3.1 firebird

Last week I was running near empty on gas and I was pleasently suprised that my car accelerated nicely without the wieght of gas. When I stopped to get gas I filled it up completely and I was shocked how much the weight of 13 gallons of gas bogged my car down. 13 x 8.8(weight of water)= 114.4 lbs. So this got me thinking of ways to drop about a hundred pounds of weight from my ride. I;m guessiing this could be good for .2-.25 tenths off a 1/.4 mile time. Feel free to add any ideas....

* find a ligher spare tire and jack at a boneyard. I;m hoping for 10 pounds here If I;m lucky.

* take out backseat backrest. I;m guessing this weighs 10-15 pounds.

* remove AC compressor,lines condensor, and maybe the AC radiator thing in front of the actual radiator. I read that the condensor weighs 40 pounds, so with the other AC stuff removed I could drop 50 pounds total.

* get doors with manual windows and locks. Could save 20 or more pounds I;m guessing.

* Fiberglass hood. 20 pounds?

* I have plastic t-tops, but if you have glass ones consider the fact that plastic is lighter.


it looks like all of these could drop over 100 pounds.


feel free to add suggestions.

fiream

An A/C system weights more then 50 pounds, try 100. You have to remember to remove the A/C components inside your dash, thats where the real weight is.

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Chevy 2.8L 60° V6
Mods:
•K&N Filter Lid
•87 Formula Hood
•Bosch Platinum +4
•Hi-Flo CatCo CAT
•Flowmaster 80 Series Muffler
•83 Trans Am 15x7 Turbo Fin Wheels
•B.F.Goodrich Radial T/A 225/60-15
•Chevy 2.8L Heddman Headers (Going on soon)


http://www.geocities.com/fiream/RobsCarArtPa.html?994187591828

1991tealRSt-topGuy

here's my plan,

i am going to get a system, but i am going to install it so i can pull it out easily when i go to tha track

i am going to get rid of my spare and get a can of that tire inflator stuff.......i know it prolly doesnt work 2 good, but just to pacify my folks......

when you go to the track run on as empty of a tank as possile!!!!!

i have lexan t-tops that i absolutely hate.......i am getting glass ones but i am keeping tha lexan for track use

and i wanna get a fiberglass hood......i felt the one on my friends pustang and it weighs next ta nuthing!!!!!!!!!!

so basically when you know ya gotta race, be prepared

3.1 firebird

did you know the new vette's dont have a spare? I heard GM just threw in a can of fix o flat in case you have a flat tire.

3.1 firebird

how can all of the weight be inside the dash? What in the dash actuually weighs alot?

Brian K

AC RULZ.. Keep it working and enjoy comfort.. Remove hte jack, spare tire, all the extra sound material uinder your carpet, remove your washer fluid and resovior if your brave...

1991tealRSt-topGuy

uhhhhh tha new vette has RUN FLATS not fix a flat can

KED85

Actually they possible DO INCLUDE a can of fix a flat.
Possibly.
Go to
www.corvetteforum.com
and the C-5 section to ask that specific question.
What to really loose weight?
Take off front bumper. Remove all the trash behind the bumnper. Put back on front cover, held in by coat hangers.
I did that, the weight transfer is very decent.
Also just remove the jack. Use the spare tire as a weight over the passenger side rear (for better traction).
AND for more fun disconnect the front sway bar from the frame.
All those tips, only the sway bar is the most cumbersome to do at the strip.
I would not suggest driving on the street without the sway bar attached.
Removing AC. If ya have it make it work, ride in style and coolness. Removing the stuff behind the front bumper does remove LOTS of weight!
Subframe connectors I'VE HEARD really make a big difference, too.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

3.1 firebird

I read in popular science where GM isnt putting the run flats on the new vettes. The reason being for the weight of the tires. The tires they are putting on now saves 6 pounds per tire and since there isnt a spare/jack they saved probably 50-60 pounds. I believe they give you a can of fix oi flat and a mini air pump in case you get a flat tire.


Ked, I know what you mean about the heavey stuff on the front of the car, but dont you think removing the heavy frame bar, that the bumber attaches to, would put you at greater risk in an accident?

Blaze of Glory

Seriously, there is something comforting about knowing theres lots of heavy steel to take as much of an impact as possible.

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Don't drink and drive. You might hit a bump and spill your drink.

KED85

I haven't rear ended someone in so long.
I'm kinda past having that accident because I looked at a radio station.
AND because of that accident, I haven't since.
AND the car runs so much cooler, too. SO much more air flow to radiator.
That's me, tho.
Also, when I got this car, the front was smashed. I replaced the front bumper cover and I was just to lazy to put back all that stuff. It was easier to do it with coat hangers. I'm gonna get another front bumper from pick a part (when is the next 1/2 price sale????). I still have all that stuff. I may get energy.
But unlikely. I just got my Motorcycle running yesterday! Have to problem solve it now. Fun riding up and down the road without a helmet for the test drives! That little 175cc engine scoots! Wish it was the 200cc block, tho.

Was it another foggy morning in Monterey? I was just up there other weekend, in Carmel for breakfast and letting Son & Wife play on the beach (while I walked to go bring down their ride-Sunday tourist parking problems).
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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

[This message has been edited by KED85 (edited August 20, 2001).]

TomP

I've gotta disagree with pulling the sound deadener from underneath the carpet. When I replaced my old carpet with new ACC stuff, I remembered the whole "weight" discussion. I separated the sound deadener from the old carpet, and picked up the pile of sound deadener. It was light!! It weighed -maybe- five pounds. The way everyone was talking, they made the stuff sound like it was 50 pounds heavy.

If you want to save weight on carpet, I suggest either yanking it altogether, or, taking a knife to it. Cut the passenger-area carpet in half... under the front seats. That way the front passengers (and anyone who looks in the car) see carpet, but the back passengers have none.

Even still, it's a lot of work for a little return. You'd do better to skip lunch, and wear shorts instead of jeans.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

Blade3001

Tom, your bird must have been in pristine condition. When I restored my interior some serious weight came out from dirt alone. that sound deadner (the black stuff) is pretty heavy when packed with 17 years of dust. The carpet underlay is not as heavy but it was still heavy.

BUT this stuff has a purpose. With the passenger side underlay gone as well as the underlay behind the dash gone and NO A/C you will be one very uncomfortable dude. Here summer is brief and freakin HOT (40*C yesterday). I used light a wieght foil (reflective side down) under the passenger side (the exhaust is there) and behind the dash (engine heat).

My '83 was an extreme case but at one point in my interior restore I had two garbage bags full that needed to be double baged.

I noticed a few pounds of dirt fell out with my build sheet when i dropped the gasstank. There is more dirt than you think in your frame. Use a vacuum and long piece of steel to poke and clean up the inside of frames (or chasis, I don't really know the right words).

Pull that plastic piece off in door jamb and vacuum in there, the 6x9 pockets, behind the kick panels and under the sail panels. I had a rear wiper and my new harness didn't have the wiring so I deleted that and fiberglassed the hole, replaced the front wiper motor with the newer one (no fluid pump for rear), old one didn't match up to the new harness either.

I'm about two weeks off finishing my car by takin it to the paintshop, I'll probably be able to turn the key tonight. That little six looks so cute all painted up and polished, I gota kick out of torqueing the headbolts while standing in the engine bay! Hopefully I can get my hands on the digital camera to show off some pics, I think firebirds look kinda cool when primer grey with a raised rear end. even alright without a spoiler (mines being repaired).

BTW deleting the PW is harder than you think. I hate those rivits they've eaten up alot of my time and drill bits (someone tell me the trick, please!). The thing the window rides on and maybe the guides will need to be replaced. I upgraded to power windows,pl and just replaced the whole drivers door. On the pass side I added the PL and left the window manual since that door was still good and I'm way behind schedual. There were some changes to guts between 83 and 87 and I didn't feel like learning if i could install 87 PW into an 83 door.

Blah, blah, blah Don't you guys love my novels? I could go on and on forever.... I wonder if they even get read.



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'83 MPFI 2.9L V6 Dark Metallic Blue Firebird
Don't ask, just accept it

TomP

Hehe, that's okay, Blade, I write novels too. (Good thing I'm a fast typer!) I wouldn't say the car was in pristine condition, the foam was pretty nasty under there. I also had a lot of vacuuming to do, but then again, I was always vacuuming my carpet.

What's the deal with the rivets? Trouble drilling them out? If so, let me guess- the rivet starts to spin as you drill it out, right? You need to wedge a screwdriver between the rivet and door panel. That will prevent the rivet from spinning.

Don't re-install the power windows with rivets. Use small bolts, thick enough to take up the whole hole, and combine 'em with a lockwasher, bolt, and loctite. I used rivets when I put '84 doors onto my '86 car (and swapped the power windows from my '86 into the '84 doors). I couldn't find the thick GM rivets so I used Home Depot's "normal" rivets. They snapped after a few years of use, leaving me with a tilted window. I replaced the rivets with bolts (for some reason, 8mm sticks in my head.. not 8mm head, 8mm thickness) and lockwasher and nut combinations, with loctite on the bolt threads, and it's been fine ever since.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

Brian K

The reason I mentioned the sound dampening material was cause every ounce adds up. I would do it only if I could spray dynomat on the floors..... I would to save wieght remove the jack and spare tire, run with only about 8 bucks of gas in your car at a time.. I would also look into a fiber glass hood, remove all stereo crap, in fact look into the new GM high tech.. They have a whole bunch of ways to remove weight form a camaro.

Graeme'sFirebird

Those rear seats are pretty heavy.. im going to pull mine when i put in my 6 pt roll cage (autocross) and put some kinda aluminum cover or something over the bases so it doesnt look to crappy in the back... im also going to go to a notchback rear hatch and ram air 2 hood, pull my system in the back out and just put some better speakers in and not worry about a sub and amp anymore. The front seats are pretty heavy too, i actually compared them to my 4thgen seats in the garage (no power) and the 3rd gen seats FEEL heavier. i didnt put them on a scale though. Btw.. that rear hatch is REALLY heavy...im hoping to lighten things up a bit with that fiberglass notchback.

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Slowly getting slower 1989 Firebird.. modded heavily for a v6
"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

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Brian K

You can get a plexiglass rear window...