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I would really like to see a correct LS engine weight. The two I found were 412# with accessories and 454# LS7 w/ flywheel & clutch.
So say around 390-400 w/o all that stuff?
Anybody know?
FWIW that only makes it 10-20 lbs lighter than a gen I SB w/ AL heads. (no flywheel)
It's hard to get good numbers. One source says a LS block weighs 110# bare, and a Gen 1 350 block weighs 200# Another source says 148#
So what's correct?
So you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Surprise. LOL A bare SB block only weighs 148 and a bowtie version 178 while a LS block weighs 107 and a BB 218 and a Bowtie BB 270.
So an LS motor saves a whopping 41 lbs vs a std. SB!! WOO-HOO. I just don't get it. I could change the rear spring and save that.
I really dont want to get into a pissing match here. You clearly know your Corvettes and i am still learning. However, your last two sentences differentiate you from a racer who likes to lose weight when and where he reasonably can, from an all-out, calorie-obsessed auto-bulemic like myself. So... I must disagree.
I might not know Corvettes as well, but i've been forced against my will to read 35 years ov Chevy magazines (read: Hotrod, Car Craft, etc.), and ALL my friends are Chevy guys. I have never read, anywhere, about a stock all-iron SBC that weighed that little. Pretty much every one i've ever seen mentioned (and i do mean hundreds ov mentions) is around 550-575lbs. Every Chevy guy i know, including all those 'unbiased' magazine guys, will agree that Chevy made heavy engines. The big block i dont know as well, but i've read time and time again around 675ish. It weighed about the same as the 670lb big block Mopar (440). Again, thats all iron. Drop the intake, lose what? 20-25lbs?. Drop the iron off the heads, lose 40ish on the SB, lose a lot more on the BB. Even an aluminum head/intake/WP everything SBC is still well heavier than an aluminum LS (by what? 50lbs?). Most i've read/heard say around 430-450 for an all-aluminum (read: al block too) LS, and actually a bit MORE for the big LS7. The only difference is that you cant easily drop weight from an all-aluminum engine. I wont get into iron-block LS engines, as i have no idea why someone would go through all that trouble and expense and not use a (same price) aluminum version. I also wont get into aluminum 350/454 blocks here... as that is well outside the comfort zone for even most classic Corvette owners.
Back to the weight issue though. Becuase... you know... i'm ****... 40lbs might not be much to you, but to the weight-obssessed... that is MASSIVE. Thats huge. Some guys rack their brains for hours, and sit there looking at a bracket trying to figure a way to cut ONE POUND from it. Some others guys are not so obsessive, and go through the usual wheels/brakes/FG body parts (if not a Corvette)/light seats/light battery 'basics' and then get stuck. To them, 40lbs is massive. If they're still looking at a stock engine, thats more like 100lbs. The seriously light cars everyone that everyone love got there because their owners were obsessed with ounces... not pounds. Personally, i'd rather have the 100lbs off the front (and 100HP less) ov the SBC on my Corvette road racer. And yeah, i understand that mathematically thats silly. But... a lighter car makes EVERYTHING better.
I also want to add that this is coming from a lifelong big block guy. Its been literally nothing but 440's, 383's, Buick 455's (including a 70 Stage 1), and the odd Cadillac 500/472 in my 30+ years o' speeding. I was utterly SWORN to the bigblock. But man... i have since fallen in love with technology... and as per my original argument, that tech can make up a lot ov ground. An LS or Coyote is L71/L88 power/torque in a small, fuel-efficient 420-450lb platform... Hell, with the staggering aftermarket, you could even whip up an old-school 355 with the best new heads/cam/induction/exhaust with 40 years worth ov tricks and outpull an L88. I mean, that'd not be cost-effective... but you could. Apples apples oranges kumquats... Its all just bench racing and bench racing is fun too.
Heh... now, if you'll excuse me, i have some kind ov all-aluminum wonderful on the stand that needs to be pruned ov its accessories and options...
(just wish i had a car to put it in...)
Last edited by Pale Roader; 01-20-2021 at 05:20 AM.
Some guys rack their brains for hours, and sit there looking at a bracket trying to figure a way to cut ONE POUND from it. .)
You are indeed correct, however I always chuckle to myself when the same 300 lbs guy forces another cheeseburger down his throat whilst pondering how much more weight he could save if he sanded off all the casting marks from various housings and other such components.
For the truly weight obsessed, I agree that less is more. Tire size ultimately becomes the limiting factor, and the less weight they are forced to move around the better.
Unlike many I had the opportunity to drive (only once!) a world Class SCCA A-Mod national champion winning car. The fastest car in the fastest class. Basically no rules. Roughly 800? lbs, Indy Car sized slicks, and a top fuel dragster power/weight ratio. It was powered by a ....4 cyl VW engine ...!!!....with a GMC Roots Supercharger on top of it! Probably 350+ HP. (2 lbs per HP). It was without a doubt the most violent thing I have ever driven. It was like getting shot out of a cannon. And it cornered at 3Gs also.
After that experience I gave up trying to cut a few lbs out of my 3350 lb Z28, and just concentrated on improving the driving skills of the loose nut behind the wheel. LOL
My current build is not a racer, it is an all-around capable car, Street, cruiser, autocrosser, drag, show car. It should do everything well except pass a perfectly good gas station. But being just one big compromise, it will never be top dog at any single category. I'm Ok with that.
You are indeed correct, however I always chuckle to myself when the same 300 lbs guy forces another cheeseburger down his throat whilst pondering how much more weight he could save if he sanded off all the casting marks from various housings and other such components.
Hah! Yup. However, i have yet to see one ov these gram-counters thats fat. Myself, i'm a solid 220-225lbs, but i'm an athlete and thats my job. Thats absolutely as light as i'm able to get. I'll take it. It is about 50lbs over my natural bodyweight, but it serves me well. At least there is no fat on that frame. Most **** gram-counters i've come across are interestingly enough, usually rail-thin guys. Too busy doing math to eat i guess...
As for the average racer i see at the track... Ugh. No kidding.
Unlike many I had the opportunity to drive (only once!) a world Class SCCA A-Mod national champion winning car. The fastest car in the fastest class. Basically no rules. Roughly 800? lbs, Indy Car sized slicks, and a top fuel dragster power/weight ratio. It was powered by a ....4 cyl VW engine ...!!!....with a GMC Roots Supercharger on top of it! Probably 350+ HP. (2 lbs per HP). It was without a doubt the most violent thing I have ever driven. It was like getting shot out of a cannon. And it cornered at 3Gs also.
After that experience I gave up trying to cut a few lbs out of my 3350 lb Z28, and just concentrated on improving the driving skills of the loose nut behind the wheel. LOL
Heh... thats cool. 'Violent'... is EXACTLY what i'm going for.
I'm only going to have one car running, so its gotta do the speed thing well before all else. I can live with a race car. Corvettes can get LIIIIGHT... even with just OEM parts (you'd be stunned). When i get my hands on one i'll prove just how light. Lets just say, light enough to be that 'violent'... with faaaaar less than a big block. Thing is, i also need my car to get decent mileage. Hell, GOOD mileage. And the lighter the car, the smaller/milder the engine has to be. If i told you my cunning plan... you'd outright laugh at me...
Last edited by Pale Roader; 01-21-2021 at 01:13 AM.
Well I have my car completely dissasembled into a 1000 pieces right now. And some of the pieces we have very little information on weight.
And some parts could very definately be much lighter. Is the frame 200# or 300#? Etc. Engine weights you see posted vary by at least 100#. I find it very annoying.
So my devious plan is to weigh every single part as it goes back together, and make a big list, for the good of the forum.
You'll appreciate it. Others may as well.
Loved my 71 , 468 with Merlin rectangular port heads, Holley 850dp and Muncie 4 speed. Car was a blast to drive but did have a drinking problem! Lol .I never noticed the extra weight it had up front, only the smile on my face.
When I started it in the morning felt sorry for the neighbors and of course my mufflers. BB motors are about torque and the feeling you get when you open the hood to show it off. A Tesla might be faster 0-60 but will never replace the emotions you get from cubic inches!
Well I have my car completely dissasembled into a 1000 pieces right now. And some of the pieces we have very little information on weight.
And some parts could very definately be much lighter. Is the frame 200# or 300#? Etc. Engine weights you see posted vary by at least 100#. I find it very annoying.
So my devious plan is to weigh every single part as it goes back together, and make a big list, for the good of the forum.
You'll appreciate it. Others may as well.
That's what I've been doing for years. Any time a part comes off, it's weighed, and it doesn't go back on unless I can't find a lighter alternative.
Well I have my car completely dissasembled into a 1000 pieces right now. And some of the pieces we have very little information on weight.
And some parts could very definately be much lighter. Is the frame 200# or 300#? Etc. Engine weights you see posted vary by at least 100#. I find it very annoying.
So my devious plan is to weigh every single part as it goes back together, and make a big list, for the good of the forum.
You'll appreciate it. Others may as well.
Please PLEASE... if you do this, get GOOD scales. I use a calibrated (hanging w hook) dairy scale. Good for up to 60lbs (its calibrated). When i weigh my car i get a racer i know to bring over his 4-corner car scales. Sooo many people weigh **** with their bathroom scales (useless), or all kinds ov goofy ****. I mean, its better than nothing... But i leave you with this, when i moved to a new gym i had to weigh all the big plates. The previous guys there had weighed them and said i was nuts. They had anywhere from 50lbs to 35lbs marked on these 45 lb plates. My scale never went past 43-47. Some ov them were over 10lbs off. Even the trick ov standing on a bathroom scale and having someone hand you the part, noting the difference, is not perfect.
Now... how you weigh stuff like a bare frame... or a whole engine (like REALLY weigh it) i have no idea. That sounds like some sort ov rental to me, but i'd do it.
That's what I've been doing for years. Any time a part comes off, it's weighed, and it doesn't go back on unless I can't find a lighter alternative.
Bingo!
Me too. Even if i have to lighten it myself. All my stuff is Mopar though. I'll start a new list (to add to the ones i've collected here) when i get a C3.
Looking for a chrome car and am wondering what a 427/454 feels like compared to a 350?
I'm assuming they feel heavier up front, but from a power/torque delivery perspective on the road, specifically with a 4 speed, how do they compare?
the big block is not much heavier than the 350 but the tourqe is insane that is the power that slams you back in the seat and shreds the rear tires off...there is nothing like the sound and sheer power of a big block if you ever get the chance to dive one you won't believe it..
01-18-2021, 07:23 AM
