What's Your favorite gasser??

Many favorite gassers are regional or personal. I'd like to add my favorites, growing up I hung around these guys shop and went to the track with them. What ever killed the gasser class is inmaterial now, I cherish those days and my friends some of them no longer around but the memories will last forever.

Pat

 

A few more

 

Does anyone remember a Red or Orange 55 Chevy D gasser called the Newhouse Special? I saw it run at Irwindale in the mid 60s...very cool screaming SBC.

OK!!! Just for grins I searched a bit more and here is a bit of info regarding my question above on the HAMB. The avatar on post #8, in the thread below, shows the Newhouse Special, go to:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=475196

Cool beans

 

Lots to choose from & hard to pick a favorite- so I'd have to go with Big John's Football Austin.
It was bad-ass until NHRA disallowed it.

 

I'm curious, why did they disallow it?

 

S,W,and C like many have said already but I am throwing in one of our local guys
Bob Chipper ................ R.I.P. Chipper 2011...........you insopired many of guys

 

<<<<<<<<<<< :d

 

Just a guess, but I'm gonna say the pushed the limit on streamlining on the chopped top. Windshield is WAY leaned back and the rear of the chop is pretty radical too.


And while I'm here, the Ramchargers High & Mighty never was and never will be a Gasser unless history revisionist have their say.
Larry T

 

Maybe I overlooked this somewhere in the thread but the gassers were before my time.
What were the rules for gassers? Another words what made a gasser different from other classes?
Is there any gasser classes on the east coast now?
I love these things that's why I ask!

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334715

There are several Gasser Associations now, but they are run differently than the old NHRA classes. You might look at East Coast Gasser Association.

You might want to look at Byron's Gasser Madness too.

http://gassermadness.com/

 

Pretty good guess Larry. It ran B/Altered after the ban but in my mind- will always be a gasser.

 

<<<< This one. The one I currently drive and have cheered for my whole life.

Catch it on the upcoming season of Pass Time on Speed in February 2012. Here is the view of the run from the fence. Make sure you have the sound on. See more video on my channel on youtube.

 

High and Mighty ran as an Altered.

 

Two. Ohio George's '33 Willys, K.S. Pittman's "41.

 

thanks for all these great pictures guys!!

 

i love the 55 man!

 

altered wheelbase

 

Wow.....uhmmmn...ok! I feel so ashamed now.

 

Like some of the others said, you can read all about the rules on www.Gassermadness.com but I'll give you a somewhat abbreviated version.

The name gasser is actually a nickname that comes from the class designation for the gas coupe and sedan classes. In the early days, it had to be an American mfg car, and was basically a hopped up street car. They had to have functioning headlights, an interior, and factory type suspension. There was also no modification of the stock wheelbase, no removing of fenders and hoods, and engine setback was limited to 10%. The classes were basically broken down into vehicle weight per cubic inch of engine disp. The lightest cars were A/G, then B/G, and so on. If it was supercharged, they added an "S" like A/GS or in some cases the double letter desgination like AA/G, BB/G, and later AA/GS and so on. So for instance an A/G car might have weighed 6lbs/ci. So if you wanted a light weight car, you didn't pick a full size Ford. You would go with something like a Willys. The smaller size, lighter weight, and 97-100" wheelbase, made these cars perfect for the gas classes in the early days. In 65, NHRA allowed the foreign cars like Anglias, Austins, etc... Minimum wheelbase was 90", and 94" for supercharged cars. Initially, NHRA only allowed the Anglias to run small blocks, but due to the popularity of cars like the Kohler Bros, Shores & Hess, etc... NHRA eventually gave in, and made them legal by 67. By 67, all fiberglass bodies were legal, and by 68, aftermarket frames were allowed. In fact, Big John's "football" Austin, wasn't NHRA legal for 67 (due to the radical streamlining and aftermarket frame), but was legal in 68, and won the AA/GS class at the 68 NHRA Winternationals. For various reasons, it wasn't long that NHRA started lumping all the "hot cars" into eliminator classes, and that was the beginning of the end for the gassers.

What's my favorite gasser? I don't know. I like too many of them.

 

This clears up alot for me. Thanks WR!

I just have one thing to add or question.

I was always told that a "Gasser" or "Gas" class car had to run Gasoline as part of the rules. No methanol... No nitro!

Is this true?

 

For legal sanctioned events, like AHRA & NHRA, gasoline was the only fuel allowed. However, on occasion, some of the supercharged gassers would run alcohol at match races. Match races were booked in races by a track owner or promoter, and a set of "rules" would be agreed upon for that race. Now days, many cars call themselves "gassers", but in fact run alcohol. The alcohol (methanol) is easier to tune without hurting parts, and lets the guys put on a better show for the crowd.

 

Teixeira vette

 

Willys rule & Larry T, Thanks for the help. I've always loved these cars but since they were before my time & no longer raced I never did much research on them.
Also, I've never really seen any around here where I run & live!
I've always loved the old Willy's, but have a place in my heart for the Henry J's since my dad had one at one time. I love them all actually, the bad to the bone!

 

Wow. I've seen the willys but never the vet. Very cool. Thanks for posting enloe

 

Here are some of the posted specs from the mid '60s for class designations:

 

Here are some of my favorites:

One of them is my buddy Skeeter's '55 chevy from back in the '60s

 

that is one of my favorites but then again i like them all

 

Erik Carlson still owns "Far Beyond Driven". But it's just sitting patently waiting while he plays with his Top Sportsman 62 Chevy and builds a 53 Stude with his dad.
Larry T

 

I love them all, but, my all time favorite was the dark blue SWC '41 Willys. That car inspired me to own a steel '41 Willys coupe in high school. The gas classes were truly very innovative in their day. I'm building a '39 Olds coupe gasser now. Can't wait.

 

There is a lot of Henry J's out there. Here is the "Okie Twister"