Weight Reduction

[JerzLT1]

im looking to start taking weight out of the 96 and and looking for some ideas. fight of all how hard is it to pull the dash board off? i want to take the radio out as well as all of the HVAC stuff. also do the fasteners generally break when taking off the front bumper cover? will it sag? any suggestions would be great (trying to not cut anything for right now)

[LTb1ow]

AC delete?


And from what I have heard, the dash is a royal pain to remove without breaking things.

[Whiplash Performance]

Remove the unused seats, Remove the complete sound system, and AC system.

[JerzLT1]

AC is gone already, sound system will go along with all of the wiring, seats and carpet are a given. thinking more advanced here :) the car isnt street driven so dont think safety

[LTb1ow]

Door bars, all the air bag stuff, HVAC stuff, interior, dash, ABS, tubular front

[JerzLT1]

door bars need to stay in until i get a cage, HVAC stuff is gonna come out as well as the ABS and the air bags, gonna have to pull the dash off

[sweetbmxrider]

dash isn't that bad, just make a day of it.

[LTb1ow]

Well, basically, have at it with the interior, anything that is not needed, rip it out.

[JerzLT1]

i want to get down to around 3300 race weight. the bumper supports are coming out so i can use 275lbs springs up front. its going up to get a clutch in it before i pull the weight out though, ill be driving home with an open ypipe and ill appreciate the sound deadening material lol

[sweetbmxrider]

hahaha

a nice set of wheels and tires can save a good amount of weight. there's always a couple threads on ls1tech of guys stripping their cars. use that for ideas.

[LTb1ow]

i want to get down to around 3300 race weight. the bumper supports are coming out so i can use 275lbs springs up front. its going up to get a clutch in it before i pull the weight out though, ill be driving home with an open ypipe and ill appreciate the sound deadening material lol

yea, it won't help... at all.... :lol:

[HeadlessNorseman]

i want to get down to around 3300 race weight. the bumper supports are coming out so i can use 275lbs springs up front. its going up to get a clutch in it before i pull the weight out though, ill be driving home with an open ypipe and ill appreciate the sound deadening material lol

carpet, seats, sound deadening, and a bunch of the rubber mat material can prob add up to about 100 lbs. But its my personal opinion that its easier to make 10hp than it is to take 100 lbs off the car. On that note, the things id start with are lightweight wheels and tires, and a driveshaft.But if you dont need the interior, chop the whole thing out. You can even cut the dash up and just keep the gauges and that stuff you need. Is the car going to be driven on the street at all?

[JerzLT1]

i have Convo Pros, and a chromoly drive shaft. im not new to weight reduction i just want some new ideas. i also want the car to look somewhat presentable so light weight carpet and a race seat might be in order

[sweetbmxrider]

carpet, seats, sound deadening, and a bunch of the rubber mat material can prob add up to about 100 lbs. But its my personal opinion that its easier to make 10hp than it is to take 100 lbs off the car. On that note, the things id start with are lightweight wheels and tires, and a driveshaft.But if you dont need the interior, chop the whole thing out. You can even cut the dash up and just keep the gauges and that stuff you need. Is the car going to be driven on the street at all?

weight reduction is free so i have to disagree. plus if you add 10 horse on top of removing 100lbs, you are going that much faster....


i would work under the hood getting weight off of the nose. lightweight battery relocated, smaller coolant bottle, !washer & wiper system, fiberglass hood, !cruise, !abs, drag brakes if not street driven, tubular k and a arms, etc

[Tru2Chevy]

IIRC, 12secondv6 was planning to relocate his little battery into the space in the firewall opened up when he pulled the HVAC stuff. That moves the weight from in front of the front axle centerline to behind it, and also saves the weight of the heavy cables that you would otherwise have to run to the trunk. We had planned to do something similar to Little G's '02 Camaro before he sold it.

- Justin

[01blackz28]

im looking to start taking weight out of the 96 and and looking for some ideas. fight of all how hard is it to pull the dash board off? i want to take the radio out as well as all of the HVAC stuff. also do the fasteners generally break when taking off the front bumper cover? will it sag? any suggestions would be great (trying to not cut anything for right now)

Take the radio out of the car is going all out lol I still have mine but heres a few things.
Front/Rear Bumper supports (never broke the fasteners)
Fender Support
Sound-deadening material under the carpert ~20 lbs
radio and speakers
remove all stock seats and replace the front with a kirkey aluminum
windshield wipers and resivior
AC Delete
heat shielding
catback---> one muffler off of the y pipe
front sway bar
Abs delete
Those are all of the free things i can think of (except the muffler), you can always go with a light weight kmember, drag brakes on all 4 corners, etc .... Hope that helps

[DevilDougWS6]

i dropped 70 lbs by taking out all the ac stuff (condenser was the heavy one, accumulator, lines, compressor etc) and the rear seats. air pump, egr, take out the disc changer if there is one, if it has t-tops get the lexan ones, take out the antena and plug the hole, dont need visors and ****. get a smaller steering wheel, remove the airbags.

there should be nothing inside except pedals, gauges, steering wheel, and the driver seat.

[HeadlessNorseman]

weight reduction is free so i have to disagree. plus if you add 10 horse on top of removing 100lbs, you are going that much faster....


i would work under the hood getting weight off of the nose. lightweight battery relocated, smaller coolant bottle, !washer & wiper system, fiberglass hood, !cruise, !abs, drag brakes if not street driven, tubular k and a arms, etc

These also cost a ton of money. I meant if you going as far as replacing body parts, suspension parts, wheels and tires, sure go for it but making HP is just a bit easier. Nothing is really easy or cheap though so i guess it doesnt matter

[JerzLT1]

Take the radio out of the car is going all out lol I still have mine but heres a few things.
Front/Rear Bumper supports (never broke the fasteners)
Fender Support
Sound-deadening material under the carpert ~20 lbs
radio and speakers
remove all stock seats and replace the front with a kirkey aluminum
windshield wipers and resivior
AC Delete
heat shielding
catback---> one muffler off of the y pipe
front sway bar
Abs delete
Those are all of the free things i can think of (except the muffler), you can always go with a light weight kmember, drag brakes on all 4 corners, etc .... Hope that helps

These are the kinds of things I was looking for, thanks everyone

[LTb1ow]

Free stuff....
9...!ABS
21.5!AC compressor
8.5.!AC condenser
....!AC fan motor
13.5!Airbag and bracket, passenger's
4...!Airbag, driver's
....!Air dam
1...!Air filter
5...!Amp, Monsoon
4...!Antenna, bracket, and motor if applicable
....!Ashtray & lighter
....!Blinker switch
2...!Bolt lengths, extra
....!Brake pedal pad
23..!Bumper, front reinforcement and brackets
21..!Bumper, rear reinforcement and brackets
34..!Carpet & Sound deadening
50..!Catback
15..!Cats
9...!Center console
....!Coating, under carpet
4...!Crossmember brace
....!Cruise control
10..!Dash
20..!Door panels
11..!EGR, air pump, & harware
....!Emblems
....!Fan, 1
....!Fan shroud
5...!Floormats
3...!Foglights and brackets
....FRA mod
....!Gas, Extra
2.5.!Glovebox
1...!Grill insert
4...!Hatch cover
2...!Hatch shocks
....!Headlights
....!Headliner
3...!Head unit
....!Head unit/AC console trim piece
8...!Heat sheilding
9...!Heater core
1...!Hood shocks
3...!Horn
3...!Inner fenderwells, plastic
....!Liscense plate brackets
....!Liscense plate(s)
....!Misc. junk in the car like keys, garage remote, change, owner's manual, etc.
1...!Owner's manual
3...!Panels, under steering wheel
5....Panhard rod brace, upper
....!Parking brake
....!Power brake booster
....!Parking brake handle
....!Power seat motor
11..!Power steering pump, pulley, idler pulley
....!Power window motors
1...!Rear view mirror
9...!Seatbelts (rears and passenger's)
34..!Seat, passenger's
19..!Seats, rear
3...!Sheetmetal, extra double walled
....!Shifter knob
5...!Side impact bars
35..!Spare tire and jack
7...!Speaker panels, hatch
5...!Speaker panels, rear passenger's
15..!Speakers
35..!Spoiler (Weight measured on a Pontiac)
....!Spring isolators
2...!Sun visors
14..!Swaybar and brackets, front
....!Taillight(s)
2...!T-Top holders
....!Under car tow points
1...!Washer fluid pump
9...!Windshield washer fluid
2...!Windshield wiper reservoir
3...!Wiper arms
3...!Wiper motor
....!Wiring, Excess

Wallet mods....
3...Airlid, aftermarket
3...Chromoly LCAs
3/9.Carbon fiber driveshaft
14..Chromoly A-arms
30.5Chromoly K-member
....Draglite wheels
....Drag slicks or street slicks
....Drilled axles
24..Dry cell battery
10..Electric water pump
....Fiberglass door skins
30..Fiberglass hood
....Fuel cell
18..'99+ fuel tank for '98 cars
....Headers
....Lexan glass
....Lightweight clothing
35..Lightweight brakes, front
....Lightweight brakes, rear
10..Lightweight flywheel
13..Lightweight springs and shocks
....Lightweight steering column
6...Lightweight steering wheel
10..Manual rack and pinion steering
....Plastic fuel tank, late model
....Powerglide, TH350, or M4 transmission
17/29.Racing seat
....Shortbelt mod
....Skinny front tires
15..Spool
20..TQ converter, small
....Underdrive pulleys

[Savage_Messiah]

Dash isnt bad, I could give a step-by-step off the top of my head for a 97+ camaro interior complete removal :lol:

[V]

Dash isnt bad, I could give a step-by-step off the top of my head for a 97+ camaro interior complete removal :lol:

...yea NOW you can... thanks to you know who ;-)

[JerzLT1]

You should pm me a write up :)

[racerz]

manual steering rack-reduce weight and parasistic load. Manual brakes, also remove gas tank and use a fuel cell(5gal.)

[Mike]

i just did the tubular k and arms, manual rack, and deleted abs tcs and cruise....its light, cleaner looking, and more room to work lol


and dont forget, anyone reading this that is interested by a kirkey seat.....its not tech legal without a cage and a back brace from the seat to the cage. (i know i know, you "only go to atco", but its still worth saying)

[JerzLT1]

Thanks mike, didn't know that

[sweetbmxrider]

thread inspired me, rippin out the air right now, front sway bar, cruise control, and maybe the washer reservoir. maybe other stuff :D

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

thread inspired me, rippin out the air right now, front sway bar, cruise control, and maybe the washer reservoir. maybe other stuff :D

You have plenty of time to find new weight reduction methods :-P

[sweetbmxrider]

i knowwwww ughhhh. i'm just rippin **** out. i hope it runs still :lol:

[01blackz28]

You can remove the door bars that are inside the doors they weigh about 10 lbs each. However, they are a pain in the sac to get out.

[sweetbmxrider]

i think he said he was waiting for a cage before doin that

made a thread about my !weight

[LTb1ow]

You deleted peanuts... you need to think big...

I can think of a lot I would remove from your car...

[sweetbmxrider]

i'm workin on the nose for now dudeeeeee

[LTb1ow]

Hmmm !stereo for one....

[sweetbmxrider]

no! i like my tunes! delete your crap! sound deadening for one....

[EODMonkey]

it absolutely KILLS me to see the lengths people go through to lighten a car. i've always followed the general rule that every 100lbs is a tenth of a second and every 100hp is a full second. so when you start talking about 20lbs here n there its just easier to take a really big **** before you race or go on a damn diet. you might want to start cutting your chasis and replacing the steel with aluminum and going all carbon fiber, hood, trunk, doors, fenders. 4 gal. gas tank, tubular k member, hell just drill holes in your sub frame. remove the dash totally but leave the steering column and firewall. you want a weight difference let me see you get a 3400lb beast down to a 2000lb accent. oh yea that roll cage is gonna slow you down too. i'm sorry i'm ranting. i know lessening the weight helps but the concept was derrived from straight track cars with plexi bodies, i hate to see a beautifully fast car that is all torn to **** just for what, .2 seconds. just put out more damn power. this way that chick you want to f*** can get all wet riding with you. road head is worth its weight in .......

[sweetbmxrider]

weight reduction is free. derr. :)

also if you add more power AND remove more weight, you are going to go THAT much faster. i don't understand why its such a tough concept for people to grasp. adding more power will also put more strain on the drivetrain than removing weight.

[Mike]

it absolutely KILLS me to see the lengths people go through to lighten a car. i've always followed the general rule that every 100lbs is a tenth of a second and every 100hp is a full second. so when you start talking about 20lbs here n there its just easier to take a really big **** before you race or go on a damn diet. you might want to start cutting your chasis and replacing the steel with aluminum and going all carbon fiber, hood, trunk, doors, fenders. 4 gal. gas tank, tubular k member, hell just drill holes in your sub frame. remove the dash totally but leave the steering column and firewall. you want a weight difference let me see you get a 3400lb beast down to a 2000lb accent. oh yea that roll cage is gonna slow you down too. i'm sorry i'm ranting. i know lessening the weight helps but the concept was derrived from straight track cars with plexi bodies, i hate to see a beautifully fast car that is all torn to **** just for what, .2 seconds. just put out more damn power. this way that chick you want to f*** can get all wet riding with you. road head is worth its weight in .......


weight reduction is cheaper, weight reduction also reduces wear and tear on the drivetrain.

[98tadriver]

it absolutely KILLS me to see the lengths people go through to lighten a car. i've always followed the general rule that every 100lbs is a tenth of a second and every 100hp is a full second. so when you start talking about 20lbs here n there its just easier to take a really big **** before you race or go on a damn diet. you might want to start cutting your chasis and replacing the steel with aluminum and going all carbon fiber, hood, trunk, doors, fenders. 4 gal. gas tank, tubular k member, hell just drill holes in your sub frame. remove the dash totally but leave the steering column and firewall. you want a weight difference let me see you get a 3400lb beast down to a 2000lb accent. oh yea that roll cage is gonna slow you down too. i'm sorry i'm ranting. i know lessening the weight helps but the concept was derrived from straight track cars with plexi bodies, i hate to see a beautifully fast car that is all torn to **** just for what, .2 seconds. just put out more damn power. this way that chick you want to f*** can get all wet riding with you. road head is worth its weight in .......

then dont do it. To each his own. and depending on what you remove, it can definately be more than a .2 second gain. its drag racing, not a beauty pageant

[Blacdout96]

You'll achieve better progress by reducing rotational weight compared to takign out carpets and what not. Start with lightening up your drivetrain, it isn't free, but it's worth it. If you dont already have:

Aluminum driveshaft
lighter rims
Smaller torque converter
lighter flywheel/flexplate
A/C Delete/ lightweight pulleys
Lightweight rotors

And youd be set. Just my .02

[EODMonkey]

strain on the drivetrain? did you really just say that talking about drag racing?

[LTb1ow]

Yea, lighter car will put less strain on the drivetrain than a heavier one will.

[Mike]

strain on the drivetrain? did you really just say that talking about drag racing?

take 2 cars with identical parts in them, making identical power, and drive them with identical driving styles. but, one weights 500 pounds lighter than the other.......THE LIGHTER ONE WILL BREAK LESS PARTS

[JerzLT1]

easier on the clutch, trans, and rear. besides, the car has heads/cam and i only drive it on the street to get to the track.... soooo i guess you could say its a race car?. already has a chromoly DS, and no AC but i wouldnt do the doors unless i got a cage which will coming in the near future...

[sekret agent]

i have a buddy that does autocross and he has everything you can think of done to his car for weight reduction. he even started replacing all his screws and bolts with carbon fiber ones.

[Mike]

carbon fiber bolts?

[LTb1ow]

carbon fiber bolts?

Orly?

[Blacdout96]

pics, or GTFO

[JerzLT1]

Maybe he means titanium...

[Blacdout96]

that works. lol

[91chevywt]

if you google them it seems they are still a bit experimental. I found some for use on cycles but i didnt search too hard either.

http://www.cyclespeed.com.au/c/145882/1/carbon-fibre-bolts.html

I think they may be a possiblity for certain bolts and screws. Has anyone ever seen the carbon fiber rims they use on some dirt track cars? They are pretty cool

[Jared1970Chevelle]

carbon fiber bolts???? did you watch fast and the furious one to many times?

[WildBillyT]

if you google them it seems they are still a bit experimental. I found some for use on cycles but i didnt search too hard either.

http://www.cyclespeed.com.au/c/145882/1/carbon-fibre-bolts.html

I think they may be a possiblity for certain bolts and screws. Has anyone ever seen the carbon fiber rims they use on some dirt track cars? They are pretty cool

Those strike me as the type of thing you have to replace at given intervals, regardless of how they look or if they are broken. Kind of like aluminum connecting rods. And this is really, really scraping the bottom of barrel for weight savings. A driver's fat ass losing 10 lbs is a better option.

[sekret agent]

yea i dont trust them much either but they exist none the less.