Weight saving mods......

[mmissile]

http://www.lsmeng.com/Block-Lightening.html

 

[fullmetaljacket]

In Detroit, there's a guy very neatly chemically dipping parts and giving them back to you at 20%-30% 50% less in weight depending on the part.

 

[mmissile]

All my stuff is done there. I've had enough stuff done over the years, that's he's messed-up a couple pieces. Dave's a good guy.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Yeap. I guess every once in a while, he'll get the Wile E. Coyote Acme effect where a part may be near a shadow of its self. But I have been very careful in my discussions with him and only removed what could possibly be realistic. My dash frame came out fantastic and 7Lbs lighter.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Glove box door in Aluminum.

 

[mmissile]

Yeap. I guess every once in a while, he'll get the Wile E. Coyote Acme effect where a part may be near a shadow of its self. But I have been very careful in my discussions with him and only removed what could possibly be realistic. My dash frame came out fantastic and 7Lbs lighter.

Is these cases....he messed-up. I'm only about 20 minutes from his shop....so there's no miscommunications.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Is these cases....he messed-up. I'm only about 20 minutes from his shop....so there's no miscommunications.

Sorry to hear that. I guess I caught him during good runs. I was at first skeptic because it sounded so iffy about the time allowed in the tanks even coming from him, but I guess after talking about how rare parts can be, he was more inclined to watch the hour glass to make sure things did not disappear. LOL.
In his defense, he did admit to me of over dipping on a couple of parts and worked it out somehow with the client. So far, he's dipped quite a few for me and couple of other pieces for some friends and all is good and feathery.

 

[Cranky]

FMJ....you're down there where mine was before I took it apart and I've worked on a lot more stuff since that but it had a glass hood and no front bumper and it still retained the factory AC. Yeah, it had the hot water 6 in it too but most know that those things are not exactly light). I'm hoping to get my BB engine on down a good bit with plenty of aluminum. It already has titanium retainers (oh man, that's going to save a bundle! ). It's still on jack stands so I have do idea what it is now as far as the body goes but the K frame is 32 lbs and it's set up for factory mounts. The one that's set up for a plate is 26 lbs. Not sure which one will go into it yet....

 

[fullmetaljacket]

FMJ....you're down there where mine was before I took it apart and I've worked on a lot more stuff since that but it had a glass hood and no front bumper and it still retained the factory AC. Yeah, it had the hot water 6 in it too but most know that those things are not exactly light). I'm hoping to get my BB engine on down a good bit with plenty of aluminum. It already has titanium retainers (oh man, that's going to save a bundle! ). It's still on jack stands so I have do idea what it is now as far as the body goes but the K frame is 32 lbs and it's set up for factory mounts. The one that's set up for a plate is 26 lbs. Not sure which one will go into it yet....

Crank.
I went with the plate and completely shaved the K-member of any minute signs of engine mounts and saved a few. It's in my notes but somewhere around 6 Lbs or so when all was said and done.
I did not do any other weight shaving to the K since it takes a lot of brute abuse. Lots of hidden and in your face tricks went into or out of the front end area surrounding that factory K. One can see the Titanium K member bolts in the photo below

. Also aluminum strut bars and hardware. Wish I could find one of those super rare Stainless AFX k's or the rumored magnesium type, but have heard those did not last too long anyway, let alone on a street car in Zoo York.
Like the saying holds true. "Shave a 100 pounds by finding 1600 places to safely remove an ounce". "Every ounce counts"
If I were to start where I have removed ounces and even grams, it would take this thread a thousand light years to read through it. But that madness is what has many cats scratching their heads when they hear/see the numbers.
It's all math at the end of the day.
I call my dark science "Arithme-tricks".

Crank, what kind/year of car are you fasting with?

 

[Cranky]

A 66 Belvedere I. Originally a /6 car with AC and auto and I ran it that way for a number of years while doing things like tuning and lightening etc. Got it pretty consistent in the mid 19's lol and went 7 rounds one night for the win after taking the car out on the 5th time out at the track. It ran mid 22's when I got it!!! Oh crap lol. Anyways, I got the spring retainers dirt cheap and wish I could afford the K frame bolts. As it is, my K frame bolts are drilled, smoothed and shortened. With a 2.94 rear, it ran 19.66 (how ironic is that!?) on each pass. It did an 18.10 after throwing in an 8 3/4 with a 4.10 gear. I drove the car to work every day 15 miles one way and half of that was freeway. I really tried to blow it up lol but even maintaining 4800 rpm (all it would do), it just kept on going and going and.........well, the front end finally got bad enough that I didn't want to drive it anymore so I tore it down. Big mistake.... At least I'm working on it again.

 

[dvw]

Wish I could find one of those super rare Stainless AFX k's or the rumored magnesium type, but have heard those did not last too long anyway, let alone on a street car in Zoo York.

Had a friend hand me a K frame with one hand once. Yup it was mag. He was afraid to put it on the car for fear of breakage. Don't know if he still has it. I know he had a stainless one as well. Heck he might still.
Doug

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Wish I could find one of those super rare Stainless AFX k's or the rumored magnesium type, but have heard those did not last too long anyway, let alone on a street car in Zoo York.

Had a friend hand me a K frame with one hand once. Yup it was mag. He was afraid to put it on the car for fear of breakage. Don't know if he still has it. I know he had a stainless one as well. Heck he might still.
Doug

Perhaps that stainless unit might be taking up too much room and need to find a new home under a certain 65' Dodge.
Met a Chrysler engineer from the old Chrylser corporation in Detroit last year that said they had cast magnesium outer door handles when they snuck into one of the refineries contracted to make 'em one night with a few beers in hand. Lots of rather unique urban legends and tales. Love it.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

A 66 Belvedere I. Originally a /6 car with AC and auto and I ran it that way for a number of years while doing things like tuning and lightening etc. Got it pretty consistent in the mid 19's lol and went 7 rounds one night for the win after taking the car out on the 5th time out at the track. It ran mid 22's when I got it!!! Oh crap lol. Anyways, I got the spring retainers dirt cheap and wish I could afford the K frame bolts. As it is, my K frame bolts are drilled, smoothed and shortened. With a 2.94 rear, it ran 19.66 (how ironic is that!?) on each pass. It did an 18.10 after throwing in an 8 3/4 with a 4.10 gear. I drove the car to work every day 15 miles one way and half of that was freeway. I really tried to blow it up lol but even maintaining 4800 rpm (all it would do), it just kept on going and going and.........well, the front end finally got bad enough that I didn't want to drive it anymore so I tore it down. Big mistake.... At least I'm working on it again.

Wow. A Bel 1 sedan is the only other car that I would build over a 65' sedan. A great non menacing looking car that could be a killer. Lots of places within that chassis and body to remove hidden weight. I almost bought an original stick version Bel 1 here years ago and the guy renigged at last minute, so I found my current obsession and never looked back.

 

[Cranky]

http://www.lsmeng.com/Block-Lightening.html

Done a little bit of that before but it was mainly thinking about getting rid of stress risers and sharp edges....

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Done a little bit of that before but it was mainly thinking about getting rid of stress risers and sharp edges....

This is an area I totally bypassed and never gave second looks. Since I don't use my original engine ears with a front plate, I could easily shave a couple of pounds off by carefully surgically removing the block mounting ears and stress risers with a die cutter. Next time around.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Having a megablock makes it much heavier than a stock block.Thinkin about shaving some weight without comprimising strength.Just started looking into it.

Jack-la -lee is in my head,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Fran Blacker]

Wish I could find one of those super rare Stainless AFX k's or the rumored magnesium type, but have heard those did not last too long anyway, let alone on a street car in Zoo York.

Had a friend hand me a K frame with one hand once. Yup it was mag. He was afraid to put it on the car for fear of breakage. Don't know if he still has it. I know he had a stainless one as well. Heck he might still.
Doug

There's a stainless one on ebay now. Hemi eddy has one for sale $8,999.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fullmetaljacket]

There's a stainless one on ebay now. Hemi eddy has one for sale $8,999.99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've seen that one for a couple of years now and either he brought down the price or you read it wrong because he had been asking $14,000 for it. I also noticed that it has probably had a hard life since it seems to have several kinks, dents and bruises from twisting or wheel stand landings.

 

[Fran Blacker]

I've seen him advertising it before, don't remember when 3 weeks ago? Never looked at it to see condition. I googled Hemi Eddy and when to his ebay store.
Like a lot of stuff on ebay over priced. A seller had a pair of rear bumper cushions for my 66 Satellite $500. If my car was restored and it was one of the last pieces I needed I'd have bit, he sold them. Like restored/rebuilt carbs for a 66 car $4200+ there real nice. The value of a 66 Hemi car does justify the price, guys in my opinion.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

I've seen him advertising it before, don't remember when 3 weeks ago? Never looked at it to see condition. I googled Hemi Eddy and when to his ebay store.
Like a lot of stuff on ebay over priced. A seller had a pair of rear bumper cushions for my 66 Satellite $500. If my car was restored and it was one of the last pieces I needed I'd have bit, he sold them. Like restored/rebuilt carbs for a 66 car $4200+ there real nice. The value of a 66 Hemi car does justify the price, guys in my opinion.

Fran, you were right. The price is 8,999,00 like you mentioned. It is the same K that was $14K a few months back. He was labeling it as the "Stainless Rembrandt" To each his own. the price is the price and it is a piece of history, but not at that condition.