So, Julian took a look at the brackets (from afar, through this site) and called “that’s a bit heavy looking”. I did a bit of thinking, and got the grinder out. The results are below:
I didn’t just chop into it. Oh no, I took some weights as well.
- Original Weight: 380g
- chopping 5mm from the outer face and changing the chamfered corner: 60g
- polishing out the welds: 20g
- chamfering the long edges: 10g.
So the end result is a reduction in weight of 24%. Worth the effort for a few minuets work. Now… to the personal diet.
You could still more holes in that without impacting the structural integrity. You need a good simulation tool – or you could just drill some holes.
I would need to know the maximum dynamic force the car can put on it, and then put it through finite element analysis. I’d also then have to find a compromise that takes holes out and that works for all the variations on the adjustment I have put in there. That’s a lot of skills and data I don’t have. The steel should be a minimum of 5mm thick where the the bolt meets it so the hole doesn’t oval out. Also, when I had the brackets cut, I went for a very simple option and I slightly regret that. The saving though is a lot less welding. So for maybe another few grammes, I’ve saved plenty of time.