Weight reduction: Running out of ideas.

I forget if I mentioned this earlier in this thread, but it seems like there is alot of weight in the window mechanisms... I speed holed mine, along with the tracks, but I would think much of this mechanism could easily be replicated in aluminum for further weight savings
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vette427sbc said:
I forget if I mentioned this earlier in this thread, but it seems like there is alot of weight in the window mechanisms... I speed holed mine, along with the tracks, but I would think much of this mechanism could easily be replicated in aluminum for further weight savings
423da201.jpg
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Yeah, that's worth looking into. I've got to work on the door internals anyway, as I've got some later thinner sideglass sitting on the shelf, but they won't just bolt in to the early '69 window hardware.

Thanks.
 
Aluminum battery cables?

I got to wondering what the battery cable weights amount to on a C3. Doing the math comparing copper and aluminum weights and conductivities, it looks like a functionally equivalent aluminum cable would be half the weight of the copper cable.

I believe aluminum surface/connector oxidation is an issue to keep in mind if the substitution weight reduction makes the effort worthwhile. Anyone have an educated guess on the combined weight of the two stock cables?
 
The copper cable I used (similar size to stock) weighs .35lbs/ft
Another thing to look at would be what your current needs are... you may not need the same current capabilities as stock with a modern more efficient starter. Ignition retard during cranking may help drop this number too
 
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vette427sbc said:
The copper cable I used (similar size to stock) weighs .35lbs/ft
Another thing to look at would be what your current needs are... you may not need the same current capabilities as stock with a modern more efficient starter. Ignition retard during cranking may help drop this number too
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I agree. I'm running a C4 PMGR starter on the engine. Haven't measured any actual load currents, but these starters should have noticeably lower current demands compared to the stock starter design. I think I might look around my favorite scrap yard and see if they've got some aluminum cable in their scrap/recycle piles.

Edit: I stopped at the scrap yard and picked up some assorted lengths of differing diameter wire. Now I need to stop at an electrical supply place to see what my choices are for eyelet-type terminals. I have a couple ideas for home made terminals if that ends up being my only option.
 
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I’ll try and get around to pulling off an inner fender. I think those could be “windowed” alum sheet riveted in. Unseen, and they look heavy/bulky.

I’m planning my winter projects and will probably cut up the 75 and do sheet metal in the rear. Plus, change the frame and install the 68 rear clip. Front clip will stay for now.
 
We’ll see, but the plan is something along these lines.

The body on my car is pretty hacked, why stop now.


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Look into the Ford style battery terminals... they are stamped sheet metal verses the common LEAD (!!!) style
https://goo.gl/images/iV3QzC


Another thing that occurred to me today is that Custom Image Corvettes reproduces the lower grille "hokey sticks" in fiberglass instead of pot metal... some chrome vinyl wrap would have most people fooled that they are not actually chromed. They also sell the bumpers in 'glass but I'm not quite convinced I want to remove the metal bumpers yet...
 
Nice hood !

If I have to lift the body off the frame again, I would remove the behind the seats boxes, make an alloy cradle for the batt and have plenty of space/cooling around the diff.
About the doors, I thought about "holing" the steel bottom of them, hard to see if you don't know :tomato:
 
dynamic vettes has a one piece targa top right now. Their "carbon version" weighs 17.7lbs for $2,100 per their facebook post.

once Im done with these hoods doors and t tops are the next big projects, then a solid top :thumbs:
 
Made up the battery (-) ground wire using the stranded aluminum wire I got at the scrapyard the other week. The piece ended up 40% lighter than the copper wire. Not much actual weight removed though, as the original ground wire wasn't that heavy to begin with, but I needed a practice wire to work on before I tackle the main + line from the battery. I made my own terminals from aluminum tubing, as I couldn't find any aluminum terminals at a local electrical warehouse. I sanded and brushed all the electrical surfaces to remove any oxidation, and then crimped and welded (via a couple drilled holes in the terminals) the assembly to hopefully get a decent electrical connection. I then just taped over most of the interface area to slow down future air leakage and oxidation.

I have one end of the larger diameter positive battery-to-starter wire finished, but it looks like it will take some time to extract the original cable out of the tunnel area, so this portion is on hold until I finish a couple track days I'm trying to squeeze in this month.

In the mean time, I'll make another short aluminum replacement ground wire between the starter housing and the frame. This will only be another few ounces off the front of the car, but it will at least remove the annoyance/distraction factor that hits me occasionally when I'm on the track and I keep thinking about unnecessarily heavy items on the car. Last week I did take a few pounds off the front of the car with modifications to the steering rack mount, the alternator bracket, the water pump cover, and a frame crossmember.

I did take an additional 12 temporary pounds off the car a couple weeks ago when I pulled the passenger seat off, and bolted on an additional fire extinguisher bottle/bracket for this month's track days.
 
for sealing the ends of your battery cable... there is heat shrink that has adhesive on the inside. It melts and seals the connection very well. Sometimes called marine heatshrink.
"NTE 3/4" Dual wall polyprolefin adhesive heat shrink tubing" is what I use when making battery cables
 
Did you checked the corner weight of your car? Just for me to have an idea of comparison with mine. I did find that the balance front to rear is not that bad, with a small block.
 
OZgreen69 said:
Did you checked the corner weight of your car? Just for me to have an idea of comparison with mine. I did find that the balance front to rear is not that bad, with a small block.
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I don't have access to any wheel scales (or the available funds to buy a set), so I have no accurate idea of what the numbers are. My brute force plans presently are to make another trip to a nearby truck stop to get the car weighed on their scales. I've previously gotten the F/R weights of the car by parking the car with the axles on two different segments of the scale. A while back I thought about also parking the car sideways on the scale segments, to get the L/R weights. Then, I (hopefully) could do some math to derive the four corner weights from the two weight printouts.

In the mean time, I'm just pulling off excess weight wherever I can find it.
 
I bet Heartland has a set of scales in impound. Might be worth the trip one weekend for a track day. Or at least a phone call. Probably more accurate.

Cheers - Jim
 
phantomjock said:
I bet Heartland has a set of scales in impound. Might be worth the trip one weekend for a track day. Or at least a phone call. Probably more accurate.

Cheers - Jim
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I couldn't get my schedule open to match the infrequent scheduled track days at Topeka this year (But thankfully Raceway Park of the Midlands in southwest Iowa has open track days every Friday), but it might be worth asking at Topeka next year. The worst they can do is say NO.
 
Found myself with a couple hours of free time on a pleasant fall day today, so I hit up one of the local junkyards. I wandered off the usual section of GM cars and looked at a few other domestic and imported brands. I saw a wide variety of aluminum radiator sizes (I'd like to pull a couple more pounds off the front of the car with a lighter radiator that holds less water), and a few models that are equipped with aluminum housing p/s pumps. One complicating issue with these later pumps is that they all have serpentine belt type pulleys. I need to do some work to see if I can modify a v-belt pulley to fit a newer pump.

If the prices aren't too outrageous it might be worth the effort to try installing these items for a little more weight off the front end.
 
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