Legal ways to light car.

[Dan Fahey]

My 1969 Impala will be in reassembly stage.
Need a garage to complete it.

Wanted to know how to handle bumper braces.
What is considered legal lightening?
Are there any aluminum components that would work?
Like a supply of hardened alloy bolts/nuts?

[Dwight Southerland]

Most effective way on a early GM car is to remove all sound deadener, insulation, and extraneous pieces. Then use aftermarket seats, aftermarket disc brakes and light wheels. The expense of alloy bolts, etc. is way too much for the overall weight reduction. You might save 3 lbs if you replaced every no critical body bolt with aluminum or titanium.

[Mike Pearson]

I also run a lightweight lithium battery. It weighs 8 lbs. saves about 30 lbs. brakes were a huge weight savings. 60 lbs lighter than the drums. Braking is way better as well with the aftermarket light weight brakes.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

My 1969 Impala will be in reassembly stage.
Need a garage to complete it.

Wanted to know how to handle bumper braces.
What is considered legal lightening?
Are there any aluminum components that would work?
Like a supply of hardened alloy bolts/nuts?

Gasoline and a match !

[CMcAllister]

We replaced stock seats and mounts with aluminum Jaz and fabbed Ch-Moly mounts in a 72 Chevelle and saved right at 80 lb.

[Jeff Jewell]

Billy Nees once told me "look for 50, 1 lb items, not 1, 50 lb item"...

[Dan Fahey]

OK... FWIW
I lost 20 pound of wrinkle filling fat last year..!
Think that helps.

The body right now is a Shell on a rebuilt Chassis.
Did have the floor sprayed with a sound deadener.
Have the Stock Carpet and Headliner.

What are the Best Adjustable Seats?
It has the Stock Drums on all fours.
What Disk Brakes are recommended for this car?
What Booster is used for Power Brakes?

Lightweight Lithium Batteries, good idea.
Is it useful to have two batteries? (one in Trunk)

What about wheels?

[Lee Valentine]

Light seats,aircraft carpet,light battery,mini alternator,mini starter,light wheels,aftermarket brakes. My friend runs a 66 Biscayne and has Wildwood brakes,stops from 130 mph weighs 4000 lbs.

[Mike Pearson]

I use a single core aluminum radiator. Alum is lighter than brass. Also the single core reduces the amount of water in the system. My system holds just over 2 gallons. Small fuel cell. 3 gallon cell and only haul a couple of gallons of fuel in the car. A gallon of fuel is about 7 lbs. water is about 8 lbs per gallon.

[Larry Hill]

Remove all sound deadener, look in doors, 1/4 panels, and top. Remove stick out on bolts, big ones first. Lighter steering wheel, new glass is thinner sometimes. Put the correct gage wire for each load, remember bigger is heaver. Remove all unnecessary wire. Look in the rule book.