After tracing the shape of the front and rear glass onto the polycarbonate sheet, be sure to add a minimum of 1 inch around the entire perimeter of these windows. Since the factory glass is held in with a rubber gasket, the glass is actually smaller than the opening. By adding an inch around the edge, our polycarbonate window will be slightly larger than the opening in the car and can be sanded along the edges for a perfect fit. | 
Once fitted, we'll use No. ten countersunk screws to hold our front and rear windows in place. Keeping the protective paper on the polycarbonate during this step prevents damage to the new windows in case you get a little out of control with the drill. | 
To seal the new front and rear windows, and to prevent the thinner polycarbonate from being too recessed into the window frame, we line the frame with self-adhesive weatherstripping. This can also be purchased at your local auto parts or home-improvement store. |
To make room for our countersunk machine screws, the holes are again drilled using a countersink bit. We're using countersunk screws because they look better and are more aerodynamic. | 
Using a drill stop, like the one shown here, will help prevent damage to the polycarbonate when drilling attaching holes. | 
With the windows installed and all the fasteners in place, the protective paper layer can be removed, revealing our new polycarbonate windows underneath. |
Don't overlook the obvious when it comes to saving weight. By utilizing aluminum heads, water pump, and the water-pump housing, we shaved more than 50 pounds from the front of our already nose-heavy, big-block A-Body. | 
Lightweight wheels and tires can dramatically improve performance as they constitute reciprocating, as well as static, weight. While our budget for this build didn't allow for extremely light wheels, such as the ones shown here, we did score a deal on a set of steel Cragars with aluminum centers that are a little lighter than factory wheels. | 
All told, our weight-reduction program lightened our car by several hundred pounds. While you may not want to go to the extremes that we did to lose weight, every pound counts. Stay tuned to future issues to find out if our efforts resulted in achieving our goal of 10-second timeslips. |