Trying to get Matchbox ready for NMCA World Finals

They got rid of the bracket racing for this upcoming event... I got semis last year, so the only class that Matchbox might be able to qualify for is Open Comp. You must run 15.70 or quicker...15.701 will not allow you to run. When you run that or quicker then in eliminations they put your index a tenth quicker and the same on all the other cars. At TNT yesterday old Matchbox ran only 15.75-15.82 on 6 runs. I tried shifting at 5250 on both shifts, 5250 1-2 and 5000 2-3, 5000 at both shifts, and 5500 1-2 and 5000 at 2-3. The quickest was done when shifting 5250 1-2 and 5000 on the 2-3. My EGT readings were a bit lean when shifting at over 5000 and I jetted up. The slowest pass was when I shifted at 5500 1-2 and 5000 2-3. On my last pass I tried leaving at 2500 rpm instead of my 2200 (used since 2006) (automatic) and shifting at 5250/5000 and the result was tied to the slowest run. Running my numbers through my calculator I need to remove 30 lbs to run a 15.68...so today I started with the Very simple stuff. I removed excess wires, a small cup of various little crap, my key chain, couple of floor mats, my single wiper, a big clip board that has my reading material in it, the housing around my shifter, and even removed my wallet except for cash and a few needed cards. All that simple stuff added up to a bit over 7.5 lbs...just the wallet was a half lb!
My next mission is removal of the dirty after market carpet. Next week I will take out my seat, weigh it, drive to a J Y to check out a Honda Del Slow seat and find the weight difference before I buy it. Some of you might suggest a plastic racing seat, but to have that in the car and make it legal I must add a reinforcement bar behind it and have the seat back bolted to it...been there, done that...all weighed as much as a stock Neon seat. I have heard that the Del Slow seats are the lightest production ones out there. My Neon seat is as heavy as the Geo Metro 3 banger seat! The 8th of October is the last TNT and I hope to have at least 30 lbs out of it by then...AND NO RAIN. The following weekend is the NMCA World Finals.

The only thing I would like to do mechanically is get a points distributor for it...any of you guys have one of the Mallory units out there...or even the 1.7 conversted to our stuff? The motor is a 1994 cb 2.5.

Removed the crappy after market non-padded non-sound deadened carpet for another 6 lbs 13.8 oz....for a total wt removal of 14 lbs 7.5 oz.....closer to my goal of at least 30 lbs, preferably 60.

For those of you that don't know...the car was 1890 lbs dry wt (my sig says 1880 in error)..all the door guts and window crank mechanisms are cut out, reinforcement under the hood has been removed, spare tire carrier section has been cut out and replaced with thin gauge steel, side windows and hatch are lexan, no dash, and no headliner or inner door panels. The front bumper is PVC rain gutter and rear one (also PVC) has been removed. This week I will be cutting out as much of the door beams as possible but not touching drivers door and searching for a good Del Sol seat...several in the area.

The lexan is about .25" thick and it would be simple to use some that I found at under a tenth" thick. The stock gas tank will be replaced next year...so what I have done is emptied the stock tank...then started adding a gallon of gas at a time to see what the gauge shows. At both 1 and two gallons of fuel it shows below E...3 gallons has it exactly at E and that is what I run it at now. This is a Auto Meter gauge set for our ohms.

LOL...just for the heck of it...weighed my belt at 3.7 oz...but I think I will keep it to avoid any unintended problems!