Author Topic: Taking weight off truck  (Read 9619 times)

Offline 454c10

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Taking weight off truck
« on: December 02, 2014, 09:35:35 am »
1986 gmc c10 wanting to cut more weight it has been stripped in the cab no haeter blower vents , no factory fuel tanks no inerfenders, no back bumper but still need it drivable any thing else I could take out?

Offline Stewart G Griffin

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2014, 08:24:25 pm »
Why?

Offline 454c10

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2014, 08:28:36 pm »
Make it faster

Offline Captkaos

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2014, 09:02:28 pm »
Check this post:  http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=17099.0
Technically you can pull everything out and just have a drivetrain, sheet metal, glass, seat and steering wheel but what are you hoping to accomplish with this?  If to be faster, why not build a tube chassis and put a fiberglass shell on it with the above and skip the whole truck thing?  After a point you hit some diminishing returns.


Offline Stewart G Griffin

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2014, 01:12:20 pm »
Here's an interesting link regarding weight:
http://brian-callahan.com/Brians%20stuff/camaro_database.htm

i would not want to run without inner fender wells because without them, it might cause a turbulence and affect carb metering.   Even if you ran fuel injection, running without fenderwells could get messy.

Offline 454c10

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 01:14:56 pm »
Well I guess ill jave to find out it only take 5 min to put them in haha.

Offline 454c10

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2014, 01:15:39 pm »
Its ganna be supercharged so the carbs will be out alil anyway.

Offline fitz

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2014, 02:16:07 pm »
Google "swiss cheese Catalina".
Back in the 60's some Pontiac engineers drilled holes in the frame of a few Catalina race cars to reduce weight.
They drilled 120 holes in the frame and it got the nickname "swiss cheese".
As you remove weight, safety may be effected. With that said, a few things come to mind.
- Cut away part of the inner door shell that is hidden by the door panel.
- Cut away the bed floor and the inner bed sides ( the bed sides have a double wall). Cut out the inner shell of the tailgete. You could then cover the bed with a tonnoe cover to hide your work.
- Drill out/Cut off in inner rocker panel ( it will be hidden by the outer rocker). You won't notice this modification  unless you crawl under the truck to look.
- Use a lightweight fiberglass race hood as opposed to the thicker street quality fiberglass hoods. You could also lighten your stock hood by cutting away at the inner structure.
- Fiberglass front bumper, or at least remove the outside corner mounting brackets on the stock one.
- Drill out/cut out some of the radiator support and inner fenders.
  You get the idea, look at every part on your truck and think if you car remove any weight from it.
  I believe it was Hot Rod Magazine that ran a story back in the 80's called Caddy Hack. They took an old caddy (1974 ish with a 472 motor) and ran it down the 1/4 mile.
  Then they started removing weight. Off came the doors, hood, trunk, even roof got cut off. I forget the 1/4 mile times, but the story was all about how 100 pound = 1/10th of a second in the 1/4 mile.
  How is your truck set up now? How fast do you plan to go?

Offline 454c10

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2014, 07:31:54 pm »
I plan for it to be in the 11s. And im ganna take that to mind of looking of what I can change or take out like stock sode bumper mounts.

Offline roundhouse

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2014, 05:06:29 am »
The axles is something to look at too
Might be a way to shave some poundage there

You running an aluminum gas tank ?

This is just for drag racing or you ginna drive it on the street?

Offline 454c10

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2014, 11:24:00 am »
Yes on the aluminum gas tank and its ganna be both drag and street

Offline Dr_Snooz

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2014, 05:34:58 pm »
What times are you getting now?
1989 Chevy Suburban V-2500, 5.7L, TH400

1990 Chevy C-3500 Ext. Cab, 7.4L, 3L80

2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 WT 4WD, 4.8L, 4L60

Offline roundhouse

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2014, 08:58:14 am »
The roof is double wall right ?

You could remove the inner one

I'm assuming you have a roll cage if your gonna be driving it that fast ?

Offline Captkaos

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Re: Taking weight off truck
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2014, 06:35:48 pm »
There is really no reason to gut the truck to get into the 11's.  Mine back in the day was running in the high 11's with a BBC and a M22...  It was manual only truck with no AC.
Just as DR_Snooz asked, What does it run now?