Time to lose some weight

As mentioned previously, I’d hatched a plan to remove the spare wheel and carrier to save some weight and improve the look of the car. This old photo shows the rear as was.

Once the wheel was unbolted and lifted off, the carrier was easy to remove with just two bolts securing the rails to the chassis. I had to disconnect the number plate light as its cable ran inside the carrier tube. The wire was then re-routed up behind the fuel tank and out of the wheel bolt hole further up (harder than it sounds!). 

The two holes from the carrier were plugged with cup head bolts covered in some leftover carbon fibre wrap. 

I then removed the plate holder and light from the wheel carrier and once the wiring was reconnected, fastened it to the car with some double sided number plate tape. A new number plate, and stripes to match the front finished the job. Weight saved will be the wheel & tyre, carrier and the scissor jack which is replaced by a tin of tyreseal in the boot box. And it’s all reversible should I change my mind or if the spare is needed for a long trip. 

National Kit Car Show Pt2

What a great weekend. The weather really made the show and for the most part all weekend was sunny with only a few showers. The turnout for the club on Sunday was incredible, with over 160 cars parking to display on our plot. 

The whole show was very busy with both the club display and the rest of the show being very busy – I think we had around 20 new members joining over the weekend and either buying used cars or new ones from the factory. I was chuffed to sell some parts at the auto-jumble stall and also came away with a pair of newly powder coated windscreen pillars to replace my rather tired looking ones.  After several chats with other members I have also resolved to remove the spare wheel and carrier. It’s essentially dead weight and most members now simply carry a pump and some sealant. I’ll be onto that when I get home. 

The Sunday evening AGM and subsequent hog roast was also well attended and a great social event. There were a few tired faces and think heads on Monday morning!