Quote:
Originally Posted by bhazard
Minivans are car-based, so its a unibody.
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This is true -- except for the Chevy/GMC Astro/Safari, which is body-on-frame. GM was really late to car-based minivan arena.
Running a 6 on 4 (or best 3, in your case) isn't practical because the O2 sensor will compensate by dumping more fuel into the working cylinders. Tried it myself -- it didn't work.
Rule of thumb: Aero efforts outweigh weight reduction. Take a look at the aero forum for details.
I'm not sure you could replace parts with aluminum cheaply (or carbon fiber). It actually would be cheaper to do an engine swap. They made a 2.4L for the Chrysler vans. If you could mate it to a stick shift, even better. 1000 lbs is a tall order. I might first start with driving technique and gradually work into aero and underhood stuff.
My 2-pence
RH77