GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Legal A/FX cars lured by match race money threw the rule books away and started altering the wheelbase and everything else in 1965. They usually were classified as S/FX (Super Factory Experimental). I think just about anything was legal in that class if the car was a late model with two doors and a roof. Sometimes they are referred to as "early funny cars". Whatever you call them, they sure were a treat to watch!

--- Steve ---

 

It's good to learn that some of the "Gasser" groups around the country are welcoming participation by the slower guys. It can only help build the interest in nostalgia racing.

Sounds like the Gear Jams at Commerce next month are going to be using the same format. I plan to check it out if nothing else for the cruise Fri. night before the race on Sat.

I have been to the HHRR at Bowling Green, kind of over whelming, but what an event. And sure looks like the folks putting on the Melt Down Drags have the right formula. Steel In Motion is going to become bigger and better each year, I think it's right in your back yard Quain?

I'm thinking I need to make the trip to Greer in Nov. to check out the show!

As far as things to include on a "Gasser" build, I would say everyone should put a few pulls on theirs before they can call it a "race car" .

 

I loved all the gassers from back in the day, from the roaring big blocks down to the little high winding small blocks. It would be cool to see a "Junior type Gas class" if there are enough cars to make it viable. Maybe something along the lines of some easily enforceable weight and cubic inch rule (10-11 lbs/cu.in.?) They could run against each other, then have a set handicap with the faster gassers, or something like that.

--- Steve ---

 

Dont worry 'bout that! Every 8cylinder vehicle I get goes to the track but never on a trailer.

 

All the races that you mentioned are good shows but most don't have any rules that try to keep the gassers period correct. The melt down drags being the best of the bunch. I went to the melt down this year because they had the most rules and it was a great show. Bowling Green draws a lot of good period correct cars but they will let anything in as long as it has an old body same as most of them do so the super gas cars out number the old school cars. My pro mod car has a 1963 body and it would be legal in most of the nostalgia races.

 

Even our deals, there are different takes on the AA/GS stuff. Yes rules, but going around the rules you have guys with 4 links and FC cages with cars that fly and then there are cars that are tying to be period correct which are a little slower but the show is much better and that's what the deal is. Build what you like as thats the most important.

 

Gassers should have the wheels in the air ! This one ran a "Bings Speed Shop" flathead in the early 60's, now SBC powered, took this shot this morning.

 

Does anyone who was there back then remember if any Hudsons ran in G or H Gas with the original Sixes? I've heard from old heads that Hudson Sixes had quite a bit of yank in their day.

 

I wasn't there, but there was an Anglia powered by a Hudson flat 6.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

Interesting rules Quain. I applaud you guys for trying to keep the period Gasser thing correct and alive. Unfortunately my car would't be legal for your stuff even though it was built and raced in the late 60's and into the mid 70's as a Legal record holding B/Gas car.

But it has coil overs at all 4 corners - always has and they are the original Koni's. it also has 12" wide Cragar's on the rear (we won't even talk about the rear tires, but they could be easily changed). There are rear tubs and a "slightly" narrowed Dana 60, both also having been in there for over 45 years. It has also always had ladder bars with an upper Wishbone locator. Also not sure we would meet the 11" rocker rule, but this car always sat this way.

It would still be fun to run with you guys if I could find my way back there.

 

Hotroddon we have ran into this problem in the past with old original gassers. Go back and read the coil over rule it says must be approved by the group but don't use them on a new build. What we would do is grandfather in the old ones that are already there. You would have to change the tires and wheels. the reason we have a 10" wide wheel rule is because the 11.5 tire don't look old school on a wider rim it will look stupid like the 10.5 class cars are running with the side wall pulled way out. Where it says no narrowed rear ends what we are trying to say there is we don't want to see the rear tires way under the quarter panels like a modern pro street car but narrowed to fit a little cars like yours is ok. The rules are being redone for next year now because we are new and learning everyday. One thing that is going to be changed is the short wheel base cars like 92" and shorter will only have to be 10" at the rocker. I know that there were a lot of gasser that set low in the later 60s but we don't want that with our deal. everybody keep in mind that we are not doing this for profit so we don't let cars in that don't fit the rules just to get an entry fee like most other gasser deals do. Feel free to call me anytime it's easier to talk than type 828 863 1201.

 

Good response Quain. Like I said it is nice that you are doing this. And it is your sand box so you can write the rules to suit your guys vision for sure, and I agree with where you are headed. BUT if it were me I would put really heavy consideration into grandfathering ANY legitimate original car even if it doesn't meet all your criteria as it is preserving history and it's better to see these cars run than sitting in a collection somewhere.
Just a thought ......

 

It's a tougher job than I would every have imagined, it's like one of my friends said it's like trying to hit a moving target because things were changing so fast in the early to late 60s. For example the coil over rule that came in the mid 60s if we don't do something every car we have will have them. We are trying to keep the cars handling bad so they don't look like slot cars like modern day cars do. I have some friends out your way and we have talked about meeting in the middle for an east west gasser race someday so stay in touch.

 

Too Cool!
Thanks for sharing that!

 

It was around in the 60's too.

 

Wow so you wouldn't want a real race car built in the 60s with a real B&M Hydro?

 

That last line says it all, If the fans don't like us the tracks won't book us. The year before last there was no trans rule the automatic cars were kicking our buts because they made perfect runs like slot cars. Since we have a no 2 step rule they were also killing us on the tree. They just come up on the converter and go the higher powered 4 speed cars have to leave right on the money or they won't go so trying to get the RPMs right makes it hard to cut a light. Anyway all the 4 speed guys were going to put automatics in over the winter so they could be more competitive then it would be an all automatic class and die a slow death. So we had to make a rule so that wouldn't happen. We don't want the same thing to happen to this that happened to the real gassers in the 70s it got boring to the fans. All of the other gasser deals out there will let the automatics in one of them that come to mind won't let you have a clutch. Believe me this is the hardest thing we have ever tried to do and keep every body happy but so far the fans and tracks love it.

 

Yep and most "gassers" were some guy's daily driver that had an engine swap that got raced on the weekend and driven to work on Monday.

You pulled into the tech line at the drags with a car that had the engine changed in it an you got stuck in Gas class if it was a full bodied full fendered car. The class you got stuck in was determined by the engine displacement and the weight of the car. No nonsense or "gasser look" back in the 50's. At that time My stepfather had a 52 Ford Victoria with a 56 Thunderbird Special under the hood that ran pretty good. Good enough to hold the C gas record at Ellensberg Wa in 1957. No jacked up look and no spindle mounts just and engine swap on a daily driver.

 

Quain, I may have asked this before, so sorry in advance, if someone submitted a car fitting within your guidlines, (especially an original build from back in the day, would you alllow a clutchflight / clutchturbo?

 

When did they start using electric radiator fans? Maybe it's just in my head , but they really distract from the nostalgia look to me. Am I wrong?

 

You are definitely right.

 

I have one on our 56 for driving on the street, bit I have to admit, it looks out of place, ( I do have original deep groove pulleys though, any credit for that? Someone once told me that the electric motor in the Moroso water pump drive kits, originally came from 57 Ford heater motor.?

 

You are exactly right my car has one and I'm ashamed to raise the hood. I'm going to try and figure out something different this winter. I also have an electric water pump mounted on the chassis because I have an old school cam driven fuel pump but believe it or not they had the frame mounted pump. Glad to know someone is as picky as I am.

 

You're right Rick we have talked about it before I didn't give you a straight answer then and I still can't now. We are in the middle of making the rules for next year now and that has been one of the roadblocks. We are thinking about changing the name of the group to gearjammer something and totally leaving out the Gasser name. We think that would stop the they did or didn't have it in the 60s drama and people would know by the name it has to be a manually operated straight drive. I told someone on here earlier about you and I talking about an east - west gasser race we need to get started working on it.

 

amen to that brother!

 

---------------
There was no such class S/FX or
any other actual "class" for "match
racers". Match racers were just that
- "run what you brung and hope you
brung enough" outlaw cars that didn't
fit into any specific" class" and were
built built and modified strictly to
run for money - usually in highly
promoted and advertised, often
'bought in' shows, calculated to bring
paying crowds out to a drag strip to
watch ti run against one or more
other other also non-class specific
"outlaw" cars. A typical, match racer
- if one could be somehow classified
as being "typical" at at all - might be
something like an otherwise legal
"gasser', except maybe running
way underweight with a wildly
oversized engine and or with more
engine setback than would be legal
and perhaps running on nitro too
.....going up against what would
otherwise be a legal Super/Stocker
....except for it running a blown
and/or injected and/or setback
engine, possibly on fuel and/or
with an altered wheelbase and/or
fiberglass body panels, ete., etc, etc
....ad infinitum!!. Basically, almost
anything went. You name it...if you
could build it and it would pass a
local track's - not necessarily NHRA's
even - basic safety rules - and if the
track promoter could find another
- or better still, - several other wildly
modified outlaw cars, capable of
running similar ETs, to come out
and race each other, it would be
a go.

Mart3406
=============

 

Not in NHRA, but AHRA saw the popularity and made a class for the altered wheelbase "stockers" in the mid 60's. The called it Experimental Stock (XS).

 

Many early altered wheelbase funny cars showed up for match racing with the S/FX designation like Mr. Norms 65 Dodge here. I don't know if it was affliated with a sanctioned organization, or was an outlaw type class.

--- Steve ---

 

Beswick ran that too.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

-----------------
"When did they start using
electric radiator fans?" About
35 or 40-odd years or so after
the last actual gas class racers
had disappeared from the drag
strip and guys started building
ersatz - and mostly ridiculous
"street freak-type"- so-called
"gassers" and claiming them as
such, simply because they were
jacked-up sky high and had a
straight axle and leaf springs
shoved under the front end.
To be honest though, I think
electric fans and even electric
waterpumps eek -are one of the
more minor sins committed
by a lot of the current, ersatz,
so-called "gasser" builders.

Mart3406
================