A $1,600 Boxster and two projects

[itsnotanova]

I get having ac for a car you're driving a lot but I think for this car you should ditch it. At best it's only needed for 4 months of the year and most racing around here doesn't happen during summer. Sure ac is nice but I think the weight savings is worth the sacrifice.

[Fiddlebog]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

I get having ac for a car you're driving a lot but I think for this car you should ditch it. At best it's only needed for 4 months of the year and most racing around here doesn't happen during summer. Sure ac is nice but I think the weight savings is worth the sacrifice.

I'm planning on converting my '03 to a track car and was considering doing an AC-delete. How would you recommend doing this-specifically, would you replace the compressor with an idler pulley, or get a shorter belt? If you use a shorter belt, what belt?

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Fiddlebog

... would you replace the compressor with an idler pulley, or get a shorter belt? If you use a shorter belt, what belt?

There's no need for an idler pulley. Just get a shorter belt and run it directly from the crank to the PS pump. I have bypassed the AC compressor like that with it still installed. The AC delete belt is: size 760k6, or Gates - K060760.

Woody is right about getting rid of the AC. I need to quit thinking of this car as having other purposes and just commit to making it into a car for the $2,000 Challenge and whatever else looks fun after that - I have plenty of cars to drive on the street with AC.

[78F350]

Without the AC and condensers, I'm probably going to go with a single inboard radiator rather than the pair in front of the wheels. I have a Toyota radiator that fits the space well. For budget, the Toyota radiator was $40 at a junkyard with the fan and the Boxster radiator unit plus shroud is about $200 'fair market value' per side. That nets me $360 more to spend.
I have a damaged front bumper and frunk lid I can alter as needed for air flow and keep the good ones from the car for future use (and more net budget value in trade).



I just picked up a used racing seat from a circle track car. $60 and weighs about 17 lbs with the cover. I just washed about 5 lbs of circle track off of it:



How should I mount that thing?? Bolt it to Boxster seat rails? Use the mount from my Sparco seat? Is there a fabrication DIY somewhere? I never looked into it before, what do people do?

[78F350]

Here's how the seat went in...

I was hoping someone would post some simple instructions I could follow, but you gave me Nothing. I did a quick internet search and looked thru my junk pile. Here's what I came up with:

Stripped a seat base from storage down to the rails and bolted on some cut pieces of slotted angle iron (1-1/2 x48" ) cut to 5" lengths. I would have preferred U-channel, or box, but this was the best choice for local availability and budget.


Bolt right seatbelt through angle iron.


Bolt a flat plate to the slotted angle iron. This piece came from a scrapped flat panel TV mount.


Drill holes in seat and mount to flat plate. I bolted through the seat and plate to the rails. The other holes were in the seat from the previous owner's install.


Covered with the harness installed.


***Note: This car is being built for an event with a $2,000 budget limit and for my own entertainment. Do not try this on your own car without first consulting a competent mechanic and some YouTube videos.

[78F350]

The next big thing for this car is the 'Gambler 500 Mexico' Rally. Not a race, more of an off-road tour in the Big Bend Region of Texas and Mexico.

Planning on 30" tires, 1" to 2" lift at the struts, armored undercarriage, recovery winch, No AC , light bar on the roof, and maybe a trailer.

Just getting started...





Currently sorting through a pile of struts and springs to see what works best.

[Homeoboxter]

Must be a lot of fun to drive. I wonder how the big wheels alter the handling. Not that it matters, just curious