GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

My trimmer copied the patterns and did diamonds instead but you can buy them from dune buggy places

 

Hi Langy

Did you ever see any pics of the ' C & W Motor Parts ' Greer & Barber white Willys, yours looks a lot like that car

It was a good runner out here in so-cal in the mid 60's

G Don

 

Yes Don a nice looking car, people often mistake my car for white but its actually grey

 

In the full size pic I see where it is a lt grey

You hit the 60's look real well !!!

 

Grey, white, grey, white... look past the outside... see the inner beauty...oops...sorry there was my inner hippy coming out. Love this car Langy... I have picked up so many build ideas from it.

 

Thanks Saxon, I finally have it all running good now, had a few set backs but thats hotrodding, all forgot now

 

Set backs AARRGGHH !! Had a great running single carb sbc that said nothing about "Gasser"... swapped it for bigger cubes, a blower, dual carbs and everything that screams Gasser !! and I've had nothing but problems since. But the journey has been worth it. Especially when I get it right... the Scout is going to be a haul'n harvester

 

I agree Don. One of my favorite Willys on the HAMB. He did a great build thread on this car too.

 

Thanks Baron, Thats very kind of you to say, I set out to get a 60's look but with my own stamp on it if you get what I mean ?
Its funny but since I finished this car thick black lines have started appearing in the road outside

 

The first time I fired up my 37' I made a pass on my street a 4 lane road that had just been paved

Needless to say with 700 lbs in the rear, boy did she come up and started to drift and it did not steer too good either

For several months there were two M & H 10" wide strips in the pavement that had a slight bend to them too

I was used to a 13 second 57' chev and the 37' was 2 seconds quicker, and it got my attention real quick when letting the clutch out that first time

Those were great days in my life

G Don

 

Great story------RACER Don! Gary

 

These are great days just remembering days like that !

 

Well I guess I better finish the burn out story

I had the front end off to see if I had any leaks etc, so I could not tell how high the front end came up plus the first time driving the thing

Well a block and a half down there is a signal and this guy is waiting to make a left turn to come towards me, he hears & sees me coming at him with all this crazy stuff going on and stops his turn

Lo and behold the guy behind him runs into the back of his car as they are both watching me going like a bat out of hell at them

About then i'am thinking I got get this thing stopped enough to make the 90 degree turn, well with that 700 lbs in the back and a locked rear end she in not wanting too turn at all

As I go around the turn I look over and these two guys have the mouths open, probley thinking who and the hell is this NUT making a bad day for them both

I'am going way too fast around this turn skidding the front tires and trying to keep the engine running too, so I got it in low and blasted down that street and made a better turn this time

Clicked her off shaking like a leaf and my buddy Tom Larkin [ B/Gasser & Top Gas & Fuel Pilot ] who was riding shotgun says 11 seconds tomorrow no problem

Well Tom was right on the money as I made a easy first run in the mid 12's all the next ones were in the 11's , the best was 11.85 on a 11.84 record and took home the trophy too

What a deal those first two days were running that neat gasser, just like it happened yesterday

Just ain't nothing like being a ' Gear Head ' ah ya Priceless !!!!!!!!!!!!

G Don

 

In my opinion every car that came out of the S&S racing stable was badass.
They all seemed to win where ever they raced back in those day's.
Jimbo

 

Wow Don that story will be hard to beat! I had a 57 chevy that had a real hot 327 and a 4speed .It was setup with drag shocks and a spool rear axle. I got a ticket for pulling wheel stands and now I wish I would have saved it! That car you went along about 15mph and got on and off the throttle and it would pull the front wheels and lay about 4 foot of rubber every time you did it. The cop was not even a little amused! Gary

 

Hi Gary

Yaa some of those Cops get down right nasty over us guys having a little fun

Lighten up right!!!!!

 

Don, I love the stories. Having people on here who actually ran in the gasser classes and built the cars is a wealth of knowledge.
Eric

 

Thanks, Eric

Back then it was pretty much ' run what ya brung ' and made it more fun with out all the rules of today

Plus all the side stuff I tell about, what a blast it was

Bending nails for a living - running the gasser and chasing skirts, just don't get no better than that ' Priceless ' !!!!!!!!!

G Don

 

What ignition systems did people run? Magnetos?

 

Hi Dave

Almost every gasser had Hilborns & a Vertex Mag. that was just the standard set up for a good runner

Plus really trouble free if set up right by the right shop the people who made or sold them, like Hilborn & Joe Hunt Magneto service in L.A.

Hit that starter and the on switch and she would fire every time ' Priceless '

G Don

 

Don, you are an inspiration! I hope my imitation is respectable.

I was thinking magneto although todays are imitations as far as I know.

 

Magnetos are still available today. Have a new ( now over 10 yrs old ) Vertex in my 55 Chevy and once set up properly, has been absolutely perfect. If you plan on running the car on the street, get one that has a mechanical advance. Locked ones may be good for racing, but not great on the street.

 

Dave pick up yourself a vintage Vertex on fleebay, and I know two guys that will make her like new

Don Zig in L.A. and Tom Cirillo in Nor-cal

 

What has happened to all the gasser dudes that used to post on here, need to keep this neat thread alive

G Don

 

Hi Don, I agree this thread needs to keep alive! The weather is finally turning here so I can get the cars all maintained and restart on all the projects. The pontiwillys is still in the pole shed from winter storage but I hope to have it moving under it's own power late this summer. Here is a picture of the chassis that I don't think I ever postedGary

 

Ok that picture raises a general question: Were most ladder bars made of square tubing, round tubing, or both back in the day?

 

Here is a Willys at a local show last weekend..............
Notice these ladders are round tubing.
I didn't meet the guy to ask whether this car was a survivor. Hope to see it again and learn more.

 

I have seen them both ways, what was available to each builder on a budget. Gary

 

Well as they said the weather is turning good and I have been working on mind almost everyday if it isn't patching rush then it getting the new floor ready to install along with building new toe plates and tying the new firewall into the rest of the floor where it will meet the flat floor, also recessing the firewall for the disturbutor to fit. The chassis is all ruffed in just need to come up with the money to sandblast so I can do all of the inside welds before I weld in the boxing plates. It seams like the work is never ending but that what is the fun part when you engineer it, then fab the pieces and before you now it you moving on to something else. So maybe that's it everyone is so involved with the work they are doing they just aren't stopping by and posting. I know I said I was going to post a build thread, but just haven't taking the time to do it so I am going to have to get off my duff and do it so everyone has something new to check out. Well back to the shop and keep up the Great work that we all enjoy doing.

 

If we all don't share in the task, we all don't get to see what the other guys are building

That's what makes these thing fly, G Don