Removing the rear hatch for drag racing

[deShaneO]

Are there any rules anyone is aware of about doing this? The rear hatch weighs alot and can be removed. I thought it'd be another good way to shave off some pounds at the track. This would be just for the track of course.
-Shane

[Josh Warriner]

You'll lose as much on the aero as you gain on the weight. You could Honda-tape a piece of plexi there. But people don't realize how much pressure builds up inside a car on a run, it might blow out.

[deShaneO]

I thought of the loss of aero dynamics right after I hit "post reply". I could picture air slipping around the car and back into the hatch.

[Josh Warriner]

The best thing you can do is replace the glass (most of the weight of the hatch) with plexi and remove the spoiler. There are fiberglass hatches floating around, you go from 20lbs to maybe 4lbs. But just getting rid of the glass will save you 40lbs or more. On a 130mph car, ditching the spoiler should give you 2-3mph.

[rigby]

The best thing you can do is replace the glass (most of the weight of the hatch) with plexi and remove the spoiler. There are fiberglass hatches floating around, you go from 20lbs to maybe 4lbs. But just getting rid of the glass will save you 40lbs or more. On a 130mph car, ditching the spoiler should give you 2-3mph.

Good advice Josh. I'd also add a tip here...

Remove the hatch glass, and mist a fine coating of light oil. Then get your speedglass (plexi, acrylic, etc) and lay it on top of the glass. Rent some big IR heat lamps and you can mold the speedglass to the shape of the glass. Once it's done and cooled, remove & clean the underside, then spray it with a light coat of 'headlight black out'. Reinstall, in hatch frame.

You can end up with what looks almost exactly like a tinted stock hatch but at a much lighter weight!

[Josh Warriner]

Probably a better solution than getting a thinner sheet and riveting it from the center out hoping it takes the shape (the method I've seen on the internet before). I'd also mask it off and spray black on the underside so it is blacked out around the edges like the factory hatch.

[BlueVelocity]

Probably a better solution than getting a thinner sheet and riveting it from the center out hoping it takes the shape (the method I've seen on the internet before). I'd also mask it off and spray black on the underside so it is blacked out around the edges like the factory hatch.


That's actually the easyiest way to do it. I have polycarbonate on the 3 rear windows on my car. Another point of interest is you want the stabilizer bars down the middle or off to both sides of the new plastic. For both safty and stability. Otherwise you end up with a base drum that eventually wiggles free from the adhesive. (don't ask how I know this, but duct tape was involved) The frame of the hatch is perfectly strong enough to bend the poly around and makes a great looking piece of sudo glass.

Erron S.

[rigby]

That's actually the easyiest way to do it.

Well sure, if ya want easy I'll give ya that :D