Roxanne - budget milano/75 track car

[AR4me]

Some more pics:
1. The initial cut-out.
2. The final cleaned up bumper (without the lower valence) with more aggressive cut.
3. A close-up.

So, the final weight of the complete bumper including valence. Drum-roll... A rear bumper weight of 18 lbs A saving of 22.5 lbs

Aesthetically, there will be absolutely no visual difference once mounted on the car

Jes

[Mezevenf]

Damn, I feel sorry for you guys with the American bumpers!

Nice job shedding the poundage there Jes Will be looking forward to a calculated total weight saving once your done!

[75evo]

AR4me,

Did you substitue the bumper shocks with lighter brackets? They're fairly easy to fabricate.

[AR4me]

No, didn't do that. Before doing so I willl probably un-bolt one and weigh it Though, I think I'm at a point of diminishing return... Does anyone have a good idea of the weight of the undercoating? I'm guessing 25-40 lbs. Not sure it is worth the time, mess, stuff in your face, etc...
Jes

[Potenziato]

The bumper shocks weigh a ton. I remember they felt like 5 lbs. each. You can use them as barbells so you can build up muscle for your manual rack!

[AR4me]

Too busy at work - didn't get anything done this week until tonight. I mounted the Momo steering wheel on a quick release. Now the steering wheel comes off with the push of a button and pulling the ring/sleeve - very nice. So, the quick release is supposed to mount to a Momo or Sparco hub, and then the other "end" has bolt pattern for Momo and Sparco steering wheels. However, since this is a budget race car I decided to try avoid having to buy a Momo or Sparco hub. A quick inspection provided a solution. Drill the 4 "rivets" holding the stock steering to the Alfa hub and pull the steering wheel. Mount the quick release directly to the Alfa hub by drilling a matching bolt pattern. Worked perfectly, see pics.

1. Drilled the 4 "rivets".
2. The stock steering wheel is out.
3. Holding the quick release on the Alfa hub to guide drilling.
4. Quick spray paint of Alfa hub with new bolt pattern.
5. Quick release mounted to Alfa hub.

More pics below.

Jes

[AR4me]

More pics...

1. Mounting the other part of the quick release to the steering wheel.
2. Different angle.
3. Snap steering wheel onto column.
4. Different angle.

This is a really nice inexpensive quick release - paid $80 for it, and it works perfectly with a little bit of work on the Alfa hub. The steering wheel comes on-and-off in a couple of secs.

Jes

[AR4me]

So, back to maintenance like work on Roxanne. On the way back from WSR last time out I noticed a familiar humming and decided it wouldn't hurt the reliability to do all wheel bearings. I will do the front ones when I do some changes to the suspension. This weekend the rear wheel bearings were one the menu. Usually, it is not that bad a job, unless things act up...
First out, the 36 mm nuts on the hubs were pretty stuck, a 3 feet bar nor my impact air gun didn't do much... Colin brought his more powerful air gun and it did the trick. The right side was pretty uneventful from there on and I took some pics along the way. Of "special" tools I used a sliding hammer for the hubs and the FIAT wheel bearing tool for bearing removal and install. Some step-by-step pics below - pretty ordinary but parhaps some will find it useful the first time doing this job.

1. Starting point.
2. Pull cutter pin and cap, and there is the 36 mm hub nut.
3. After the impact gun it is time to pull the hub apart - an old wheel with the nut of the sliding hammer works perfectly instead of factory tool
4. Hub apart.
5. Outer part of wheel bearing usually stays on outer hub part and leaves wheel bearing apart - time to remove the retaining ring...

Jes

[AR4me]

more...

The retaining ring on this side came out in 5 min max. Tapped it with a hammer and punch. Note that the driver's side retaining ring is reversed threaded!!!!!!!!! The passenger side is regular threaded.

1. Pull the old bearing.
2. Close-up of outer half of bearing on outer hub part. I pulled it with a generic 3-arm puller.
3. Clean empty Dedion hub housing before installing new bearing.
4. Press in new bearing.
5. New bearing pressed in.

Jes

[AR4me]

Final three...

1. New retaining ring in - stake at marks.
2. Hub nut back on.
3. Cap and cutter pin, back in - all done

Not bad.

Though, the passenger side acted up. The retaining ring was completely stock. Tapping it was of no use. I made a tool that fits perfectly in the shallow cuts, yet with a 4 foot bat attached the retaining ring would not give... Colin stopped by and helped destroy the ring - only way to get it out! Though, be real careful with the threads in the Dedion housing... It came out with no practical damage to the threads, and the new bearing was out in and hub assembly re-installed. Rear wheel bearings all done, though the passenger side was a bugger... be prepared...

Oh, I should mention that the driver's side bearing had some noise. The passenger side had noticeable play. So, I think both were towards the end of their lifespan - not a luxury replacement. The new ones are certainly a bit better - no noise, no play

Jes

[AR4me]

At the end of a long weekend - playtime... Added the light weight CF side mirrors - featherlight compared to the stock units and with convex glass for excellent field of view. These are the same brand as Colin put on his GTV6, though a different model.

Jes

[La Voce]

Thanks Jes! I would like to see pix when you tackle the front ones...

[nizam]

Where did you buy the cool CF sideview mirrors?

[AR4me]

Jim,
I will post pics when I do the front ones.

Nizam,
Mirrors are from here, CRS model:
http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/

Colin has the CGT on his GTV6.

Jes

[75evo]

Does it rattle while driving?

The Verde ones are crap. They vibrate and to stop the vibration of the mirrors, you have to put strip of sponges in the gap between the housing and the mirrors. The platinum ones are 100 times better but they don't look as cool.