Aluminum body weight

mattr762 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2004, 03:56 PM

Here is a quote from Kirkham's website:

Quote:

Weight:
The entire aluminum body weighs only 50 pounds! I don't know how much a fiberglass body weighs, but certainly it is much more than 50 lbs. Does anyone know how much a fiberglass body weighs?

I've got conflicting stories on the weight of an aluminum body. I've been told 200lbs and your saying 50lbs. I'm assuming the 50lbs does not include the metal support under the truck lid and inside the doors? Does that include the trunck, hood and doors?

Anyway how does the weight really compare to a fiberglass CSX body?

PatBuckley · #2 (**permalink**) 01-07-2004, 04:45 PM

Lift the hood on your WRX - notice how it seems to weigh nothing?

I think comparing aluminum to glass would be tough to do due to all the different thickness possibilities - but as an average for automobile body use I can say that I have lifted the hood of my Kirkham and my ERA and the Kirkham hood is lighter.

bbrown · #3 (**permalink**) 01-08-2004, 07:38 PM

I've been told by a buddy of mine that has restored many original Cobras that the aluminum skin built in England weighs 34 pounds. This is without the 3/4" steel tube superstructure. Original cars are built with approx 0.050" thick aluminum, the Kirkhams use approx 0.060" . Take 34 pounds times 6 divided by 5 and you get about 41 pounds. If the Kirkhams want to say 50 pounds, I guess that's close enough.....or maybe my buddy didn't include the weight of the door, trunk, and hood skins and maybe the Kirkhams are. Don't know, have to ask them. Anyway, it's close enough.

Bert Brown

TimG427 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-02-2004, 01:37 PM

I have heard that an aluminum body is about 40 pounds. I always figured this was without hood, trunk and doors. It must be without the frame also. Still, not much weight there.

Dominik · #5 (**permalink**) 02-28-2007, 10:35 PM

I know: this thread is about a 1000 years old, but yesterday I did weigh a glassfibre body, one of those made for Shelby.

I used a bathroom scale and lifted the body up, read the scale and without my weight I got 44kg (97pounds) for the main body (I will confirm that).
To weigh the other parts I used a fishing scale:

Main shell 44kg
Main tub 6kg
Footbox left 2kg
Footbox right 2kg
Boot lid (single skin) 5kg
Bonnet lid (single skin) 5kg
Boot tub 6 to10kg
Door left (single skin) 2kg
Door right (single skin) 2kg
Total 74 to 78kg (163 to 171 pounds)

Remember, this is a body which also needs the birdcage to support it.

Dominik, South-Africa