Weight Reduction on a Mark VIII

CobraStar_LS8

CobraStar_LS8

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where can I cut some weight off my Mark VIII???

I've already cleared out my trunk including spare tire, jack, antenna motor...
I've removed both mufflers leaving the resonator on...
I've removed security module, air ride module, compressor, and factory amp...

I'm trying to figure out if the t-bird had manual seats that are lighter than our Marks...
I'm trying to remove braces from both Doors...
I'm trying to remove steal bumpers behind bumper covers which are only to handle federal's bumper law maximum of 2mph:confused:(...
I'm trying to remove Quarter Windows and replace them with something better than pexiglass...
I'm trying to remove both driver and passenger's windows including all components and keep this baby garaged for weekend nights driving
 
Removing the door crash beams and metal bumpers is dangerous. Those metal bumpers also help tie the chassis together.

Stick to fitting / fabricating light weight parts. Plenty of steel brackets etc. you could fabricate out of aluminum.
 
those beams won't help at all if you're going to get into a wreck regardless but as the steel bumpers sounds like i'll get some flex...can I just put light square tubings on the chasis replacing the big steel bumpers???
 
make the rear quarters and rear window from lexan!
get a smaller battery
get a aluminum smaller fuel cell to mount in the trunk.
hmm. thats all i can think of right now..
 
CobraStar_LS8 said:
those beams won't help at all if you're going to get into a wreck regardless
Click to expand...

What??? Yes they will. What if you get T- boned or side swiped? That's what they are there for. Removing them to save a few lbs is utterly ridiculous imo.

Well, you'll have to be creative - Mark VIII isn't the best car to start with - even the drivetrain is heavy.

There's a guy on another board (.org) who takes Mark VIII weight reduction seriously - he's below 3600lbs. Name is littlehorn. I'd be inclined to read his old posts / speak to him about what he's done.
 
CobraStar_LS8 said:
I noticed the less weight I have the better it feels on the turns
Click to expand...

Yeah but it won't feel better in turns if you remove structural elements that turn the already flexy chassis into a wet noodle! LMAO.
 
You ain't gonna like this suggestion:

Go back to air but go to the later (plastic style) front shock / bag assemblies! Coils are heavy - and they are the bad kind of weight!

Find out which Mark VIII wheels are the lightest and go with them - snowflakes are light, but I heard a rumour that octastars are even lighter! I'd check into it.

Remove all junk you don't need / use. See what manual seat tracks could be made to work with your seats OR look into those fancy aftermarket racing seats.

Got your A/C working yet? Well, you could junk that whole system! Lol.
 
Snowflakes are the lightest stock wheels. You can also run the aluminum spare wheels with skinny tires, although they are not real easy to find.

If you want to save real wight, take out the seats, carpet, sound deadener, stereo, dash, make alum door panels, lexan 1\4 windows and door windows, lose EVERYTHING in the trunk. Thats a start.
 
do away with a/c and p/s! That sounds like a civic! You should just buy a civic if you dont want to ride in comfort honestly.

I understand weight, i drove a 1993 Civic Si that i had gutted and swapped that ran low 13's back in the day. I bought my lincoln because it didnt need all that discomfort to be fast! I want to adjust my seat where i want it, turn the seat heaters on if needed, open the sunroof and roll down my windows with the press of a button, as well as turn the A/C on and set it to 68degrees F. and turn the wheel in a parking lot with one hand! Thats why we have lincolns guys, not to be all out strip cars! I mean Burbank's car has FULL interior and a/c! He runs low 11's all day baby!
 
I have looked into weight reduction...

AC~30lbs
Bumper Braces~50lbs
Sunroof~25lbs
Seats~75lbs each
Rear Seat~7lbs

I want to drop 100 pounds out of my car... that is my goal...
 
weight reduction on a luxury car is retarded, sell it and buy a sports car if you are worried about weight. i have owned 2 fully gutted cars, one being my current miata, and they SUCK to drive on the street.
 
One of the only things I plan on doing that will be a major weight reduction is switching to manual seat tracks and different seats... the real reason for it is that I HATE electric seat tracks.
 
What can us big guys do? If we cut weight off the car we are still at a disadvantage. No matter how much dieting I do I am still stuck around 230lbs. Guess we should just go for power adders:D. Where's the dude doing the PPVC turbo setup? Is that a viable system yet?:shifty:
 
You're good a fabbing KK - no reason you couldn't make a whole bunch of stuff out of aluminum.

The idea of all aluminum brackets, dashboard structure, rear seat frame etc. appeals to me.
 
I plan on doing a few other light weight tricks... weight reduction is NEVER a bad thing... and it can be done very intelligently.

I WANT
 
Nice seat. I want two with heat and the cooling fans. Power everything.
 
Braille 13lb battery from Tirerack will take a lot of weight off the front end where it helps the most...
 
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