The Elephant In The Room: unloading the load from a B-body.

[fullmetaljacket]

That is so cool! I'd been looking at doing the 10" hubcaps on a Weld Superlite but this on a whole 'nother level!

That is so cool! I'd been looking at doing the 10" hubcaps on a Weld Superlite but this on a whole 'nother level!

DVW has caught the bug, or have we caught up to him? LOL. Maybe I'll take that back since I don't think any of us can catch him. LOL.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Here's the lightweight wheel trick using aluminum riveted Centerline Auto Drag wheels as a base and the spun hub cap installed to hide the rivets. Really light and mostly trick at night, but a little more explaining in daylight. Still got away with it for years saying with a straight face that they were: Billet steel wheels from Wheels Vintiques.

DVW's hub caps do bring it up a notch or two.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Looking at my steel windage tray, I wondered why not an aluminum one.
I almost sprung for one of the new Nylon ones out on the market, but I first want to make sure that they don't have any flaws. Nylon in the heat for a bunch of cycles? I don't know, but they must be rather light in weight for sure. Either way, this one will get a cleaning and the new aluminum pan will be up sometime this weekend //week

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Painting a wheel black such as this centerline wheel could "fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but it cannot fool all the people all the time.”

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Here are Centerlines with the caps on the rears.
Super Stock Formula 1 tires up front were original NOS pieces when I bought them from George Baptiste, but were a tad heavier. Eventually dry rot got the best of them necessitating removal. Wish they would be reproduced. Perfect day two part.

 

[padam]

Here are Centerlines with the caps on the rears.
Super Stock Formula 1 tires up front were original NOS pieces when I bought them from George Baptiste, but were a tad heavier. Eventually dry rot got the best of them necessitating removal. Wish they would be reproduced. Perfect day two part.

View attachment 1821895

Your car looks bad ***! I’m surprised you mounted the white letters out up front.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Your car looks bad ***! I’m surprised you mounted the white letters out up front.

Thank you. Padam.
At the time, I just loved the look of a bygone era, but yes, counter productive to being stealth it was. I guess I was trying to project the idea of an enthusiast that loved a certain car show look, but was actually quick enough to hang and hang them up. Some city slickers read the fine print and either didn't bite or sicced a vastly superior car on me. I didn't bite. Words spread fast around here.

 

[Kern Dog]

Page 76 and I’m just jumping in.
Apologies… I did not read anything but the opening post and even there, I skimmed through it.
This is a great topic and it is one to consider when you’re getting ready to replace an existing component. If one part weighs the same and another equally functional part weighs less, why not defer to the lighter one?
For many cars the options for lightweight body panels is severely limited.
Carbon fiber hoods and fenders sound great in theory but you will pay a LOT to shed the weight.
I do try to follow the practice of shedding weight (on the car) where possible but I’m not a drag racer. For me, the weight reduction is more of a sport, an exercise where there will be never be any tangible proof that anything was done. The car will simply handle better, respond faster, accelerate quicker and stop shorter. It will never impress the chicks or earn me a trophy.
My 70 Charger was at 3980 with a full steel body, 440-727-8 3/4, 4 wheel disc brakes, frame connectors and torque boxes, extensive sound deadening and the original HVAC box in the dash. Over the years I switched to aftermarket A/C, a Tremec 5 speed, space saver spare tire, Borgeson steering box, the battery is back up front and I’m switching to a lithium battery. I should be under 3900 with no loss of reliability and no real visual difference from before except for that beautiful pistol Grip shifter.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Page 76 and I’m just jumping in.
Apologies… I did not read anything but the opening post and even there, I skimmed through it.
This is a great topic and it is one to consider when you’re getting ready to replace an existing component. If one part weighs the same and another equally functional art weighs less, why not defer to the lighter one?
For many cars the options for lightweight body panels is severely limited.
Carbon fiber hoods and fenders sound great in theory but you will pay a LOT to shed the weight.
I do try to follow the practice of shedding weight (on the car) where possible but I’m not a drag racer. For me, the weight reduction is more of a sport, an exercise where there will be never be any tangible proof that anything was done. The car will simply handle better, respond faster, accelerate quicker and stop shorter. It will never impress the chicks or earn me a trophy.
My 70 Charger was at 3980 with a full steel body, 440-727-8 3/4, 4 wheel disc brakes, frame connectors and torque boxes, extensive sound deadening and the original HVAC box in the dash. Over the years I switched to aftermarket A/C, a Tremec 5 speed, space saver spare tire, Borgeson steering box, the battery is back up front and I’m switching to a lithium battery. I should be under 3900 with no loss of reliability and no real visual difference from before except for that beautiful pistol Grip shifter.

Aside from the acceleration, the enhanced handling, the shorter and faster stopping power that a light package gives you is the fun in the planning and fabrication of stealth parts that you could choose to reveal or not.
These hand made lightweight parts strangely take on a life of their own once they're on the car via the raw lines, the finishes and even the imperfections. That is why those beautiful hand hammered and assembled European sports cars are so revered. They undeniably show the human hand in it.

As far as I'm concerned, this thing as it sits, is as much a utilitarian shoebox as you can get. Form following function does not apply, so you bet it better be light. What with its large frontal area, long snout, convex windshield and triangular roof lines, it's a complete opposite to the more sexier and slippery bodies of the second generation Chargers, Barracudas and Darts.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Back to the mirror on the wall.
Here drilling and hand shaping the inner docking station for the mirror knuckle arm. This is hand labor in the micro sense.
It should come out okay.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I know I am talking scientifically here, but since this kind of stuff has allegedly never been done before by hand, it begs for new wording to understand the madness. LOL.
Basically, the mirror port head has to be sculpted to a semi wedge shape inside while leaving in its wake a (D) shape up top so that the mirror arm wedges itself into the dock. Ah, the magic of a Dremel and all of its detailing side arms.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Here we go. All in an hours work.
D shaped head port docks the mirror arm nice and tight. Now the front face has to be countersunk in order for the retaining bolt to disappear just like the original. The head port itself also needs to be sanded down to a slight cone shape to look stock.
More to follow

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Mirror bridge and head port are coming along. Lots of trimming and figuring out stuff using small hand manual and power tools. One can take note here that plans for sun visor ports are not even remotely being considered which saves weight. Just wearing sunglasses is lighter. LOL.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

How would I be able to mill down that slight ornamental ledge running the arch length of the mirror bridge on the top?
There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say.

Some arched flat stock was found in the shop and simply clamped onto the flat side of the mirror bridge to act as a guide. The Dremel was armed with a steel grinding chuck and away it went with careful back and forth strokes until the desired depth was achieved.
Stay tuned to see the finished results.

 

[RemCharger]

How would I be able to mill down that slight ornamental ledge running the arch length of the mirror bridge on the top?
There's more than one way to skin a cat as they say.

Some arched flat stock was found in the shop and simply clamped onto the flat side of the mirror bridge to act as a guide. The Dremel was armed with a steel grinding chuck and away it went with careful back and forth strokes until the desired depth was achieved.
Stay tuned to see the finished results.

View attachment 1826614

View attachment 1826616

Amazing level of dedication and perseverance. You might be on the spectrum, as they say now. Have you thought about a 3D printer?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Amazing level of dedication and perseverance. You might be on the spectrum, as they say now. Have you thought about a 3D printer?

Yes, kinda, but I just like discovery through improvising and rethinking and repurposing objects to enable what is theoretically limited. I have made so much stuff for this thing out of found objects right on the street. It just engages my mind to push the envelope.
Thank you by the way.
But ask me about how much distance I should have an oil pick up from the oil pan floor and I couldn't tell you. LOL.

 

[Photon440]

You could save even more weight by eliminating the rubber gasket that mounts the mirror to the door.

 

[RemCharger]

But ask me about how much distance I should have an oil pick up from the oil pan floor and I couldn't tell you. LOL.

Oh Shoot that's easy. Tighten up the; oil weight, oil pressure, oil level, distance to the pan, until you take out the motor. Then back it of a smidge and call it perfect!! OR , don't FAFO , enjoy years of trouble free service!

 

[fullmetaljacket]

You could save even more weight by eliminating the rubber gasket that mounts the mirror to the door.

There's no rubber gasket with this mirror. It's the interior rear view mirror mounted above and midship of the windshield.
The doors are aluminum, so no mirrors mounted as per the A864 and A990 format. An aluminum A-pillar mirror will be in service.

 

[Jeff Peterson]

For your tires!