out the doors is that I could still open and close the door. This is for my track only race car. It has a full cage, so I don't need to worry about the street.

Anyone have any experience?

Thanks,

Bill

I have my doors that I cut the beam out of and the window mouting track removed but I couldn't tell you what they weight. I made fiberglass "skins" using the origianls to make my molds and 4 pounds is about right for f/g doors.

Paul

Bill,

Go ahead and gut your doors. Having them actually swing open when you need too is a good thing. The latch is also a good thing.

I really like Rogers skins.. but they are specifially setup for the tube frame cars and not really for tub cars.



B

I gutted my driver's side door so the cage would clear. We didn't weigh it but it is probably around 6lbs. I kept the small quarter window but had to cut the support off to clear the upper door bar.

dr

Bill,

Good timing. We just started gutting our doors this weekend and took weights.

I don't have any experience with the Fiberglass version, but If you want them to hinge it seems to me that you would have to add back something on top of the 4lbs the shell weighs.

So, I took an early door this weekend and gutted it. I was shown how to modify the latch mechanism by putting a rod onto it and running this up to the top. This will save a tiny bit of weight over the stock inside/outside handle.

Once we gutted the door (but includding the stock hinges) we were at 17lbs. I'm using a piece of webbing as a door opener stop over the stock piece.

brant

I agree with Brad on the f/g doors vs. a hollowed out stock door. It is the hinge and latch that is a PITA on a f/g door. That is why I molded them in to the fender and I now step over.

If I had a tub car I would keep the drivers door the stock, but hollowed out. But you could change the passenger door to f/g and use dzus fasners to keep it on. Get the best of both.

Paul

I should have clarified...

my weight was taken with the trusty bathroom scale, so it could be less than laboratory perfect.

#17 was with no glass, a half dozen 3inch holes drilled in the bottom, all of the center hollowed out, the spray in insulation from the factory gutted out, and no stop mechanism. We cut the center back to the point of no structural rigidity... but we left the small internal structural box that supports the lower hinge.

I weighed a stock/complete early door and found it to be around 37#'s. So this indicates to me that the glass and misc weighed about 20lbs total.

I would think that FG could be less, but for our vintage group this is not legal so I have no direct experience.

hope this helps
brant

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all of info. Based on your inputs, I'm going to leave the doors but gut them. I get lighter weight but I can still have functionality.

Anyone know what the front and rear metal hoods weigh? I pick up my f/g fr and rr hoods from Bontempi tomorrow. He says they weigh ~11lbs each. I'm thinking the stock metal hoods have to weigh between 20 and 30 pounds each....

And my f/g front bumper just came...I need to pull the metal one off and see how much that weighs......

914...on a diet...

Bill

Go Bill, Go!!!

Paul

Hi Paul,

You bet I'm going for it "lighter = faster"!!!!!

Do you know the weight of the front and rear stock hoods? Also, where else am I missing opportunity on taking weight out?

I can't go as all out as you as I run the car on the big tracks, but I'm game to try most anything...

Bill

jenny craig?

my wife says if I'm looking for 20 lbs here and there, why don't I take it off of my beltline!



I told her my weight helps balance the batterey on the other side of the car!

Bill

What about gutting the doors, then reskinning with the glass skins? That way you keep the hinges and locking mechanism, and lose the reinforcing bars and weight of the metal skin.

or is it just to much work to make it worth it?