lose the A/C and all of its components..

now THAT is a weight savings..

 

well you could always try it and let us know how it goes, if you leave some space between them and dont make them too big, maby stager them one higher, the next lower (but still not to close to tle flange of the frame)it may not affect much, get another frame try it,if it dosent workyou justget to spend therest of the rear rebuilding it...

 

yea the holes are supposed to be for weight reduction, the factory holes are good enough in the trucks,and are also for impact zones in the event of any collision to allow specific weak points to crush and keep the passengers safe. adding holes increases the risk of further injury and your frame from breaking from flexing if you plan on towing or off roading.

 

It depends on how much Troque your pushing. I had a Mustang that I twisted the from on without putting holes in it. Anytime you thin out or cut areas of the frame you are more likely to do damage to it. Add a bunch of torque and a sudden stomp of the gas peddal and you might just be walking a dog from that point forward. (Walking the dog = bent frame).

Joe

 

I have run the 'finite element analysis' programs that automakers use today to design frame rails...and I would not drill holes in the Ram frame.

i have lightened industrial equipment like the big drive pulleys on Birtley Centrifuges
by precision machining holes in them.

Here is a cut from the FAQ on weight reduction:
====
Weight reduction is supposed to improve City MPG where acceleration dominates.
The rule of thumb is
" A 10% reduction in weight yields a 6% improvement in City MPG."

So 540 lbs off a 5400 lb Ram might increase 14 MPG to 14.8 mpg.
At a steady 70 mph however, a 10% increase or decrease in weight only affects
MPG by about 3%.

The US Army has been giving some of your tax dollars to Ford as a Research
grant to try out ways to cut the weight of a pickup truck by 25% so that more
vehicles can be airlifted and dropped into combat zones with the 82nd or the
101st.

Aluminum wheels save 40 lbs total. New Aluminum Magnum heads save 46 lbs.
Aluminum diff and rear axles saves 150 lbs. Fiberglass leaf springs save 75
lbs or monoleaf steel springs save 40 lbs. Do Google searches for 'monoleaf
spring' or 'fiberglass spring' to find suppliers who can make such springs for
Ram pickups.

http://flex-a-form.com/

This company makes a 'QuadraLink' rear suspension that does away with leaf
springs on muscle cars and could be adapted to a pickup:

http://detroitspeed.com/QUADRALink10.html

There is at least one supplier of fiberglass fenders for Rams:

http://www.hannemannfiberglass.com/Dodge_Ram.html

Do you really need that rear bumper - are damaged bumpers less expensive to
replace than damaged sheet metal?

Optima batteries are usually 10-20 lbs lighter than conventional.
Reactor brand batteries are even lighter.

 

thats kind of what im thinking, jsut getting anothe frame.

 

that or make friends with somonw who is an engineer, then have them figure out exactley what if any holes you could cut and where

another thing i thought of, isent the frame the same for a 1500 and a 3500 (i know the cummins and 3500 DRW are a bit diffrent) but if the frame on yours is the same as a 3500 and your not hualling anything surley you could atleast in the rear