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

[HEMI-ITIS]

I never had outside rear view mirrors......

 

[fullmetaljacket]

When I had my '65 Belvedere post car I leaded the mirror post holes shut and planned on using one of those clip-on peep mirrors for street driving. It can be removed easily enough should the need arise.
View attachment 1854662

Now that Mosher has retired in his later years, and rightfully so, those mirrors are going to be back in stock and ready for shipment. He must have bought out every mirror on the shelf just to supply his armada of Super Stock creations. Beautiful cars.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I never had outside rear view mirrors......

............because it was an inside job right? LOL.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

What do these slugs weigh?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

These papers will commit a sin by assisting in the art of deceit on a certain part that has been casted. Stay tuned.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

All those different grades of sand paper will start to smooth the rough surfaces of this cast aluminum door handle and help masquerade it with a chrome like luster.
Once I finish buffing and polishing it, I will put it on the scales one last time against its casted steel sibling to compare.

 

[ROYSTOLL2]

I went too far on my '68 Road Runner but my best time 383 (bored .60 over), four speed crash box, Lakewood scatter shield, 8 3/4 rear end, 2" hooker headers, stock heads that I ported and polished myself, Edelbrock Tarantula manifold (NOT torquer), battleship springs, single 4 barrel carburetor, normally aspirated with NO NITROUS!, Ran Holley Dominator with 98 jets in secondaries, Stewart Warner manual 4 to 1 tachometer for 100% accuracy, clutch was 12-400 pound ford truck springs. Suspension 9-10's front, individual controlled air shocks rear. I got it down to 2,690 pounds! No window mechanisms, plexiglass side windows, no hood springs, homemade fiberglass hood with 4 hood pins, removed 2 inner headlights, scrapped every bit of undercoating off, drilled 1/4" holes everywhere it would not show, like doors, rear door panel area, light weight sheet aluminum sheet with glued vinyl for door panels. I had fiberglass racing seats, no back seat. No holes on brake parts or frame. Cut out steel under seats, replaced with aluminum pop riveted in. Removed backing and insulation from carpet, battery in trunk. 4 gallon dragster tank in trunk. My best time was a 10.54 at Spokane Raceway Park (2350' above sea level), which I backed up with a 10.44. I was power shifting at 7,500 RPM. I built the engine like a Chevy. It had stock rods which I hand selected and polished, after magnafluxed, then I balanced them.
I just bought a '70 Road Runner and I am not going as far as I did before but this one has a 440 4-speed.

 

[ROYSTOLL2]

I went too far on my '68 Road Runner but my best time 383 (bored .60 over), four speed crash box, Lakewood scatter shield, 8 3/4 rear end, 2" hooker headers, stock heads that I ported and polished myself, Edelbrock Tarantula manifold (NOT torquer), battleship springs, single 4 barrel carburetor, normally aspirated with NO NITROUS!, Ran Holley Dominator with 98 jets in secondaries, Stewart Warner manual 4 to 1 tachometer for 100% accuracy, clutch was 12-400 pound ford truck springs. Suspension 9-10's front, individual controlled air shocks rear. I got it down to 2,690 pounds! No window mechanisms, plexiglass side windows, no hood springs, homemade fiberglass hood with 4 hood pins, removed 2 inner headlights, scrapped every bit of undercoating off, drilled 1/4" holes everywhere it would not show, like doors, rear door panel area, light weight sheet aluminum sheet with glued vinyl for door panels. I had fiberglass racing seats, no back seat. No holes on brake parts or frame. Cut out steel under seats, replaced with aluminum pop riveted in. Removed backing and insulation from carpet, battery in trunk. 4 gallon dragster tank in trunk. My best time was a 10.54 at Spokane Raceway Park (2350' above sea level), which I backed up with a 10.44. I was power shifting at 7,500 RPM. I built the engine like a Chevy. It had stock rods which I hand selected and polished, after magnafluxed, then I balanced them.
I just bought a '70 Road Runner and I am not going as far as I did before but this one has a 440 4-speed.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I went too far on my '68 Road Runner but my best time 383 (bored .60 over), four speed crash box, Lakewood scatter shield, 8 3/4 rear end, 2" hooker headers, stock heads that I ported and polished myself, Edelbrock Tarantula manifold (NOT torquer), battleship springs, single 4 barrel carburetor, normally aspirated with NO NITROUS!, Ran Holley Dominator with 98 jets in secondaries, Stewart Warner manual 4 to 1 tachometer for 100% accuracy, clutch was 12-400 pound ford truck springs. Suspension 9-10's front, individual controlled air shocks rear. I got it down to 2,690 pounds! No window mechanisms, plexiglass side windows, no hood springs, homemade fiberglass hood with 4 hood pins, removed 2 inner headlights, scrapped every bit of undercoating off, drilled 1/4" holes everywhere it would not show, like doors, rear door panel area, light weight sheet aluminum sheet with glued vinyl for door panels. I had fiberglass racing seats, no back seat. No holes on brake parts or frame. Cut out steel under seats, replaced with aluminum pop riveted in. Removed backing and insulation from carpet, battery in trunk. 4 gallon dragster tank in trunk. My best time was a 10.54 at Spokane Raceway Park (2350' above sea level), which I backed up with a 10.44. I was power shifting at 7,500 RPM. I built the engine like a Chevy. It had stock rods which I hand selected and polished, after magnafluxed, then I balanced them.
I just bought a '70 Road Runner and I am not going as far as I did before but this one has a 440 4-speed.

That's quite impressive on both the fronts of ET and weight achievements. A 383, even at 0.60 over is a hard beast to get going unless with a good shifting 4 speed, stiff gears outback and spinning at heavens gate RPM's. What probably helped you immensely was the lack of carrying fat.
Under 2700 Lbs, almost anything is going to fly, but your combo back then was an incredible feat to achieve with a B-body. IMPRESSIVE as Darth Vader once said.

I don't think I have ever seen any of those '68-'70 B bodies under 2900 Lbs unless it was all plastic and gutted like a deer. GTX John here has his 90% steel '70 GTX down to a slim Jim 3000 lbs, which is amazing in its self.

B bodies are tough when it comes to addressing the weight factor, but if one can get one really light, that B boy is going to be tough on the competition.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Almost to the point of midway with the hand sanding at #800 paper.
#1000, #1500, #2000, #2500, #3000, #3500, #4000 left to go before the buff and polish by hand.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Here's the underside of the door latch handle after a light hand sanding using 3000 paper at finish, then moving on to a light coat of Mother's aluminum polish. It will be mirror finish when finished.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

What a bunch of elbow grease will bring in shine doesn't necessarily reward much in weight reduction. LOL.
We're in the ounce count here, so here's the aluminum version coming in at 2.20 ounces.

The factory casted steel part comes in at 5.35.
That's a 3.15 shave.

 

[gooser]

in the end it all adds up

 

[fullmetaljacket]

That's for sure. It's all in the Arithme-TRICKS.

in the end it all adds up