Aluminum Frame possible?
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Aluminum Frame possible? Let's say you are rich and bored and you'd like to see how light you can get an fbody. What do you peps think about an aluminum frame? How hard would it be to have one made? Then build a car around it with light weight aftermarket parts and carbon fiber body. I've had this idea in my head for the last few years, about a build up from the frame up.
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Re: Aluminum Frame possible? What you're looking at sounds pretty common to me as far as the lengths you're trying to go to save weight. You wouldn't want the Aluminum though. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
This car weighs about 1875lbs, including all aluminum Big Block, Glide etc. (plus driver). Full Chromoly Tube Chassis, Carbon Fiber Body (Entire body is 66#s!). Runs 7.40s Naturally Aspirated, without a Planetary Transmission. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
<img src="http://www.lt4-396.com/Vette.jpg" alt=" - " />
A similar car costs ~50-60k Minus Engine, Trans and Paint. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
<small>[ September 19, 2002, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: KTamez ]</small>
This car weighs about 1875lbs, including all aluminum Big Block, Glide etc. (plus driver). Full Chromoly Tube Chassis, Carbon Fiber Body (Entire body is 66#s!). Runs 7.40s Naturally Aspirated, without a Planetary Transmission. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
<img src="http://www.lt4-396.com/Vette.jpg" alt=" - " />
A similar car costs ~50-60k Minus Engine, Trans and Paint. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />
<small>[ September 19, 2002, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: KTamez ]</small>
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Re: Aluminum Frame possible? The body looks good on that car. Would it be possible to make a tube framed car look like a street car? How about titanium aloy frame?
1875 would be too light, but being that we can get a z28 down to about 2700 and maybe 2900 with an aceptable interior. If I could remove 150 lbs from the body and 400 lbs from the frame, the car would be a beast at 2350 lbs, then add 250 lbs of stuff like AC,radio, abs, etc back to the car and it'll still be lighter then a s2000. I know there are easier ways to get a light weight vehicle, but bottom line I love the z28 camaro and don't want to modify anything else. If I bought a z06 I'd leave it stock. But the poor z28 is a perfect victim of modification.
1875 would be too light, but being that we can get a z28 down to about 2700 and maybe 2900 with an aceptable interior. If I could remove 150 lbs from the body and 400 lbs from the frame, the car would be a beast at 2350 lbs, then add 250 lbs of stuff like AC,radio, abs, etc back to the car and it'll still be lighter then a s2000. I know there are easier ways to get a light weight vehicle, but bottom line I love the z28 camaro and don't want to modify anything else. If I bought a z06 I'd leave it stock. But the poor z28 is a perfect victim of modification.
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Re: Aluminum Frame possible? To tell you the truth I wouldn't do this to my z28, what I'm thinking about doing is start a project of building up a z28 from scratch out of parts from various wrecked cars, aftermarket parts and such. and the best place to start is the frame.
