Reducing Engine Weight

[NitrousSam]

What you have done to reduce the weight of your engine? I am sure most people have not weighed their engines but those of you who have been concerned about reducing pounds may have found something I have overlooked. If you have any ideas about reducing engine weight I would love to hear from you with your ideas, tips and tricks.

Thanks,

NitrousSam

[danno85]

You need to talk to the guys that build sprint car engines. One shop in TX that has a CNC block lightening program is Wells Racing Engines
(www.wellsracing.com). Go to their web site and click on the "video" link and they have a video of their block lightening process.

Good luck,
Dan

[NitrousSam]

Originally Posted by danno85

You need to talk to the guys that build sprint car engines. One shop in TX that has a CNC block lightening program is Wells Racing Engines
(www.wellsracing.com). Go to their web site and click on the "video" link and they have a video of their block lightening process.

Good luck,
Dan

I just watched the video and am wondering how much weight they cut from that block. Neat Video!

Thanks,

NitrousSam

[cuisinartvette]

I had 12 lbs cut from the back of my flywheel...
Im sure you know about lightened rotating assy'd (and a real light wallet! ).

Powermaster makes some small Denso alts that are light...
Sky is the limit, really, guss almost anything can have material removed to a point..
Trying to get my A body under 3200 and still remain all steel.

[cuisinartvette]

Wow, thats serious stuff there! I guess when youre looking for every last bit...

[gkull]

I work on Sprint cars. Those guys are just crazy to get down to the weight limit. Like using $1000's of dollars worth of titanium bolts and parts everywhere instead of grade 8.

Before this CNC machine like the video. They would spend about 40 man hours on the block to save 16 pounds.

IMO - just use a light weight crank 40-42 pounds, light weight damper and fly wheel

[NitrousSam]

I like the way this thread of going.

[KyleDallas]

Here is a master list of engine weights...

http://www.35pickup.com/mulligan/weight.txt

Alot of the cars in the 60's only had 525 cold cranking amp batteries
from the factory... including Big Blocks... you can run a Honda battery
or a Group 26 battery and save weight over a group 24 or other heavy
battery... I did this while shaving my 1974 Dart's weight from 3100 to 2685 lbs.... I had full interior and A/C.. I saved almost 20 lbs with the
battery.

Aluminum heads
Al intake
Al waterpump
mini starter

Another cool thing you can do is use NASCAR hood hinges...
http://www.hutch-pagan.com/hood__mir...ies_pg_222.htm

it's kind of a pain to go stricty hood pins when no one is around to
help you lift it off..... all the Nextel guys use that type of hinge
and you can ditch the stock springs and hinges..... on old cars the
factory hinges can weigh a ton...

raceweight fiberglass hood, fenders,doors, decklids and bumpers
you can save quite a bit on wheels also.... I saved 80 lbs over stock
with all four wheels.

New Aluminum blocks are $4000.00... you can find used ones for
$2000.00 but many have been repaired... which is fine if the work was
good. I've seen quite a few aluminum blocks on RacingJunk.com

The fiberglass bumpers were a real help on the Dart... the stock ones
weighed 98 lbs ea.... the glass bumpers weighed 3 lbs ea...and were less than $100 bucks each..

You might check on tubular A-Arms for your suspension...
you could improve handling and reduce weight....
Lots of ways to skin the cat... Good Luck!

[danno85]

Here are some titanium main caps for you...
Titanium Main Caps

[BLOCKMAN]

We have had Dennis wells do some block lightning for our shop and some of our customer that have sprint cars have had us cut the decks to 8.775 which is .250 of the decks and then your into the water pump bolt holes and in some our own engines we build we use 283 mains and Honda rod cranks for Kings Crankshart Co. in N.C. and they weigh around 32 pounds when all balanced.

The last Dart block we got from Wells once we machined the decks to 9.000 bored it 4.140 and machined the cam tunnel for 50MM cam it weighed 171 when it was done and it started at 210 pounds

Here are some pics

Front of block


Back of block


Lifter Galley


Finished product

[69 N.O.X. RATT]

Originally Posted by BLOCKMAN

We have had Dennis wells do some block lightning for our shop and some of our customer that have sprint cars have had us cut the decks to 8.775 which is .250 of the decks and then your into the water pump bolt holes and in some our own engines we build we use 283 mains and Honda rod cranks for Kings Crankshart Co. in N.C. and they weigh around 32 pounds when all balanced.

The last Dart block we got from Wells once we machined the decks to 9.000 bored it 4.140 and machined the cam tunnel for 50MM cam it weighed 171 when it was done and it started at 210 pounds

Here are some pics

Front of block


Back of block


Lifter Galley


Finished product

Wow, really dumb question, but would is the ballpark $$$ on having that done to the block. I know what CNC'ing heads cost........I can't imagine what that block work would cost.

[Ironcross]

Wherever it can be cut. Aluminum cases or magnesium for rear ends, transmissions, manifolds, blowers, and ect. also the generous use of titanium as for bell housings and nuts and bolts. Paint is another source of weight. Dont go overboard with layers of paint.

[redvetracr]

Not an engine part but have you seen titanium seat belt adjusters...
...redvetracr

PS: that lightened block deserves two

[Curveit]

That block was too pretty to paint...

[BADC64GO]

Quickest.
Electric water pump
Dump HVAC
Dump Power steering go to manual
Billet pulleys
This is worth close to a hundred pounds not to talk about HP gains from non rotating parts removed.

[BrianCunningham]

Originally Posted by Curveit

That block was too pretty to paint...

a true work of art!

[ZD75blue]

Nice block.