kp

iTrader: (34)

I'm looking to get a little more weight out and those 15lb a piece headlight assemblies are just too tempting to remove I was just going to make a few little aluminum struts to hold the doors in place that bolt on so I can put the headlights back in if need be.

Just wondering if anyone has done it and how it turned out..

y2khawk

iTrader: (5)

Yep.

I gutted the assemblies, but left most of the bracketry. Not enough time to completely eliminate it at the time.

Only the lids are going back on next time.

it's a quick 50+ lbs with all of it gone, brackets, motors, lights, etc. Nothing but the sheetmetal covers

kp

iTrader: (34)

I pulled one out a little while ago and it weighed 16lbs, 14lbs w/o the sheetmetal but I already had the high beams/buckets/adjusters and plastic trim off. There is a couple more brackets I can pull off plus the module. I'll take 30-35lbs right now though, running out of things to take off and not look bad

Hate to lose the headlights but those motor assemblies are heavy and I need to get some weight off the front of this thing without a sawzall..

tektrans

iTrader: (23)

I drive home in the dark from the track but I also just took off the highbeams and trim. Wish I could ditch the rest.

kp

iTrader: (34)

I'm not really driving around much at night these days, only thing I'm worried about is some 'street car' events I run but I can just put a set of those little driving lights in the fog light holes to be legal I guess. I'm going to make it so I can swap them around fairly easy, sure opens up a lot of room under there with those things gone..

gator's 99TA

iTrader: (2)

dang ole race cars! lol. kp you have a lot of time on your hands!

DSG

iTrader: (1)

I was thinking about this myself. Gator knows I am in the process of gutting the car. Looks like the headlights are going to go too....hehe

kp

iTrader: (34)

30lbs 20" in front of the front wheels is a good thing to get rid of, these trans ams are pigs compared to camaros..

Almost done, doesnt look that strong but its pretty stiff and they arent going anywhere, couple ace hardware 1/8 x 1" aluminum strips and a few nuts and bolts and thats it. I didnt cut or modify anything so I can put the headlight assemblies back in at anytime in about 1/2 an hour if I need them.

1QuickT-A

iTrader: (12)

ah hell.. just buy a fiberglass one piece front end! lol

kp

iTrader: (34)

Then I got to paint it and I dont do bodywork/paint, plus it already has a plastic front end

1QuickT-A

iTrader: (12)

but you cant take it all off in one piece!!! hahaha

kp

iTrader: (34)

Wouldnt help unless I cut all the unibody off the front, for me its a lot easier to just pop the hood from the inside and lift it up. Besides, I have a sawzall and could take the entire front end off in one piece if I wanted to

SPEEDYws6

iTrader: (9)

I was thinking of doing the same thing and you just settled it for me. I have some BRIGHT fog lights and they will be staying. I drive the car every friday and saturday night unless it's down for mods, but I usually just use the fog lights anyway.

kp

iTrader: (34)

Only time I drive my car at night anymore is if I unload it at the shoppong center down the street when I get home from the track at 2am. We have streetlights so I can see where I'm going for 1/3 of a mile

I may stick a set of those little PIAA kind of lights up high in the stock fog light holes to keep it legal for the street car races though, or I can just swap the motors back in. With the 10pt in its kind of getting away from being a street car anyhow these days..

mongse

iTrader: (2)

That's the ONLY reason I kept mine. I love chopping weight off as much as the next guy, but I couldn't take the headlights out.

kp

iTrader: (34)

If its a choice between cutting structural sheet metal or taking the headlights out I'll take the headlights out If I daily drove the car it would be a different story or if it was a camaro but I am trying to get all the weight I can out of the front and thats a lot of weight sitting there. Running out of 'easy' ways to lose weight and I just added 35-40lbs for the cage so something had to go

It doesnt even look bad with the hood up, and as you can see those headlight assemblies are pretty massivem only thing plastic on them is the trim piece, everything else is metal.

I'm not telling everyone with a firebird to run out and pull their headlights out, but 30lbs is 30lbs. Its closer to 35lbs since I already had my high beams/buckets and adjusters out.

mongse

iTrader: (2)

I'm all for cutting structural steel, as long as I can replace it with something lighter.

I can definitely see 20-25# out of the motors and headlights. I've got one of those weird LT1 cars, so I probably wouldn't lose quite as much as the LSx guys.

SScam68

iTrader: (20)

hmmmmmm, thanks for the info KP. Damn race cars

How thick are those aluminum strips?

kp

iTrader: (34)

1/8 inch, regular hardware store stuff.

Thats Ok to call it a race car, people called it a race car when it had headlights lol.

SScam68

iTrader: (20)

Well my car is still a street car.

But I think that mod will put it into the race car catagory. I plan on pulling all the HVAC next, this mod, rear bumper support and swapping out some lighter carpet.

Race car alright, next come the drag brakes and.........well you know how it goes lol