Weight Removal

[1BAD70CHV406]

How much weight and what can be removed out of these trucks, iv been looking at how to make it lighter but cant seem to find anything besides replacing body panals with fiberglass ones...

[Wild83C10]

I'm around 3500 lbs and hope to be at about 3400 or less next year.

How much does your truck weigh and what have you done so far?

[low&slow]

im doing the same with my truck...you can start by taking out your inner finder wells in the front and by taking out all gas tanks and putting a fuel cell in.

[Wild83C10]

Originally Posted by low&slow

im doing the same with my truck...you can start by taking out your inner finder wells in the front and by taking out all gas tanks and putting a fuel cell in.

I wouldn't take out the inner fenders, throws way too much crap around the engine compartment. What happens when you accidentally run over the dead skunk on the side of the road and that crap is all over your hood and everything else?

[AlienYouth]

i've been thinkin about this too, i'm at 4200, if i could get close to ur 3500, i'd be runnin 12's all day NA, that would make me happy

[Super73]

Here are a few things I have done. The last time at the track it weighed 3,850 with me in it with 1/2 tank gas (2,050 on the nose 1,800 in the rear):
Remove heater and lines (guessing 15lbs)
Removed front bumper (25lbs?)
Bought alum wheels over steel wheels
Switched to manual steering (30-35lbs?)
Removed factory tank and installed fuel cell in the bed (honestly think it was a wash but better location)

Thing I had done to help adjust weigh bias before last outing:
Moved the batterey to the back
Again the fuel cell vs gas tank behind the seat


Things I am doing or that have changed since the last outing:
Fabricated replacement front x-member (25lbs)
Removing the tow hitch I put on the truck when I first bought it. (Guessing 30lbs)
Remove the spare gate I filled with 100lbs of metal.
Ditch the bech seat for something lighter (Summit seats saved me 50lbs)
Fiberglass front end (guessing 180lb savings)
Removing brake booster and going to run manual brakes (5-10lbs)


Other places that can help shave weight:
Switch to a Mustang 2 style front end
Back half it and run a 4 link or a ladder bar
Build a full new frame
Run a different tranny (Glide?)
Buy glass pannels
Lexan windows

[Garagedude]

I wonder how much weight i lost, I cut the whole bed out and all the cross pieces, I have an aluminum fuel cell, and wheel wells, the battery is moved to the back, I am running an aluminum kirkney racing seat, no front fender wells. Manual brakes, Manual steering, Ultra light gauges and dash panel, I have lexan to go in the back window and the side windows. Disk brakes probably added weight right? Aluminum wheels, no heater or blower or any of that.

[Alex1]

Originally Posted by Wild83C10

I'm around 3500 lbs and hope to be at about 3400 or less next year.

How much does your truck weigh and what have you done so far?

What have you done to get the weight so low? My 80 step with all iron BBC is like 4400lbs

[team39763]

Originally Posted by Garagedude

I wonder how much weight i lost, I cut the whole bed out and all the cross pieces, I have an aluminum fuel cell, and wheel wells, the battery is moved to the back, I am running an aluminum kirkney racing seat, no front fender wells. Manual brakes, Manual steering, Ultra light gauges and dash panel, I have lexan to go in the back window and the side windows. Disk brakes probably added weight right? Aluminum wheels, no heater or blower or any of that.

Got any pics of how you did your bed? I was planning to cut the floor out of my bed, but I'd imagine I need the weight over the rear axle right?

[Garagedude]

I will post some tommorow I can't find any saved on the computer

[Wild83C10]

Originally Posted by Garagedude

I wonder how much weight i lost, I cut the whole bed out and all the cross pieces, I have an aluminum fuel cell, and wheel wells, the battery is moved to the back, I am running an aluminum kirkney racing seat, no front fender wells. Manual brakes, Manual steering, Ultra light gauges and dash panel, I have lexan to go in the back window and the side windows. Disk brakes probably added weight right? Aluminum wheels, no heater or blower or any of that.

I would think cutting the bed out would hurt you more then help. Removing weight is good, but not when you take it away from the rear.
I'm tring to think about how I can add weight to the rear.

[Wild83C10]

Originally Posted by Alex1

What have you done to get the weight so low? My 80 step with all iron BBC is like 4400lbs

I removed everything from the engine compartment. I have an aluminum radiator, SBC w/alum. heads and intake. It has power steering, thats it. I have lightweight racing bucket seats. I removed the dual tanks and put in an aluminum fuel cell in the rear. removed the overload spring, but added caltrac bars. Aluminum wheels.

I will be installing a C4 dropmember and probably a manual R&P. All the C4 components are aluminum (control arms, calipers, ect) so I should be able to shave another 50-100 lbs there.

[Garagedude]

I don't think cutting the bed out and putting aluminum tubs and fuel cell in was a bad idea at all, yes I know that cutting more weight in the back doesn't help all the time, but you can oways add more weight, and position it in certain spots.