Full frame, and thick metal. Not too much plastic; I remember when I first saw one I was surprised that the front fenders were made like an old muscle car; I had assumed most of the SSR's curves would be fiberglass or plastic like late 90's f-bodies (more than half of my '99 30th Anniversary Trans Am is not metal).

I don't find it looks like a flyweight...SSRs look pretty good-sized and beefy to me. When I see one, I think "truck."

 

It's a Trailblazer frame, so lots of meat there. Front fenders and rear quarter panels are much heavier than you typically see on current vehicles because of the drawing and stamping process used to create those panels.

The roof structure is also very heavy.

The dent doctor that worked out a small dent on the front fender said it was the thickest steel he had worked with except for 50s and older, said it was very difficult to remove dents.

By comparison, you could dent my 2010 Chevy crewcab if you sneezed too close to it.

 

The dent doctor that worked out a small dent on the front fender said it was the thickest steel he had worked with except for 50s and older, said it was very difficult to remove dents.
QUOTE]

You know the dent guys are trying to make it look more difficult than it is..
I handeled SSR fenders and - the opposite is true.
They are very thin.
each weighs 14 lbs. the reason for thin metal is the extreme shape to be stamped. When I make fireglas fenders they weigh 13 lbs.

The weight punishment comes from the fact that it is a truck and it is a convertible. It was said the roof mechanics alon weigh 700 lbs.
To keep it ithight when roof is down they put quite a bit or feinfocement into the body also.
Frame is boxed.But it was not a didcated frame, they literally took Trailblzr frames and cut them.Then each was rewelded together and heavy patches were used to overlap and weld. By looking at them I guiess there is another 20 exrta lbs just because they did not want to tool up for a new frame. They did try to shave some weight here and there - the hood is very light. But surprisingly, tonneau cover is too heavy for it's duty.
Another weight adds because they build it with towing in mind.
The rear crossmember is a heavy piece of work. The hitch alone must weigh 15 lbs. Solid rear axle not a light part either, and the 20" and 19" rims/tires are hefty too.
6 brackets for running boards weigh 25 lbs. But wait, good news! There are people who keep working on making these truck heavier yet. Ever handeled Simple engeneering skid plate? While we admire the efforts to stiffen the front, adding 100 lbs flat piece of metal is hardly what one would call the most effective solution..
As far as comparing to a Corvette, - well - oranges and apples

 

Hello ggoat!!!,

Flyweight, you are correct, it certainly doesn't look flyweight, I meant it should be lighter because of the overall dimensions, (very short) Rob

 

Very deceiving those fenders, a lot of surface. The truck takes more paint then most cars to get good coverage.

 

Have you tried Shell Lite, El Original?

! :bwekk: ! :glol ! :bwekk: ! :glol ! :bwekk: !

 

I can understand why it's so heavy, but I have to admit that it surprised me too. It's over fifteen hundred pounds heavier than my 2010 C6 convertible.

 

I can understand why it's so heavy, but I have to admit that it surprised me too. It's over fifteen hundred pounds heavier that my 2010 C6 convertible.

:agree Yes, I also have a '03 Corvette C5 vert and was floored when comparing weights considering the specifications (except height) are almost the same. Where is the lead weight hidden, lol. Goes to show you how much the Corvette could have weighed had the engineers not made sure it was light.:eek

 

When you compare it to the new 2015 Ford F1 50, which is made up mostly out of aluminum. You can see why it's so much heavier. But also keep in mind, the F150, that's made out of mostly aluminum, when it gets dented by, oh, say a hailstorm, it's difficult to get the dents out of it because there's nothing to grab a hold of to pull the dent out..

 

I guess I would have to get back into my Corvette books to ascertain if the fibreglass was a new structural element only, or if it was from day one developed with the idea of making it an eventual race happy component.
George has correctly I am sure referenced Simple Engineerings stiffening plate as being heavy. It is something I want to do eventually, but I will do it because I am not interested in running mine down the 1/4. I want to make it structurally sound, good in the corners etc, not necessarily a 10 second runner.
If we look back at some of the unusual cars that have interesting value it might be the ones that have "radio delete" or no carpet, simply trying to remove every ounce to gain that one miniscule edge - well that concept sort of goes to **** when you order the trailblazer crossmember at a whopping 42 pounds! Racing is no longer in the cards when you plant that puppy - haven't even accounted for the extra 2 bolts! HaHa!
Maybe we are the Duesenberg of racing - don't think we can kid ourselves - we aren't lightweights - nor should we even try to do that, unless taking out the roof is the idea to make it more competitive.
We are cruisers - Gorgeous cruisers!

 

I know the front wheels weigh about 36 lbs each. I just shipped one to Germany. The rears come in about 41 lbs each without tires.

Don't forget adding all the chrome accessories adds weight too!!!! :banana:bwekk::glol:glol:harhar::banana

 

My 03 has a Gross Vehicle Weight of 2,747 according to the factory build sheet

 

That could be a single axle, or it could be kilo's - do you have a Canadian truck by chance? The kilo - pound conversion would be 6,043 pounds.

 

My GVWR says 6050lb. (Inside the door panel) I had to pay more to get it tagged and registered because of the weight.

 

If you understand that Sexy is the most dense compound on earth, even more dense than lead or gold, and that the SSR is positively ate up with Sexy, then it is easy to justify the weight:tongue

 

if you understand that sexy is the most dense compound on earth, even more dense than lead or gold, and that the ssr is positively ate up with sexy, then it is easy to justify the weight:tongue

hear, hear

uv rules

 

When I first got mine in '04 I also didn't get how it could be so much heavier than my '02 Mustang until I saw them side by side. So much more surface area.

 

They did try to save some weight when painting the trucks.

Ever hold a gallon of paint?

Factory paint and clear coat is very thin (light) :yesnod

It's not a hot rod, it's a cruiser.

This weight we are hauling around makes it float on the freeways like a caddy.

Love laying it in the slow sweeping curves.:thumbs:hyper:

 

... .250" thick 6061-T6 aluminum

Stiffening Plate


3.67 lb per sq. ft

http://steelandsaw-cutting.fayindustries.com/item/6061/6061-t6-treated-aluminum-alloys-plate/-250-x-48-x-192

 

Weight

Mike,
If ingenuity, quality, and precise engineering weighed, the skid plate would weigh 150lbs.

Jack

 

Don't tell Ilsa that she's not a hot rod!

She (and I) are not truly happy until we're blasting around on a strip or an autocross course. We're never the fastest ones there, but all those guys in the tiny little whiny cars always tell me how much they enjoy seeing (and hearing) Ilsa at events.

Dave



It's not a hot rod, it's a cruiser.

This weight we are hauling around makes it float on the freeways like a caddy.

Love laying it in the slow sweeping curves.:thumbs:hyper:[/QUOTE]

 

:cheers We all root for a underdog.:cheers

Pat Ilsa rear fender for me.

I'm starting a project next week that should make mine quicker.

 

Here is a link to a few photos of the windshied posts (A-pillar)

that Doug (RATICAL) had taken from a parts shell.

http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum/f5/winshield-post-thickness-59524/

They show the extra inner structure of the posts, and where some of the weight is hidden. This is just one of several areas that can not be seen due to double layers. The body structure, off the rolling frame, is a unibody construction , making it very stiff and heavy before adding doors,(65 # each) , and interior, I can guess is close to 400 # with all the wiring, control boxes, dash reinforcing bar, carpet, and so on.

 

I think the weight is just right! With a 6 speed and no TC it is perfect for sliding around corners not to mention burnouts!