International Lancia Forums

All,

more hefty questions; can anyone give me figure on the weight saving I will get when swapping the metal parts for Aluminium? I'm looking into buying doors, boot and engine cover.

I already got a quote for 40 kg. Does anyone have experience with a metal and a alu door on the scales?

40 kg's on the total weigt of 940 kg's for a montecarlo is just 4,5%. That doesn't seem much to me.

any thoughts on this are welcome!

My first reaction to this question and your related question about plastic windows is to ask why you want to do this. Are you looking to build a track car? or is this simply for more performance on the street?

If it's the latter, you may find that the performance gains will not outweigh the pain of the exercise. Fitting alloy doors and lids to a car that started life without them will require a lot of adjustment. Although it seems as though it should be a straight swap--unbolt one and bolt on the other--it rarely works out that way due to varying fabrication tolerances. The plastic windows would be simpler, as these would have to be custom fabricated in any case.

Keep in mind, though, that the lightweight HF coupes didn't simply have plastic windows. Their weight savings didn't come through one or two quick fixes, but rather through the cumulative effect of a whole series of small savings; they had less sound deadening material and fewer accessories--down to some very small items that only saved a few ounces each (no door jamb lights, overhead interior light jamb switch non driver's side only, thinner rear upholstery, &c., &c.).

All of this is a lot of work to end up with a car that's noisier, less refined, and more work to maintain (plastic windows do not have the same life as glass). For the factory, it was a matter of homologating a lighter car for competition purposes (understanding that some weight would have be added back by roll cages, rally equipment, &c.). Obviously, less weight meant more competitive rally cars.

But this gets back to the initial question: Why do you want to do this?

Sorry I don't know the weights of the Lancia dorrs, but given Ed's post above I can tell you of the experience I had in lightening a 67 Guilia GTV.

Fibre glass bonnet & bootlid ( high quality really light) got about 9kg

Lexan side & rear screens another 12 kg !!

But a really worthwhile mod was a lighter geared starter motor, which allowed me to run a Red Top race battery. This produced another 14 kg all on its own. Just showing that it's not always the obvious things that can be of benefit. In all I got the weight down from 950 to 900 Kg.

With the Lancia having an all alloy door, I'm sure its a worthwhile mod esp if you have lexan windows and remove the window winding mechanism.

I'd totally agree with all that Ed says. I'd go for the windows first, saving as much weight high up as possible. You have to balance the possible safety addition of the weight of side impact bars if you go to alloy doors, which might offset most of the weight loss.

The famous Pre War racer Freddie Dixon used to say " There's nothing lighter than nothing" so if you want to shed weight then get rid of all the creature comforts first.

And then go on a diet and stay off the burgers and chips!!!!!!!!!!

colin chapman said "add lightness" & I laffed (long after he said it.
i like freddie dixons comment even more; thank you.tim wrote:
>
> And then go on a diet and stay off the burgers and
> chips!!!!!!!!!!

sorry, I posted this in 1 comment below where I wished to, so I post it again:


colin chapman said "add lightness" & I laffed (long after he said it.
i like freddie dixons comment even more; thank you Michael