GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Well you can't argue with that, Well said.

 

I think the "High in front" stance was a learning curve, for some racers. For example take the "Ron Bizio" A/GS Willys Pickup ( that I am very familiar with), here are some shots showing how it changed over time, the first two are when Ron owned it, the third is after our restoration, and the last one is it's current state.

 

I saw this at a show this past weekend. I'm not sure who owns it but it is done really well. It has a good stance and looks like it would be extremely drivable. This just might be one of my favorite "gassers" I've seen.


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Sorry but I don't really see that as a gasser to be honest, to me I would class it as a Hi Rider which came later.

 

WOW!
There is more than one can consume at one sitting.
THANKS

 

I'm betting #1 is the only one that MAY have been taken before 1965.

 

"Money was hard to come by back then so there were not too many cars like Maz's candy red show car as that was a rare ride"


But yet when the word Gasser comes up these are the cars posted as example of the cars that ran back in the day. Oh I understand why, most folks only basis for what was or was not is a bundle of old Hot Rod mags.

 

Yep, Gassers started out pretty high to gain weight transfer to the rear tires for traction (even stockers and super stockers were raised in the front). As rear tires got better the emphasis shifted to aerodynamics and stability at higher speeds as adequate traction became available, and the noses came down. I remember most Gasser front ends being down level by about 1967 or so.

--- Steve ---

 

"I remember most Gasser front ends being down level by about 1967 or so."


That's one great thing about my and Ryan's renewed focus on pre 1965 stuff, I don't need to know nothing about the 1967 "Gassers".

 

How about if its a REAL GASSER ya race it oh street gasser I forgot ya thats traditional

 

Bilt that is a street freak and a lot were nicer than the cars they tried to emulate.

 

Not to my eye. It's a nice car, but it looks like he raised the rear up high enough to try and get clearance for the rear tires, and avoid radiusing the rear wheelwells. Lots of guys didn't radius wheelwells, but they usually ran narrower tires to avoid it. If they wanted bigger tires they didn't hesitate to start cutting on the body to keep from raising the rear too much and losing the advantage of weight transfer.

 

Back in the early 60's when I was building my 37', the one thing ALL GASSERS HAD WAS CUT OUT FENDERS and M & H dragster slicks mounted on real mag wheels

Soon as you looked at the car you knew it was a Gasser , end of story !!!!!!!!!!

At 22 yrs old when I bought my American mags and mounted the slicks I was one ' Proud Puppy ' the day I bolted them on the car

G Don

 

I ran Cragar S/S on my old '55. Skinny 4" up front, and 8" with 10" TDI slicks in the rear. I knew before I bought the rears I'd have to chop the wheelwell openings, but it was just what had to be to run what I wanted back then.

 

This illustrates my point that "gasser" has a different meaning today than it did in the 60's! To me, that's NOT a gasser, not even close. It's more an early funny car-match racer or what was called a "street freak".
It does seem to be what people nowdays think is a gasser, but AIN'T!

 

Here's a gasser chevy.

 

Thats what my first reaction is too. I think of Gassers as pre 1960 body styles. Novas and Falcons would be no different than a Mustang Gasser and they blame Ohio George for killing the gas class with his.

Today people would call this car a gasser, but that car wouldn't have run in a gas class until the whole match race funny car A/FX deal became a real funny car class and these cars became obsolete. Im guessing they were sold cheap and then were campaigned as Gassers as long as the axles were not moved.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

Hey Gary

Those small rear tires on that 55' would never work out here in so-cal, the guy with the 10.00' M & H's would be long gone while those tires were trying to get the car hooked up!!!

 

I don't see a lot of trailers in this picture. Race cars were usually "Hitch and tow hub" queens, not trailer queens back then.

 

Man I didnt want to post on this thread anymore cause there are alot of emotions about the term "gasser"
Long wheelie bars,msd ingnitions, amc motors, front brakes,fuel cells,cowl hoods,sticky slicks,fiberglass bodys,speedway axles,lexon windows,electric water pumps,in line ratchet shifters,low 9 second gassers,hell even seat belts and the list can go on and on and on.
You cant have a true pieoriod correct car and race. Rules have changed.
Its unsafe by todays standerd and so if you race you will use new stuff on your car, get over it.
Quain, Don and every other car at the meltdown including myself that race are non correct cars, but their safe, fast and racers. You can call them what you want, Ill call them gassers.
The thread title says it all, what you can have or cant have (judged by the almighty powers).
Decide what you want to do, street or strip or both and build it. In the end all you have to do is make yourself happy, I belive that is the ultimite goal here. Piss on the almighty powers....................

 

"You cant have a true pieoriod correct car and race. Rules have changed.
Its unsafe by todays standerd and so if you race you will use new stuff on your car, get over it."


I personally agree with this statement.

However, the rub for me is when I hear a lot of the guys running the quick glance nostalgic appearing modern stuff claiming to be the real deal "Gassers" while looking down their noses at cars that are actually much more period correct but can't run 9 second quarters because in fact they are actually more authentic.

I guess I tend to agree with someone earlier that suggested maybe these new cars should be call Nostalgic Hot Rods or Nostalgia Match Race cars. After all, true "gassers" went the way of the dinosaurs back in the late 60's to early 70's. And just because someone lives under a bridge doesn't make them a cave man.

 

OK moon........the thing that bites me is there is not 1 car out there that is original and running events...cant do it.......yeah there are some more original than others but if you have 1 updated piece, you are not original...........Then the conflect starts mine is more original than yours, who cares?? MOST fans dont...
soooooo if you want to call these cars whatever you want thats your rite. I call them gassers and thats my take on them.........
Their made to put on a show and bring people to the track, its a bussness that revolves around the almighty buck.....no fans, no money, no show, the end.
Guess the old sayin is "dont throw stones if you live in a glass house" comes into play here.
Call them what you feel good with......never had a fan come up and say nice nostiliga match race car.........everyone so far says "nice gasser"
why try to change that?? Just doesent make sence to me

 

This picture was taken in the early 60s. Those were the tires that were available
then. Also notice the size of the engine. Would't need big slicks under that car.
Jay

 

I'll basically go along with the "Gasser Rules" deal. Are any of the new rules upgrades contrary to the old rules? I can't think of any that are.

BTW, my Old Anglia <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< will probably get some sort of funnycar type cage this time around. It might work a little better than the 1 1/2" square tube roll bar that was in it when I raced it before.

 

I agree Larry, there must be rules.........BUT these rules will be for the 2013 season and there may be differnt rules next year......gotta live in these times to run these rules

 

Johnny,
I'll agree that any car that runs needs to meet the new safety specs. But I don't think any of the new specs actually conflict with the old rules and specs.

 

Besides getting stricter and more safty minded I agree with you
I personaly would not want to go fast in a rickety car, but im sure anyone on this board feels the same........BUT they did it back in the day..... times have changed

 

And you can get your car to run 9 second quarters simply by changing to a cage? Because if you can't, who are you going to race against?

Lets take the car in post 586 for an example. What would it take to get it to meet the rules to be able to race and secondly what class would it race if you did make ONLY those changes?

 

"Their made to put on a show and bring people to the track, its a bussness that revolves around the almighty buck.....no fans, no money, no show, the end."

No truer words have ever been written, that for sure! But does it really require identity theft to pull it off?

The reason it matters is that words mean things. If the folks that claim that it doesn't matter what words we use are allowed to call a zebra a mule, it's just a matter of time before we have a lot more mules and no zebras in the world!

Your not one of those parents that don't think it matters if the score is kept or not at your kids ball games are you?

It matters for the shake of historical integrity.

 

I think we overcomplicate this. The gasser classes died long ago but gassers never did they just evolved. We all know.....well...most of us know a gasser when we see them. I don't include street freaks etc in that but a gasser (I think) is quite easy to identify. Most of today's best known gassers wouldn't pass the HAMB gasser litmus test but they are gassers. Examples; Blew By You, Shaky Puddin, ALL of the AA/G cars.....hell even Bad Bananna and that's a real deal 60's survivor!

Just gotta build them and get out there and race them. We know what they are.