lightening car

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elevensies

elevensies

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i need some ideas on making the car lighter (72 dart)

i have no interior except 2 race seats, harnesses, and rollbar
i need to try keep the dash for originality
i have glass front bumper with alloy irons and glass bonnet

i dont want glass fibre doors as they are a pain, i also want to keep the glass

any ideas please, especially on how to lighten say the doors, or trunk etc etc
 
Refabricated your bumper brackets from 1/4" .250 aluminum, the fender braces using aluminum tubing. If undercoated remove most of it. If you want to repaint have the entire front end acid dipped. I'm sure there's more. dan
 
If the heater box is still in it, remove it. If its was an A/C car the box is heavy. Aluminum bumper brackets as stated. Replace P/S with manual. Plastic headlamps. Aluminum wheels. Battery to the trunk.
 
Moving the battery to the trunk doesn't save any weight, especially if you keep the alternator. If you plan to keep the alternator, get a small battery and keep it in the stock location. On my street/strip car I use an Odyssey PC6800 to start the car and it only weighs 13 lbs.
 
Every place you see a panel covering another, there's metal behind it that can likely be removed!

I holesaw the dooky out of my cars. An example of some work that is usually done by me or others



 
Since this is in the race section...

fiberglass hood...fiberglass bumpers front and rear...also you can get fiberglass front brackets...and fiberglass rear crush panel under the fiberglass bumper.....glass trunk lid..remove quarter glass and regulator and install lexan in those windows...

as said..remove heater box...remove old wiring harness and rewire car...aluminium light weight wheels..aluminium heads...aluminium intake.....

and go on a diet......LOL
 
Thanks for the info guys, as I had said my car has no interior so no ac, nothing under the dash apart from the msd ignition units and coil, all alloy bumper brackets, I think the moparts site has some more suggestions.

My car is a strip car that occasionally sees the road, so it's had battery relocated to rear, I have fuel cell, I was wanting to see ideas like crackedback posted about drilling etc.

:)
 
You stated you want to keep your door glass, fine, loose the quarter glass and regulators; no body in the back seat, not gonna miss them, about 12 pounds per window and regulator

You have scraped all the under coating off haven't you?
 
Pulled this off the net. Cool pic of a E- body lid with the treatment.
Bottoms of doors and back side of rockers would also be good places
to have hidden holes drilled. Door hinges, package shelf and kick panel
area come to mind.
 

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ssba thats the idea i was looking at, yes all undercoat is off, and i would like to keep the glass, but rear 1/4 can and will be going,
thanks for this info :)
440outlawdart, i did look at the dash, looks really good, just not sure about shipping one over though :(
 
Here, is an interesting idea.. Scale the car,look at front to back weight difference. Closer to 50/50- front to back, the better. Crackedback's Dookie(a great album,lol), and hole saw concept works, absolute. Sounds good,so far
 
440outlawdart said:
I seen on here theres a guy that sell fiberglass dashes but don't returm pms
Click to expand...

Chris needed one for his project and got with Kevin at Unlimited to produce a few. He was in no way out to "market" these, but put a shout out to anyone else that might want one. The deal was done, and now it's over.
 
Replace the am frame with a tube unit.
Light weight brakes, stock units are heavy.
Custom drive shaft, carbon fiber.
Swap out steering column.
Fiberglass everything else.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Replace the am frame with a tube unit.
Light weight brakes, stock units are heavy.
Custom drive shaft, carbon fiber.
Swap out steering column.
Fiberglass everything else.
Click to expand...


and adjustable lower strut rods...

combo of the light brakes...Upper tubular control arm...lower strut rod...lets the front suspension transfer weight..
 
I figured when I said tube K frame, tubes would naturally be every where else as well, but, I didn't mention it. Those struts also come in aluminum as well. The light weight calipers are a great idea as well.

Expensive? LOL what isn't these days. Step up or be happy where your at. Actually, that is the question! Going fast isn't cheap. Doing it cheap is hard. Getting the car as light as possible makes it easier for the engine to achieve more with less.

Or you can just build one freaking wild poked & stroked aluminum upper half ported & cammed to high high heaven engine and run it in a regular car and go fast.
 
rumblefish360 said:
I figured when I said tube K frame, tubes would naturally be every where else as well, but, I didn't mention it. Those struts also come in aluminum as well. The light weight calipers are a great idea as well.

Expensive? LOL what isn't these days. Step up or be happy where your at. Actually, that is the question! Going fast isn't cheap. Doing it cheap is hard. Getting the car as light as possible makes it easier for the engine to achieve more with less.

Or you can just build one freaking wild poked & stroked aluminum upper half ported & cammed to high high heaven engine and run it in a regular car and go fast.
Click to expand...

Absolutely beautiful statement. A local guy I once associated with(once a member here..).Lightened a 70-71 Duster glass doors,fenders ,hood. Standard 8.75/automatic trans/converter(?) /stock suspension.Stock 318 smogger internally ,headers intake /Carb & fuel system. Ran 13.60'-80's first time at Famaso.Would you be offended, if I use that in my avatar?
This.... Going fast isn't cheap. Doing it cheap is hard
 
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