The Elephant In The Room: unloading the load from a B-body.

[fullmetaljacket]

Deceivingly close enough to the real McCoy, but what does the naked eye care? A top coat of clear coat will protect the painted lines from finger wear and tear.

 

[topside]

That's hysterical, and I mean that as a compliment.
Now there's the other knobs, and their bezels....bwahahahaha !

 

[fullmetaljacket]

That's hysterical, and I mean that as a compliment.
Now there's the other knobs, and their bezels....bwahahahaha !

That's the only knob existing on the dashboard because all else was deleted. No radio, no heater and no wipes.
The turn signals and shift lever were looked at, but time is trickling down to work season, so it will have to wait.
Hope I can get back out to the track at least once this Fall.

Thank you for the compliments. Most in my circle think I'm a little nutty, but who would call a Professor nutty? LOL.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

A little?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

A little?

Just a little. I realize now that the people who hang out with me have to be a lot crazier than I am. LOL.
Most if not all, go to therapy everyday thereafter. LOL.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Keeping up with these expenses ain’t easy,both time and cash,

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Plan and build them lighter and they will last.

Even some of my buddies who are points chasers and class record holders, don't have the time anymore. If it ain't family, it's money, if it ain't money, it's time.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

That's hysterical, and I mean that as a compliment.
Now there's the other knobs, and their bezels....bwahahahaha !

Funny you mentioned the bezels, because I was trying to remember how they're formed and wondering if there is some item out there in the wild that has a similar shape that can be persuadably sculpted to resemble a bezel. Car is away from me at the moment, but I will investigate when I get a chance.
The one interior item that I cheated with was the window cranks and door lock levers which were 3D printed in aluminum. I only got a chance to make one of each and then life got in the way. There's a pound or so in those combined.

 

[Phantomx]

So what was your most current weight minus driver before the engine issue? Are you expecting any weight change with the new mill?
Travis…

EDIT…I guess that’s DVW that windowed his block and not you. Too many old black race cars on here. Regardless, do you have a current weight and broad specs on the car?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

So what was your most current weight minus driver before the engine issue? Are you expecting any weight change with the new mill?
Travis…

EDIT…I guess that’s DVW that windowed his block and not you. Too many old black race cars on here. Regardless, do you have a current weight and broad specs on the car?

Yes, unfortunately, after DVW windowed his block, it was indeed lighter. No pun intended and thank the heavens that he is safe.

This car's weight without driver is 2990 Lbs with a few gallons in the tank. I expect a big plummet of 20 pounds more or less once I get a chance to install the new K frame and trim off some gussets from the block.
Other little do-dags here and there will net another few pounds.
In a real world, I'd be happy to trim the car down to the upper 2800 Lbs while staying ALL METAL and then I think that would be the most reduction obtainable.
Is it possible to land at a rock bottom 2800 Lb goal? probably not.
On the other hand, taking off 100 Lbs from this point of 2990 to land at 2890 is probably realistic, but it's going to be super hard.
As a note, the 1965 A/FX 10"-15" cars were delivered at 2800 Lbs with the extensive use of fiberglass, plexiglass and aluminum and only after their steel bodies were reduced to paper mache at the chemical milling plant.

Low weight B-bodies? Sure! Anyone can do this if they look at everything, everywhere .........with common sense.
Mopar John, who pilots the "Bitter Lime" GTX can fill you in on this.

PS: an aluminum block is not in the cards.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Earlier today, I got a full NY minute (59 seconds) to drop in at Area 51 and insert the lightweight light switch activator knob in its place.
Works just like an OEM knob and looks more or less the part of a stock OEM part.

On another note and believe it or not, after asking for a friend about pulleys for a Hemi a few weeks back, My curiosity took some liberty to remove the aluminum March's and looked into their weight differences compared to stock pulleys. You'll be surprised at what I discovered. The March's are heavier by a hair because of their thick billet structure. So far, 1/4 lb on the water pump pulley alone. I'll have a proper weigh in when I get a chance to compare all three pulleys against Mother (V)opar's steel jammies.

 

[topside]

Wonder if some time on a lathe would shed significant pulley weight without compromising strength ?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Wonder if some time on a lathe would shed significant pulley weight without compromising strength ?

I would think that such an attempt may not allow for peace of mind with a high strung motor. I believe that the under drive pulleys, as heavy as they may seem, give back a couple of horses to the motor than a combined spinning pound or so loss.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

By the way, the knob bezels are hard to duplicate because of the complex male/female anchoring system. Maybe this is where 3D printing in metal can swindle itself into the conversation just like the window crank printings did several years back and were massaged into place.