Lightweight vented bonnet...veeeery light!!

[panic]

Just finished painting and fixing the custom lightweight vented bonnet from ''damaged Tvr''onmy Griffith...you won't believe how light it is! I must thank these guys for the work, It weights less then half the stock Griffith bonnet, and the vents look cool too...

Here is a pic

[steve-V8s]

Good to hear that Giuseppe. Just out of interest have you fitted any heat shield directly above the exhaust ? I guess the original heat shield must be nearly 2kg.

[panic]

steve-V8s said:

Good to hear that Giuseppe. Just out of interest have you fitted any heat shield directly above the exhaust ? I guess the original heat shield must be nearly 2kg.

No, I have no heatshield above the exhaust nor anywhere else...

BTW, I've emptied both doors (glass, glass drive, power motors...), they were good for not less then 15/20kgs

[steve-V8s]

It will be interesting to know how the paint directly above the Y piece copes with the heat, have you run it yet ? I plan to attack the doors next, the winder motors look very heavy and plainly the glass is. Have you fitted plastic windows in place of the glass ?

[panic]

steve-V8s said:

It will be interesting to know how the paint directly above the Y piece copes with the heat, have you run it yet ? I plan to attack the doors next, the winder motors look very heavy and plainly the glass is. Have you fitted plastic windows in place of the glass ?

Nop, I didn't run it yet...I'm curious too

I won't put any ''conventional glass'' on the doors, on the contrary I'm projecting something radical like this...a deeply trimmed sheet of lexan with a custom alu base...

[steve-V8s]

Interesting idea, I guess you have less rain down there.

Mine is definitely slower with the roof off so I guess it would also be slower with no windows. If the glass comes out I will put some polycarbonate in.

[Uncle Fester]

IIRC it was possible to order 'lightweight bodyshell' versions of the later cars. The glassfibre body weighed a lot less. I’m not sure if the glass was a different type, just thinner, or both.

Were any Griffs made that way?

Panic, you could enquire of the aftermarket panel suppliers if they can supply replacement bodywork sections to a lightweight specification.

If you cut big sections out of the body similar to accident repair, then replaced them with lightweight sections it might give a useful weight saving.

[panic]

Uncle Fester said:

IIRC it was possible to order 'lightweight bodyshell' versions of the later cars. The glassfibre body weighed a lot less. I’m not sure if the glass was a different type, just thinner, or both.

Were any Griffs made that way?

Panic, you could enquire of the aftermarket panel suppliers if they can supply replacement bodywork sections to a lightweight specification.

If you cut big sections out of the body similar to accident repair, then replaced them with lightweight sections it might give a useful weight saving.

Surely they'd be able to build lightweight other parts with the same sistem of the bonnet...unfortunately they're pretty costly...

[Wildfire]

Just as a small warning, I have managed to scrape both the Lotus and the TVR's nose in the past. The TVR got a small scratch. The Elise S1 the same. The lightweight S2 just shattered.

Anyhow I do really fancy a vented lightweight bonnet....