Kalway

Ok so what can we do to cut down weight of our slightly overweight beauties? I know mine being an '81 was one of the lighter C3s but can still be done to make it even lighter?

bobs77vet

aluminum water pump....aluminum heads....aluminum intake....rack and pinion....toss a/c.....toss air pump.....ministarter....headers

SmokedTires

And aluminum wheels and fiberglass rear spring. That's a pretty good start

ratflinger

Less weight my rear! You just need more power!

Star79

Ditch the spare tire, tub, and jack, replaced it with a can of Fix-A-Flat and cellphone.

panic

...there is plenty to cut down, actually weight is one of the key factor when you talk about performance, i've dropped about 600lbs off my '77, this is the list of the things are now sleeping somewhere in a garbage compound:

air conditioning plus ancillaries/tubing/etc (what does it mean to have airconditioning on a t-top sport car?)

heater and ancillaries.

front transverse monospring kit, instead of the heavyweight stock sistem.

rear f/g monospring

front stock lights with vacuum sistem (put fix lights instead)

front steel defences

rear steel defences

lightweight race seats instead of the leather comfy ones.

alu radiator

new engine with alu heads and inlet

power windows and the windows itself (emptying the doors i think you save 50lbs per unit...)

lightweight wilwood calipers all round

alu shoks all round (QA1)

minilites wheels (lighter then stock)

t-tops

...and also important i put myself on diet (joke).

i think i'm pretty below 3.000 lbs at moment

panic

sorry, i forgot the spare wheel which actually was the first item to fly away

panic

..candy on the ice cream...side exhaust with tiny lighweight race mufflers (i think they're 2 lbs each, the stock muffler with glasspack might be 30lbs!! or more!!)

TexasYankee

Here is a good guide:

http://www.vettenet.org/lighter.html

panic

lighweight calipers are missing on the list, the other things has been copied from my application

Jims79

Oh yea this list can go on and on, aluminum calipers, new slotted disks, mono spring front & rear Mr cool aluminum radiator, electric fans etc, etc, etc how much money you got jim..........

68/70Vette

There's quite a few new cars that now are advertising high horsepower numbers; 350, 400. 450, etc. Of course the price tags of these cars runs up into the stratosphere. Depending upon brand name, you're not going to get a lot of change back from $100,000. (At 400 hp, the new Corvette is a big exception as to price.)

If you put a C3 on the road with a modern technology engine, you can match the HP ratings of these very expensive cars, almost all imported. But if you put your C3 on a diet, there's a big difference. Getting an early C3 Convertible down below 3000 is not all that much of a problem. Look at the weight of the new cars today, that advertise a lot of horsepower. They are shockingly heavy. 3500 pounds is light for a new car today. Many of the expensive imports are running around, and more, than 4000 pounds. For instance, that new Mercedes Benz two seater that has a 500 HP 12 cylinder engine and advertizes a top speed of 200 mph, weighs 4000 pounds. It's price is $450,000. (This MB advertizes its extensive use of composite fiber, but they don't advertise its actual wieght, notwithstanding all the composite.)

For someone who just wants real performance, an early C3 with a big engine, and particularly with a lot of aluminum engine part. and composite fiber suspension parts is extremely cost effective.

If all you want is seat of the pants, road performance, a C3 with an aluminum engine and a 5/6 speed transmission will give you the steet performance you want at a lot less price. Once again, you can match a modern expensive car's HP with a C3, but your C3 can have a weight advantage of 500 to 1000 pounds.

(I think the Z06 206 Corvette is down around 3300 pounds. That is unusually light for a modern car. )

turtlevette

why not just weigh it so you don't have to think?

some of the stuff you have done is very impractical for 98 percent of us.

no heater and no windows =

73jst4fun

I think everyone else has covered about everything you can do..........oh yeah, aluminum block.....

SmokedTires

One that I forgot, paint. The next time you're at the hardware store pick up a couple gallons of paint and feel the weight. This is something to think about when having you car painted. I'll have 7-10 coats of paint with 2-5 coats of clear top coat

Looking at the vettenet link, when was that written, I haven't found an aluminum block for $2500, but the other stuff still holds true today

gator79

panic

turtlevette

i guess they don't have any scales in italy.

mrvette

The lite ening of my car has been more inadvertant than intended, things like the injection in place of the iron intake did not save a ounce, TPI being rather bulky especially with large runners...but the headers, front grill, rack, radiator/support (new ones are MUCH thinner metal), and finally ditching those heavy headlight assys, late model serp drive/alum pump and a/c compressor, in rear no spare/carrier, and plastic spring, so overall I figger about 200 lbs lighter than stock....

GENE

rihwoods

When are you going to the 6 gallon gas tank ?