Well, using AMA specs to determine vehicle weights is like using the manufacturers advertised hp figures ro compare Car(A) to Car(B). The manufacturers fudged the weights just as they did the hp figures to suit their needs.
The reason they show the 69 Trans Am being 250 lbs heavier is actually quite simple.
The 69 Firebird 400 weighed 3455 lbs. Top engine was the RAIV. In keeping with the GM corporate policy of 10lbs/1hp, they grossly underrated the RAIV at 345 hp.
The 69 Trans Am was supposed to receive the new RAV engine (as an option), which would have been rated at 370 hp in the Firebird, so Pontiac pushed the Trans Am weight up to 3700 lbs. to stay within corporate policy of 10lbs/1hp. The Trans Am never saw the RAV, the AMA specs remained.
There's absolutely no way a base 69 Trans Am could weigh 250 lbs more than a base Firebird 400. The 31 lbs. I listed earlier for p/s, p/s box, and rear wing are all that are different. If we REALLY want to nit-pick....
- The Trans Am side air extractors may add 1 lb - The Trans Am front spoiler (rubberized plastic) may add 1 lb - The Trans Am's thicker front sway bar may add 1 lb over the standard Firebird 400's.
Banshee, look at the 69 AMA specs, see how much MAJOR items add to the weight of a 69 Bird. Add in a/c, p/s, Turbo 400 trans, and maybe power windows (which most would consider "fully loaded"), and I'd bet it doesn't even equate to 200 lbs!
Now, for argument's sake, 69 Trans Am's DID come standard with posi-traction, which DOES add approximately 30 lbs, so at the very most, I could see a 61 lb. difference in the Trans Am. But try racing a Firebird 400HO or 400 Ram Air without posi, and I'll take the extra 30 lbs.
