Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. Unfortunately, I'll be stuck at home until Wedesday, next week when I have to get to the shop to take the trash out (both of my masters insist that happens:). I'll take photos of the suspension as best I can. The comments about the rear spring puzzle me. Both front & rear springs that came with the car had coils similar to those at the rear. I thought chrome springs would look better, so I ordered a set of fronts from Ray. They arrived with far fewer coils than the originals. When I got to the rear suspension, I went to order chrome springs for those as well, but was told they weren't offered in chrome. I contemplated switching the fronts back, but the realization that those aren't as visible as the rears, and being naturally lazy, I cleaned and painted the rears and left the chromed ones up front.
Chances are better than not, I'll have the originals powder coated and scrap the chromed ones.
If the original springs aren't stock, it'll be something the PO had done. When I get the opportunity, I'll calculate the spring rates (I remember doing that at some point, but those notes would be long gone).
As far as weight goes, the early pictures of the "completed" car I published here are without seats, headers, harness, front and rear decks, or carburetors, may be why the comparison picture I published is higher in the rear than it is now. The Else intake header, carburetors and new, but lighter exhaust header are back in.
However, a ton of dirt & grease (figurative), all of the (crud filled & heavy) steel pipes have been replaced with aluminum, as has the radiator. All the original lights and their mounts have been removed and replaced with lighter, smaller stuff, the firewall replaced and a major chunk of the body's fiberglass replaced with lighter, thinner, stronger material (but additional carbon fiber, radiator exhaust fiberglass and an additional laminated glass window have been added back in). The original wiring harness has also been switched out, but I doubt the the new one is much lighter. What is lighter are the aluminum fuel tanks. I had coated the original steel ones to slow down corrosion and that alone seemed to double their weight.
I never would have thought I'd taken that much weight out of the car, but maybe I have. If I can scare up 4 scales, I'll weigh it. I'm still tending toward cutting, as I'd like the perches to be somewhat centered of the shock's threads. But that's down the road. My fiberglass guru is forming the new fenders and those are adding a lot of weight. If they drop the body appreciably, I'll have him not make molds or cut the body away, but leave the additional material in place. Not necessarily good practice and the opposite of Chapman's philosophy, but a possible solution I guess.
I should be frustrated, I suppose. But I'm having such a joyful time working on this thing, it's only a part of the fun. Is my wife correct? Is there something wrong with me?
