How much does it weigh?

[GhettoRacingKid]

Well i believe the 79 monte was one of the lightest of the gbodies

I have all the same done but aftermarket seat. Scat procars. Heavier then kirkeys but more comfortable.

Factory aluminum trunk lid
Factory alum bumpers
Fbody rad and mustang cobra fan
No seam sealer
Cheap lightweight carpet
10 point moly cage
Manual windows.

Alum heads
Manual steering
Wilwoods all around
Aluminum cell
Prostars

 

[Randy_W]

The '79 Trans Am with 301 weighed 3490 lbs, the 400 and 403 cars ranged from 3530-3640 lbs. So saying a G-body is light or heavy should be based on how they compare to other cars of the day, and they were among the lightest of rear drive cars.

 

[houndin101]

i wish i knew what my elco weighed.im sure its a hog but like to think its lighter then factory.im going to try and cut weight down just for the hell of it.its my DD but i love to go fast lol

 

[King_V]

I thought the Malibu was a bit lighter still.

I have some copies of the Auto Issue of Consumer Reports from the 1970s (the April issue was always the Auto issue) which lists specs, including weight. If I can find them I'll put up what I can for 1978 and 1979.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

The malibu was the lightest which is why they all become race cars.

Ive known some people who have gotten those down to 2500 to 2700 range.

You can save alot of weight. It just depends on how much your willing to do for a couple of lbs.

 

[knowyourenemy66]

There is alot you can do to reduce weight. Street or strip? It's a matter of what is your ideal weight, what are you willing to live without and co$t. You can replace the bumper struts with aluminum supports. Remove inner bumpers. Remove your a/c and heater. Remove wiper arms, wiper motor and linkage. Remove door crash bars, if you have a cage [safety first]. Holesaw interior behind panels. Aluminum water pump and driveshaft. Lightweight steering column. Rack and pinion. Remove exterior trim pieces. If you are running the stock rear [7.5] housing, replace cast brake drums with aluminum drums. Remove inner front fender wells. Replace front clip with a fiberglass clip. Swap out steel core support for aluminum. These are a few suggestions. 2500lbs. is very achievable. I have done all of the items listed above except three; door crash bars, aluminum driveshaft and rack and pinion on my '78 regal. I will be doing these three soon. I have no idea what my regal weighs, but from the factory it started @ 3041 lbs. I should be close to 2500-2600 lbs. now. Front 'glass clip saved alot. I had it built locally. I don't know how much I've spent to reduce weight, but it hasn't been cheap. My car is strickly street driven. Built for speed not comfort. My goal is 2500lbs. Am I crazy? Hellyeah!

 

[Chris Van]

I also plan on building a lightweight radiator support eventually.
But a lot of what you mentioned above may equal a total of about 20 pounds. I replaced my front bumper shocks with fabricated Chromoly pieces, I may have saved 3 pounds (if that) doing that. My bumpers (especially the front) are really nothing more than the chrome "skin" hanging out there. My fenderwells are plastic and may weigh 5 lbs as a pair. I have no windshield wipers, wiper motor or anything. Manual windows, manual steering, manual brakes (wilwood disc in the rear and aerospace disc in the front). And I'm not sure what kind of exterior trim you are talking about but i'd be lucky to scrape enough of that together to weigh 2 pounds.
Trust me guys when I say that I've done most, if not all of these miracle weight saving tricks that keep coming up in here.
The TRZ a arms, spindles and aerospace brakes did take almost 75 pounds off the front though.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

My list goes on.

Aluminum body bushings
aluminum 9" center section

every couple of lbs adds up. 3 lbs here 5 lbs there 2 lbs there.

It all does come down to how much time, money and comfort your willing to sacrifice.

I did read on guy on yellowbullet.com took the factory frame, undid the weld and removed the access and welded it back together. said he saved a lot. don't remember the # of hand.

You can cut out part of the frame under the motor and replace with chromoly

Some cars are just harder then others. I didn't buy my car because of the weight it can be. I bought it because its the car I wanted. yes losing weight is nice on the car. but I want to keep the stock look.

I would like to mention that I also scrapped off all the rubber coating on the car. Here is my build

if your bored and wanna see my build its mostly pics because who likes to read. maybe it will give you ideas.

http://www.empiremusclecars.com/VB/showthread.php?373-Bob-79-Monte-Carlo

 

[LS1GN]

In drag racing the car with the best horsepower to weight ratio usually wins (there are traction and gearing caveats). Weight is EXTREMELY important I've frequently heard that -100 lbs equals a tenth. I don't know that for sure, but that may be close.

I have worked at getting my car lighter - no smog, no radio, no speakers, no antenna, no A/C, no heat, no spare, no jack, lightweight wheels, fiberglass bumper, etc. etc. etc. The best I could do is 3230 - this was verified on different scales in two different locations on the same day, so I am inclined to believe this 3230 number.

Therefore, I would find it hard to believe there is a G body out there weighing less than about 3200 unless it is a gutted race car.

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

What is gutted out race car? Are you saying mine is a gutted out race car?

Please tell me what is "gutted race car" about my car.