A 26 page thread on detailed weight reduction...??? How did i miss this??? Damn.
I wanna take a stab on the weight guess game. I haven't been doing the math, but i read all 26 pages. I'm thinking that rigs gotta be 2500-2600 tops. I'd say 2500, but i've seen quite a few places where you're still carting excess metal (and i dont mean pricey aftermarket yum stuff). 2600 tops (empty). I know full well how the details and mad obsession can add up (or subtract, for that matter...).
I'm too poor to buy powertrain parts, so i've become a self-titled master ov weight-reduction. I love this game. One thing i think is VERY important to mention... and i've not seen mentioned so far in here... is that if this is going to become an obsession for you... start with the right car (not talking about the OP here). I've seen so many ov these threads go on and on about the minutae... ridiculous OCD detail... yet refuse to see the rather measurable differences in the different years ov the actual cars. I've spent weeks (total hours invested mind you) in hacking my 71 Fury III down to a fighting weight... only to wish i'd started with a 69 Fury I. Same with my 72 Charger. A 71 would have been considerably better. I'm still looking for a decent 69 Imperial... and i've passed up several good 70's and 71's... just to have a better starting point.
I like Challengers... E-bodies have always been my car. When i started looking for the ultimate project, i scoured the Earth for a 'deputy' car... but couldn't find one. But i did get a 706cyl/3speed/NO option car. Wheelwell trim... that was all that was not standard on the tag. Got it in original paint too (mostly faded off... even better) so there was no ugly bodywork or ten coats ov Maaco hiding underneath (paint and bondo are heavy!). The search was worth it... it scaled (on some pricey 4-point stock car scales) at 2975, minus a few items but with some HEAVY added rollers. The math came out to about 3006... as it actually rolled off the lot. Yes folks... thats an E-body... The same car in 71 would have been more... in 74, a LOT more (and no... swapping 70 bumpers onto your 74 does NOT make it a 70 weight-wise...). I even started to wonder if i should sell it to look for a similar 70 Barracuda... as option for option that Plymouth will weigh about 50lbs less than its longer Dodge sibling. When i learned about that that 50lb difference chewed at me for a bit i dont mind admitting. And thats 50lbs i cannot ever make up... unless i actually section the car 2"... heh heh...
I understand that (for example) Thumper's 71 is already family... but had he started with even a 70 (then converted to look like a 71 if its the year he likes) he'd be a bit better off. Better still if he just wanted a Dart... and used a 67 (want a 69 instead...??? STILL start with a 67 and add the newer aesthetics). Better still with a 67 Valiant 2dr. THose 67 Barracudas were stupid-light too.
So i've gone pretty nutty on some less than deserving cars, mainly because i was driving them at the time. Even my 68 Caddy hearse is now 500lbs lighter than it started... and i haven't even begun to think about that one. This E-body will be a true experiment for my mostly-steel/non-clapped-out/stock-as-possible-looking/Road Warrior-budget road car. I'm also a bit better off than drag racers because as a road car i can be a tad less obsessive about keeping weight over the rear... though as it sits my car has a particularly HUGE front-rear bias... and that must be addressed.
