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I decided to cancel the GT12 hood. I got a couple quotes for ~$2k to do a custom vent, but the additional cost (which wasn't budgeted for in this build) and the time crunch are making it far too stressful to pursue at the moment. I'm still planning to do it down the road, but doing it now would be more trouble than I can add to my plate. Instead, I'm sticking with the standard V8 hood and getting the N400 carbon fiber rear diffuser. The extra cash from those vs the GT12 hood will be used to build up inventory for my, especially the Recaro seating project.
Maximilian -
You and I think a lot alike. My 4.3L has 430 ps and my car has lost 59 kg, not including the seats. I'm hoping to have my seating project done by the end of the month. It will retain use of the original 3-point harness. My next step with it is a harness bar but that will be very challenging to meet my personal standards because of the safety aspects.
Keep me updated on the rear window. It's something I didn't want to do because my goal is to maintain as much comfort as possible without the car looking too modified. Enhancing performance and driver's enjoyment through weight loss without compromising the ability to enjoy the car.
If the rear window maintains the look and quality of the OEM rear glass, but at half the weight - sign me up!
where ar eyou getting the n400 rear diffuser from?
So it turns out the entire GT4 side sill is carbon fiber, not just the exposed rib! *drool*
The side sills do have a bunch of tiny nicks and marks on them - almost gives the impression they're used - but I'm chalking it up to being racing inventory that allows for imperfections rather than actual usage.
The N420 rear diffuser is beautiful, and the attention to detail is amazing.
I'll be weighing the original side sills and rear diffuser as well as the GT4/N420 parts to see how they compare. They're mainly cosmetic so I'm not too concerned, but obviously I'm a fan of knowing these things
The N420 Styling Pack came with a carbon fiber front lip which is very similar in shape to the original plastic one, but I think a tiny bit more aggressive. I might keep it installed for normal driving and swap over to the VCollection one I have on order when doing events and photoshoots and whatnot. Or I'll leave the VC one on full-time. I'm not going to unwrap the N420 lip until I have the VC one on. If I'm happy leaving the VC one on, I'll be selling the N420 one (thus leaving it wrapped).
I went ahead and unwrapped the N420 carbon fiber front lip to get some info on it and pics of fitment. It's a bit more aggressive than the original plastic one, so it is a tad more obvious. It's also a lot more sturdy than the plastic one, which is extremely flimsy, so it weighs more:
Plastic lip: 4 oz
N420 lip: 14 oz
The N420 carbon fiber rear diffuser weighs 2 lbs 15 oz. I'll be weighing the original panel when I pull it off the car.
The GT4 carbon fiber side sills weigh 5 lbs 13 oz each, and I'll be weighing the originals when I pull those off the car, too.
The spring clips used to hold the bumper covers on look like the same ones used to hold the waterfall onto the top of the dash. Those just release with a strong tug. Do you really need to pry the clips loose with a screwdriver or will they come with a little pulling?
I'd recommend a flat plastic trim tool. I've always got screwdrivers handy so it's a [bad] habit of mine to use them on so many things.
The concern I'd have with pulling to release is that there's a lot of flex in the bumper cover, and I'd be worried about damaging it or the paint by pulling on it. It really isn't difficult to slip a trim tool in there to pop the clip free.
