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Thread: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

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    Bodger

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    Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Evening all, does anyone know what weight you can get a Mk3 capri with 2.0 pinto down to if it's stuck on a diet? Tempted to strip mine out and replace wings, boot, bonnet with grp. Will only strip it if the weight saving is worth it. Cheers

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    judging by race cars, you could probably get one down to 800kg if you tried hard enough

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    That sounds respectable, I've heard of heavier escorts! Do you know if they had any fibreglass parts? A cage? Etc etc. Cheers for the response Graham

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    race cars all have cages, and most fibreglass boots, bonnets and plastic side and rear windows

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Cheers

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Mine is around 1240 kg "race weight" with me (65-70 kg) in it and with almost a full tank of gas. But that's with a rather heavy turbo setup, 16" wheels, all glass, almost full interior, half cage. No metal cut for lightening purposes.

    It does have GRP front wings and bonnet and rear hatch though (fully framed stuff). The turbo system is probably 20-30 kg on its own and I guess the X-pack rear arches also add weight.

    Gustaf

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Cheers Gustaf, I imagine your turbo setup is pushing out more than my 160bhp pinto! I'm going to try dropping the cars weight down instead of increasing bhp. I can reduce weight relatively cheap compared with lots of expensive headwork or fitting a turbo to my 2.1. Out of interest what engine and bhp are you running?

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    makes sense, BUT with quite a lot of weight and not a lot of power you will need to shed a couple of hundred kg to make any real noticeable difference

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    shedding weight is pointless with a 1.6. Pinto is a heavy lump, 2.0 is a straight swap, and £ for £ will be the biggest single improvement. Going lightweight sounds good but panels ain't cheap, rarely fit properly, need painting etc. Also if it's a road car, I personally prefer steel wherever possible, glass offers little in the way of a crumple zone

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    I've already got a 160bhp 2.1 in it PSweeney. Eventually I'll go pinto turbo or jap turbo, extracting 200bhp from a pinto and keeping it driveable in traffic etc does really happen! I want the capri faster but keep it mild mannered and thought a diet might be the answer. I hear what your saying about the price of panels and paint though.

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    I have a 2-litre Pinto turbo, around 300 whp at the moment.

    My gut feeling is that the Capri structure with the hatchback etc. is quite heavy and not that easy to loose weight from. The bonnet, hatch and doors are heavy of course but the wings are not that heavy. I would imagine 800 kg means real dedication to lightness.

    Gustaf

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Before you go buying any fibreglass panels, make sure you find out their weight, and of your respective steel panels.

    You might be very surprised at how heavy the fibreglass parts can be. A lot of weight on some steel panels is the dirt and crap that build up inside them from road use ! But a clean bare steel panel often isnt that heavy at all.

    Adding lightness, is not a cheap task if replacing panels to achieve it.

    And for windows, it's a legal requirement for safety glass on any front/side windows even if somehow many cars manage to bypass this.
    9.85 @ 145mph 202mph standing mile

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Hi Gustaf, could you send me some information on your pinto turbo please? I'd like to build one in the future. Are you using standard injection plenum and cossie management or all aftermarket stuff? Cheers, Ben

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Some of the more recent pictures are here;
    http://whynotracing.nu/gallery_3/index.php/?page=3

    In short, it's a 205 block with YB pistons and rods, rwd YB oil pump and spray bar. Standard head, slightly ported and an NH206 cam. I now run a YB intake manifold/trumpets (welded to a Pinto flange) with a home made plenum. Pulse split exhaust and Holset HX35 turbo.

    The engine has a too low CR to be "good", it's down around 7.5:1 or something so power curve is not great. I'm collecting parts to build a higher compressioin engine (specially ordered pistons) around 8.5:1 instead. I run a Megasquirt MS3 with MS3X as engine management. I top out at around 1.8 bar of boost now (thanks to, or due to, the low CR).

    Regards

    Gustaf

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Save the most weight: Bonnet and rear hatch, switch to GRP. Doors, too (but hard to find MK2/3 doors). Front: Remove all the internals, bolt on o GRP front panel.
    Wings: save about 0, as explained above...

    My MK1 with 302V8 is 1090 kg with driver.
    Last edited by Caprimaniac; 16-09-2016 at 10:13.

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    Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    Must b completely stripped out for that weight


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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    ive got a smith and deakin fibre glass bonnet on my mk3 Capri, its the heavier version with internal strengthening frame, I weighed the steel bonnet and the fibre glass one, and there was a good 10kg difference.
    http://www.scooternations.com/

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    Re: Weight saving on a Mk3 capri???

    When I had a bonnet made for my Granada, I had it done in a single skin from Kevlar. ( saved inner and outer moulds, although it probably should have had some strengthening ribs done in the absence of an inner frame ) It was fairly thick to try and retain some strength, and it was sort of strong. It probably saved around 10kg...22kg down to 12kg or near, but it came at a fairly hefty cost.

    Between having it made, painted, the hassle fitting etc etc...I'd say close to £1k. Not even close to worth it. The last year around 120mph it took flight LOL. I'm back to steel again.

    I've recently made a mould for a front wing from an original steel wing, and TBH even with only around 2 layers of 450g glass, the mould is about teh same weight as the steel panel, and the mould could do with additional material to make it stronger. So even a well made wing...I really doubt there would be any good saving, if at all.
    The majority of weight on my steels are either the undersealer, paint or just dirt stuck to them !

    I recall years ago before pulling a wing off another car I had...I scraped around 2kg of dirt and crap that had built up over the years inside the wheel arch area lol
    Last edited by stevieturbo; 18-09-2016 at 18:51.
    9.85 @ 145mph 202mph standing mile

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss_c7fML3rw

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