GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

The cam driven fuel pumps have been around a long time, I figured they just didn't have a water pump, and didn't run long enough to overheat. They had electric water pumps "back in the day"?

 

Yep, usually a "Jabco" mounted to the frame.

 

Looks like Jabsco still makes all sorts of water pumps. Anyone know what model they used on race cars back then?

 

The electric motor for the waterpumpwas used in the 60s because I am using mine from then.

 

------------

----------
Yep... tiny cam or belt driven or
12V electric-motor-powered Jabsco
marine/industrial water pumps.
Often connected to bizarre,
quasi-useless but ultra-lightweight
homemade "radiators" that at least
borderline met the rule book
requirement and definition of a
'functioning cooling system' and
'a working radiator'!

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

 

My dad had a 35 gallon drum of water in the bed of the tow truck that had an eletric pump on it and he pumped in ambient water from the drum into the engine. No water pump on the engine. Towed to the line and towed back to the pits after the run.

 

Electric fans are definitely a much later thing, but I wouldn't classify a car as a "street freak" simply because it uses an electric fan. Sure, it's not period correct, but it's not always as easy as just putting a mechanical fan on if your car does dual purpose, and isn't strictly a track only car.
If you've got a tight engine compartment, and are trying to stay within the 10% engine setback, you don't always have that choice to go mechanical. Is it better to keep the 10% setback, and an electric fan or move the engine back farther and use a mechanical? I personally think it's a smaller infraction to go electric, than to move the engine too far back. Both are wrong, it's just the lesser of two evils.

 

Man I want to be part of this one..

I have some ideas on how to even out the cars but aren't we kind of hijacking this thread? Maybe a new thread needs to be started for this.

 

How can you not have room for a mechanical fan if the engine is set back 10%, ergo like about 15" all behind the front axle? Relates to about 20" from stock location...Jabsco water pumps were more or less a Marine bilge pump and not really up to the task of full time but they did enough for strip only, for full time use they made belt driven big pumps for full time cooling in the boat engine applications..I got one here somewheres, I'll see if I can find it..

 

With what an engine cost now, vs in the 60's, I would think a person could overlook the electric fan to keep things cool.

 

1931 Chevrolet with a BBC and a short water pump doesn't fit in at 10%.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

------
I didn't mean to imply that simply
putting an electric fan on a street
driven "gasser" was wrong or that
it automatically relegates the car
to being a street freak. You
mentioned mechanical fans. Heck,
'back in the day', gassers didn’t
usuallyrun mechanical fans either
,-let alone electric ones - and I'm not
saying that running a cooling fan is
therefore "wrong". Obviously when
you're converting and/or building
a replica of a what was an all out
drag car and you're putting it on
the street, compromises have to
be made. I was really just ranting
about how abused, corrupted and
bastardized the term "gasser" has
become and how it is too often now
used to describe all kinds of freakish
and outlandish vehicles that are in
no way related to, or even vaguely
representative what was an actual
NHRA or AHRA "gas class" race car.

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

 

No shit, read my mind!

 

With what an engine costs now, I wouldn't TRUST an electric fan!

 

20"??! My dualie would only manage 17" based on a 10% setback! Hahahaha!

I have put 10" of setback in my 56 and it required a lot more effort and planning than I would have ever imagined. Cool though.

 

Exactly!

Its 10% from the front spindle centerline to the 1st spark plug. That lets a common Chevy II have the 1st plug 11" behind the axle centerline. Now do the same thing on a model A or any car where the radiator is on top of the axle and your room shrinks a lot.

I vote move the engine back and run a mechanical fan.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

Mine ran an electric Jabsco type water pump back then and again today. No fan, it was never street driven car - just a Gasser RACE Car.

 

Yeah, yours is a "RACE" car... but you also ran this car when there was a Gasser class to run in every weekend at every track. Yoy can run race only parts when it's only running 1320'. I don't blame someone for wanting to be able to drive ther quote unquote GASSER on the street, because there are only a handful of weekends spread across the U.S where you can run like back in the day. I didnt build my car to sit 8 out of 10 weekends a year. But I also try to hide the offending parts when possible. Yeah maybe they have some parts that are required to make them live, but wasn't that what the class was supposed to be anyway , a street car/ drag car all in one.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

In the Words of the "other Jeffery Lewboski" The god damn plane has crashed into the mountain! , I thought this was a have and can't have thread, not a discussion about the rules for one mans organization. It's his deal, if you don't like race somewhere else! It's his rules, either do it or don't! He is trying to keep it right, and it sounds like he has seen what the fans want! Now back to who flung poo last, batter up!

 

Man Ive been folowing this without replying but what the fuck???
Do you guys RELLY think the avarage FAN (as in who we provide entertamint for) relly gives a shit about what kind of friggn water pump is on your hotrod OR do they give a more a shit about poping a big ol wheelie and getting down the track on the hair off your ass???
Its a show, not a corvette points meet...........
Hope we wont have to paint little pink shit on the raditior hoses too to keep em pure.....................
Go out there , fronts up and all over and give them a show....................................
Yours truley Johnny Rotten

 

Yes mine is a race car and I have nothing against guys who build a street strip version that keeps the Spirit of the Original Gas Classes in mind and I was just explaining what mine had and why, not saying that anyone else needed to do that, just some insight into history. As I said before, I like and agree with the majority of what you guys are doing.

I think you missed the whole point of the water pump question and answer. Someone asked what was run for a water pump back when there were gasser classes and it was answered - no one said a fucking thing about a rule, that anyone else need to do the same thing, or anything else like that.

 

Don, do you think one of them jabsco pumps would survive on the street? I wish I would have though to use one on mine. I probably could have made the 10% rule, but its too late for this one. Maybe the next

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19, 20 2014

 

Alrite I did miss understand...................................
There are alot of little things on this thread that "should or shouldnt" be, according to the responging crowd here.
Its not about what indivduals "think" what you or I have on our cars
If you want to be "pure" gasser, go park your heap till you find old outdated pistond/rods/heads/FLYWHEELS or any other working feature on your car and then you will be a purest gasser.
Its about the show...not too many people wanna see a 14 second gasser with all original parts. They want to see seat of the pants driving on something reasonaby faster that the car they parked in the parking lot.
Make your car go fast and put on a show, thats how you make fans come back for more......Remember the fans? They make us or break us.

 

With a hilborn there is too much in the way to run a mech. fan and you have to have a fan because the staging lanes are too long in the gas classes. The gas class is used as a catch all

 

I'm with you 100%

 

Hilborns have been around a lot longer than electric fans...

 

"not too many people wanna see a 14 second gasser with all original parts."


I'm not so sure about that!


"Make your car go fast and put on a show"


Hell John Force does that every weekend and I hear he is looking for a sponsor. There is a little more to it than that.

 

For your "meeting in the middle, west vs east coast, give Todd Martin and Keith Hainey a call. The Tulsa facility was around in the 60's and still has that vibe with some upgrades. You probably have their contact info from ADRL races with those guys. Just a thought.....

 

No offence and I truly mean that.
But I would have to dissagree.
If I were a fan in the stands I would want to see action, i paid for that
A 14 second pass is not much action
Again please dont take this as a jib in the ribs.
Just the facts as I know them thru my experance

 

Using the Hilborn front cover and pump drive and the 10% set back gave me just enough room for a scratch built stainless gas tank, set upright between the Crosley radiator and injector fuel pump

You bet the engine can get hot when you make your class runs one right after each other, so a 20 gal alum tank In the trunk and the ' Jabsco Water Puppy ' pump did the trick just hit the switch and watch the temp come down

G Don