73 super on a diet?

[Poor Realist]

I saw somewhere on the 'net a guy with a 9 second turbo k-car (yeah, you read right) that dropped some 500lbs after he had already lightened stuff tremendously. The big things he did was gut the interior completely -- no dash, no door panels, etc. Then he went even crazier and whipped out the hole saw. It was nutz, but the car was crazy fast, especially considering the stock engine and an immense amount of boost.

Mind you, the SB doesn't have as much garbage in it as a K-car does, but it will give you an idea what to do. 500lbs is a lot for a beetle, but attainable in a USian car.

Nothing is sacred, as long as it isn't structural or safety related. Have fun!

[TitoRay]

I think each coat of paint is like 20 lbs. or something?
:agree: What everyone else said.
But 500 pounds? Thats quite a bit. 1303 is what, 2000 pounds stock or so?
You could save your money on all the carbon/fiber glass parts, get a turbo, and depending on your current engine, you'd have a honda killer.

[Timmy_Barns]

I think the super is weighs like 1911Lbs ( I cheated and looked it up on Nadaguides.com hehehe)

[Poor Realist]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Barns

I think the super is weighs like 1911Lbs ( I cheated and looked it up on Nadaguides.com hehehe)

I think you mean 1911cc minimum engine size, right? Anything less than that is unacceptable.

[superbug73]

sorry I have not replied back. I think I will run a 2270 T4 with thenext gen conv. fiber glass finders and pans,and carbon fiber deck lid and running boards. Who selld the corbon fiber deck lid with all of the stock vents?
I am also in the prosses of sanding the car almost doun to bare metal and I am ratle caning it for now.

[samcat]

Dont just think about removing weight, think about where you want the car to be heavier and how to get there.
Beetle's have LIGHT front ends, anything you can do to add weight at the front will help.

Move the battery to under the bonnet. Thats what, 40 lbs.... Makes the car handle a LOT nicer.

excuse the mess:


Amps are all gone now (as are the subs etc) - weighed too much!

That one change made a HUGE difference to the car, as it was removing 40lbs from the back and adding it to the front!

Do you really want light wings on the front??
Are the fibreglass wings really any lighter (I know the Day mouldings ones I got here in the uk weight the same as stock wings!)

Cya,
SaM C

[panic]

sam cat has the right idea
im in the process of rebuilding a 71' super and what im goin for is overall balance. its nice to have a light car if you want to go in a straight line, but fast cornering requires good balance and responce. im going to go with fiberglass fenders(wings) because they may be smashed somewere in the future, but would like to get my hands on a cf hood and engine cover, as well as a few other goodies.
my big concern is the roll cage. i would love to build one, but im concerned with time. i'v heard that the beetles arn't to freindly with the body roll, and having stripped one, i can see were the weaknesses lie. i'v already made up 1X1 bar stock to fit in the channel where the body mounts to the floor pan, so i will have a solid mounting point for a cage, if i weld on some bracketry.

too many ideas. too many beers. cheers.