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when putting the dash back in my challenge car today, i realized just how heavy it is. Wow.
this will be a hpde/autocross/challenge car. So, need to keep heater and gauges. Mirror switch. Id also like to keep the dash stock appearing from a visual standpoint. Will still be using all factory mounts to the car, as well as the steering column mounts.
what all have you guys done to lighten these? Im planning on the air bag delete, but that should only get about 5 lbs is my guess.
throw out what/how/how much you did, and rough estimate of the results.
I'm about to undergo the same task, air bags are actually way more than that but can't remember how much, might check the weight loss thread. I'll also be pulling the a/c condenser but I'm more interested in what structural things that can be trimmed to remove weight.
I gutted most of the dash in my NB. I gutted the HVAC vents but kept the defroster and floor fans. All of the eyeball vents have been gutted. I cut as much of the dash support off as I could, but I kept the bar and trans tunnel supports in place for safety reasons. I also moved my ECU to the passenger side airbag location with a harness extension. I gutted most of the un-necessary wiring out of the interior harness.
No idea how much weight it saved, but it did make my dash more simple and easier to remove.
and I'm sure theres other places to lose a pound or two. like gutting the glovebox and reattaching the outer skin.
and no AC. just heat.
Yes, it is. What are you going to gut from the glovebox? It is entirely plastic and weighs nearly nothing. The AC is not in the dash, it is attached to the firewall.
The dash houses: the dash support bar (needed to attach the actual plastic dash to the car), the ducting for HVAC (all plastic and light), wiring (need), airbag, and the actual plastic dash which is an overlay over the support bar. The airbag cover, which is plastic can be removed and reattached to the dash. The AC box is attached to the firewall and can be removed and replaced with a piece of ducting from Mazda, but I assumed you already did that.
haven't gutted the evaporator yet, as im still in rogh fab and mockup phase. Hell, im not even finished seam welding yet, or got all the cage tubes bent. But im trying to learn and plan, and do the best i can as i go.
This has mostly been covered, but I'll throw in a pic for posterity. The ducting that is attached to the dash is very light plastic, and you wouldn't gain much from removing it. The stereo and airbags will be much more significant. The blower motor, AC and heater elements are all attached to the firewall, and while there's a considerable amount of weight there, you're stuck with it if you want to retain any of the HVAC.
NB dash, and HVAC ducting:
On my NA track car, I removed all the HVAC parts and will be using a boat blower motor for defrost duty, if I ever get around to installing it.
Looking at your picture, and not my particular dash, what are the thoughts about drilling all the support structure except the tube? Seems like theres quite a bit of weught there.
also, how are you planning to heat/attach the blower to the defrost vents? Defrost is my main concern causing me to want to retain the hvac stuff. If i can delete it all cheap enough, i happily will.
Looking at your picture, and not my particular dash, what are the thoughts about drilling all the support structure except the tube? Seems like theres quite a bit of weught there.
I guess it all depends on how much effort you're willing to expend to remove a couple of pounds? Go for it, and add the results into the weight reduction thread... for science!
also, how are you planning to heat/attach the blower to the defrost vents? Defrost is my main concern causing me to want to retain the hvac stuff. If i can delete it all cheap enough, i happily will.
I retained all the molded plastic venting when I gutted the NA dash, and will probably just use dryer hose off the fan into the original defrost vents. They are very light. I'm still considering an electric heater element, but haven't found a really suitable one yet.
I do think ditching the heatercore isn't quite as straight forward as you would think. you have to do some serious consideration of the mixing manifold setup. I believe that info is in teh cooling system thread.
I do think ditching the heatercore isn't quite as straight forward as you would think. you have to do some serious consideration of the mixing manifold setup. I believe that info is in teh cooling system thread.
Its in the process of getting a big gm v6 stuffed in it, so the miata engine specific coolant stuff doesn't really apply. Going to be interesting to see how cool i can keep it though.