Weight Reduction

[Aspen]

in the trunk are there is a silver box that looks like an audio amplifier tucked up under the wheelhouse on the right hand side

It sounds like the fuel controller. You'll need this to run your fuel pump correctly. If you bypass this, you'll be running a bit rich down below.

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[128d]

Check out ScoobyMods.com They have some info on this.

[ellisnc]

Originally posted by 128d
Check out ScoobyMods.com They have some info on this.

got a link?

[128d]

www.ScoobyMods.com

[ellisnc]

Originally posted by 128d
www.ScoobyMods.com

haha, thanks smart guy

I meant like to a specific place on the site... I've looked for things there previously and it's pretty poorly organized it seems like and I couldn't find what I was looking for or it took 30 minutes to find something that should have taken 2.

[128d]

Heres the link your looking for...
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/sho...p?threadid=117

[aspera]

***?

Sorry, I haven't gotten around to looking at it. I DO remember reading about the fuel controller on NASIOC somewhere. Let me see what I can find.

[aspera]

http://www.freebmw.net/yamarocket630...el_Pump_Contr/

Does it look like the silver box in these pix?

EDIT: just noticed that GC cars have the big gray bar under the rear seats, too

[aspera]

Originally posted by Aspen


It sounds like the fuel controller. You'll need this to run your fuel pump correctly. If you bypass this, you'll be running a bit rich down below.

If you have engine management, could you bypass it and run the fuel pump at the "high" voltage? Would this heat up the pump and kill it or maybe heat up your gas and make for poor emissions (horrors!)? The WRX fuel system is something that few souls have been brave enough to explore.

Do you mean low RPM or low throttle position? If its low throttle position then this might be a cheap fix for manual boost controllers, right?

[ellisnc]

yeah that's it

looks like they've moved it and rewired it there though

oh well... my dreams go out the window

[Aspen]

It sounds like the fuel controller. You'll need this to run your fuel pump correctly. If you bypass this, you'll be running a bit rich down below.

I guess I was right.

[aspera]

The fuel controller looks to be mounted pretty well. It *could* be a little lower and closer to the center of the car, but is pretty good where it is. I unhooked the remote fuel door release when I was messing around back there. Its easy to do with one hand, but a little harder to put it back. The fuel door flops out if it is unhooked.

I then poked around the grommets in the spare wheel well. I removed the very bottom one (under the spare wheel mounting bolt), and made a small hole in it. Drain holes don't drain when plugged up. They just make rust.

Next, I removed and lightened the bracket behind the rear license plate. This is a typical cheap steel bracket that doesn't do very much. Some stainless fender washers would be better. The great thing about removing this bracket is that it is at the very end of the car, and it doesn't mess up emissions or safety.

[ellisnc]

Originally posted by aspera
The fuel controller looks to be mounted pretty well. It *could* be a little lower and closer to the center of the car, but is pretty good where it is. I unhooked the remote fuel door release when I was messing around back there. Its easy to do with one hand, but a little harder to put it back. The fuel door flops out if it is unhooked.

I then poked around the grommets in the spare wheel well. I removed the very bottom one (under the spare wheel mounting bolt), and made a small hole in it. Drain holes don't drain when plugged up. They just make rust.

Next, I removed and lightened the bracket behind the rear license plate. This is a typical cheap steel bracket that doesn't do very much. Some stainless fender washers would be better. The great thing about removing this bracket is that it is at the very end of the car, and it doesn't mess up emissions or safety.

this thread is useless without pics!

[aspera]

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The bracket is shaped like that.

[ellisnc]

Originally posted by aspera
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The bracket is shaped like that.

[aspera]

I figured that I'd install a passenger rear WRX door handle on the front. That way I could get rid of the lock. I never use it anyway. The whole assembly is modelstly priced and comes prepainted. Sweet!
Weight must go!

Anyway, I easily remove the old one and try to install the new one. Oops! They aren't the same. The rear bolt hole on the one with the lock is moved up over the lock. The non-lock handle has it's bolt hole on the centerline.

F it! I decide to put the original one back in, but without the lock. I just need something to plug the hole. Rally cars use carbon fiber discs for this job. I don't have any carbon fiber discs lying around, so I try a quarter. Too small. Need something bigger.

I now have a Sacagawea dollar where the lock was. It's a tight fit, but it works.

[128d]

^
Are you kidding?

[aspera]

Sadly, no, but it's only temporary. It looks kinda neat actually. Most people would never notice becasue the lock is chrome and the dollar is also shiny metal.

Eventually, I'd like to have carbon fiber or plastic plug. I just like to copy the little details of the rally cars. If it's good enough for Prodrive, it's good enough for me.

[dust12]

Heres an idea to remove weight from your car. Get an ECUtek flash or Accessflash and sell me your Utec for cheap. That should be good for about 1 lb weight savings.

[ellisnc]

updated info...





any of you boys still around? I can tell you a 2800 pound WRX with race tires feels very very nice on the race track. Even nicer pulling away from 993's down straights with just a boost controller and de-cat.

[aspera]

How'd you DO that? Is that color matched spray paint? It looks a little dark, but not bad. You must have taped up everything pretty well. I don't see any overspray.

Why do you still have the center rear seat hook?

Ever consider spraying the rear parcel shelf flat black and losing the cover? That area can be cleaned up pretty easily. There's a ground wire for the rear window defroster that can be relocated to an empty bolt hole behind the driver's C-post cover. Of course that means keeping both C-post covers, but they look nice even though they are heavier.

[aspera]

Oh, hey. I noticed that you have a forged eyebolt for a harness. I went crazy with those things. I put 'em almost every place that they'd go. The rear shoulder bolts are the best. I've got a net from a WRX wagon hanging between them...but it is empty right now because I'm a weight nut.

[ellisnc]

I just got some blue rustoleum at the local hardware store and it matched pretty well... a little bit dark but I didn't want really bright blue either. This is after the melt sheets have all been stripped. The paint looks a little spotty because of the flash... looks cool in person.

The rear seat hook is still there because the rear seat goes in and out depending on what I'm doing with the car. I run the car in SM so I want to try to be at least borderline legal. I mean it's one thing to be taking out the tar and then put everything else back.... it's entirely different to just gut the interior.

There's this rubber/foam mat that covers the whole firewall in the front of the car. It weighs a lot. However I don't suggest taking it out unless you're going all the way with the car. I haven't driven the car yet as the paint is still drying and the carpet has to go back in, but it's going to be loud. There is also some foam crap stuffed into the rear of the front fenders. You can see it if you open the front doors. It's silver. That is coming out too.

I've ordered a roll bar for the car and I use the eyebolts for Takata harnesses

[aspera]

Silver foam crap in the fenders? Gotta look for that one. Is it legal to have the rear seats installed, but not the pass thru? The pass thru/ arm rest is where most of the weight is. Can you retrofit an older seat back? or maybe an STi seat back?

"Goin' all the way" with the car? That sounds suggestive. Tell us how noisy is gets with that pad out. I might have to pull it eventually.

Did you remove the silver tar strips from inside the rear doors? The doors just sound tinny now when you tap on them, thats all.

I just read the fuel tank article in Drive (the Subaru mag). I'm thinking about yanking the remote cable and unbolting the fuel door spring (one nut). If I get hood pins, I could yank both cables and the hood latch.

[ellisnc]

Is that stuff only in the rear doors? I'll have to look for it sometime. Got any pics?

As far as taking the remote release cables out... I took the torsion bars out of the trunk so the lid doesn't hold itself up anymore. I was kind of hoping that the remote release wouldn't work anymore so I could remove that cable but it still works so I'll leave it for now.

Also I took that interior safety latch on the top of the trunk lid out. There is a cable attached to it as well.

As for the rear seat... technically it's only legal to remove the actual seat. I had the whole pass through out so I could fit race tires and all my junk I take to the track. (I really need a truck and trailer) Also gutting the trunk is technically not legal either but that stuff doesn't really weigh much anyway. Also I explained in another thread... locally the competition is good, but no one is even near as close to the end of their weight savings as I am. Again... in my mind it's one thing to have a few things taken out purely for convenience that are marginally against the rules, but it's entirely different to have no carpet, no door panels, no headliner, wipers, etc. and run your car in SM. At nationals it's going to be a different story.