weight loss sugestions

[dusterbd13]

im starting to get pretty heavy into autocross. my vehicle is an 87 gmc s15 (same as an s10). also a work truck, and also a GRM 2009 challenge competitor.

im looking at my truck on the scales. according to AL lowders (local scrap metal yard), its 3100 with driver and full tank of gas. full street trim (all my crap and tools)

i wanna get it down to 2800, race weight with driver and 1/4 tank of fuel.
that means i have to lose 300 lbs, and still be a street truck.

where im looking:
1. lexan back glass
2. lexan side glass
3. remove inner fenders
4. remove jute padding from under carpet
5. cut under hood bracing out
6. aluminum heads
7. plastic and aluminum radiator
8. punch holes in the door frames. 2 inch should do it.
9. lighter air cleaner assembly.
10. remove insulation/deadening from doors and door panels.
11. shorter, 2.5 inch exhaust. and headers.

i have heard that the 5 speed trucks were 80lbs lighter. any truth to that?

so, what do y'all think? i dont wanna ditch the AC, gut the interior, etc. and with as far as the autocrosses are from me, id love to keep my cruise control. any more ideas? all the suggestions i found was for mostly race only trucks, not stret trucks like mine. and definately not a budget truck.

Michael

[qwik1320]

Since it's your driver you have to keep it safe - lose the comfort items! I'd think twice about removing the inner fenders, does anyone make plastic inner fenders? Also I'd opt for a glass hood instead of messing around with the bracing on the factory hood. Do they make fiberglass fenders for S10/S15's? Ditch the AC, radio, cruise, power windows and seats. Get a set of crank down windows and some aftermarket lighter seats. Get rid of the tailgate and get a net.

[jackfrost]

this place has hoods, fenders, and bumpers:
http://www.up22.com/S10.htm

also, at least in a g-body, the core support weighs a good 40-50 lbs. depending on your fab skills you could build a lighter weight version.

[Steve1968LS2]

What wheels are you running? Knocking off unsprung weight is MUCH better than sprung weight...

[fishtail8]

Also go over the truck and look for any brackets that you're not using, or places you could trim some weight off. It all adds up in the end. Ditching some of the creature comforts would help, but it's up to you.

[qwik1320]

I have an Unlimited Products hood on my 73 and it's total crap. If you want quality glass look elsewhere - just my $0.02

[dusterbd13]

the key to all this is budget. as in hopefully free or darn near.

good call on looking for brackets. and i may have to ditch some of the creature comforts, but those will be the last to go.

as far as fiberglass, its really not in the budget unless i find it used and stupid cheap.

Steve: im currently running IROC wheels, 16X8 aluminum. no idea what they weigh, but they were lighter than the 14's i pulled off.

keep the suggestions coming. and the link to the build thread is in my signature if it helps to see what im workig with.

Michael

[fishtail8]

This is what i built for the front bumper of my car. Just took a few hours with a torch and a hole saw. Shaved 35lbs as a pair off the front of the car.


https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/01/IMG_0441-1.jpg

[chevy42083]

Any extra wiring?

Dome lights, seat belt lights, 4x4 wiring (my 2wd had it), etc. I'm leaving the overhead dome, but removing the map, glovebox and footwell lights. Leaving cig lighter to power other stuff.

It's the small things, right? I'm doing it to simplify wiring issues I've had in the past (still had a lot of stock wiring after engine swap), as well as remove the A/C, which you already said you're keeping.

[JMarsa]

I disagree about the tail gate net. The rear frame rails are floppy without the bracing a hard surface provides.

--JMarsa

[jackfrost]

i don't mean to be offensive, but how much does the driver weigh? :)

perhaps there could be some trimming there. i know i could stand to lose a couple.

[dusterbd13]

i go 215 with helmet and steel toed boots.

good call on the extra wiring. ill have to take care of that since i have to dig into the harness anyway.

anyone know if they make plastic inner fenders for this truck?

Michael

[chevy42083]

I haven't seen or heard of any... and I've been on s-series forums for awhile... but I would LOVE some. Mine are bare... nothing on them at all, so the holes/bumps/rises look funny. Something smooth would be nice.

With that said... I'm gonna start actively looking :)

[vintageracer]

Eat less!

[mjoc1]

remove the rear window, remove the inner fenders. remove tail gate and bumpers. Get racing seats. Get a fiberglass bed and fiberglass front end. aluminum radiator.if you have a cage get fiberglass doors.

Mike

[The Stickman]

Keep in mind you said you want it to be able to be street driven so some of the things like Lexan windows may not be legal. When I was racing mine I took all the sound proofing out. The radio, A/C system, the carpet on the rear wall of the cab(it's heavy) and it stayed a daily driver, AutoX, and track car, er truck.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/ebay3801-1.jpg

[dusterbd13]

care to elaborate more on your setup, stickman? this is exactly the kind of stuff im looking for. and it looks like you and i were on the same route with our trucks.

and again, this is a street truck, not a full blown race truck. also a budget deal. ive got an infant and a mortgage, so moneys tight. too tight for fiberglass, unless its stupid cheap. and last i checked, new glass parts werent stupid cheap.

i hadnt thought about the back cab wall carpet. that thing probably goes 15 lbs.

Michael

[The Stickman]

Ok let's start from the beginning. It was a 1991 S-10 Cameo. I started doing the car show thing and quickly became to dislike the whole cutthroat for a trophy thing. So I went AutoXing and finding what worked, At only my second event which was run by a Corvettte club I was asked "you planning on running that thing?" But by the second day my wife was told that when I pulled in everyone kinda laughed at me and the truck. Till it ran. The guy told her they kinda shut up after that and I became good friends with everyone there. Anyway the mods were as such. A Jasper engine remanufactered engine as i spun the bearings out of the orginal V-6 at the very first AutoX. I added an Edelbrock intake and headers as well as a Pete jackson Gear drive. Full MSD ignition. A hurst shifter that really worked not only in it's function but location. I thought It looked stupid sticking way up in the air till I realized it was right next to the wheel so it was closer for quick shifts. I totally gutted the interior. Took a set of plastic RCI seats and bolted them straight to the floor. Now I am 6'4" and I looked like a kid I was sitting so low. So i suppose this lowered the CG a bit. I took the entire A/C system out and had to add a pulley in place of the A/C pump which was a GM part. The radio also went. So no carpet, sound deadening, headliner or the carpet on the back wall. Just the door panels, seats and dash stayed. I also moved the battery from the front to the front right corner of the bed. One of the most noticeable improvements I made. As for the suspension I used Suspension Tecniques lower control arms front and leafs in the rear. I stayed with the stock sprinds in the front. I ran Carerra 3 way adjustable hypershocks on all 4 corners. I used Hellwig swaybars front and rear. The front bar was huge. I had to fight just to get the bolts in the stock holes. The rear bar was nice. The mounting system sucked. It used what they call pinch brackets to connect to the frame. Simply to pieces of plate steel on slightly curved to pinch the frame rail. It always came off on one side or the other so I re-engineered it to bolt to the frame and it was great after that. I also found a steering box off an IROC Z that took my steering from over 4 turns lock to lock down to 2 1/4 turns. Don't forget you can take off the rear bumpers on trucks(some came stock without them) and the spare tire and it's mount. BTW what engine are you running. If the V-8 your weight bias will be worse than mine, which was 61/39. If it happens to be the 2.8 or 4 cylinder it will be way better and should handle better. BTW if it is the Iron Duke 4 and people are telling you to take it out contact me and I will tell you how to make what you have work or better.

[mongoose]

tbh, you're kinda shooting yourself in the foot. you don't want to take out the heavy stuff or spend money to make stuff light... so weightloss is going to be really hard, especially anywhere near 300lbs.