Car Weight

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I just shaved off about 60lbs by removing my OEM bumpers and going to fiberglass with Lingenfelter brackets. 72' Scamp bumpers weigh a ton!

Fiberglass trunk lid is next. That should reduce another 20-30lbs. If I go to a Lithium battery (still hesitant about Li) that'll get me close to 2900lbs. It's tempting

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Locomotion said:
Does your car weight include a 6-8 point roll bar and/or frame connectors? I can't tell by the photo.

Going to a 904 will save a few pounds overall plus pick up about .15 in the 1/4 mile due to less reciprocating weight if converter specs are the same as the 727.
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Check out post #21.
 
I guess my junk will be 4000 pounds judging by some of your cars.
 
You just have to get creative. It's a B body, but 3100 w/o driver. All steel except hood, mega block, full interior except back seat.
Doug

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3180 lbs for my Jalopy,
71Duster
440
727
Dana 60
Plenty of sound deadener/heat shield

3480 lbs with my lard *** in it!
(That’s not my lard *** in the picture)
:lol:

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Just something to consider - Naturally a lighter car should be a faster car. It can be a personal challenge/goal or it can be a necessity to simply out-run an opponent. However, in some cases, it can be beneficial to keep some weight by putting it where it will do the most good - towards the rear of the car.

My last bracket car was a home-built 2x3 frame Challenger that I bought from a friend. Its consistency was improved by adding about 80 lbs in the trunk and the result was more wins despite a slight overall ET loss. My Dart Sport had rules that dictated how much it weighed based on shipping weight for year claimed and the engine HP based on IHRA rules at the time. I claimed the heaviest year Dart Sport - 1975 and lowest HP crate engine - 360/300HP Commando LA which fit J/CM (J/Crate Motor). No fiberglass or lexan allowed but I lightened it as much as I could under the rules, including using a Dart Lite hood and trunk which saved about an additional 25 lbs. Then I added weight as allowed under the rules where it did the most good - the back 1/2 of the car, to bring it over the minimum requirement of 3,530+ lbs with driver.

Race tracks can't always maintain optimal conditions for traction and Mother Nature can make it more difficult with heat and humidity. Weight in the right place can be good insurance. Just install it properly & safely. Consistency wins more races than low ET, particularly in handicap racing. It's a strategy that worked for me.

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Great advise Myron. One thing about a light car, you can always add weight where it's needed.
 
My 68 Barracuda weighed at two autocross events this past summer came in at 3060 with me out of the car. It’s street legal with AC. Front seats, and full carpet. The trunk divider is in place but no back seat. Last year light cast crank built slant six, 904, 8.75, four wheel disk brakes. Fiberglass hood and front bumper with light weight aluminum front bumper mounts. And lighter than stock custom front grill.

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Vertex_Jeff said:
DARN - your Duster/Dart is light!!!
I weighed my '67 Fastback out at SRCA in Kansas during Rocky Mountain Raceweek. With me in it, the weight was 3,740. I weigh between 225-230. That puts the car in the 3,500 range. It is currently all steel, including a mild steel 8 point roll bar. 440 w/ aluminum heads, 727, Strange S-60 rear end. One of the off season projects is to get change to a pin-on fiberglass hood and MAYBE pin-on deck lid.

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I thought I had a fat fish lol. When I was on the scales at drag week this year the lowest I saw was 3565. Mine is a small block but its an R1 block with W2 iron heads so its the heaviest small block you can build lol I'm 240ish.

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Us Mopar racers are to FAT. Lol. Imagine having a car that weighed around 2575 at the line and it going to 2880. That’s what I did. I booted a thin guy (my son) and replaced him with a fat guy (me). Sold off the fiberglass doors and lexan windows, bigger fuel cell, alternator, RacePak and all needed wiring, mufflers and exhaust, and stock doors with wind up windows. But boy is it fun and easy to race.
 
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68 Factory Hemi Dart automatic 8 3/4 4-point roll bar. basically all original at the time except the drivers door gas. 1/4 tank of gas, wipers and horn 3180. Most of my A Body 340 cars were 3400 -3500. 69 Hemi RR automatic, dana 60, headers and full tank of gas 3980. All without driver.
 
Mine is an E Body street car and strip and no lightweight. All steel, glass roll up windows. Megablock 528" Hemi, c.m. 25.5 cage, fire system, 2 kits/bottles, cool shirt ice water system, Racepak with 23 data logging VNets, Dana 60 w/l.w. spool and gun drilled 40 spline axles. 3760 with me in it, full bottles and full tank of fuel.

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6PKRTSE said:
Mine is an E Body street car and strip and no lightweight. All steel, glass roll up windows. Megablock 528" Hemi, c.m. 25.5 cage, fire system, 2 kits/bottles, cool shirt ice water system, Racepak with 23 data logging VNets, Dana 60 w/l.w. spool and gun drilled 40 spline axles. 3760 with me in it, full bottles and full tank of fuel.

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Thats lighter than I thought it would be.
 
My Demon tips the scales at 2500 with me the suit, helmet, two batteries and 5 gallons of fuel. Glass nose, doors and deck lid, lexan windows except the pop outs which are still factory glass, 30% of the firewall is aluminum and 25% of the trans tunnel and driveshaft tunnel are aluminum, it doesn't have inner fenders. My weight bias is dead on 50-50 and that was plain old dumb luck.
 
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