Car Weight

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Last time I weighed my '70 Duster was at Bandimere drag strip, it still had the iron-headed 360 and steel 15" Rallyes and I had not yet installed subframe connectors. IIRC it was around 3400 with my skinny *** in it (~150 lbs at 6'1" lol). I want to weigh it again now that it has aluminum heads and aluminum wheels with low(er)-profile tires, I'm also closer to 160 lbs now and steadily gaining as I'm hitting the gym and eating more. I also want to relocate the battery to the trunk to get it closer to 50-50.

Car is all steel and has mostly full interior just no headliner, door panels or inside door handles/armrests. It also has stock asphalt-type undercoating which I bet adds around 100 lbs. 904 trans, 1967 B-body 8 3/4" rear end. Front and rear sway bars, DIY welded-in subframe connectors. Factory-type heavy-*** '73-up A-body front discs and 10" rear drums (intend to upgrade to Dr. Diff Cobra discs and rear disc conversion).

Since moving to the steamy South I could probably get away with deleting the heater but that seems like more trouble than it's worth. Although, it was originally an A/C car which I've gutted the compressor and lines from but still haven't removed the evaporator core which is probably not very light.
 
My 71 Swinger,
2,920 without me
About 5 gallons in the cell in the trunk
408 (550+hp), alum heads, intake, radiator
No power anything, no radio, no heater
manual steering
lift off glass hood, everything else steel
Wilwood front discs, stock drums in back
8 3/4
904 TF
(2) very light buckets
no back seat
no cage yet (need one)
Dual 3" TTI pipes all the way to the bumper

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408 swinger said:
I was very surprised when I weighed my son's 73 Scamp. Quarter tank of fuel, full interior, all steel and glass, 6.1 Hemi, 904, 8 3/4. 3140 lbs. I would've thought closer to 3400.
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2-door Scamps and Valiants, are likely the lightest of the post-1967 A-bodies. and
67>69 Barracuda fastbacks are about the heaviest.
Well, maybe not including the 318 Swinger fat-boys, loaded up with everything in the catalog.
 
My '74 Duster with just one race seat weighted 3060lbs Aluminum heads 451 short deck big block. 6pt cage All steel tilt front. So yes. With a SB and the lightened body parts? 300lbs lighter. Should be about right?

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cojohnso said:
My '74 Duster with just one race seat weighted 3060lbs Aluminum heads 451 short deck big block. 6pt cage All steel tilt front. So yes. With a SB and the lightened body parts? 300lbs lighter. Should be about right?

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It seems to me the guys that say a 400/440 can be as light or close to a small block always compare a bbm with as many aluminum parts as possible, to an all iron sbm. They seem to forget that aluminum parts are available for a sbm too!
To the best of my knowledge, a comparably built (as many aluminum parts possible, short of an aluminum block)bbm weighs about 100-150 lbs more than a sbm, assuming both with a 727 [904 sbm is lighter].
 
I don’t care about the extra weight as much as I care about ease of working on it. I used to follow the rule 8’s and faster big block, 9’s and slower small block. Now that everywhere I race at I’m forced to run 1/8 mile in my class that tightens it up some. My fast big block Mopar friends are running 5.50’s-5.60’s. Most of them are running 5.65-5.85. So here I am running 6.0’s. Most and I’ll say ALL of them have help. I can’t quickly think of one that’s doing it by themselves like I am. So a few extra engine compartment inches pays dividends. Even if I rebuilt my 572 into a NA engine to run mid 5’s 50% of my races are against dragsters anyway and I wouldn’t be faster than those skateboards.
 
I've seen some A-body SB vs B-body BB competition that appears to be very close if there is a tight budget cap? Say $3k from rolling body beginnings? Where weight does Play roll in final ET.

In this age of big power options. And big $$ builds. Setup and balance seems to dictate fast from nice try than trimming a few pounds here and there. That comes into play far more in Stock/Super Stock classes. Where shaving here and there makes the difference between advancing or trailer. But in the world of Outlaws? It's setup. And adapting that setup to conditions.
 
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