weight bias

[bear]

Does any one out there in the wide world of opels know what the weight distorbution is on a 70 gt. I am running a 2.4 fi motor 5 spd getrag. battery in the back. Iam trying to get my custom brakes figured out and I think if I can find out the weight bias I can get them dialed in .
Thanks

[madhatterpdc]

Someone might be able to tell you the weight distribution as delivered from the factory, but as soon as you start to change and move stuff around, the best you are going to get is a SWAG... Scientific Wild A$$ Guess. I don't think there is any way around using a set of scales.

[RallyBob]

Stock GT's are around 53%-55% front weight, but moving the battery to the back changes this almost 2%....on my '73 Ascona it changes from 52/48 stock to 50.2/49.8 just by moving the battery!

Of course throw the driver into the car and everything changes. I saw from your other post that you're 6'-6" and 320 lbs! That will make a huge difference, not only from front to rear but also left to right.

Full tank of gas? That changes things too...

I have some racing scales that will accurately weigh all 4-corners and give front/rear, left/right, and diagonal weights down to 1 pound.

If someone from New England want to get accurate weights of a bone-stock GT, let me know and we can make an appointment to throw your car on my scales, then post the results here on opelgt.com as an FAQ. I keep my scales at the family business in Avon, Connecticut. Directions to the shop are at www.legeregroup.com .

Bob

[billiard13]

Nice shop Bob!

[houserc]

Here is another idea for finding out the weight distribution, at least front to back.

Find a place that sells rock or gravel by the pound. They will have scales for measuring the weight of the trucks. A truck stop might be another place.

Check with the guys to see if they will weigh you front, full vehicle, and back, as you drive through. You can do this with an empty car and sitting in it.

If the place you find is like most places, they'll enjoy just the idea with no fee.

[Sporqster]

I bought 2 $9 scales from Bed Bath & Beyond, and I'm planning on taking them beyond the bed and the bath all the way the the garage. I figure the scales are only accurate within the 100-200lb range, so a 2400lb car should be around 600 lb at each corner, so I'm going to try building a lever with a 4-1 mechanical advantage, calibrate it using weights of known amount, and then put the car on the bathroom scales. For instance, if the scale reads 164lbs front right, 168lbs front left, that would actually be something like 656/672. I realize that the scale probably is only accurate to about a couple pounds, and then I'm multiplying that by 4, so in all this set up will really only give you numbers +- 10 pounds. Ain't exactly a measurement the McLaren F1 team would design with, but it'll work for me knowing if I'm in the right weight distribution ball park (I'm relocating a lot of stuff for a long in coming V6 conversion), and a lot cheaper than legit racing scales by a long shot. Ain't got it built yet though. I'll let you know how that works out.

If only I could afford Rallybob's shop ;-)

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by Sporqster If only I could afford Rallybob's shop ;-)

I wish I could afford that sized shop too. I keep telling my old man to get rid of all that damn woodworking stuff so I can get some cars inside, oddly enough he usually just rolls his eyes and walks away when I suggest that....

But since I'm one of three machinery maintenance guys, and the only welder/fabricator in the building, and I use my own equipment to weld and repair the machinery, I had a legitimate argument to have a corner to work on my car projects...just can't keep any cars indoors. My work area is only about a 15 x 30 space, but it's better than being outside. The alternative, I told my old man, was I would leave my welding equipment at home, and when a repair for the shop had to be made, I'd do it after hours at my house at a cost of $100 per hour.

Bob

[houserc]

Just buy four scales, stack them under the wheel and then add up the amounts of all four for the total weight.

Sorry! couldn't resist.

Send in pictures of what you are able to work out. It would be interesting to see how you position your lever, fulcrum, and scale to get your final weight.