spazegun2213

Alright guys, i need to loose 250lbs out of my race car. So I'm thinking of removing the heater and other junk from under the dash. I have everything out but the dash itself and before i got started ripping stuff out i wanted to ask you all.

What should i keep? i mean i know the DME, the fusebox.. but what other stuff is under there that i cant/should not remove?

I'm sure someone has done this before, have any suggestions?

thanks!

shiners780

My car currently has the steering wheel, gauge cluster, ignition switch, pedals, and DME & KLR. That is all that is necessary to make the car run.

Now, and this is a big "now", be careful if you have a factory alarm and/or airbag (or even just the harnesses.) I removed both harnesses, then had to figure out (with a lot of help from my Rennlist friends - thank you Don and Brian) which wires I had to reconnect at the fuse box. I am still dealing with a no-start issue (now solved), so be careful removing wiring!!!

If you haven't already, you will need to run a heater by-pass hose or plug the heater coolant hoses. You'll also need to reroute the heater vac lines, and cover the holes through the firewall.

Other than that, there isn't a whole lot under there.

spazegun2213

thanks.
this is an early car and the second key security is already "disabled." so i hope i dont need to worry about that.

where can i get these hoses or caps? or are they a DIY project? about the VAC lines (thats what spurred this post)how do i reroute them?

Sorry, this is the first time I've had to remove this much from a car.

shiners780

I wouldn't cap the coolant lines, but I know others have. I ran a by-pass hose on mine, real simple and definitely a DIY project. Get a 2' section of 5/8" heater hose from the auto parts store, it'll cost you about $1.50. One end goes at the rear end of the hard pipe that is located above the exhaust manifold (pic 1 below). The hose will wrap around the back of the engine, past where the heater control valve is, and attach to the other side of the engine in the back where the hose that comes off the heater control valve used to go (pic 2 below). This allows you to remove the heater control valve, associated plumbing, and of course the heater core under the dash. There will be a little coolant left in the heater core, so be careful pulling it out. I drained all my coolant when I did mine, I figured it was time to replace it anyway.

IIRC, the vac lines only tap into the main vac system at the thick black vac hose coming from the brake booster. This is the only point that needs to be capped. For now, I took a small section of vac line about 3/4" long, stuck it on the nipple, and turned in a short screw to plug the line (also shown in pic 2 below). Eventually I'll replace the stock coupler/nipple piece with a straight coupler to eliminate the nipple.

I'm not sure what kind of "key security" you have, or how it was disabled. It may have been disabled, or jumped, at the harness allowing the car to start and run. If this is the case, use caution when removing those particular wires. You'll have to duplicate the wiring connections at the fuse box that were jumped at the harness. Again, I'm not sure you'll even have to deal with this, it all depends on how your security system was disabled.