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Easy front end weight reduction

33 IMP

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Im curious if anyone has done a comprehensive weight reduction and kept track of the results. Primary interest is mopar big block but smallblock numbers are welcome too.
By this i mean, heavy stuff replaced with light stuff. I dont include intakes, cause almost everybody with a hiperf car has an aluminum intake. And i think the weight difference of an aluminum carb compared to a zinc holley, probably amounts to a pound or two, at most. What im curious about is how much can be saved with headers over iron exhaust, small mufflers from a full system, aluminum radiator compared to brass, aluminum water pump and housing compared to iron, aluminum heads compared to iron, and mini starter compared to the big old mopar one.
I can do some of those comparisons on my mopar, but most have been done already. Im going to do them on my other car, and keep good records, but big block chevy info isnt particularly valuable here. I think i can save over a hundred pounds on the front.
Anybody done this, and kept records?
 
11.2lbs chrome, used (but clean), Holley 600, (1850), no choke
7.2lbs New aluminum Holley 600 (1850), (6.6lbs w/o choke)
8.2lbs used mini starter, from 92 V-6 Dakota,
14.8lbs Original style starter, old (but clean)
8.5lbs new mini starter
13.0lbs Alternator, clean, OE, 2 field, large double pully (3.25 in)
6.5lbs ebay' denzo alternator, new, complete
 
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I didn't weigh the heads when I went with the 440 Source aluminum, but I'll bet the savings are 25 lbs/head.
What I did weigh and found interesting was that there was no weight savings when I converted from front drum to disc brake.
 
I didn't weigh the heads when I went with the 440 Source aluminum, but I'll bet the savings are 25 lbs/head.
What I did weigh and found interesting was that there was no weight savings when I converted from front drum to disc brake.
There is when you go to Wilwoods with aluminum hubs from drums!
 
I put a set of the Stealth heads on an RB engine but I negated the weight savings by adding an 8-71 Blower.......
 
Im curious if anyone has done a comprehensive weight reduction and kept track of the results. Primary interest is mopar big block but smallblock numbers are welcome too.
By this i mean, heavy stuff replaced with light stuff. I dont include intakes, cause almost everybody with a hiperf car has an aluminum intake. And i think the weight difference of an aluminum carb compared to a zinc holley, probably amounts to a pound or two, at most. What im curious about is how much can be saved with headers over iron exhaust, small mufflers from a full system, aluminum radiator compared to brass, aluminum water pump and housing compared to iron, aluminum heads compared to iron, and mini starter compared to the big old mopar one.
I can do some of those comparisons on my mopar, but most have been done already. Im going to do them on my other car, and keep good records, but big block chevy info isnt particularly valuable here. I think i can save over a hundred pounds on the front.
Anybody done this, and kept records?
I have nothing but records on mine. This is on a '65 Dodge Sedan with a big block in the nest. I would have to look it up and get back with y'all. Overall, the average loss of weight will be somewhere in the 85-90 Lbs with all the usual suspected items removed/replaced and so on. If you go deep in the rabbit habit hole like I did, then you can breach the 100 Lbs mark and beyond.
 
One hundred pounds is easy.

Often overlooked, going to manual steering saves 60 lbs and also gets rid of the pump driven HP loss. Losing the inner half of my front bumper brackets dropped another 20 lbs.
 
I have nothing but records on mine. This is on a '65 Dodge Sedan with a big block in the nest. I would have to look it up and get back with y'all. Overall, the average loss of weight will be somewhere in the 85-90 Lbs with all the usual suspected items removed/replaced and so on. If you go deep in the rabbit habit hole like I did, then you can breach the 100 Lbs mark and beyond.
I knew you would respond! Ive followed your other threads. Your car is amazing, and amazingly light....without looking light. Thanks for coming in.
I think i can get 100 lbs off the nose of my other car pretty easily, a big part of that is the difference between iron bbc heads, and aluminum.
My 62 savoy is all steel except for the hood scoop, but a few of the changes mentioned above have been done, and the interior has obviously had weight taken out. More lightening to be done, however!
 
Less of this:
Beer.jpg
Ha ha suckers.jpg
 
Beer is not the problem (we will NOT talk about colas or power aid however!). At 6'3" 190lbs, and old, its easier to get 20 lbs off the car than me, lol.
 
I can't make comparisons, but my changes are:
Factory front suspension to QA1, K-member included. Wraptor serpentine belt and accessories system, added AC compressor and condenser and Power Steering, but it uses a single aluminum bracket, and I swapped the factory 26" radiator for an aluminum Cold Case. Swapped factory clutch fan to low profile flex fan and 2x 10" SPAL pusher fans. Wilwood manual disc brakes and master cylinder. I'm certain the new setup weighs less overall than the factory setup.
Any remaining doubt that it's lighter will be addressed when THIS:
IMG_1558.jpg

aluminum block goes in, and the TrickFlow 270s replace the 452 iron heads.
 
A radiator guy told me once that aluminium radiators aren't any lighter than stock once filled, as they hold more fluid which evens out the lighter weight of the radiator itself.
I don't know if he meant larger aluminium radiators (most people who change from factory always go for a bigger size) or if that applies to same dimension aluminium v brass.
 
I don't know how much weight I saved on my 66 Coronet front bumper brackets but after I cut them down the new ones weighted almost nothing. Only good for fiber glass front bumper though.

20180111_102215.jpg 20180126_132900.jpg
 
I knew you would respond! Ive followed your other threads. Your car is amazing, and amazingly light....without looking light. Thanks for coming in.
I think i can get 100 lbs off the nose of my other car pretty easily, a big part of that is the difference between iron bbc heads, and aluminum.
My 62 savoy is all steel except for the hood scoop, but a few of the changes mentioned above have been done, and the interior has obviously had weight taken out. More lightening to be done, however!
I've been off the grid for a while now with work related ventures, but I'm still turning the wheels in my head on what more can be done to rid the lard. What I described earlier is just the engine, not other driven forces. Depending on what is done, a full all out diet only for the ENGINE can evict close to 200 Lbs. This is of course possible by breaking the bank and commissioning an aluminum block into service. I haven't achieved that number with my program because I still use a factory iron block, but I've come very close to 100 Lbs with traditional and mad scientist antics. I'll put a list together and bring it up soon.
 
There is when you go to Wilwoods with aluminum hubs from drums!
Yep. I went with a more OEM approach. Bought the kit from Cass a/k/a Dr. Diff; replicates the late 70's Chrysler Cordoba. Figured its easier to find parts when needed.
 
I always find it humorous that we all spend thousands to save that extra pounds. However, most of the race drivers weigh 250-450 lbs....
 
I remember seeing an El Camino that was quite fast, several years ago. I heard that it was 4500 lbs at the starting line, hard to believe, even for a rat powered 67 elco



Then i saw the driver get out. At least 500 lbs of the weight was him. Thighs bigger than my waist, easily. No wonder car weight reduction wasn't a priority.
 
I'd swap on a fiberglass hood but for $600, I'll pass.
 
People not interested in this stuff keep the OE comment out of it
this is for people doing racecars & modified suspension etc.

I did weigh a bunch of QA1/formerly Capps Automotive & SPC parts
mostly front tubular suspension stuff, LCA's UCA's K-frame, Dyn. Adj. Struts
didn't weigh the take offs, OE stuff
that I've installed on other cars, in a thread a while back
info for other members, that were looking at the time

thread was
"front suspension what to use ?"
post #5

sorry didn't save the link

but I bumped it up so people could revue it again
had some good comments

enjoy
 
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