Traction and reducing weight is a great starting point!

Tubbing a vehicle requires a new rear "sub-frame" with a shortened differential, and either ladder bars or a 4-link suspension, as well as cutting out all the floor pans from the back seat rearward and replacing it with new sheet-metal..... This is a bit of an extreme though, and depending on where you live, cops might not be too happy about it.

You can buy the sub-frame and floor pans from Jegs or S&W, and you'll spend around $2000 in parts, but the real challenge is all the welding and cutting thats required to install "tubs"... It looks super-cool, but it blows away any chance of being a "sleeper", and it really is overkill for a street car... I mentioned before to illustrate the traction point.

"Tubs" do look cool though....

They ride really bad too, and did I mention they were a LOT of work?


A better option would be to install ladder bars in your existing chassis (with frame connectors of course) and to take extend your current rear wheel wells (called a "mini-tub").
To understand what I mean, open your trunk and take a look at the wheel wells...... Notice where the frame is? There is approximately 2-3" between where the wheel well ends and where the frame is - You basically extend the wheel well up to the rear subframe.
This will allow a 12' wide wheel, which will give plenty of traction.

For the ladder bars, just buy a complete ladder bar kit and weld it onto your differential, which brings up the next point.

A 8.5" 10-bolt is pretty decent, it even has axles that are the same diameter as a 12-bolt (betcha' didnt know that huh), and Ive been told it can take upwards of 600hp.....BUT if I was going to go through all this work, I would rather spend the extra 400-500 initially and pick up a good Ford 9" or GM 12-bolt (if youre brand loyal) just for peace of mind and cheap insurance. I know for a fact that those diffs can take slicks and hard runs without failing, where as the 10-bolt Ive heard of taking power, but never seen.

As for weight;
- Converting from power steering to manual steering sheds about 50lbs or so.

- Stick the battery in the trunk for better weight transfer/traction

- The sound deadening crap under the carpet weighs around 20-25lbs

- Do you need the heater? the core/motor is approximately 20lbs.

- Aluminum light-weight wheels make a HUGE difference due to centrifugal force..... I remember in college physics I calculated that @ 60mph, every 1lb taken off the wheel is the same as taking approximately 8lbs off the body due to centrifugal multiplication of the weight. There was an issue of Car Craft where they ganed 2/10's in the 1/4 mile just by changing wheels!
Keep in mind stock wheels weigh well over 20lbs, and thanks to technology, we can get 15" wheels as light as 8lbs....Sweeeeet!

- Stock brakes are heavy as heck as well! Reducing weight here is easy with aluminum calipers and lighter rotors. As well as the with the wheels, youre reducing unsprung weight which noticably improves braking and handling.

- Aluminum heads/intakes/water pump help as well.

Another thing to think about is to remove "power robbing" accesories from your engine. Electric water pumps with electric fans are a good start, as are reduction pulleys....

Sorry for the lenght, I type pretty fast and can get carried away