Do B-bodies generally weigh less than E-bodies? If so, how?

[bull]

I have a buddy who's big into the E-body Challengers and Cudas and he was telling me tonight that the 2nd gen Charger weighs a good 200-300 lbs less than his Challenger. If this is true (and I don't know if it is for sure but he usually knows his stuff) how is it that his '70 Challenger weighs less than my '68 Charger?

[Brock Samson]

i read over on allpar the same thing while researching my R.R. they say there the '71 B-bods were lighter then the E-Bods...
I guess your gona need to find specs and post em here... huh?.. 

[Charger_Croatia]

I found some table, maybe this could help.

" The weights listed below were taken for The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1945 - 1975" where they are listed as "factory shipping weight". Thus, assume that the given weights are for base models with no fuel."

1970

Chrysler 300 Hurst    4352
Dodge Challenger R/T    3402
Dodge Challenger T/A    3402
Dodge Charger R/T    3638
Dodge Coronet R/T    3573
Dodge Coronet Super Bee    3390
Dodge Dart Swinger    3179
Plymouth AAR 'Cuda    3395
Plymouth 'Cuda    3395
Plymouth Duster    3110
Plymouth GTX    3515
Plymouth Road Runner    3450
Plymouth Sport Fury GT    3925
Plymouth Superbird    3785

[Charger_Croatia]

Here is '71

1971
Dodge Charger RT    3685
Dodge Challenger R/T    3495
Dodge Charger Super Bee    3640
Dodge Demon 340    3125
Plymouth 'Cuda    3475
Plymouth Duster 340    3140
Plymouth GTX    3675
Plymouth Road Runner    3640
Plymouth Sport Fury GT    4090

[Ghoste]

If the E-bodies are heavier, why did the Pro Stock guys prefer the E over the B?
The B-body is a larger car so logic has to play a role.  Tell your friend you'll get the two cars on a scale and weigh them.  His will be heavier.

[derailed]

wow  Duster weighing in at 3110. No wonder why you see alot of them at the track

[tecmopar]

If my memory serves me correctly my '68 Charger was about 225 lbs. Heavier than my '70 Challenger. Both had similar equipment, A/C, P.S., P.B.. If I can find it in my old notes, and I do mean OLD, I'll post it. Every time I went to the track I put my car on the scale. One time my '68 gained over 150 lbs in a week, " go ahead, have another hero samich you fat bast*rd".

[bull]

I don't get this either:

Dodge Challenger R/T    3402
Dodge Challenger T/A    3402
Dodge Charger R/T    3638
Dodge Coronet R/T    3573
Dodge Coronet Super Bee    3390

Why does a Super Bee weigh 183 lbs. less than a Coronet R/T and 12 lbs less than a Challenger?

[mopar_madman]

how does a R/T challenger and T/A weigh the same? I assume they weighed a 383 R/T(standard engine) you would think the big block weighs more? even if their close I doubt they would weigh the same. I have some books with old tests and on one they tested 70 cuda's 340 weighed 3625  440-6 weighed 3720 and hemi weighed 3880 Also had 71 road runners tested 383 3950 and 440-6 4050 , 73 charger 440 4090 another test had a 68 hemi charger at 4035. Also depends if the cars were weighed with a full tank of gas. I think Also the car companies back then may have  said the cars were heavier then they were same as they may have been underrated for horsepower to keep the insurance and safety groups at bay.

[Chris G.]

Why does a Super Bee weigh 183 lbs. less than a Coronet R/T and 12 lbs less than a Challenger?

My guess would be that the Super Bee they weighed was a 383, while the R/T was the standard 440. 

[BB1]

I don't believe any advertised weight Chrysler puts out. Go to a truck scale and you will see the real weight of a B body. My Charger with a 440 in it, was 3,924. 

When my Cuda is done I will do the same thing. I guarantee it wont weigh that much.

[Brock Samson]

my '69 R/T SE with out me or the a/c weighs 3,800 even... ?
i still gotta weigh the R.R.
content? trim? can a few strips of stainless weigh so much?..
i always assumed the BBs were on the order of 200-300 Lbs. heavier.

Quick! someone measure their long BB and a long SB?..   

[Chris G.]

I don't believe any advertised weight Chrysler puts out. Go to a truck scale and you will see the real weight of a B body. My Charger with a 440 in it, was 3,924. 

I don't know, but my car was 3880 on the scale, which is very close to the advertised weight that Chrysler gave. If I got rid of the larger tires and wheels, it would come real close to 3685.

[Brock Samson]

found this over at allpar...
this about the '71 B-body...
"The Road Runner's wheelbase went down from 116 to 115 inches."


equally of note was that the '71 went to the E-bod fire wall with it's simpler doors minus wing windows...
I suspect after examining mine, the rear window dutchman assembly was simplified as well...

also from ALLPAR
"Pete Hagenbuch wrote: I drove a 1972 Road Runner with the 340 for a year. For just driving pleasure that was my favorite muscle car. With anti-sway bars [aka roll bars] front and rear the car was as light on its feet as most sports cars. My commute was made a joyful dash in that car."
I can vouch for the 340 '71 B-bod being nimble mine seems really well balanced.

           

70 cuda's 340 weighed 3625

compare to..


1971
Dodge Charger RT    3685
Dodge Challenger R/T    3495
Dodge Charger Super Bee    3640
Dodge Demon 340    3125

Plymouth 'Cuda      3475

Plymouth Duster 340    3140
Plymouth GTX    3675
Plymouth Road Runner    3640
Plymouth Sport Fury GT    4090

           

[mridolfo]

how does a R/T challenger and T/A weigh the same? I assume they weighed a 383 R/T(standard engine) you would think the big block weighs more? even if their close I doubt they would weigh the same. I have some books with old tests and on one they tested 70 cuda's 340 weighed 3625  440-6 weighed 3720 and hemi weighed 3880 Also had 71 road runners tested 383 3950 and 440-6 4050 , 73 charger 440 4090 another test had a 68 hemi charger at 4035. Also depends if the cars were weighed with a full tank of gas. I think Also the car companies back then may have  said the cars were heavier then they were same as they may have been underrated for horsepower to keep the insurance and safety groups at bay.

Couldn't you get a Challenger RT with a 340 ?

[bull]

how does a R/T challenger and T/A weigh the same? I assume they weighed a 383 R/T(standard engine) you would think the big block weighs more? even if their close I doubt they would weigh the same. I have some books with old tests and on one they tested 70 cuda's 340 weighed 3625  440-6 weighed 3720 and hemi weighed 3880 Also had 71 road runners tested 383 3950 and 440-6 4050 , 73 charger 440 4090 another test had a 68 hemi charger at 4035. Also depends if the cars were weighed with a full tank of gas. I think Also the car companies back then may have  said the cars were heavier then they were same as they may have been underrated for horsepower to keep the insurance and safety groups at bay.

Couldn't you get a Challenger RT with a 340 ?

I don't think so, not in '70 anyway. Maybe '71-'74 but I'm not an E-body expert. I don't even know if they had R/Ts past '72?

[Brock Samson]

no the AARs and chally T/As got the 340 with the six-pack, in '70 1/2 but they did have fiberglass hoods... and somewhat less trim as a rule then the BB cars..
later i think '72 they got the lower compression 340s and later 360s.

from allpar again..
"The 'Cuda, with its 340 six-pack engine, seemed perfect for Trans Am racing, but the package didn't work as well as they had planned; traction remained an issue, and the AAR 'Cudas, acid-dipped and generally weight-reduced, didn't remain in production long. (A small number were sold to the public, but worksmanship seems to have been unusually poor."
acid dipped?.. poor workmanship?...
Well I'd take one anyway.. 

more from the allpar page..
"Finally, in the fall of 1969, the nearly identical 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger were introduced. Both were made in hardtop and convertible versions. The Plymouth version was two inches shorter in wheelbse than the Dodge."
So it should be lighter too,.  eh?.

[Brock Samson]

I've been pouring over these figures and the two inch longer Chally was 7 lbs heavier according to these figures...
so i guess there's  some wide pretty variences between the cars weights...                                                                
but also AARS and T/As come up the same weights as their BB heavy weights cousins ... and we know that ain't right..

[bull]

There's another issue: I understand that convertibles are usually heavier than their hard top counterparts.

[Brock Samson]

well i guess that would depend if the roof was lighter then the convert top hardware and extra bracing..

[bull]

It's the extra metal underneath to support the weight of the car and keep it from caving in, which is the job of the roof on hard top cars.

[RallyeMike]

You have to take any factory or published numbers with a grain of salt. They are likely averaged weights based on most likely option packages.

Options make a huge difference in car weight. When I switched a Charger to manual steerring I saved 60 lbs alone. Air conditioning is extremely heavy. Dana's and Hemi's weigh quite a a bit. A cast iron bellhousing weighs much more than aluminum. All of this stuff can add up big-time.

The reason that the Super Bee is listed as being light is that most of them were 383 cars without power options, 8-3/4's, etc., which of course was the whole idea - light, simple, fast, inexpensive.   

[Ghoste]

I'd say the bottom line is that your friend is wrong.  The B-body weighs more than the E-body (unless you are talking about extremes like a Barracuda with a slant six versus a Hemi Charger).

[tecmopar]

Ghoste got us back on track, the 2nd gen. chargers are heavier than the E-bodies. Still can't find my slips from the track but I know Chargers were heavier then my E cars.

[triple_green]

The Charger is a larger car and will weigh 200-300 pounds more that a comparable Cuda/Challenger.

Info I can gather on the web says my 71 Challenger Vert weighs 3150-3200 pounds with the 383. New convertibles may weigh more, but not in the late 60s and early 70s.

3X