Hello all,

I plan on tracking the GTO I am hoping to pick up in the next couple of weeks and I am starting to put together a strategy for it. Here is what I am thinking:

1.- Swap out seats, I am guessing they weigh about 75 Lbs each
2.- Lightweight forged wheels, save 10 Lbs per corner..
3.- Spare, jack, tools, 30Lbs?
4.- AP racing brakes, 20-30 total Lbs less?
5.- ????

Roughly about -250 Lbs without getting too serious. I am sure there will be hoods, trunk lids, and other lightweight stuff coming out. And I guess I can always pull out the rear seats too.

Any other suggestions? Other than buying a lighter car to start with... :P

The reason I am getting the GTO is that it will keep me in the same class I have always run, but with a nice LS1 instead of a 4 or 6 cylinder!

Later,

Enrique
Racing for the Children (http://www.racingforthechildren.org)

Yeah the weight is a little "gordo". I want carbon fiber hood and trunk lid on mine.
Seats are awesome, i wouldn't touch them. Already had a flat, so i am not removing my spare.

I will only pull the spare and tools out at the track. Not permanently. I would hate to get stuck somewhere with out a spare!

Enrique

There are skid plates you can take off your if your track racing, but it leaves your oil pan/filter open to debris....

I got a moronic idea...Do what everyone else said...then just take off EVERYTHING thats not needed...

Rear Bumper? GONE!
...
3 passenger seats? GONE!
...
Most the interior? GONE!
...
Anything that looks like it does nothing? GONE!

Im shure if you followed my method though it wouldnt be much of a car anymore... :blink:

Originally posted by 1lapsti@Sep 15 2004, 12:22 PM
Hello all,

I plan on tracking the GTO I am hoping to pick up in the next couple of weeks and I am starting to put together a strategy for it. Here is what I am thinking:

1.- Swap out seats, I am guessing they weigh about 75 Lbs each
2.- Lightweight forged wheels, save 10 Lbs per corner..
3.- Spare, jack, tools, 30Lbs?
4.- AP racing brakes, 20-30 total Lbs less?
5.- ????

Roughly about -250 Lbs without getting too serious. I am sure there will be hoods, trunk lids, and other lightweight stuff coming out. And I guess I can always pull out the rear seats too.

Any other suggestions? Other than buying a lighter car to start with... :P

The reason I am getting the GTO is that it will keep me in the same class I have always run, but with a nice LS1 instead of a 4 or 6 cylinder!

Later,

Enrique
Racing for the Children (http://www.racingforthechildren.org)
I'm also anxious to know some ideas on lighteneing the Goat..while keeping it street legal and retaining it's everyday drivability.

This would NOT be easy or cheep but you can get rid of the gas tank and install a smaller lightweight fuel cell.

Don't forget that huge heavy wing!
:afro:

Well it depends on the type of racing and how drivable you want it... every day use or at the track?

Hood - get a lighter one - with hydrolic delete - use a hood prop.
Wing - delete - or get a lighter one
Radio and all speakers and amps - delete (if you need a radio get a portable)
Rear seats - delete
Door panels - delete
Break upgrade

Then go through all the little stuff you do not need (i bet you have a pile of a couple hundred pound of **** laying their) i.e..... Fog lights, console, glove box door, ---

Here is a pretty good list from F-Body Central - this pertains to the Trans-Am but I bet you can make good use of the list (I modified it a bit)

9...!ABS
21.5!AC compressor
8.5.!AC condenser
....!AC fan motor
13.5!Airbag and bracket, passenger's
4...!Airbag, driver's
1...!Air filter
....!Blinker switch
2...!Bolt lengths, extra
....!Brake pedal pad
23..!Bumper, front reinforcement and brackets
21..!Bumper, rear reinforcement and brackets
34..!Carpet & Sound deadening
50..!Catback
15..!Cats
9...!Center console
....!Coating, under carpet
4...!Crossmember brace
....!Cruise control
10..!Dash
20..!Door panels
11..!EGR, air pump, & harware
....!Emblems
....!Fan, 1
....!Fan shroud
5...!Floormats
3...!Foglights and brackets
....!Gas, Extra
2.5.!Glovebox
1...!Grill insert
4...!Hatch cover
2...!Hatch shocks
....!Headlights
....!Headliner
3...!Head unit
....!Head unit/AC console trim piece
8...!Heat sheilding
9...!Heater core
1...!Hood shocks
3...!Horn
3...!Inner fenderwells, plastic
....!Liscense plate brackets
....!Liscense plate(s)
....!Misc. junk in the car like keys, garage remote, change, owner's manual, etc.
1...!Owner's manual
3...!Panels, under steering wheel
5....Panhard rod brace, upper
....!Parking brake
....!Power brake booster
....!Parking brake handle
....!Power seat motor
11..!Power steering pump, pulley, idler pulley
....!Power window motors
1...!Rear view mirror
9...!Seatbelts (rears and passenger's)
34..!Seat, passenger's
19..!Seats, rear
3...!Sheetmetal, extra double walled
....!Shifter knob
5...!Side impact bars
35..!Spare tire and jack
7...!Speaker panels, hatch
5...!Speaker panels, rear passenger's
15..!Speakers
35..!Spoiler (Weight measured on a Pontiac)
....!Spring isolators
2...!Sun visors
14..!Swaybar and brackets, front
....!Taillight(s)
2...!T-Top holders
....!Under car tow points
1...!Washer fluid pump
9...!Windshield washer fluid
2...!Windshield wiper reservoir
3...!Wiper arms
3...!Wiper motor
....!Wiring, Excess

Wallet mods....
3...Airlid, aftermarket
3...Chromoly LCAs
3/9.Carbon fiber driveshaft
14..Chromoly A-arms
30.5Chromoly K-member
....Draglite wheels
....Drag slicks or street slicks
....Drilled axles
24..Dry cell battery
10..Electric water pump
....Fiberglass door skins
30..Fiberglass hood
....Fuel cell
18..'99+ fuel tank for '98 cars
....Headers
....Lexan glass
....Lightweight clothing
35..Lightweight brakes, front
....Lightweight brakes, rear
10..Lightweight flywheel
13..Lightweight springs and shocks
....Lightweight steering column
6...Lightweight steering wheel
10..Manual rack and pinion steering
....Plastic fuel tank, late model
....Powerglide, TH350, or M4 transmission
17/29.Racing seat
....Shortbelt mod
....Skinny front tires
15..Spool
20..TQ converter, small
....Underdrive pulleys

Here's an idea :huh:

Add some HP and keep your stuff.

The advantage you get from tossing all that stuff out could easily be overcome by the HP gain from the introduction of a more aggressive PCM program. ;)

Bolt on some heads and slip in a better cam and hit the 500hp mark.

I'd love to see some track numbers for with and without all the stuff you and safely remove from the car and how much HP it would take to make up the difference <_<

Remember today's materials are way lighter than the materials of years past. Seats had thick heavy material covering them and enough cotton for the padding to make 20 pairs of jeans per seat. Carpet was heavy as lead and the door panels alone could way up to 20 pounds each.

I had a Firebird and the armrest alone weighed probably 5 pounds. Way back then the idea of tossing out a bunch of the interior and the full sized spare and jack became popular to drag racers looking for any advantage they could get. I'm guilty but in some of those cars the spare was like an extra passenger.

I've even seen guys take all the belts off their car just to run the 1/4 a little faster when running for the pink slips.
Go or blow baby loose and walk home. :friday:

That is no joke... In the world of imports, 'weight reduction' is so popular i've seen kids strip every last thing out of the car that doesnt need to be there. I've even seen people make thin lexan windows on their own to replace the stock windows. Needless to say, it didnt work well. I've ALWAYS raced with my full or nearly full interior. At worse, i've removed my spare tire, jack and the passanger seat. (which in Hondas is about 45lbs per seat) I take that back, I didnt run AC or PS but I couldnt anyhow due to the custom 8 rib supercharger setup I was running. BUT it didnt look like I had gutted the car just to go racing when I drove it anywhere else.

The only things I could see even being remotely useful in removing is the back seats, or replacing the stock ones with lightweight racing ones. The racing seats are useful anyways if your autocrossing.

Other than that there isnt any real point in as you lose the driveability of the goat, which is one of its best points.

I agree with ronhall, counteract the weight by adding more power.

I personally am taking that route of adding more power. Even with my '90 350 Formula I don't want to remove any of the luxury features as I never know when the mood may hit to take it on or trip or it will be pressed into regular driving duties. Plus...it's a GTO. If you want cheap lightweight V8 power and don't mind turning wrenches-get a Gen III pick up truck, LS1 F-Body or convert a 3rd Gen to LS1. But...I'd still be interested in hearing ways to lighten up the GTO while keeping most if not all of the features.

:afro:

If they ever come out with a carbonfiber trunk lid you could shave off about 40lbs total with a c/f hood. Not sure if 40lbs or so would be worth the cost of both of those. :rolleyes:

I will most likely take out the spare tire and jack. Combined they weigh at least
40 lbs. Thats equals about 4-5hp increase. Other than that I will probably leave my car alone. (except for power mods).