WEIGHING MY BUICK ?

Ok, a few months ago I took my modified 41 Limited to the local Pilot truck stop to get it weighed. The total car, WITHOUT me in it weighed 4120 lbs.

I took it back today as I wanted to get JUST the front weighed. They have 'CAT' scales. It is elevated, and has approx. 5-6 concrete pads, with long steel plates running across the width, and in between the concrete pads.

I pulled the car up on the elevated scales, and was told to NOT have the front wheels and the rear wheels on the same pad, which I adhered to. I did have the front wheels resting on the steel plates thinking they were the scales.

Over the intercom she said, OK, come on in and get the number.

I was shocked to see on the printout that the front axle weighed just 1240 lbs. and that the printout said the entire car weighs 4080 lbs. I believe the 4080 number, but QUESTION the 1240 number. My car has a 1996 Vette LT-1 engine and as best I can determine the engine alone weighs approx. 600 lbs. without the tranny.

It's hard for me to believe the front clip, cross member,auto trans, and all the suspension parts, along with wheels and tires, plus the battery, bumper weighs just 640 lbs.

I am wondering if I made an error in placing my front wheels on the steel plates, maybe I should have had the front wheels on one concrete pad, and the rear on another pad?

Any comments are most welcome.

I am going back up there, approx. 20 miles tomorrow, but thought someone here could/would shed some light on this.

Thanks,

Dale in Indy

P.S. I am switching from factory single leaf manufactured front spring, to coil overs. So I need front weight to get proper spring rate.

Yes, each axle on a concrete section.

Leaf spring front suspension?? Did I read that right?

Ben

I thought she told me wrong when she said front axle on steel plates. To me the steel plates are just a bridge between the pads.

Yes, LEAF spring. All Vette's from factory use manufactured leaf.

Dale in Indy

I think I would drive on first, get the readings, and then back on and get another set of readings. That should make it really confusing.

Bernie

I was told this morning by a trucker,,,,,,,, put the front wheels on ONE concrete pad, and make certain the rears are on a DIFFERENT concrete pad.

I am heading that way NOW.....

I will advise, SOON.

Dale in Indy

My truck scales are the metal plates, frames under them that rest on load cells.

May be the scales there are different.

Like these- one platform for whole truck, sounds like the ones you are headed to can weigh one axle at a time?

Just in line with the interest in weighing, here is a portable scale police agencies use for spot checks of bigger stuff:

Of course, big is relative. Buick Limited are big. Boilers are bigger:

And 120+ wheels on the road got some attention.

Bernie

Ok, the scales I used are 'CAT' scales. Just like the ones pictured in post # 7.

I talked to a trucker at the scales, he said, PUT FRONT WHEELS ON THE FRONT OR LAST CONCRETE PAD, and REAR WHEELS ON A DIFFERENT CONCRETE PAD.

I did that and my weight changed from 1240 lbs., to 1900 lbs.

This I can believe.

I needed this weight so as to provide it to a COIL OVER supplier who in turn is going to recommend a spring rate.

Thanks you ALL,

Dale in Indy

Good job, we ( my dad and I ) always took advantage of having scales. First question he asks of any new vehicle is "how much does it weigh?" First stop on the way home is our mill truck scale.

Silverado trucks went to coil overs in 2007 or 2008. You might want to take a close look for parts to scavenge.

Bernie

According to Buick spec's my Limited weighed 4575 when new. This means that I took over 500 lbs out of my car when I modified it.

Things like, ( straight engine, tranny, front cross member, shocks, A-arms, springs, steering gear box, column, copper radiator, NOW HAVE ALUMINUM, inter-fender panels, NOW ALUMINUM, front plash pan, NOW ALUMINUM, and heavy brake drums.

Moving towards the rear, I removed the heavy drive shaft, complete rear wheel drive assembly, and replaced the gas tank with a poly unit.

All the front and rear suspension parts are now aluminum Vette stuff .

I have a trick Trans-Am aluminum piece mounted to the rear end, that allows me to move two pins, OUT or IN thus changing the spring rate, so the rear ride is under control. It's the front that is riding on a leaf spring designed to hold a car that in the front weighs approx. 400 lbs less that is the issue. Not being an engineer, it is my opinion that the spring now in the car is in what I call the LOADED TO MAX part of the spring, the STIFF part, IMO.

I am guessing the original spring was designed so that the first 1-2" of movement is the SOFTEST and from that movement on, it gets STIFFER. AGAIN IMO.

Dale in Indy

This is my Limited today, well, I recently added the original bumpers and made aluminum bumper gravel/splash pans.

Note, headliner is my design, I wanted to salute the Buick famous SWEEP SPEAR. The car has 40 yards of Ultra-Leather as the interior. The dash panel has too been changed, I made a carbon fiber panel to hold the gauges.

Dale in Indy

I like that. Knowing and keeping the original flavor makes a difference. I like the hood ornament and retaining the windshield chrome. A lot wouldn't have done that.

Earlier I mentioned Silverado suspension (I think I see a Chevy truck part in your pic). My work truck is a 2005 Silverado that has unequal length control arms. I tried out a newer one and the coil overs are not an improvement. They are hard when you know what good is.

Ford shops like Posie's have a lot of experience with poly transverse springs. They might be a good source to soften up that Vette ride. Also push the positive camber to it's limits. I have cured some real tar strip bangers doing that.

Bernie

I have limited KNOWLEDGE on suspensions, my car has a HUGE sway bar, could that be affecting RIDE?

Now that I know the front weight, I am going to really dig into what is causing such a JAR/JOLTING ride. I am going to make certain the shocks aren't bottoming out too.

Vette Brakes in St. Pete, Fl. was recommended to me, as they too have done a lot of work with the Vette spring, they offer different spring rates too. Going along with your comment on the newer trucks with coil overs don't ride as good, I met a chassis maker at the Tampa Vette show in Jan., and he too said STAY AWAY FROM COIL OVERS, he said talk to Vette Brakes.

So tomorrow I will pull the front right wheel off, drop the suspension back on a support, and check out some things. It's almost like the suspension is hitting something SOLID. I don't think so, but will look for indications of such.

Thanks for the input, COMMENTS are ALWAYS welcome,

Dale in Indy

Like these- one platform for whole truck, sounds like the ones you are headed to can weigh one axle at a time?

Ted, there are at least three platforms on that scale. It gives a weight for the steering axle, the drive axles and the trailer axles and then a total.

Ben

Ted, there are at least three platforms on that scale. It gives a weight for the steering axle, the drive axles and the trailer axles and then a total.

Ben

Ah, that makes sense for OTR purposes. For commerce and in our case we need more accuracy so we weigh the entire truck empty then full or vice versa. Plus we are cheap and only want to pay for 1 platform

"It's almost like the suspension is hitting something SOLID". That's the camber issue I have run into. When guys order the station wagon springs or heavy duty front springs it is fairly common. A lot of times you can actually see the front wheels tilt in at the top.

The most common comment is "oh, they are new and will come down". They won't, but it usually makes the customer go away.

One of the worst was a '69 Cadillac that would bang and shake the whole wide hood at the slightest imperfection of the road surface. New springs had been installed by the previous owner. The shop mournfully told me there was nothing they could do. Those cars had camber adjustment in the spindle with a rotating hex nut. I brought the car home and loosened the lock nut they hadn't touched and turned it, test drove, turned it, tested, and found the sweet spot. And it was a sweet spot for sure. The car road like a dream.

I see the late Corvettes us an adjustable cam disk for camber. Screw the "experts". Crank them out all the way and then bring them back to your own "sweet spot".

Bernie