GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Look for some pics of Malcolm Durhams match race corvair. I have an old magazine with it in it that I will post when I get a chance.

 

its funny lookin i fuckin love it.

 

The only thing wrong with the build it like you want attitude is that the history gets blurred as to what was and is a gasser. Just call them a 60's inspired drag car or drag rod and no one will question you.

I originally was going to build a by the 1966 NHRA rules gasser out of my 31 Chevy, but the engine wouldn't fit in at 10% because of the axle and radiator being over each other and the big block was too big so the waterpump hit the radiator, so instead I went 20% and just moved the seats and firewall way back so technically it would have had to run as an altered. beacuse it doesnt follow the rules and the nostagic drag races run me in the gas classs it wont get a class designation painted on it. it's just a drag rod. If more guys did this the gasser police would have nothing to say.

 

Just saw a car going down the street yesterday (they have a big annual car show up here today). I immediately thought 'GASSER!"

It had a high stance all the way around, more so in the front.

Looked like it probably had fenderwell headers. Easy to see, actually... there was no grille or front bumper.

And no hood, either.

Loud.

Looked like a GM car from somewhere between '49-53 or so.

I'm thinking '50 Chevy??

Some of the other details are a bit blurry today... so maybe I'm not getting the rest right. It was driving down the street.

I want to say it might have had wheels like an Cragar mag? Not sure.
I also want to say that it had flat paint, somewhere between a medium gray to a dark gray?? Probably had a straight front axle???? Fuzzy in my head now, I only caught a quick glimpse. Maybe my brain is filling in details the way I'd imagine the car if it were mine, LOL

But the glimpse I got was enough. The car just said "gasser" all over it. Whether or not the entire car was period correct, or 'right", or whatever, could probably be debated forever. But the car definitely said "gasser".

On a side note, I think Chevy and Olds coupes of these years make really cool gassers (or gasser-style cars) when built in a similar fashion. Heck, for that matter, a whole lot of cars would, too. Even early '60's compact cars like Novas, Falcons, Comets, Tempests, or even the dare-to-be-different '61-3 Buick Specials, Olds Cutlass/F85's. A whole heck of a lot of cars can be gasser-inspired, even if they weren't actually being raced as gassers back in the day.
Use your imagination, have fun. The guy that went down the street in the car I saw was probably having the time of his life.

 

What was a common battery to use in the trunk? I have heard truck but what size?

 

Here's some corvair ideas. They are funny cars though. I've never seen any modified this way before 1966.
This is Tom Sturms second funny car he had a chevelle before this.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19&20 2014

 

Here's Malcolm Durham's second funny car too. He and Tom Sturm were loyal to chevy even through the antitrust deal.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19&20 2014

 

Here are a couple more corvairs...


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I have seen them in a few old magazines,and they were huge.The ones I am thinking of are roughly 18"wide by 24" long by about 10-12" deep.....some pretty sweet functional ballast right there.


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Hi CG

I needed 700 lbs to make class so I used a Buss battery along with a bunch of lead, all bolted to a 3/8" steel plate in the trunk welded in between the frame rails

Not sure of the size as I was told at the time they just had one size, it was about 10" by 16"- !8" long and over 100 lbs

Boy it sure did start good no matter if it was hot - cold - plenty of runs in a row that battery would wing it over, good for having Hilborn's and a mag

G Don

 

Thanks. Thinking by the size description that would be a 4D or 8D.

 

We need more 'Street Altered's' !

 

Hi CG

I don't remember any numbers just that baby was plenty heavy !!!!!!!!

 

Wow... would never have thought of a Corvair being done up that way. Those old pics make it look good, albeit bit more funny car than gasser.

My personal choices for a really cool car turned gasser would fall along the lines of something less frequently seen... like a '49-50 Olds coupe, or a '54 Anglia, or something like that. But I totally, totally dig a '64 Falcon done more gasser style than A/FX.

 

There is a 49 Olds up here that is just awesome looking. I believe it has lifted stock front suspension. But it has a cut out hood with lexan to see the engine. Not sure but I heard the hood was a dealer item for displaying the new rocket V8. I will try to see if I can find some pictures of it.

 

Interior pics would show a lot when it comes to roll bars. Of course how fast determines how much cage. Interior pics are the hardest to find.

 

It depends if you're just going to run it as a hot street car,or if it will end up making passes at the track.I'm putting a full cage in mine,as I've always wanted a car with a cage since I was a kid,but for most street/strip cars a 6-point roll bar will be more than enough to have some fun and pass tech at the ET an typical street car will run.....then again,I still haven't met anyone on the HAMB with a "typical" anything..!lol!


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Here's a corvair a buddy of mine was doing a couple years back

 

Holy hell Swade!
That thing looks mean enough to eat babies!!!!!


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How did the rules about relocating the engine and such affect Corvairs?

I guess the transmissions/transaxles weren't available that would have let a Corvair be competitive with the engine set back 10% from stock? Lol


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we were all thinking that! ^^^^^^^^

 

I wasn't around then but I'm not the reinventing history kind, more like re-living it. But I don't think Corvairs were really ever run in a gas class as most would be an Altered or Funny Car if front motored and a stock location hot Corvair more than likely would have been a Modified Sports/Production class car(a not often thrown around class anymore). If by chance one did run Gas it would've been what a F/G or E/G car? not sure of weight breaks on gas class stuff like I am altered.

 

Yep you are right 50LX

And maybe a one off blown fuel match race car

Norm Coudrey had a blown fuel SBC in a lime green Healy and he would make a couple of runs at Fernando then get 25 bucks to pay for the nitro

Quite a few cars like that in the mid 60's

G Don

 

Corvairs could run as a gas class car if it used the original engine in the original location. It's all in the posted rules link.

 

Early style line lock. Manual lever type used by hand and via a rod that would hold brake pedal down.

 

Too funny. You do realize the reason it was a "match" race car was that it couldn't make the "Gas" class don't you?

 

If you read my post I say funny car not gasser. He asked about corvairs and I showed him another build style.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19&20 2014

 

See.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19&20 2014

 

I'm sorry. I stupidly was reading the title of the damned thread!!!

 

Johnny Gee

My buddy just used a 2by4 2 ft long and dropped it on the floor after letting out the clutch, I wanted a set up a little more sano than that

I had a lever next to the shifter that was hooked to the factory emergency brake cable, then just pull up on the lever and that was my 64' style line loc and worked great

After awhile the rear brake drums had the 5 holes get a bit longer from the axle studs, new drums were cheap back then

G Don