Dash panel part 1 and an unexpected weight loss

Ok, so first the weight loss. I heard on Rennlist (Porsche forum), that by removing these bumper pads you can eliminate some drag from the rear by letting the trapped air from under the bumper escape. What I did not know however, was how damn heavy these things are. They are like little rubber bricks, at least 4 pounds EACH. Sadly, this wont help my desperate need for traction



Now the dash...
It started with piece of lexan I had lying around after the quarter window project.
Then it was cut so it fit the contours of the dash nicely, kinda
Next was the really fun part of measuring the Sunpro gauge cluster, window switches, and hazard button. In fact, it was so much fun that I forgot my dog was outside and he spent the next few hours sitting on the porch waiting to be let in.
After the measurements were taken I used a dremel to carefully cut out the pieces that were not needed.
When everything was cut out I sprayed the backside with some plastic primer and clear coat.
Once you turn it around it looks shiny and new...ish
Finishing touches will have to happen tomorrow as Ive run out of daylight once again.

Lexan windows, sparcos, and shift knob

Well another 5 hours later and the lexan windows are in, as well as the sparcos and new shift knob.

The Sparcos pretty much bolted into place since I had the sliders and base from my ex-944. The only thing left to do with these is install the harnesses and street belts. The shift knob is (yes Ill admit it) from ebay... but it was only $9 with shipping and I have to say it looks pretty good. It'll look better when I put the short shifter in, but for now it works.
(bonus points if anyone can guess the car under the cover)









The lexan windows were a bit of an adventure as one of the rivets decided to not go all the way in and it took the better part of half an hour trying to get it out. We started by cutting the edge of the plastic covering off so we could install the windows without scratching the easily scratchable lexan. Then a small bead of RTV sealant was placed around the edge of the window to prevent any leakage as sooner or later this car will probably get rained on. Next the rivets went in with some encouragement from a 4" rubber mallet and a long socket. Installed they look....well, like plastic windows but it looks good in a "my car is anorexic" kinda way. Results are below, judge for yourself. Now Im going to go clean up and look up hood scoops. Ah the joys of owning a race car...

Interior painting part deux

This was the easier part. Just masked off an area on each side for "floor-mats"
The rustolium spray on bed liner works really well unfortunately it sprays like a goddamn fire hose. Other than that it is pretty scratch proof but we'll see for sure when its cured in 24 hours.
After that, the dead pedal was also sprayed and the remaining tape was then removed.
Finally the roll cage was put in and bolted down. Oddly enough, nothing went wrong and all that's left now is seats, shifter, and a little dash work.

Interior painting part 1

5 hours, 8 cans of primer, 6 cans of wheel paint later and the interior is still not done...

The good part is that all there is to do now is spray on some bed liner so the floor wont get all scratched up.

End of day results:



Primered...



Then the wheel paint

Gotta love open headers

Took a quick clip as I was pulling into the garage.
and yes I know it has newspaper on the back from painting.

on a side note, turns out its not easy to drive a track car with no seats

Speedo cover replace, Interior painting starts...

The original speedo had a large scratch on the plastic front cover so I replaced it with one from a spare cluster. Unfortunately this was much harder than it sounds. The steering wheel along with the indicators had to come off along with all the buttons and switches for the headlights and wipers. At least now I can see what speed I'm doing.





After the speedo was done I took off the center console and did some more paint prep (taping off, cleaning, etc) I was running out of time so I tested the primer in the battery box corner and it turned out pretty well. The primer should be done within the week. Ill post more pics as I continue this tedious process.

Lexan windows, wheel spacers, and exhaust removal

Took the restrictive 2 1/2" exhaust off. This will be replaced with a 3" exhaust with an x-pipe with a built in muffler for weight savings. My guess is with no seats, cage, windows, or exhaust the car is around 2700lbs. That's less than a new Miata with about 3x the horsepower and 4x the torque...



I got several different size spacers from Summit racing, I ended up going with 5/16 because the 7/16 did not leave enough threads for the lug nuts. The wheels will no longer rub now and hopefully the roll cage will be able to be bolted in rather than welding. There's a before and after picture below... not much of a difference but its enough.




So after a quick trip to home depot I bought a 36x48 lexan sheet which I decided to use to replace the rear quarter windows. Cutting was pretty easy using a jigsaw, then it was just a matter of getting it to stay in place to drill the rivet holes. The windows are not going to be installed until the interior is painted.