[farmwalker]

Hi i got a 77 camaro and I would love to make her a little lighter! Looking for anyones best ideas or tricks they've used. I know I can relpace some steel with fiberglass but that can get expensive. So any ideas of stuff I can take off??
Thanks for all the help and Ideas!

[vinniekq2]

I took out my bumper braces and there were reinforcements in my doors.The inner fenders do not weigh much.

[1971BB427]

There's more weight savings in removing the excess bumper crap, than anywhere else on a 77 Camaro!
The other place to save a fair amount of weight, and gain performance is aftermarket aluminum heads. That's a big money item, so you need to decide how serious you are about weight loss to spend the money for good heads.
Lighter wheels can help, but it's unpsrung weight, and not as helpful as eliminating sprung weight.
You can also relocate weight and make a difference. Take that heavy battery from the front and put it in the trunk where the weight will help, not hinder.
I've added weight to my Camaro vs. stock weight, and not gone slower. Usually weight loss wont make as big a difference as HP gains. When I built my '71 I was drag racing, so I added subframe connectors, traction bars, and a rollbar. Big weight items, but needed for strength and safety. At the same time I was adding performance items on the engine, so my times were going down as the weight went up. I've always felt the time and money going towards performance mods was better spent than most weight savings mods.

[against all odds]

How in the world did 2nd gen camaros get so heavy i don't know---it's a compact car after all.

i think it's important to establish a budget first and foremost for the weight-loss program. Otherwise it's just aimless. For instance quite a bit of weight can be lost thru aluminum heads/intake/water pump/wheels etc. But this costs $$$.


Actually i think the 5th gen camaros are actually the heaviest (why again?). But don't get me started on those...............

[vinniekq2]

100 pounds equals 10 horse power. lake wood traction bars or equivalent with J bolts is essential. Relocating the battery requires an outside power cutoff switch,not everyone wants that on a street car. Sub frame connectors do help. Roll bars are required if you go faster than 11.5s. wheels save a little weight.

re heavy new cars,,,rofl at all the retro looking cars. They are 3900 plus

[bigdog7373]

Battery in the trunk, poly windows, interior gutted, everything but the engine removed from the engine bay, lightweight clutch flywheel (or flex plate), aluminum or carbon fiber drive shaft, carbon fiber front quaters, cf or aluminum hood, racing seats, lightweight wheels, low pro tires, remove power steering

[1971BB427]

Originally Posted by vinniekq2

100 pounds equals 10 horse power. lake wood traction bars or equivalent with J bolts is essential. Relocating the battery requires an outside power cutoff switch,not everyone wants that on a street car. Sub frame connectors do help. Roll bars are required if you go faster than 11.5s. wheels save a little weight.

re heavy new cars,,,rofl at all the retro looking cars. They are 3900 plus

Don't confuse NHRA with general street use. An outside battery cutoff is not required whenever a battery is relocated. You can also mount them in a discreet area that is still easily accessible. I've got them on all three of my cars, and most people can't even find them.
Subframe connectors are a must on 2nd gen Camaros if you don't want to twist your body panels. I speak from my own car, and having to realign a lot of gaps when I saw what was happening, and installed connectors.

[farmwalker]

Originally Posted by 1971BB427

There's more weight savings in removing the excess bumper crap, than anywhere else on a 77 Camaro!
The other place to save a fair amount of weight, and gain performance is aftermarket aluminum heads. That's a big money item, so you need to decide how serious you are about weight loss to spend the money for good heads.
Lighter wheels can help, but it's unpsrung weight, and not as helpful as eliminating sprung weight.
You can also relocate weight and make a difference. Take that heavy battery from the front and put it in the trunk where the weight will help, not hinder.
I've added weight to my Camaro vs. stock weight, and not gone slower. Usually weight loss wont make as big a difference as HP gains. When I built my '71 I was drag racing, so I added subframe connectors, traction bars, and a rollbar. Big weight items, but needed for strength and safety. At the same time I was adding performance items on the engine, so my times were going down as the weight went up. I've always felt the time and money going towards performance mods was better spent than most weight savings mods.

Ya I accually already have alluminum heads, Sub frame conecteors, and im going to be getting some cal tracs and a roll bar. Im just looking for some ideas to help get rid of some weight.

[vinniekq2]

(Don't confuse NHRA with general street use. ) If you go through tech,at least at our track,if you race you must follow the rules. The guy just has a fast street car.If he races a lot I can see lexan windows and A/C delete.Too knock off a few hundred pounds is easy,to strip the car is expensive. If the car is undercoated,that can save 80 pounds but what a horrible job to remove it. Change flooring to aluminum,saves a couple hundred pounds but wow,,,the expense.

Its a street car,,,

[bigdog7373]

Well on a street car wieght savings isn't always practical since you sacfrice a lot of comfort. Most id do is front cf quaters and hood and lightweight sport seats. What you really need is more POWER!

[farmwalker]

You can look up the forum topic that I posted "406 sbc, what do you think?" to see what kind of power I have.

[vinniekq2]

farm, you will more than enough power to have tonnes of fun

[1971BB427]

Originally Posted by vinniekq2

(Don't confuse NHRA with general street use. ) If you go through tech,at least at our track,if you race you must follow the rules. The guy just has a fast street car.If he races a lot I can see lexan windows and A/C delete.Too knock off a few hundred pounds is easy,to strip the car is expensive. If the car is undercoated,that can save 80 pounds but what a horrible job to remove it. Change flooring to aluminum,saves a couple hundred pounds but wow,,,the expense.

Its a street car,,,

I'm confused. If he's got a street car, then what does it matter what NHRA or your track tech have to do with it. That was my point that he didn't need to worry if it was a street only car.

[vinniekq2]

and if the guy goes to the track to test his toy,then he has to meet requirements. Street cars are fun,but,,,, we have no idea what they can do until we test them.Keep it simple just in case. That car will be so much fun that it has to be tested.

[1971BB427]

I've spent many years drag racing, and for every car that makes an occasional trip down the strip, there's thousands that never see the strip, or get "tested" on the strip.
Of course if there's a chance you want to drag race it someday, then by all means make it safe. And even if it never sees the strip it should be safe. But you can build a safe street car and enjoy it forever and not drag test it.
My '71 Camaro has not seen the strip since 1989, but I left the harnesses and rollbar in it when I did the total restoration, not because I ever planned to test it again, but because it's part of the car's 16 yr. history when I raced it from 1973-1989. Likewise my street gasser has rollbar and harnesses, but it may never see the strip. I know what it can do, and don't need to test it at the track to get an exact number.
The percentage of people who actually get around to taking their cars to the strip is very small when compared to all the hotrods and muscle cars on the road that never see the track.