GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Would any of the things you mention exclude a car from a lower 63-64 "GAS" field?

 

64 was the first year in NHRA I dont know if there was a MP class in other sanctions. Nope all of those things were legal in a gas class car, but a little odd.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

Meltdown drags
july 19-20 2014

 

not gassers were they, thanks for posting...

 

I ran E/G then when they ran D/MP, I'd put my front bumper back on and run that class too. /MP cars could run both classes but not the other way around if fenderwells were radiused or had an axle.

 

I find it hilarious that anyone would try to tell YOU what a 'Gasser' is or isn't...!
Your Bad News car is such a quintessential example.If there was a gasser textbook,that car would be in it.
You Sir,are one of the badasses who brought these cars' popularity back when everyone else in the country was hacking them up,slathering monochromatic paint on them,and slamming them to the ground with mustang II suspensions.
Guys like yourself basically saved and resurrected this entire style of car.You don't need to make any excuses or apologies.We should all be thanking you.
And as far as I am concerned,that '55 of yours is every bit as legit as the Willys!You and Kev hit it outta the park!

Scott


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Hi Scott,

Thanks for the kind words! You're right, Kev & I love Gassers and can't seem to get enough of them. I'm fortunate to have run into a lot of other people who are interested in these cars as much as we do and made some very good friends across the country. Lived and raced in the days, it's just interesting to hear what people "think" what a Gasser should or shouldn't be. Thanks again, Vic

 

I'd bet that front bumper had been on and off a few times. Notice the end braces are not bolted. Just a empty hole where the bolt for the outer brace would have been.

The braces were probably behind the garage in the scrap pile.

 

I believe in most cases the issues driving controversy is semantics.


Kind a like pop corn and popped corn. While they may or may not be the same, I prefer popped corn!

 

These conversations on the HAMB are always amusing and I, too, find them tempting to join in.
But the reality is so much simpler that "what the rule book says" or "they didn't have plexiglas this or that".
Look, I was "there" in those "Golden Years" of drag racing that we all drool about when referring to. I was a very happy teenager in the 60's and my only regret is that I didn't know that I was witnessing this time that would become so honored. I thought that going to any drag strip of my choosing in Southern California would last forever.....but.....nope

But what our HAMB friend here is asking is "Gasser Must Haves.....etc"
Well, the drag class is gone, so the rule book doesn't really matter anymore, now does it?
What this fella is asking is:"What should I do to my car to make it look like a "real" gasser even though there is not such real and strict class for such an animal.

So.....say I had a '55 Chevy, a '54 Ford, a '59 El Camino, etc......what would I do if I really wanted to push the "GASSER BUTTONS" that would set my car apart from the average car?

A. straight axles are always cool

B.. stance.....high, but not way high. And higher in the front...NOT level.
Do NOT OVERDO the "height" thing or you will just get a cartoon look.

C. I like plexiglas....orange, blue, clear, who cares? I like it, so I'd run it.

D. Hood should be ON. Tilt hoods are cool but not essential

E. Interiors of aluminum are neat and scream "gasser"....aluminum floorpans and trans tunnel work looks neat, but only if it isn't botched

F. Rear tires should be big but not too far out of the bodywork.

G. Radiused wheel wheels are cool, but only if you need them

H. Paint....nice paint boys. Look, I'm a SoCal guy and not too many gasser boys showed up to the track with "patina" or "permanent primer". Most cars of note around here could double as show cars. "Patina"? Around here, that's called a shit-box. Sorry.

I. Make it drivable. I assume this will be a street car for the most part. It's got to be SAFE. Front brakes, etc.....everything working as it should

J. No parachute on the back. You just look like an idiot and that's my job. Get your own.

K. Have fun and just call it a "gasser looking car".

Truth is, some of my suggestions could shove you into an "altered" class, but so what? This isn't 1966 and as much as I wish that it was, it isn't.

Here's some of the fun cars we cruised around with on the street in 1968.
Neither of these ever raced at a drag strip. But we did have tons of fun cruising Colorado Blvd. every weekend in them....
These both have a gasser "look" if I say so myself...both were headed to the paint shop after the initial "debugging" drives......

 

Depends on the era you want

Anglia gasser from Pomona 1964




Big John Mazmanian, Pomona 1964

 

That side view of Maz's A super car is it, this is your so-cal 60's gasser - top fuel slicks on mags with cut out fenders - car sets level - a little lettering and you have it folks

A legit looking street car for racing that was towed to the strip

Could not be any plainer than that with some small tires in the front to finish the look

You can talk about the jacked up cars - bumper draggers et all but this is the real deal right here in living color

I have said it before here most of the serious top of the class cars looked & sat just like this either blown or unblown

Setting level is a lot more stable at hi speed, and nobody wants to wind up wearing their car wrapped around their neck or hurt anybody else

G Don

 

I kind of like this stance!

 

Hands up and SPREAD UM!

 

Stance is very important! Hard to describe, pictures are worth 1000 words!
here's 3.... ooh la la!

 

So does this all mean that my (future) car isn't a gasser?

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This is supposed to be a '56 Ford with a tunnel-rammed 352ci...
Stock front axle and all...
(That was hand drawn by me, btw.)

 

Go back and read each post in the thread. After reading them all get back with us and let us know what you think based on what you have read.

 

Well, I have read thru the thread, and for every one that says one thing, someone else says the other. So I'm just gonna go build it how I want. I think that's the basic drift...
Not that I'm trying to rile anyone's feathers.. I wasn't alive for the first go around.

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Hi Coyote

Your 56' looks mid 60's gasser to me with your rear fenders cut out for the slicks, small fronts and a little ex header showing [ right on dude ]

Your tunnel ram is not quite period since they did not make them , and most had injectors or a 6 2's set up

But the rest of your car looks right on the money, start a cutting and a fitting and post some pics of your progress so we can see your ride

G Don

 

if you plan to race it just build to the ass. rules it's what was built around here except it would have biggest motor available with multi carbs

 

Sounds like you have a great plan.

Yesterday I attended an event where I watched this car put several cars that run with a recognized "gasser" group on the trailer and it won the class with little effort, front bumper and all. It was an open event so there wasn't anything or rule preventing it from running "gasser" class.



So if you run with a closed group to their rules and set your car up to pretty much run what ever index the group decides they want to run you will be completive.

But realize that when you run open events your most often going to spend the end of the day on the trailer ether by being out horse powered or pissed off. Sometimes both!

 

If you see one of my cars on a trailer it's either a future project, broken, or stolen.
I drive my junk!

 

Don't shoot the messenger, I just took the picture. It's a blown big block Willys.

But if you're real serious about going fast at the track (which gassers were/are all about) you probably owned/own a trailer. Or maybe a towbar if you go far enough back.

 

I think we need to get something straight here The group your talking about is ours. First off there were supposed to have been some rules or we would not have been there and this car broke every one of them. The dude running the show told us that the tech guy screwed up before he got there and let some cars in the gasser class that should not have been there and at that point he could not put them out. Just from the pic you can see the wrong wheels and low stance that the rules didn't allow. This is a good example of why our rules are as strict as they are because every body thinks they have a gasser. Another thing he never put not one of us on the trailer as soon as we seen it we refused to run. So that left I think it was 4 cars for him to run and none of them were from our group. The dude putting on the show ask if we would make a few runs with just our group so the fans would have some old style cars to watch as advertised and not be mad. So bottom line we made the trip for nothing and the car that didn't meet the rules got a cake walk and got the money. I guess next time I'll take my pro mod car it would have been legal for this event it's a 1963.

 

Did y'all run your group afterwards, or sit in the pits to protest the injustice? Maybe next time have some AA/GS stickers to tape on your Vette, and tell the tech guys the supercharger is a cosmetic dummy thing with a tunnel ram inside a hollow case. Good Greif, I'd be mad as hell.

--- Steve ---

 

Quain, I feel your simply confirming my original post on the subject. That is unless a person is going to become a member of a tightly controlled group and build and play to those rules some days your going to have enough and some days your not and some days all the cars are going to look alike and some days there not.

"This is a good example of why our rules are as strict as they are because every body thinks they have a gasser." Fact is the owner of the 58 had one yesterday. No debating that.

I'm sure you agree, the 58 is a much more sophisticated car with a lot more horse power than any car in your group, but it's still a long way from being a ProMod, I have seem one up close, Milton Ledford is a friend. Having different looking wheels and tires wouldn't have changed that and fact is had you guys continued to run or not, the outcome would have been the same baring him making a mistake or breaking.

I see it's not quite as all about putting on a good show for the fans as I have heard when one car causes everyone in your group to take your balls and go home. Hell, he couldn't have out run but one of you at a time. My guess is, had he not been faster than you guys, yawl would have continued to run.

"Another thing he never put not one of us on the trailer as soon as we seen it we refused to run." Don't you mean as soon as yawl seen it run, you did make a pass and he was pitted right next to you. It wasn't until yawl saw how fast he was that your lips ran out.

I did take a pretty close look at your groups cars, nice hot rods and very simple, straight forward cars anyone wanting to run with you guys should be able to build. If I wanted to play pretty much all I would have to do is add horse power and a drag transmission to be able to run your index. Well that and find a driver!

But I think I'll be sticking to the streets for now where there is less drama.

 

that's it build to the ass. you plan to compete with and that 58 ford is far from a pro-mod but doesn't conform to your rules.

 

The wheels and tires are a small part, but the tubbed rearend is nowhere close to any gasser rules, regardless of what group makes the rules. I'd bet if we all had a good look at the entire package on the '58 we'd probably find many more things that wont conform to most gasser rules.
It's a great looking car, but even at a glance doesn't look like a gasser to me.