where to holesaw without reducing rigidity

[565bbchevy]

Rule of thumb in drag racing is .1 second for every 100lbs lost. You figure the hood doesn't even weigh half of that though. I don't think using a holesaw is going to do much for you

It seems to me the amount of holes you would have to cut out of the sheet metal to add up to enough weight to even make a bit of difference would be substantial besides every hole would have to be sealed where you cut through to prevent rust.
I would probably go with as many fiberglass,aluminum and lexan parts as possible to lighten it up.
Of coarse my solution to the extra weight is to just add more power.

 

[pontiacgp]

we took out all the lights, interior, glass, doors, 1/4 panels, fenders, header panel and rear, cut all the metal from the underside of the hood and trunk lid, trunk pan was removed, replaced 1/4s & door skins & fenders with five star body panels, lexan front and back windows, plastic nose and rear bumper cover, trimmed the remaining metal as much as possible, got rid of the power brake booster and ran a 2 speed powerglide, installed a full roll cage and front hoop and the car weighed in at around 2,950 lbs. We had a minimum weight we had to run so we made the car as light as possible so we could load up the rear with lead weight to get the back to front weight bias we wanted. We never succeeded in getting the weight of the car to what we needed

drilling lightening holes in the car is not going to change much in the weight of the car.

 

[othtim]

Maybe we have different definitions of whats "worth it", but i'm a firm beleiver that every little bit counts.

Why sway a cam if youre only going to gain 2 horsepower?
Why add higher ratio rockers i youre only going to gain 2 horsepower?
Why lighten the car if youre only going to save 50 lbs?
Why run smaller wheels if youre only going to improve your rear gear ratio by 5%?
Why run synthetic fluids if youre only going to reduce drag by 5%?
etc, etc, etc. Once you start adding up all those "it's not worth its" you have a big chunk.

Personally I thnk 2900 lbs with a full cage is pretty good. If I can get under 3k i'll be happier. I'm sitting at 3150 now w/ driver. I'm not planning on adding a cage, either. Plus, I have a really small budget. I have to get pretty creative in order to "go faster".

 

[84sbcregal23deg]

just acid dip it....... honestly, i can't see getting any considerable amount of weight out or the sheetmetal with a hole saw.like already mentioned, imagine a stack of 1 3/4 inch pieces of sheetmetal 12 inches tall. how much would it weigh? probably less than the difference from you driving the car with sneakers as compared to work boots. the ways ive been trying to save weight is a lightweight radiator with a custom built tubular radiator support, lightweight seats, losing the crash bars in the doors (car is getting a substantial cage tho), light wheels/tires, tons of fiberglass etc. do you still have the sound deadening under the carpet? that sh*t is pretty heavy but its pretty involved to get it all out the right way.

 

[pontiacgp]

Personally I thnk 2900 lbs with a full cage is pretty good. If I can get under 3k i'll be happier. I'm sitting at 3150 now w/ driver. I'm not planning on adding a cage, either. Plus, I have a really small budget. I have to get pretty creative in order to "go faster".

3150 with the driver?...do you have any pictures of the car and what did you use to weight it?

 

[othtim]

yo. the only pic i have is like a pic that i didn't take..ill try and find it. no engine bay pics, but i can describe what i've done.

found it. lol, yes, this is the best pic i have.

 

[othtim]

Something else I've been thinking of is cutting down bolts. Seems like overkill, but whatevs. Bolts that can be trimmed down, or washers that can be eliminated (or replaced wth thinner/smaller washers). I bet you could save at 10 lbs across the whole car by getting rid of some fastener weight. A lot of effort, maybe.

 

[pontiacgp]

I still don't know what you plan on using the car for.....there are alot of things to make the car lighter but if it's a daily driver then comfort and dependability are worth some weight.

 

[85GPLef41]

well in the sea of imports i see the Monte so it's safe to assume that's your ride right? Wouldn't it be alot easier to build an engine with more power? Or lighten up the wheels, brakes, hood , trunk, etc etc what engine you running?