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

[fullmetaljacket]

Boy was it a wishful thought that fabricating one of these would be a cake walk, just two of them mind you..................... and thank the heavens that there were only two.
Titanium is super light and yet super hard to cut, drill and machine, so only one has been made thus so far. No shop, no fancy presses just second guesses with ACME plans in hand. The hands are aching and the tools were breaking.

Here it is on the scales with a light coat of cast steel paint to hide its true DNA against its REAL STEEL sibling.
Coupled with a titanium nut, it should float a couple of ounces away when all is said and tucked.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Basically, the '65 A/FX Altered Wheelbase cars were advantageously 200 lbs under everyone else, including their partners in crime, the A864's and A990 Super stockers.
How is this you ask?
A certain infamous visit to a Southern California spa was literally the smoking gun. It wasn't the fiberglass body panels or plexiglass windows or even the various aluminum engine parts doing their part to lighten the cars, but by way of acid jacuzzi baths while the cars were in their naked Body In White states. This all went down after hours of course because of unpleasant odors in the venue.
The acid baths removed more weight than the fiberglass panels could combined, so even before they left sunny California back to Amblewagon in Michigan for their final transformation, they were light and flaky.
It would be there at Amblewagon, in a cold cinder block backstage where they would be narrowed down to their respective 2800 lbs.
I will admittedly never achieve this goal (unless with an Aluminum block) but I will try my best to within striking range with an all metal diet. Hope y'all are enjoying the journey and maybe applying and honing some of your own skills.
As for project “Mr Hyde”, the search for the last remaining 100 lbs or so has just now gotten into the nitty gritty with the ounces, all 1600 of them.

 

[Badvert65]

Titanium is super light and yet super hard to cut, drill and machine

I also know this all too well. When I tried making the strut rod washers from Titanium, if I got them to bend even a little, they would also crack. I also tried the shock washers with the same results (cracking). It looks like you achieved better results than what I got.
As far as (stock)shocks go, I cut the dust shields off the front shocks and saved a half pound per shock. Cutting the dust shields off the rear shocks shaved three pounds total between the pair (has much longer dust shields).

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I also know this all too well. When I tried making the strut rod washers from Titanium, if I got them to bend even a little, they would also crack. I also tried the shock washers with the same results (cracking). It looks like you achieved better results than what I got.
As far as (stock)shocks go, I cut the dust shields off the front shocks and saved a half pound per shock. Cutting the dust shields off the rear shocks shaved three pounds total between the pair (has much longer dust shields).

The indentations were pressed using the round receiving end of an impact gun 1-1/4 socket which is super strong and with a little (A lot) of persuasion between two steel risers on a stairwell, it gave in just a little. The use of a worm gear press was instrumental along with drilling the center shock stud hole which pretty much dulled out two drill bits. The final shape came to be with a good 3 Lb hammer and some broken (expendable sockets)
By the way, the stock shock washers are a mess with that very same indentation sometimes a little off center. Factory assembly line drunkenness I guess.

Strut bar coned washers are aluminum along with aluminum Nylock nuts believe it or not.

Never thought of the dust covers on the shocks. I'll have to look at those more closely. At this point, any ounce will get bounced.

 

[dvw]

At the end I vote for an aluminum block. Then the goal can be 27XX lbs.
Doug

 

[fullmetaljacket]

At the end I vote for an aluminum block. Then the goal can be 27XX lbs.
Doug

Just as a note without all the facts in front of me of course, the only blocks that I have heard that are reputable in a street and strip set up are the Keith Black water blocks, but production and availability are dicey, not to mention a good engine builder within my demographic range that knows those blocks and builds a good motor.

 

[dvw]

I’d love to have a KB. Plenty of Indy’s being used by a lot of guys I know. The Mitchell stuff I’m not so sure. You know a builder. Just need to commute.
Doug

 

[rmchrgr]

At the end I vote for an aluminum block. Then the goal can be 27XX lbs.
Doug

Forget it. That idea has been bouncing around in his head for years. At some point you either **** or get off the pot...

Aluminum block on the street?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Forget it. That idea has been bouncing around in his head for years. At some point you either **** or get off the pot...

Aluminum block on the street?

Inching closer to the stove. Stovetop stuffings.

 

[Badvert65]

I was surprised with the shocks. A factory replacement front shock, Monroe 3022 weighed 2.75 lbs without hardware, fresh out of the box. After cutting off the dust shield, it weighed 2.2 lbs. For the rear replacement shocks, Monroe 32073 weighed 3.48 lbs while the Gabriel version, 82131, weighed 3.625 lbs. After cutting the dust shield from the Monroe 32073, it came in at 2 lbs. I was mildly surprised that the Gabriel shock was slightly heavier for the same application. I haven’t noticed any problems running without the dust shields, at least so far.

Your results may vary.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I was surprised with the shocks. A factory replacement front shock, Monroe 3022 weighed 2.75 lbs without hardware, fresh out of the box. After cutting off the dust shield, it weighed 2.2 lbs. For the rear replacement shocks, Monroe 32073 weighed 3.48 lbs while the Gabriel version, 82131, weighed 3.625 lbs. After cutting the dust shield from the Monroe 32073, it came in at 2 lbs. I was mildly surprised that the Gabriel shock was slightly heavier for the same application. I haven’t noticed any problems running without the dust shields, at least so far.

Your results may vary.

My front shocks are un-stock Cal-Trac 90/10's painted gloss black while my rears are aluminum double adjustable Vikings. Unfortunately not stock looking at all, but nevertheless also painted gloss black to tone things down.
The rear aluminum Vikings, though made out of the light alloy may actually be heavier than stockers like the Monroe's because of their inner valving and adjustment mechanicals.
The mounting hardware on both the front and rears shocks are Grade 5 6AL4V titanium, nuts and all.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Rumor has it that the front fender aprons or inner fender walls were of thin gauge on the A-990's, but that has not been confirmed as of yet, at least I haven't seen one. What has been confirmed and I have seen with my eye is the light gauge radiator core and support. I missed out on a reproduction set years back on Eway. I don't remember who was making them though and searches have come up empty handed.
If I could miraculously weld Titanium or aluminum onto steel, I would have fabricated my own STOCK looking radiator core support eons ago. Right up front.

 

[Photon440]

If I could miraculously weld Titanium or aluminum onto steel, I would have fabricated my own STOCK looking radiator core support eons ago. Right up front.

Panel bond?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Panel bond?

Not sure if panel bond adhesives are structurally strong enough as far as front frame strength. I could be wrong, but I think welds still dominate those areas of stress whereas bond adhesives are more for light duty/stressless panels onto each other or understructures such as hoods. The radiator core and support are structural bridges for the integrity of the frame aside from just harnessing the radiator.

I honestly think that the Super Stock cars were devoid of frame and panel quality only because they were deemed race cars for promotional/marketing optics only. If they bent or cracked, so be it just as long as they won the events along with the hearts and minds of potential future customers.