Tips on saving weight in an F body?
- Thread starter mygrain
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Glass hood.
Art Morrison coil-over front suspension conversion.
Headliner, back seat, plastic interior trim.
1/4 tank of gas with spare I had my SBC 84 Firebird to 3020. Was lots of work. I was going to put a TR in it, and was looking to be at 2900.
The factory seats (especially power) are heavy. Replace with a lightweight racing seat.
Remove: A/C & heater along with all contols and heater core, radio, speakers, interior panels, spare tire and jack, all emissions controls, unused seatbelts, center console, replace power steering with a manual box, replace glass with lexan, replace factory wheels with lightweight aftermarket wheels, replace factory sway bars with hollow ones, remove bumper mounts and replace with aluminum mounts, replace body panels with fiberglass or carbon fiber (except doors), exhaust system.
Other weight saving items:
electric water pump, aluminum radiator, lightweight rotors, tubular suspension parts, aluminum or carbon fiber driveshaft, aluminum engine block, aluminum heads, fuel injection vs. carb., the smallest tires that still hook, mini starters, lightweight battery, go on a personal diet....... I lost 55 lbs in the quest for lower ETs.
Remove: A/C & heater along with all contols and heater core, radio, speakers, interior panels, spare tire and jack, all emissions controls, unused seatbelts, center console, replace power steering with a manual box, replace glass with lexan, replace factory wheels with lightweight aftermarket wheels, replace factory sway bars with hollow ones, remove bumper mounts and replace with aluminum mounts, replace body panels with fiberglass or carbon fiber (except doors), exhaust system.
Other weight saving items:
electric water pump, aluminum radiator, lightweight rotors, tubular suspension parts, aluminum or carbon fiber driveshaft, aluminum engine block, aluminum heads, fuel injection vs. carb., the smallest tires that still hook, mini starters, lightweight battery, go on a personal diet....... I lost 55 lbs in the quest for lower ETs.
Tell me that this is NOT a "T-Top" car. The next thing to look in to is a lexan back glass. This is the heaviest glass in the industry and lexan is about 1/5 the wt. of glass. Also get rid of the spoiler if it is an "aero" type. Good luck - Turbota
Problem with the Lexan is they break. Both of mine have the corners broke off where it meets in the middle. Also, the fiberglass replacement spoiler is pretty light.
Bruce:
Who makes a stock flat hood for our cars? Everyone I've seen is a cowl or some pro stock thing.
Uffe: no problem. I used to work at Fisher Body before Generous Motors started to dismantle the corporation The supplier of that backglass commented several times that "this is the heaviest piece of glass we ever made". That, combined with the Aero spoiler makes for a very heavy hatch. The gas struts were also the highest pressure units to date. I have seen this backglass made of Lexan, and you almost don't need the struts (if you take the Aero spoiler off).The guy that made them used the original glass as a "mold" and put the Lexan on top of the original and put them both into a vacuum form oven and literally baked the Lexan to the shape of the original. Pretty gutsy I thought, but it worked !!! Sorry about the wording on my original response, I guess it was not very clear. Regards, Turbota
Ok where can you get eh lexan back hatch? Does anyone make this? How much $$$$? that alone is probably worth .1 in the 1/4
Another thing is that the weight of the hatch is on the rear wheels and help traction. So if you do this you will have to figure on getting better weight transfer. Som drag shocks up front would be needed I would think.
I mean if you are goign full race car, just gut the intire interior. Cut away a lot of the dash, just leave the gage pods, or make your own out of sheet metal. and only keep one light race seat for the driver.
Another thing is that the weight of the hatch is on the rear wheels and help traction. So if you do this you will have to figure on getting better weight transfer. Som drag shocks up front would be needed I would think.
I mean if you are goign full race car, just gut the intire interior. Cut away a lot of the dash, just leave the gage pods, or make your own out of sheet metal. and only keep one light race seat for the driver.
Im leaving the dash in it, as well as the center console and the carpet. Im trying to deciede what to do about seats. The radio as well as the heater/AC are going to be removed. I think Im going to take out the glove box and just epoxy the cover back on.
I want this car to look like a regular street car so it doesnt draw alot of attention when its is on the road. I am painting it white to hide all the little dents and dings and using the stock Formula rims with ET streets in the back. This car might see 500 street miles a year. How much does this lexan back panel cost? Could I get it tinted like a regular glass peice?
I want this car to look like a regular street car so it doesnt draw alot of attention when its is on the road. I am painting it white to hide all the little dents and dings and using the stock Formula rims with ET streets in the back. This car might see 500 street miles a year. How much does this lexan back panel cost? Could I get it tinted like a regular glass peice?
The Lexan back window I mentioned was made (3 pieces) by a pattern maker at Fisher Body in 1987 for his own SCCA race car. I know he used one, and one went to some guy in Ohio who also raced in SCCA stuff. The third one was sold in a garage sale about 6 years ago. All you need is a piece of material as big as the factory glass, an oven large enough to handle the original glass with the Lexan laying over it (most commercial vacuum form ovens are large enough), and some luck with controlling the oven temperature. Not sure what he "baked" them at, but I know it was JUST enough to allow the Lexan to form to the original shape
Memory says the new piece was less than 8 pounds. It was also made from a piece that was 3/16 of an inch thick, surprisingly, it never broke.I do remember him installing the new piece with Butyl tape as opposed to Thyokol, or urethane type adhesives, which would allow it to "float" rather than be hard set to the hatch (ford used butyl tape for years in most of thier fixed glass applications, GM couldn't because we failed the rollover test and needed the glass to be hard-set to the body openings to pass the test). I hope this helps with your car diet program. Turbota
Memory says the new piece was less than 8 pounds. It was also made from a piece that was 3/16 of an inch thick, surprisingly, it never broke.I do remember him installing the new piece with Butyl tape as opposed to Thyokol, or urethane type adhesives, which would allow it to "float" rather than be hard set to the hatch (ford used butyl tape for years in most of thier fixed glass applications, GM couldn't because we failed the rollover test and needed the glass to be hard-set to the body openings to pass the test). I hope this helps with your car diet program. Turbota
I thought of taking the back hatch lid off and replacing with something lighter, but thought it might hurt more than it by losing the weight from over the back wheels.That heavy piece of glass has to help traction some.Now if your going to tub it go for it!What about a notch back lid is it lighter?
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DIET??
The ft bumper has a goodly amt of weight that can be removed. It's steel plates and the molded support that can come out. We did an 87 Camaro this way. ended up at 3365 w/ rollbar and driver.. Alum headed 406 Bowtie, 9", t-350.
Car served as the RANDOM TECHNOLOGY suspension test vehicle until we moved to a 95..
HTH,
The ft bumper has a goodly amt of weight that can be removed. It's steel plates and the molded support that can come out. We did an 87 Camaro this way. ended up at 3365 w/ rollbar and driver.. Alum headed 406 Bowtie, 9", t-350.
Car served as the RANDOM TECHNOLOGY suspension test vehicle until we moved to a 95..
HTH,
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