I've already read the "list" that floated around for weight loss for 4th gens but I'm looking for more ideas.

I am retaining the factory interior panels (except the junk in the way back) and factory glass. I'm trying to preserve the factory appearance of the car but make it as light as possible.

I'm not afraid of the hole-saw or the plasma-cutter in my quest.

My car is a 1995 Camaro hardtop if that helps.

What is the lightest people have gotten with 4th gens?

Thanks.

 

There are a few pounds of undercoating in the rear wheel-wells and along the bottom lip of the rocker-panels that can be removed by scraping or sanding. The front metal impact bumper (under the flexible nose piece) can be cut-out some or removed to save weight. Also, the rear plastic bumper (under the rear bumper cover) can be drilled-out or cut-out to save some weight.

With plastic doors, front-fenders, hatchback lid and front/rear bumper-covers, there really isn't too much to remove in those areas. Next you have a unibody, so you really can't cut much out of that.

WD

 

Preserving the factory appearance and advanced weight loss don't go together.

To keep it looking factory and retain street safety, you're really limited to how much can be removed. If you want to keep it looking factory and are making it for the track then there is still a lot that can be removed.

For track only, everything under the dash could come out. The crash bars inside the doors can come out. The bumpers under the plastic covers can come out. Lightweight seats. Fiberglass hood and doors. Aluminum engine parts. Lightweight rims and tires.

As mentioned above, with a unibody car, there's not a lot you can do with a hole saw. Third and fourth gens use a lot of multiple layers of sheet metal to make the body into a frame. This makes the cars very heavy.

NHRA Stock Eliminator classifications puts fourth gens around 3200 pounds with driver. They still look factory stock but have a lot removed. What is your race weight at now? To get the f-bodies down under 3000 pounds race weight takes a lot of work especially if you want it to appear factory stock.

My gutted 87 race car is just under 3200 pounds but I've also added a lot of weight with a full cage, BBC etc..

 

im right around 3400lbs with a lot of stuff to still pull out

 

Can you post everything that you yanked from your z28?

 

That would take a long time, I am also into the factory wiring harnesses.

I spoke with a rather educated person yesterday who gave me some great ideas on where to look and to what he has done on his personal car.

 

im at 3200 lbs. full option 95, t top, leather, pwr seat, etc. All bose stero gone. front sway, spare and jack, all seats except driver. And fiberglass hood. I still can go lightweight carpet, tublar upper and lower arms along with a tublar k member, chromoly lca's a panhard rod arm. The front and rear bumper supports. Lightweight rims, and battary.

 

It's easy to be light 'till you get fast enough that you need to add safety equipment.
Once you have to start adding rollbar/cage, driveshaft safety loop, five point harness, trans blanket, SFI balancer/flexplate and on and on.
Then there's the heavy duty suspension parts that won't break or bend so that you can launch perfectly every pass.

I've got all the above mentioned equipment and have the car down to 3100 pounds with a raceweight of 3340. But it's cost is no HVAC, PS, radio, WW resevoir, cruise, traction control.

Everything has it's costs and drawbacks.

 

Today was a fun day fighting the dash out of the car, that battle was hard fought but I won. I must have cut out at least 15lbs of "extra" wiring and harness and I'm betting there is another 5 to 10 lbs left to go. I have a massive pile of items removed and brackets trimmed on my garage floor. No wonder why these cars are so heavy!! It will look "factory-esq" when done.

I still have a few more nights of cutting on the interior, doors, etc before I start putting it back together. Then I need to figure out how to mount the Kirkey seats. I wish I would have started this project earlier...

I still need to attack the front of the car, I'm shooting for 300lb weight loss from last year to this year.

 

fiberglass dash/front drag brakes/alum bolts lots of other things you just have to think

 

Ours is Total weight of car with driver came in at 3392. LF 974,RF 956,LR 768,RR 693.passanger seat gone ozite carpet rear seats. 93 T/A

 

I am down to about 3000 without driver.I did most of the above bumper supports etc I still have my power windows and factory power drivers seat and stock front end. All a/c and heater stuff is out. I converted to manual steering lost the pump etc .

 

How does your car drive with the manual rack? Is it a pain like they say is is it not that bad? Do you have skinnies up front? If i did get this i would be running the 245 tires.

 

Mine is hard to steer. Another friend did his with a manual rack which is easier than mine. not sure why but it is.

 

Its hard but not impossible to steer, I have Lou Gerhigs and it affects my arms/hands the most, if I can muscle the car everybody else in here should be able to.