Is there any real weight savings in eliminating factory K?

In a drag car you can save a bunch of weight by getting rid of all of the stock parts and switching to a strut type suspension. Should be able to save at least 100 lbs if not more with a strut suspension and lightweight drag race brakes with drag wheels and tires. You have to add back some weight for the front down tubes but you can eliminate the inner fenders. Could be 200 lb savings by the time you're done if not more. Really all depends on what you do and and where you stop.

it depends on what you removing. Meaning if the new K takes away the T bars and the steering box (rack) then it can be a decent amount 50+ lbs. Now if you changing from stock brakes to aftermarket at the same time, now you going to lose over 100. Most claim 50+ lbs

Unless you go to struts the main weight is torsion bars and steering box/linkage. A rack fitted to the stock stuff is a good loss with a cutdown K. Don't forget strut rods and steering shaft can be moly tubing.
Doug

With regards to going to struts has anyone tried the setup from SRT (Tory). Trying to catch him to see if he makes his deal for a B Body.

What year and body style ?

65 Coronet

Are you talking about replacing it with a tubular K member with stock steering and torsion bars or a tubular K member with rack and pinion steering with coil overs in A arms or a strut front end with no K member?

Tubular K Member set up for struts option 1. Replace front frame rails with 2x3 and struts option 2. Car will be considerably lighter than the 3575 is was prior to starting this redo. Should be 3k or less.

My 64 Belvedere suspension is basically stock. Trimmed K frame. The steering shaft and strut rods are moly tubing. Car w/o driver weighs just under 3100. Everything is factory steel except the hood.
Doug

Doug, i just noticed in the pic you just posted, it seems you have two washers on your strut rod bushings. any reason for that ?
i just can't get over how NICE your car is in EVERY place on it !

Thanks, It's an optical illusion. It has the normal washer set up.
Doug

I lost 90 ponds with mustang 2 setup

i lost 8 ounces...........

.... just from letting his cHaRgEr sit in his garage and let it NATURALLY AGE

I see claims of 200lb loss. Has anybody ever really weighed the K frame, steering box, linkage, torsion bars, upper arm/ball joint, lower arm/ball joint, spindles, strut rods? Doubt if all these parts weighs 200 lbs total. Shocks and brakes fit either set-up so have no bearing. If you trim the K frame my bet there is very little loss with the exception of going coil over or rack/pinion. Obviously strut, rack/pinion, spindle mount with small brakes is the lightest. But not practical for most applications.
Doug

Spill 1/2 of a Tallboy??

Doug trimming the lip all around on an A body K will usually take 9-10 lbs off . At least on the later 1973 up ones I have done . Heaviest parts on stock front is the Torsion bars , the lower control arms , and don’t forget the Torsion bar mounts in the frame

When I bought my AJE he claimed a loss of 125# on an A body. The fine print was that you were replacing POWER steering and POWER disc brakes. Manual steering and brakes were a lot less of a loss, and a bunch of that came from replacing the factory disc setup with Wilwoods.

A body?

If you're wondering about switching to a QA1 K frame - there is no weight savings over a stock one. If you get ALL their parts (like I did) they claim you end up saving a total of 18 lbs but I don't see it.

The adjustable aluminum strut bars save the most at a few lbs. each side. The tubular upper A arms are a wash and might even be heavier than the stock ones. Tubular lowers save a little bit of weight but not much, maybe a pound. There's no option to get them without sway bar brackets.

On a stock type front end 9 or 10" drum brake-based brakes save the most weight. The spindles are smaller, ball joints are smaller, it's easily 35 lbs. + a side over stock or stock-based parts with street rotors. Race-only brakes would be more.

Like said already, switching to a rack/strut style front end is the way to go if you want actual light parts.