How much weight can you shave off of an A-Body...and still have it look/drive like an A-Body?

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MRGTX

MRGTX

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What kind of weight reduction is possible without drastically altering the look/character of the car?

For example, I think that gutting interior parts, cutting and removing inner fenders, acid dipping (does anyone do that anymore?), etc. take the modifications to a different place where you no longer have a factory-like driving experience.

On the other hand, modifications like aluminum wheels, fiberglass bumpers/hood/trunk can leave the appearance and function of the car more or less in tact.

How light have you gotten your car without turning it into Franenstein's monster?

Obviously, this is open to some opinion. Any thoughts are welcome.
 
I know a stroker B engine with aluminum heads, intake, water pump, and headers can weigh almost 100 pounds lighter than a small block.

I have always thought that the first fiberglass parts to put on were the front and rear bumper. I know steel bumpers weight alot. I just wonder exactly how streetable that is at a grocery store parking lot.
 
Honestly - you can cut the skin off the unibody, lay it over a tube chassis chromoly chassis, stick a glass nose on it and some aluminum tinwork, and get it down to 2500 or less race ready depending on the driveline. It would still be easily recognizable as a Duster. personally I don't like glass fenders I have to work over, fiberglass doors on a street car, or climbing over a bar to get in (back is getting tired). But replacing hardware, omitting non-essential parts everywhere, removing or "holing" bracing structure, etc, can get you hundreds of pounds looking bumper to bumper.
 
moper said:
Honestly - you can cut the skin off the unibody, lay it over a tube chassis chromoly chassis, stick a glass nose on it and some aluminum tinwork, and get it down to 2500 or less race ready depending on the driveline. It would still be easily recognizable as a Duster. personally I don't like glass fenders I have to work over, fiberglass doors on a street car, or climbing over a bar to get in (back is getting tired). But replacing hardware, omitting non-essential parts everywhere, removing or "holing" bracing structure, etc, can get you hundreds of pounds looking bumper to bumper.
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yep, and you can get lexan panels and save hundreds too. and lightweight seats, tubular suspensions weigh less.
 
Depends on where your starting. Here is a couple of easy mods......
1). If you go from power to manual steering, that's 40 pounds. Plus, it frees up a lot of room under the hood (hoses, pump, brackets, belt, bigger box). Also, you can loose another couple of pounds off the crank if your replacing a 4 groove factory crank pulley with a single groove.
2). If you have the 5 mph shock bumpers, you can remove about 35 lbs per bumper as there is a lot to remove behind the bumpers (and still keep the steel bumper). 70 lbs easily lost between the two.....
3). Of course, aluminum intakes and wheels is a sure weight loss....
4). Power to manual brakes will free up more room under the hood and shed about another 5 lbs
5). If ya have the fold down rear seat, certainly some opportunities there......
 
You could do a lot to lose weight in your car and still make it look like your car . My 1973 Dodge Dart weight is 2950 without me in it . And that's with a roll cage and j bars and a 360 with aluminum heads , ps steering car , Manual brakes ,727 Trans , aftermarket sway bars , 17x9 wheels .

This is what I have done to loose weight
Fiberglass bumpers , hood , trunk , fenders , all unnecessary latches are gone too , no crash supports for bumpers . tubular control arms strut rods , disks brakes all around , got rid of the undercoating , no heater box . Lighter seats , no rear seat . Aluminum fuel cell . Some other smaller things that I don't remember at the moment .

Car actually should be lighter than when I weighted it , that was before the fuel cell and pin on trunk and other things .

image.jpeg
 
yeah said:
You could do a lot to lose weight in your car and still make it look like your car . My 1973 Dodge Dart weight is 2950 without me in it . And that's with a roll cage and j bars and a 360 with aluminum heads , ps steering car , Manual brakes ,727 Trans , aftermarket sway bars , 17x9 wheels .

This is what I have done to loose weight
Fiberglass bumpers , hood , trunk , fenders , all unnecessary latches are gone too , no crash supports for bumpers . tubular control arms strut rods , disks brakes all around , got rid of the undercoating , no heater box . Lighter seats , no rear seat . Aluminum fuel cell . Some other smaller things that I don't remember at the moment .

Car actually should be lighter than when I weighted it , that was before the fuel cell and pin on trunk and other things .

View attachment 1714967498
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I really like those fender flares, where'd you get them? Any more pictures?
 
turtleheadjoe said:
I really like those fender flares, where'd you get them? Any more pictures?
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hey, thanks . I mess with fiberglass a little bit so the lip , rear spoiler , and the fenders flares and other things I built by hand in the garage lol . I do have some pics somewhere .
 
yeah said:
hey, thanks . I mess with fiberglass a little bit so the lip , rear spoiler , and the fenders flares and other things I built by hand in the garage lol . I do have some pics somewhere .
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I'd like to see the spoiler too. I've always wondered if I could make stuff like that. I kind of doubt it.
 
turtleheadjoe said:
I'd like to see the spoiler too. I've always wondered if I could make stuff like that. I kind of doubt it.
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To tell you the truth I don't know what I'm doing 95% of the time lol . So I believe you could do stuff like that . Because if I figured it out you can . Just got to learn by making mistakes . But yeah I'll dig up some pics . Pm me thou because I'm gonna forget
 
My 71 Dart is now about 2,920 without me....

408 with alum heads and air gap
QF alum carb
only 2 lightweight buckets, no backseat
caltracs with stock leafs
stock front suspension
glass hood
Billet Specialties Street Lite wheels
manual steering
alum radiator
drums on back, wilwood discs on front
TTI headers and 3" duals to the bumper
steel bumpers
8 3/4
no cage yet
and a 904
 
yeah said:
You could do a lot to lose weight in your car and still make it look like your car . My 1973 Dodge Dart weight is 2950 without me in it . And that's with a roll cage and j bars and a 360 with aluminum heads , ps steering car , Manual brakes ,727 Trans , aftermarket sway bars , 17x9 wheels .

This is what I have done to loose weight
Fiberglass bumpers , hood , trunk , fenders , all unnecessary latches are gone too , no crash supports for bumpers . tubular control arms strut rods , disks brakes all around , got rid of the undercoating , no heater box . Lighter seats , no rear seat . Aluminum fuel cell . Some other smaller things that I don't remember at the moment .

Car actually should be lighter than when I weighted it , that was before the fuel cell and pin on trunk and other things .

View attachment 1714967498
Click to expand...
Sorry to drag an old thread up. Looking at lightening my 72 up some. Got any more pics or details about what all you did to yours?
 
bjkadron said:
Sorry to drag an old thread up. Looking at lightening my 72 up some. Got any more pics or details about what all you did to yours?
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This member was here last on
June 5 2023 so you may not get an answer from him.
 
toolmanmike said:
This member was here last on
June 5 2023 so you may not get an answer from him.
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Yeah just saw that. Forgot it is already 2024 haha. Still would be interested in getting the discussion back up and going.

I'm changing to lighter wheels, doing only carpet with no sound deadening, lightweight front seats and no rear, Removing undercoating, Tubular UCAs, tubular strut rods, newer/lighter AC compressor and accessories, lightweight battery, Aluminum intake/water pump (hopefully heads soon), and aluminum radiator.

Also looking at doing lightweight interior panels (probably aluminum or plastic cardboard covered with lightweight fabric), Fiberglass/CF hood and trunklid, possibly fenders, aluminum side exit exhaust, Aluminum or CF driveshaft, lightweight steering column, Fiberglass dash/dash pad, Lots of aluminum brackets, electric parking brake.

the other problem is I'm doing a lot of things that are adding weight: stronger rear end, subframe connectors and unibody bracing, bigger swaybars, bigger brakes, keeping power steering etc. so I'll have to get pretty serious to be a net negative.
 
How many pounds do extra long fasteners weigh? I'm guessing you could replace many of them with shorter and possibly lighter alternatives. I think the factory order nuts and bolts by the thousands of certain sizes at a discount, whether they were truly appropriate size or not.
 
Putting a fiberglass rear bumper and trunk lid, maybe a Lexan rear window is pointless and honestly not best idea in my opinion unless you have a tube chassis and 4-link suspension.

Why would you want to remove the weight that aids in traction on a stock body car?

Tom
 
Look what uncle Tony did to that slant 6 dart he built. There wasn't much car left. It was light, though.
 
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I admit I am NO racers, but in SE Texas we don't need a heater, so out goes the box, I will remove AC as I hate the clutter. If its too hot to drive the classics, I drive the modern daily! If I omit the back seat, it saves that upholstery bill!!
OK so I am cheap and squirrely!!
 
My 70 Dart, stock body with a SBM, orig slant 6 car, no options, no ac, manual steering, 904, 8 3/4
A porker at 3250
3500 with me in it
 
My Demon which is race only weighs in at 2500#. The only part that is still the original sheet metal is the quarters and roof. Over 3/4 of the firewall is aluminum and about 1/3 of the front floor pan is aluminum. The trunk area is all aluminum and under there are no inner fenders. The front end is race weight fiber glass, as well as the doors, deck lid and rear bumper. The only real glass are the tip out rear windows. I have no idea how it worked out the way it did, but with 5 gallons of fuel, the two batteries, me with a race suit and helmet on the scales it came out at 625# per corner with a 50/50 weight bias.
 
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