what have you guys done to drop weight off your cars? im keeping AC, PS ect ect. but im wondering if theres something im not thinking of. thanks in advance

 

LOTS! Let's see, for starters, there is the back seat, spare tire, (not always a good idea, but if yours is as bad as mine is, then its no problem getting rid of it), new headers (New set of headers are lighter than just one of the stock manifolds). With new headers you can delete all the emissions equiptment, and in alot of cases, still pass inspection (probably not in cali though). You can relocate the battery to the rear of the car. This obviously doesn't decrease wieght, but it distributes the weight to better suit the characteristics of a rear wheel drive car. My car came with a system complete with a custom wooden box enclosing two 12" subs, with a 30 pound amplifier...easily 60+ pounds altogether, and I took all of that out, so if you are like me and a simple sound system is enough to get you by, take out your system and sell it.

Now, we get more complicated. You can look into a pair of nice aluminum heads. Trickflow makes some nice heads at moderate prices. You can invest in a set of plexiglass T-Tops...I forget who makes these or where you get them from, but they are out there. Then, you can rip out the sound deadening material in between the carpet and the floor, and even take out the carpet alltogether...but you'd only want to do that if it was a car for the strip only.

Then there are the miscellanious components such as aluminum water pumps and mini starters. The mini starters weigh anywhere from 7-12 pounds. OEM starters weigh some 20+ pounds! My face knows this from experience, lol. You can also look into aluminum driveshafts that will not only be lighter, but since it is a drivetrain comonent, it will free up rotating mass, so you would be killing two birds with one stone. Also, you can get a lighter flywheel/flexplate if the engine and tranny are coming out any time soon, and that would also lessen up the rotating mass.

Along with the carpet idea, some have gone lengths to strip apart the dashboard, but, again, that is most likely for strip applications only.

Tell us what you end up doing!

_Clark

 

This all depends on what you are willing to live with, since this sounds like a daily driver (why else would you bother keeping the AC?).

Do you have power windows and locks? If so, fire them.
Do you have all four stock seats? If so, get rid of them, and get a pair of lightweight front seats (don't forget to cut off the brackets the hold the rear seats in place if you don't plan on reinstalling them).

There are tons of things you can get rid of, see what the 4th gen guys remove:

http://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17319

- Justin

 

Mine's not a daily, so I didn't need any cats, or emissions stuff. I took out the AC as well, since it'll only be out on nice days. Getting a lighter battery like Optima and relocating to the rear will help with distribution. Also aluminum heads, a mini starter, back seats etc....

 

Mine's a bare option, originally V6 Camaro. Pretty much as light as you'll get it. No A/C, No GFX, no nothing. Battery in back, now has a built 350, so no computer, emissions, or anything. Pretty light.

 

yeah its a daily driver is why some of the comfort things stay. ive thought about most of the things listed, just wondered if i forgot something. heres another question, on my title it says the car weighs 3300lbs...but on the door its like 4282...why the 1000 pound difference?????

 

You can shed pounds with replacing certain stock chassis and suspension components with lighter ones. I know the K-member is a significant one.

 

Actually that's a big misconception...most people think the K-member is alot heavier than it really is....a tubular K-member won't save a significant amount of weight over the stock...it's main advantage over stock is the decreased space it takes up which makes it easier to work on the car and fit your exhaust etc......

 

Wow, that is strange...are you sure that that number is referring to the weight of the car? I know for a fact the curb weight is right around 3300, because my buddy who owned my Iroc before me took it to Atco Raceway and weighed in at 3700, including driver, and a hefty sound system

 

no i dont have a clue what that means...and i havent been able to find anything that tells me what it is.

 

If you're looking at the sticker on the doorframe, that refers to the maximum gross weight that the car is rated to handle (with passengers, luggage, etc.), not the actual weight of the car itself.

Typical F-body weights are in the 3300 to 3550 lb. range...

EDIT: I haven't heard anyone mention 'glass hoods, fenders, etc. yet. I spoke w/ one guy who told me that his 'glass hood saved him a LOT of weight...

 

ohhhh thanks, i was confused...

 

No prob, happy to help...

 

That's weird you say that; everybody I have talked to said that fiberglass panels do not save much weight over stock as the stock steelies are very light to begin with