Quote: Having a 71 Challenger with a 440, auto and Dana 60 (Yeah its a heavy rear end but its what was in the car when I bought it in 1988...) with no heater box, wipers and the only lightweight parts is a lift off fiberglass 6 pack hood and 6 point cage in mild steel is still a heavy package. I still had the back seat and a pair of factory buckets and door panels. No creature comforts like a radio and light weight 10.5" A body discs and no power booster. The 440 had an aluminum intake and a big Holley carb.
I am definitely interested in how your build works out because I have appeared to make my car a fat pig compared your estimated weights. Not really sure where I went wrong. I know its not 3800# but I do know its not close to 3200 by a country mile. This video is from when the car had a 440 with heavy TRW pistons 6 pack rods and iron 915 heads from a long time ago...probably when some of you were still in diapers
But then again who am I just some dreamer that types away on Moparts...... :-)
The burnout at the 6:00 mark is one of my favorites.
Here is a key distinction though... you didn't make your car a 'big fat pig'... by the sound ov it (440/727/Dana 60 R/T?) it came that way... and you just didn't go that far to change it. Even in the few seconds i could get from your video (my computer wont let me watch videos anymore) i could see a lot ov factory weight... but a lot ov it was good ol' Mopar coolness... that most people here wouldn't dream ov living without: vinyl roofs, decorative chrome, Dana 60 (as you know), factory seats... and thats in just a few seconds i saw before it froze up on me. Did i see AC ducting? assuming you tossed that, did you remove ALL AC remnants? every last shred ov evidence?
Some random rambling on now... Do you have dual sport mirrors? I'll assume the console is still in there (okay, thats a hard one for auto guys, but i see a lot ov 4-gear cars still with consoles). Silly things no one notices... bumperettes? unused or 'factory over-engineering' brackets? GOBS and GOBS ov factory seam-sealer? (my stripper 70 Barracuda coupe (fixed rear windows) had over 10lbs ov ridiculously over-applied seam-sealer). unused factory speakers? 3-speed wipers? (really no better than 2-speed on these old cars) power steering/brakes? factory radiator? (on a factory HP car? ouch). Hmmm... lessee... what else... factory radios are HEAVY. Radio pulled? well dont forget the antenna/cable, etc. If you have added structural work like subframe connectors/boxes, etc. did you take the time to engineer the BEST design? or just weld large slabs ov thick mild steel in there like 90% ov 'weight conscious' racers do? Even roll bars... i've seen some silly ideas and a lot ov unnecessary over-engineering. Too late now for YOU, but why not chromoly? I see you actually have light old-school slots on that car (which you obviously could not use on a retro-supercar), but a lot ov guys now are buying up the cheap Mustang 17's and 18's... for as little as $400 a set brand new... but those suckers are HEAVVVY... I hope i dont have to even mention stuff like power windows and locks, overhead consoles, AC, cruise control... A lot ov guys go nuts with the sound-deadener these days... definitely makes the car a lot more livable... but again, at a distinct weight price. I dont know how many 'cool' old cars i've bought over the years that had anywhere from one to five unused exhaust hangers underneath the car and miles ov unused wiring under the dash and carpets. If you're building an engine, just buying GOOD modern pistons could save the whole pretty close to 10lbs. There is a LOT ov weight you can save in an engine... even a big block. Your car doesn't need resonators. Your car doesn't need factory shoulder-belts (though installing real shoulder belts might be a good idea and use ov weight). Your 72-4 E-body doesn't need 72-4 bumpers (especially when much lighter 70 bumpers look better). Your car doesn't need undercoat... sure its annoying as hell to remove, but a necessary evil for a clean, light car. How many times has your car been painted? if ANY, do you know EXACTLY whats underneath? My Charger was a MESS...
Oh how i could go on...
Not shooting at YOU here now, but some guys, even 'serious racers' have no concept ov weight-reduction. I know a couple redneck drag racers that took a perfectly solid and decent 74 Challenger, gutted it to the last unnecessary bolt, lexan'd it, one seat, tossed the dash/column/gauges for the usual race-only mess, holesawed the thing to near unsafe levels, hacked/chopped/torched the poor thing till it was a gutted clapped out waste ov a car. It ended up weighing about 200lbs less than my full-everything 72 Charger street car. That in my opinion is a big fat fail.
Heh... i find its mostly the guys with money that dont really get into serious weight-reduction... they dont have to. Need more speed/stopping power/handling? throw money at it. Alum heads, strokers, Keisler, Wilwood, Hotchkis, Fikse, blah blah. Some ov us gutter punks on the other hand had to get pretty crafty...
If you think my Challenger is hard to believe, wait'll i get into the next lil project i've got lined up. Gonna make MY Challenger look like a big ol' fat pig....
