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Well yeah, so I got bored tonight,and decided to put my new digital scale to use. I managed to rip another 44.5 pounds out of the car. Today's weight reduction includes the rear carpet and padding, the wiper blades (motor is long gone), the hatch struts (I have no spoiler so I don't need struts), the horns, and some miscellaneous wiring along with the alarm system that no longer works. Last time at the track I got 2,970, so I figure I'm right about 2,930 or so right now. Need to lose another 50 pounds to get into the 2,800s. Any ideas? This is pretty much a track only car that sees street duty only for late night racing or weekend joy rides to work. I was thinking of removing the rear bumper and replacing with a small aluminum beam, but I'm concerned about traction. The car already has no traction, weight loss needs to come from the front, not the back any more. Engine is already setup with aluminum heads, intake, pump, ect..ect....
I had this idea......can I run the power steering box without the pump?? I have 165R15 skinnies up front so I don't think it would be an issue with manual steering......that could be another 20 or so pounds I could remove.
__________________ 88 GT Mustang, full cobra body conversion.
302 with some "goodies"
2007 Supercharged SS Cobalt, 2.7" blower pulley, some other stuff.....
Last edited by ChrisFormula355; 10-18-2004 at 05:06 AM.
There is a post up now with the aluminum bumpers in here.... if it is only track duty you cold emiminate it all together. If you crashed or got rear ended you bodywork would get toasted, but if you crashing on the track maybe bodywork is not you biggest problem.
Maybe it is really dangerous, but I dont think a steel egg crate is going to mean life or death. Not sure here.
im assuming the back seat is out.... did you remove the seatbelts?
theres always the front and back bumpers. athough you may want to fab some kind of support for the nose afterward.
passenger seat is kinda heavy. esp if you have leather.
what about a fiberglass hood?
btw, dont worry about weight loss.... just do more weight transfer off the launch. its better to weigh less and transfer more, then it is to weigh more and transfer less.
what about a tubular Kmember and A arms?
then again, a LS1 would take almost 100lbs off the nose....
He doesn't have leather seats and he already has a fiberglass hood.
Chris, if you're going as far as removing wiper blades for weight, I can already see stuff to remove in that picture. How about the vent grills on the firewall under the windshield? The plastic wheelwells? Do your side mirrors actually work, if not.. take em off! Put a manual steering box in it (if it doesn't leak I can use the old one. )
You'd be in 2800's easy with a lexan hatch window.
a smaller catch can wouldnt hurt.... (water is heavy)
take out the entire dash... remove the heater/blower duct assembly, extra wires, basicly everything under there besides the gauges and ignition.then either put the stripped shell over it, or leave it out.
pull up the carpeting, and lay down some of that "lightweight" carpet in its place....
umm, start cutting away extra metal... like where the speakers mount in the sail panel, ect.
call PA racing or ProFab.. one of them will sell ya a Kmember for $250 + shipping.
i'e been on the weight reduction quest also, i found that gutting the dash drops 20 pounds, harwood makes fiberglass doors for plexi or lexan manual crank windows that'll drop almost 50 lbs, they also make fiberglass fenders,front bumper support and rear bumper supports, assuming you relocated your battery you can cut out the battery tray , fender wells, pa racing k-member with a-arms, skinnier fronts, and anythign aluminum you can put on your engine instead of cast iron or steel
What do you have for exhaust. You can save alot of weight, reducing its length. Also run a light muffler. What about your torque arm, replace it with a tubular piece.
__________________ LT1 headed LG4 305 beast! Comp Solid lifter XS-262-10S, 1.6 Roller Rockers, 10.2:1, Holley 4160 600cfm, modded Weiand 7502 intake to fit LT1 heads____ Custom cylinder head cooling. Weiand 8208 Short Water Pump____TH-350 3 series 3.73 with 2 series posi and spacer____ Hedman Hedders 1 5/8 headers and Y-pipe 3in Exhaust, Dynomax 3" Bullet muffler ____Moroso Ultra 40 Wires ACCEL HEI Super Coil ____Competition Engineering 3120 Bolt-on SFC's____Homemade: Wonderbar, solid tie rod sleeves, Aluminum LCA and Panhard Rod with spherical rod ends, alternator and PS bracket, Strut tower brace, and Decoupling torque arm with telescoping link.
3000lbs
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Exhuast is not getting touched...I just spent a SIGNIFICANT amount of money getting it custom fabricated not too long ago. I know its heavy, but it makes serious power. Its hooker super comps with TRUE 3inch duals with an X pipe behind the crossmember and 2 3inch magnaflow stainless mufflers.
And yes, I have a fiber glass hood, I have no pop up headlights (replaced them with "driving" lamps), front carpet is still in place, but dash pad is gone (replaced it with a gray dash carpet cover), torque arm is stock, gas tank is stock, and the battery hasn't been relocated yet.
here's another idea I had.....I need to pull my tank anyways to remove the stock in-tank electric pump (I have a holley blue pump mounted inline), so I was thinking about getting an LS1 plastic tank..could this work?Would I shave weight?
I don't want to go to a S-10 box because I heard its way too many turns lock to lock and that would get scary at the track. Couldn't I just run my power steering box lines together and take the pump off?
heres what the interior looks like right now. I'd actually like to ditch the entire dash, but I still need the fuel level guage, the oil pressure guage, and the dash lights for them.
Originally posted by (BR)G-Machine There is a post up now with the aluminum bumpers in here....
Hrmm, I just went down and read that.........me thinks Synapsis needs to have a first welding project with aluminum tubing and put that big expensive welder to use........
I just found this in an older thread...I think this is what my next project is going to be this week:
yet another idea i just had.....what about the electric hatch pull down....is it easy to swap for a manual lock mechanism? Does it save any weight?
Last edited by ChrisFormula355; 10-18-2004 at 04:58 PM.
if you dont care about street legal, im sure the exaust pipes wiegh about 200, rear seats arent really needed,get a fuel cell instead of the tank, (dont weld off the tank!), dont need door panels, you could jerry rig those up. yes? no?
Here's some ideas for ya Chris... http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/weight.html
Got them from Hardtail Racing web site. One of the TGO members here runs it. I believe he hangs out in the organized drag racing forum.
__________________ Picard out!
1985 Z28 w/408cid 525 HP
Raptor 700R4 Tranny w/2500 stall
(Back in the saddle Baby!)
Other family members:
Me: 2002 Camaro SS, 3.73 posi SS pkg
Originally posted by ChrisFormula355 Exhuast is not getting touched...I just spent a SIGNIFICANT amount of money getting it custom fabricated not too long ago. I know its heavy, but it makes serious power. Its hooker super comps with TRUE 3inch duals with an X pipe behind the crossmember and 2 3inch magnaflow stainless mufflers.
And yes, I have a fiber glass hood, I have no pop up headlights (replaced them with "driving" lamps), front carpet is still in place, but dash pad is gone (replaced it with a gray dash carpet cover), torque arm is stock, gas tank is stock, and the battery hasn't been relocated yet.
here's another idea I had.....I need to pull my tank anyways to remove the stock in-tank electric pump (I have a holley blue pump mounted inline), so I was thinking about getting an LS1 plastic tank..could this work?Would I shave weight?
I don't want to go to a S-10 box because I heard its way too many turns lock to lock and that would get scary at the track. Couldn't I just run my power steering box lines together and take the pump off?
heres what the interior looks like right now. I'd actually like to ditch the entire dash, but I still need the fuel level guage, the oil pressure guage, and the dash lights for them.
the LS1 tank, while it weighs less, it holds more.. and the weight diff is VERY slight... maybe half a pound. you would have to run more gas for the same fuel height, increasing weight.
for the power steering delete, just disconnect the hoses block off the ports on the box, and remove the pump. on a surp belt system, you can go from the alt to the waterpump to the crank, totally bypassing the pump... all without slippage.
a idea for a street/strip car is to run a shorter belt and just bypass it at the track.
as for relocating the batt... sure it helps WHERE the weight is, but it ends up weighing MORE.... pickup the long heavy duty cable needed to run up to the starter from the back of the car..... its not light.
Originally posted by ChrisFormula355 yet another idea i just had.....what about the electric hatch pull down....is it easy to swap for a manual lock mechanism? Does it save any weight?
You will loose a little weight, less than 3.5 pounds, getting rid of the electric hatch pull down but the manual setup is not a bolt in swap.
Originally posted by ChrisFormula355
[b]
I don't want to go to a S-10 box because I heard its way too many turns lock to lock and that would get scary at the track. Couldn't I just run my power steering box lines together and take the pump off?
Just blocking off the line and removing the pump will be worse than the s-10 box. I though about doing it, an talked to some guys here at thirdgen about it. The manual s-10 box is ok for the track, just not as friendly on the highway as PS. You should have no trouble with the s-10 box at the track.
Originally posted by MrDude_1 the LS1 tank, while it weighs less, it holds more.. and the weight diff is VERY slight... maybe half a pound. you would have to run more gas for the same fuel height, increasing weight.
as for relocating the batt... sure it helps WHERE the weight is, but it ends up weighing MORE.... pickup the long heavy duty cable needed to run up to the starter from the back of the car..... its not light.
What does he care what his fuel height is except for fuel gauge readings?
People relocate the battery to the rear to put more weight over the rear wheels for traction. Sure the cable weighs a bit, but hooking up a little more weight is better than spinning a little less.
Originally posted by Synapsis What does he care what his fuel height is except for fuel gauge readings?
People relocate the battery to the rear to put more weight over the rear wheels for traction. Sure the cable weighs a bit, but hooking up a little more weight is better than spinning a little less.
you need some fuel in there to keep the pump submerged under launch.
so a wider tank would hold more for that same height
and the fuel weighs more then the weight loss from the tank.
therefore it wont help him lose weight.
edit:
i disagree... $35 spent on a "dynabatt" equiv battery would drop 15+lbs off the car and not add weight of the cable.
and if the weight of the batt was all that keeps you from spinning, you need to seriously look at your suspension/chassis setup. or your tires.
edit2:
btw, the fuel gauge is a percentage, so it wouldnt throw off the gauge anyway.
hahah, yeah, deadbird has the right idea I'll have no in-tank pump, I'm pulling my stock tank to get RID of the factory electric. My holley blue pump is MORE than sufficient in delivering the needed fuel pressure to the 870 HP double pumper.
Originally posted by MrDude_1
anyhoo, i see more weight you can take off.... why do you have a clutch pedal with a auto ?
Because T-5s suck nuts when your motor makes 400+HP I was tired of powerspinning through every gear and worrying about broken clutchs, shearing off gears, ect.......The Th350 is by far faster, got me my first 1.7 60 ft at the track, and lets not forget.....it cost's $400 to replace brand new (rebuilt, hah, brand new for me) from checker!
The reason I keep the clutch pedal in is because I don't have a nuetral safety switch, so when I go to the track and he asks me to start it in gear, I just take my foot off the clutch, haha.
Originally posted by MrDude_1 or you could spend $3 at radio shack for a microswitch, and then extend the clutch switch wires over to the shifter and wire one up.
Ok, part 2 of my quest started today.................
Decided to go with some of the suggestions on here and I removed the plastic inner wheel wells, the plastic emissions ball underneath where the canister used to be, the hood grilles, and the antenaa assembly inside the fender well.....................................are you ready for this?? 4.0 pounds! hah. Well better than nothing.
I also removed the rear bumper cover and ATTEMPTED to remove the rear bumper in preperation for a modified tube bumper, but I couldn't get to the damn bolts with my dual 3inch exhaust!! argggggg. Oh well, I'll do it when the exhaust and transmission come out next week for the transmission job.
3,550 with you in it?? Ok whether or not that weight is with you or not...I have this question for people that do post it like that...why in the **** would you post weight specs of you+car? Unless you are made out of fiberglass or metal, you don't belong in the curb weight numbers.
Originally posted by ChrisFormula355 3,550 with you in it?? Ok whether or not that weight is with you or not...I have this question for people that do post it like that...why in the **** would you post weight specs of you+car? Unless you are made out of fiberglass or metal, you don't belong in the curb weight numbers.
I pulled the pump in my camaro. Just plan on VERY hard turns when your not moving, and yes, it still takes effort to turn even on the highway. After a little getting used to it, it's not to bad. My manual steering ranger feels like butter compared to this setup though.
I just removed the pump and lines, put 1.5" of line in each fitting and brazed them shut, put a couple oz's of fluid in the box so it has some lube, then installed the homemade plugs. It's been a year and about 5000 miles, and no issues yet.
But like the other guys said, if your going for weight reduction this isn't the way to go. the pump, lines, and cooler weigh probably only 10lbs. Most of the weight lies in the steering box itself. If you got the s-10 box, you could probably get at least twice that right off the front of your car. From what I was reading, articulation is a little less than stock but it HAS to be safer than what I'm running. I'm planning on converting as soon as a yard around here gets an s-10 that's not smashed in the front.
__________________
1987 IROC-Z 305/5 speed
------------
-305 block .040" (312 cid), Speed Pro hypereutectic pistons, stock rods; shot peened/polished with arp rod bolts
-Hedman shorties and Y pipe
-Hooker 3" Catback minus cat
-Edelbrock Vic Jr converted to MPFI; gasket matched, mild port and polish
-Holley 750cfm throttle body (modified)
-26lb/hr delphi fuel injectors
-Comp Cams Hyd. Roller cam 262hr-12
-Holley Annihilator CD ignition
-Holley LaserShot Pro coil
-Summit 8mm spiral pro wires
-Fluidamper 7" balancer
-Cast aluminum timing cover
-March Billet underdrive pulleys
-7730 ECM conversion and DIY PROM burning using TunerProRT and PPII
-World Products SR Torquer heads, full port and polish, Manley stainless 1.94/1.50 valves, high flow valve job
-GM 3.23 gears
-T5 swap
-Centerforce dual friction clutch
-VDO and autogage instruments in custom acrylic gauge panel
-Minor weight reduction including: A/C removed, smog removed, front sway bar removed, undercoating removed, stereo removed, most carpet padding removed, and wonder bar removed.
-255gph walbro in-tank fuel pump
-edelbrock fuel rails
PARTING OUT, CHECK OUT MY THREADS ON THE CLASSIFIEDS BOARD
i bought a reman'd S10 manual box and it is definately like butter compared to running the power box with no pump hooked up. the car feels much better to drive at higher speeds as well. i'd recommend buying one for weight reduction.
__________________ 2011 chicago world of wheels placed in super street class
Best Engine '11 Thirdgenfest
Best Modified Camaro Thirdgenfest '05, '07, '11 Second place Camaro Modified '06, '08, & '10
MFBA March 2008 Featured Calendar Vehicle
My GTA came in at 3,389lbs according to the factory invoice. But that was the "shipping weight" which is with about 3 gallons of gas if the article I read is to be believed.
According to an article from 84, when the cars left the plant GM filled up the PS, Coolant, Oil, Tranny fluid, and put 3.4 gallons of gas to go through testing, and allow the new owners to get to a gas station.
So If thats true then shipping weight should be full fluids + 3.4gallons of gas.
EDIT: Apparently I didn't include the shipping weight in that image. But the shipping weight was 3,389lbs. Which isn't bad for a fully loaded GTA.
Originally posted by 83 Crossfire TA I think that most people will be suprised to find that cranks don't save any weight over power windows in these cars.
however crank windows do make it impossible to roll the window down with the door shut if you have a roll bar.
Originally posted by 83 Crossfire TA I think that most people will be suprised to find that cranks don't save any weight over power windows in these cars.
Funny thing is, he found this out the hard way. In Chris' car, the driver's side is a manual crank and the passenger's side is power.
If he goes to a manual steering box it won't be as hard to move because he has skinnies on the front.
If his girlfriend drives it instead he'll lose an easy 50-60 pounds right out of the middle of the car.
Originally posted by Synapsis And my car, bone stock, weighed 3550. So what'd you do to yours?
heh, i missed this question earlier...
it was dead stock, the only thing removed was the spare tire and jack... and in its place is a 10" sub box, sub, two amps and misc wiring. all together, probly weighing more then the jack and tire i took out.
with me in the car its 3615lbs. with me out its 3400 even. (guess how much i used to weigh )
Originally posted by xpndbl3 i bought a reman'd S10 manual box and it is definately like butter compared to running the power box with no pump hooked up. the car feels much better to drive at higher speeds as well. i'd recommend buying one for weight reduction.
Do you know what the steering ratio is by chance. I'd go with a manual box for the weight reduction and simplicity, but i still want the quickest ratio i can get.
Do you remember what you paid for the reman one? Did the thirdgen pitman arm work, or did you need to buy the S-10 one? What year box is it?
i paid whatever www.autozone.com charges in your area code for an 86 4cyl. S10 manual gear box. I reused the factory pitman arm and it worked out beautifully. You also get charged for a core if you don't have one, but this box did come with a lifetime warranty as well.
__________________ 2011 chicago world of wheels placed in super street class
Best Engine '11 Thirdgenfest
Best Modified Camaro Thirdgenfest '05, '07, '11 Second place Camaro Modified '06, '08, & '10
MFBA March 2008 Featured Calendar Vehicle
Originally posted by z28monster my titles says my car weighs 3116 pounds so take that guys lol... that an lb9 iro-c with just about power everytihng and ac....
#3 If you don't want to remove the whole dash, take that dash pad off and get some thin galvinized sheet metal or aluminum or whatever it is and make a pad/cover. It'll look cool and that dash pad is really heavy if you have ever taken one off, (I'd say like 12-15 lbs easy.)
#4 make an aluminum bar in place of the front bumper if you have not done it already.
if you have not done any of the above ( i bet you have a fiberglass hood tho) then that will save you over 100lbs.
Originally posted by 330hp_91RS
#2 Fiberglass FENDERS
Have you ever weighed a factory fender? I weighed one from an 86 V6 car and it was 12 pounds. I know at least one company's glass fenders weigh 12 pounds each.
Fiberglass fenders should be way down the list for weight savings mods.
I'll have no in-tank pump, I'm pulling my stock tank to get RID of the factory electric. My holley blue pump is MORE than sufficient in delivering the needed fuel pressure to the 870 HP double pumper. 
) 
