HeBen

I know curb weight is a HUGE factor in drag racing but I can't find anywhere that has any info on curb weight for 80's camaros or other older cars. I'm trying to figure out what kind of performance to expect from various stock 80's camaros or similar cars. I'd like to eventually build a dragster but right now all I can afford is a stock 80's camaro or something else in that price range. Thankyou.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

I dont have booklets or web links, but most of the street/strip run of the mil camaros's at our track tip the scales between 33-3600lbs as an off the hip average.

Save the money your going to build the camaro with and put it towards a used altered (cheap to buy around $6-8K or a rolling swing set typically $8-12K rolling) if that is your ultimate goal. Otherwise you'll be looking back with X amount invested in the camaro that could've went into the real car. Start looking for previous project cars, they can be picked up dirt cheap, especially in the winter time with guys getting out of racing, ran out of money, divorces, etc....dont build from square one, it's alot cheaper to buy and tweak a built combination. Friend at the track went to Ohio this winter and picked up a turnkey rail with 555BBC running 7.70-7.71's 10 passes on it for only $24K and has won a 1/4 of that back already...all he did was change the oil when he got it home.

Believe me, the price of stuff gets away from you quickly, over the last 4 years this junker of mine has seeped over $40K out of my pocket and it's far from fast, show worthy, etc...lots o parts came through the door testing this or that and getting new and doing over.....dont be as dumb as me

AlkyIROC

I agree with finding a rolling chassis for a race car. It's cheaper in the long run and there's lots of them out there. The only down side is it'll always be know as so-in-so's old car. At least if you build a car from scratch, it's your own personal car. Mine was a street legal car when I bought it and I converted it into a race car as soon as the owner dropped it off to me. I never even had a chance to drive it on the street. With all the changes I've done over the years, it would have been a lot cheaper to buy a rolling chassis in that one lump sum but over the years I've also had the chance to experiment with different things that I normally wouldn't have been able to do. Some ideas worked, others didn't and I'm still modifying stuff.

I'd love an altered also. It's light and quick enough to have lots of fun in, plus it's small enough to be put on a 16' open trailer or any enclosed trailer. As nice as a 200+ inch wheelbase dragster would be, I have no place to put it or the trailer needed to haul it around. Theoretically, my engine in a 1500 pound altered would run 8.6's in the 1/4. Want to go fast? Build something that doesn't weigh 3000+ pounds.

Welcome to thirdgen.org

AlkyIROC

Speed means money. It's nice to go fast but fast doesn't win races. Just about everyone will be a bracket racer. You don't need a fast car to bracket race. A 16 second V6 third gen is just as competative in a bracket race as any other car on the track. The slower cars all get grouped together so you never have to worry about going up against a 9 second car but even in a King of the Hill type race where all the cars are lumped into one big class, a 16 second car can still beat an 8 second dragster and you can drive the car home.

HeBen

Thanks for the info, that was very helpful. Right now I'm really looking for something more for "amature night" at the track or whatever. I'd like something streetable and I've only got about $3000 so right now I won't be able to get a fast car. I'm just wondering if anyone knows the curb weights of specific year and trim of third gen F-bodies so that I can calculate the hp/weight ratio and figure out how fast (or how slow) these cars are stock. Basically I love third gen camaros and I'd like to go as fast as possible for less than $3000. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

REalistically with your budget, curb weight is not going to matter. plan on whatever camaro you get running 15-16 1/4mi times, anything faster is a bonus.

Then just start modding from there. Most of us racers on here can attest with perfect 20/20 hind sight about the buy over build car theory, but most of us are also 9-5 joe's that hve normal jobs that dont afford large cash dumps at any single time so we build what we can as we can.

You want to save money.....dont get into any form of motor sports racing at all. chances are good you'll like it and so starts the downward spiral and financial burdens that come with this sport buy a boat and go fishing, your money ahead in the long run.....typical race weekend $300, $150 for sportsman/street class racing...typical fishing for same weekend $20 depending on how much barely pop you consume and worms that get stripped off the hook.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

say a thirdgen IRoc z with the L98 and all options...... weighs about 3400-3500lbs?? sound about right?

now add a fiberglass hood, maybe even fiberglass body panels/fenders, aluminum motor/radiator, tubular A arms, AC/smog deletes, plastic gas tank, strip out sound deadening material and rear seats....

can that bring that weight down to about 3100lbs or so? still be very streetable and somewhat light. thats my plan, to lighten it up abit but not full out drag race style. just street light trim

AlkyIROC

Fiberglass hood, yes. Fenders, no. The factory fenders are probably lighter than fiberglass ones. Fiberglass doors, yes but only in a race only car. Not for street use.

Aluminum motor? Cuts a lot of weight off but it's not something a budget racer is going to do. Aluminum heads, yes. Aluminum rad, not a big weight saving but will help cooling a lot better than a copper core rad.

Factory gas tank empty is 25 pounds.

All the other nickle and dime stuff to remove "might" get another 200 pounds out of the car. There's a lot that can be removed to reduce weight but there comes a point to what can be removed and still keep the car street safe. The front and rear crash bumpers are heavy but do you want to remove them on a street car? The crash bar inside the doors is another chunk of steel that can be removed.

My car is a completely stripped down race car. It has an aluminum head BBC and a full roll cage. I don't care what the car weighs by itself because it can't race without me. My total race weight is just under 3000 pounds but I want to get down to 2800 pounds. Finding that 200 pounds isn't cheap any more.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Jenny Craig or a horse jockey driver

Rogue86

Are you wanting to drive this car around "comfortably" Because getting a thirdgen in the 2900lb range is pretty easy without buying any aftermarket parts if you're not concerned with creature comforts. At that weight, it won't take much power to go run pretty even with most tracks trophy / street classes.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

well i want to drop at least 200lbs if the car is about 3400-3500 lbs as is. with me in it, (155lbs) its probly 3550-3650.. which is a pig.

i want get it to 3200-3300lbs car weight.
i think that wouldnt be that hard.

reason is i want to crack high 11's with a superam 383. i know of a few ppl that have gone bottom 12's at full weight and i think that 200lbs will help a bit. my car will be street car but probly loose the back seats eventually whenever i get a cage in. still have carpet, and everything else.

just wanna see what i can with what i got... i think i can save some weight in wheels over the Iroc's but i think ZR1's that i want to run are heavier so... i dont know.

Trevor86TA

What diameter (height) are the ZR1s?

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

they are gonna be either 11inch wide or 9.5inch
the fronts definately the smaller of the two
i want either a 285 tire or a 315

Trevor86TA

17s though? I mean height.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

yes zr1's are 17inches, a great performance tire size

Trevor86TA

I was just curious as you thought you'd be a bit faster (and in the 11s) than other guys with similar setups partially because of your wheels. Are you going to be running 17" slicks?

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

HeBen... Most of the early third gen run (1982-1985) will be in the 3200-3400 lbs range)

The later third gen run (1986-1992) will be in the 3400-3500 lbs range.

My 1988 camaro is down to 3340 lbs. 1900 lbs on front, 1420 lbs on rear. It's still all metal. Just Non EFI, non stock engine, alum intake, non stock interior, etc.


If you want to know what these cars did stock... Well I can give you better info on that (atleast for the v-8 cars) than the weight then you having to figure power to weight ratio...

Here's you a list of stock times....

1985 Pontiac Trans Am (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L HO "L-69"), 9.5:1 Compression Ratio, Rochester 4 BBL, HP: 190, TQ: 240
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.73:1 Rear Axle.
1/4 mile: 15.30 @ 92.41 MPH
Skid Pad: .92g

1987 Pontiac GTA (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 350ci (5.7L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 210@4400 RPM, TQ: 320@3200
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (700R4), 3.27 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.8 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.10 @ 92 MPH
Skid Pad: .85g


1988 Chevrolet Camaro (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression Ratio, Throttle Body Injected, HP: 170@4000 RPM, TQ: 255@2400 RPM
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.08:1 Rear Axle.
0-60 MPH: 7.6 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.71 @ 89.3 MPH
Skid Pad: .82g

1988 Pontiac Firebird Formula (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression Ratio, Tuned Port Injected, HP: 215@4400 RPM, TQ: 285@3200 RPM
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.45:1 Rear Axle.
0-60 MPH: 7.1 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.07 @ 93.4 MPH
Skid Pad: .86g


1989 Pontiac Trans Am (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression Ratio, Tuned Port Injected, HP: 215@4400 RPM, TQ: 285@3200 RPM
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.08:1 Rear Axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.72 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.64 @ 92.8 MPH

1989 Pontiac GTA (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 350ci (5.7L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 235@4400 RPM, TQ: 340@3200
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (700R4), 3.27 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.44 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.13 @ 94.3 MPH


1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am (TTA) (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 3.8L Turbo, 8.0:1 Compression, HP: 250@4400, TQ: 340 @ 2800
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (200R4), 3.23 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.0 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.21 @ 97.8 MPH
Skid Pad: .87g

1991 Pontiac GTA (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 350ci (5.7L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 235@4400 RPM, TQ: 340@3200
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (700R4), 3.23 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.2 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.92 @ 91.4 MPH
Top Speed (est.): 145MPH
Skid Pad: .86g

1991 Pontiac GTA Convertible (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression Ratio, Tuned Port Injected, HP: 225@4400 RPM, TQ: 300@3200 RPM
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.42:1 Rear Axle.
0-60 MPH: 7.36 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.37 @ 89.73 MPH

1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 350ci (5.7L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 240@4400 RPM, TQ: 340@3200
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (700R4), 3.23 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.36 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.45 @ 94.72 MPH

1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula "1LE" (Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 225@4400 RPM, TQ: 300@3200
Drivetrain: Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission, 3.42:1 Rear Axle.
0-60 MPH: 6.53 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.55 @ 92.95 MPH

1991 Pontiac GTA w/ SLP Package(Hot Rod Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 350ci (5.7L), 9.3:1 Compression, Tuned Port Injected,
HP: 290@5500 RPM, TQ: 360+@3200
Drivetrain: 4speed Automatic Transmission (700R4), 3.23 rear axle.
0-60 MPH: 5.93 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.08 @ 98.18 MPH

1992 Pontiac Trans Am Convertible (Car Craft Magazine)
Specs:
Performance:
Engine: 305ci (5.0L), 9.3:1 Compression Ratio, Tuned Port Injected, HP: 205@4400 RPM, TQ: 285@3200 RPM
Drivetrain: 5 Speed Manual Transmission
0-60 MPH: 7.0 seconds
1/4 mile: 15.4 @ 91.3 MPH


As you see the stock times are mid 14's to high 15's

87TPI350KID

wow, those times are kinda slow, but thier obviously stock. Its amazing what exhaust and a decent tune will do to wake these cars up.

InsaneIROC

looks like Hot Rod needs a new driver

87TPI350KID

No Joke