GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Moon Dude

I don't even know how to answer your question GASOLINE = GASSER I think !!!!!!

Wow is this thread getting really crazy or what?

 

OK, answering the OP's original question from my memory seeing these old drag cars at local strips back in the day. Since he said "HAMB friendly, my answers ONLY apply to 1965 or older gas class cars. Lot's of stuff ran in Gas classes back then from street driven cars to all out built only to drag race cars, so I am just stating what seemed most common.

Must Haves:
Rear push bars
Roll Bar
Stance a few inches higher than stock, but level or slightly higher in front.
Some sort of ladder or traction bars
Fenderwheel Headers
Rear drag slicks (pie crust type most common).
Steel or 5 spoke mag wheels
Radiused Rear wheel openings on cars newer than about 1948)
3 or 4 speed manual transmission
Carb's, Stack Fuel Injection, or a Blower
Simple old style hood scoop
Required modern saftey equipment if it is to be raced, but should be hidden as well as is practical

Can't Have
Lower than stock stance, or downward rake
Front Bumper
Turbochargers
Rear Spoilers
Nitrous Oxide
Any intake manifold higher than a factory hi-rise
Sheet Metal Intake
Narrow rear end with tires tucked under
Wide wheel tubs in the rear.
Fuel Cell in trunk area
Electronic Fuel Injection
Nothing easily visible that wasn't available before 1966 unless it is a modern period correct reproduction piece.

--- Steve ---

 

Changing from a buzzard catcher hat to a bird catcher hat doesn't change the fact that its a ProMod car,it just makes it a ProMod car with a smaller hat.
That car is awesome,but everything I can see on it is just way too modern and/or over the top for the purposes of the HAMB.Its a really slick car,but like II Funny said earlier: Bringing a car like that to any kind of HAMB related race is like bringing out your M-16 to a Civil War re-enactment.
Doesn't change the fact that I'm still drooling over the mile-deep paint on that thing though...!


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Steve,what car is that with the setback,blown Chevy?


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Barb Hamilton's Willys

 

OldColt:
I like the suggestion about the push bar!I hadn't thought of that until I was shopping for my Model A,and one of the old race cars I looked at had the remnants of one.It looks SO badass,and actually serves a purpose:As a bumper,to prevent cell phone wielding morons from crumpling the entire rear of the car at a traffic light,and to actually push the car to light it off at the track,if you chose to run nostalgia events.
Plus,it just makes your car look mean as hell!

Scott


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Steve,
I hear that in addition to wrenching on the car herself,she actually built the motors,and was a pretty serious threat as a driver as well.Thats pretty impressive.

Scott


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That black and white photo illustrates a lot of the quintessential gasser traits that the OP is probably after too Steve:

The wheel/tire style and size combo

The radiused wheel wells

The stance

The headers

The scoop

The ladder bars

And the way all these things combined to make the car one mean looking package!

Scott


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<center> Barbara Hamilton

</center> The first Woman in drag racing to receive an NHRA license for driving supercharged cars. Barb and best friend Nancy L. campaigned this beautiful coupe from 1964 through 1971.
A professional technical writer at TRW during the week, this weekend racer won the 1966 NHRA Springnationals and was runnerup at the 1968 Indy Nationals. All the while holding the NASCAR C Gas Supercharged ET record of 11.94 seconds.
Barbara is one of only a few women who built, owned, wrenched, and drove her own car. A true pioneer in the sport of drag racing, she was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.

 

I'll bet it's just a matter of time before someone offers some reason that todays "era gassers" should be exempt from that obvious and fundamental rule, if it hasn't happened already.

As a matter of fact I know it has already been implied they should be allowed to run alcohol, and many do and are held up a shining examples.

There will never be any consensus if everyone can't agree on the most fundamental rule of the class.

 

That,my friend,is an impressive résumé,any way you cut it.


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Hi Quain; No It wasn't a flip top, It had A 2X3 square tube frame, and I think it had about a 10% set back. it had ladder bars and coil spring rear suspension and a tube front axle. the owner, Tim Cameron,hauled it all the way from Wash. state to the 69 or 70 Winternationals with no motor, and picked up a brand new Rod Shop 302 Chevy ( a buttload of money back then) then put the motor in, in the pits, then didn't qualify!! Two brothers that I grew up with bought the car from Tim, but they had a lot of trouble with the Clutchflite and sold the car. sure wish I knew where that car went!! Quain ,stick to your guns on your rules,you guys got the coolest class going! if them other guys dont like your deal, FUCK THEM and let them go race super gas with a throttle stop!! Chris

 

It's ironic that running that record 11:94 she would be over or very near two seconds slower than most of the contemporary "era correct" gassers running today.

 

Are both these contemporary restorations or builds? They both look great and appear very era correct. No reason in the world they couldn't be duplicated today.

Love the small blocks! Damn, should a body seriously need a near 600 ci or bigger engine to be competitive in nostalgic era gasser drag racing?

 

The top photo is the engine in the recently restored 39 Studebaker "the Boss". The blown engine is in Barb Hamilton's Willys and is a well kept survivor.

 

Thank's Chris I don't know if you have been following this thread but one person on here think's that a flip top car should qualify as a 60s gasser. When you posted the pic that looked close to the car in question I was afraid it would add fuel to the fire. We don't need to get the dude that started this thread confused.

 

yes........I did so many pages ago. People who actually race these cars realize that it doesn't make much sense to race gas in a high dollar, high compression engine unless there are class restrictions prohibiting them from doing so...especially when you race in a state that is routinely 100+ degrees during race season. By "race" I mean balls out and trying to win...anything else is a farce. I'm not going to explain why that is because nobody gives a damn anyway. If there were actual gas classes I would run gas but there isn't so why in the hell would I run gas?? To impress somebody that wouldn't know the difference anyway?
I wish somebody would put together real gasser class racing based on ci to weight and do it just like in the day with the exception of certain safety features. They do that and I will convert my car to gas the following weekend. Until then I'm running alcohol and you can call it whatever you want to.

 

By promoting ,I'm assuming you meant me or Brad. If it was me...then I was answering a question about rules and what could run in the gas class at the Meltdown Drags, and why there is no payout. Thats it plain and simple. More than once I tried to get us back on something other than Vega's and Opel's, and back to the OP's question.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

A couple of guys in our club ( Strokers ) run with the East Coast Gassers. The rules are spelled out clearly. All gassers must dial in at 12.99 or quicker, except 4, 6 and flathead V-8 cars. With most of the cars running in the 10's(or quicker), it makes for some great racing. Gasser rules, per 1965...nope. But the rules they have seem to work fine. The racers are having a great time, and the fans love it.


http://eastcoastgassers.com/NG-rules.shtml

 

Quain; When we had the AA/GS deal here on the west coast in the late 80s early 90s, we tried to establish rules,tire size, motor size, iron blocks, supercharger ,automotive type transmission and a bunch of other things, those rules lasted about 10 seconds before some had Lenco's Donovan blocks and 4 foot wide rear tires,Jack even built a flip top 33 Willys. I think my BLOWN HELL car and Tom Wilfords BIZIO truck were the only ones that came close to the original rules. real hard to get a bunch of Racer mentallity people not trying to go faster and faster and to HELL with the rules !! thats why you guy's class and cars are so BITCHIN ! if they dont fit,they dont race with you , PERIOD !! working on my blown alcohol AWB 65 Comet again, NOT even going to ask you if I can come and race with you Southern Boy's !!! Chris

 

Since this thread has been totally hijacked I figure what's one more hit.

Notice in this picture Sam Giannnino in the background with his 57 Vette CM/SP. Maybe applying an Isky sticker? Giannino chose the name "Executioner" and although he did not win class at Indy in 66, he came back to win class in 67 and won class and eliminator in 68. Quain knowing how much you like early Vettes, thought you would get a kick out of another "Executioner". He ran D/G in 68 and D/G and D/A in 69. The car was recently (allegedly) found in a storage facility in or around Chicago.

Here are a couple of pics of Barb Hamilton's Willys at the Concours at Meadowbrook Hall, several years ago. One of the real hits was they towed a couple of the cars to the reviewing stand in front of the crowds and started the cars for the crowd. after shutting down the cars they had a real complimentary interview with Barb. The crowd loved it. I have tried to talk to some of the stuffed shirts at these type of events to do this more but pretty much falls on deaf ears.-Jim

 

3 different friends of mine know were Gianino's vette is at.

 

Somewhere I have picks of the Vette as found which is now blue, I believe. Glad it is found, if it is the car. I seem to remember even the chrome front axle is there and a few other things to ID the car. I am a bit of a skeptic at heart but hope it is the car and hope it is put back to the way it looked in the late sixties. The cars that ran out of the Midwest group do not get enough kudos. These were the Woodward guys that helped each other out as needed. Reader, Kanners, Giannino, Maynard, Schaeffer and then Boeschma and Arons, and Booth were right in the mix as well.

Figure that at Indy in 67 Kanners won class and eliminator with Midwest Sponsorship, they had another BM/SP car that had problems and they pulled the engine and put it in Kanners car. That BM/SP car later won class at Indy in 69, I believe. Then Giannino won class two years (67 and 68) and eliminator in 68 (although he had Standard Auto Supply with sponsorship-still part of the Woodward group-who also sponsored Booth).

That group was always my favorite to watch run-they never seemed to disappoint. I remember Kanners driving Readers 57 Vette (427 injected B/G) at Milan one time and he stood the car on the bumper twice, never lifted (maybe a little just enough to settle it down) and still ran a 10.60. Giannino was always friendly, as was his first wife Heide.

Any plans for the car that you have heard?-Jim

 

i think Sam Giannino had a late Cuda gasser black with flames real nice looking car but wouldn't fit in mid sixties racers always try to push the boundaries that why there are rules and it's up to tech to enforce them but promoters are their own worst enemy trying to please everyone or trying to reduce the cost to the racers and equalize the competition I know i've been a racer and a promoter i've been bounced because my car wasn't in the spirit of the class even if the car was built with in the rules.unloaded my old car and raced it

 

Gianino did run a Hemi Cuda but I believe he switched to this car in late 70 or early 71. Although I do not remember it with flames. I know he carried his own sponsorship and not sure if he had room for the flames with the stickers and all. Possible I guess, just don't remember the flames-Jim

 

Here is the car that is claimed to be the Gianino car today.

I would rather remember it in the staging lanes as it looked in early 67. Both the red car (Gianino) and black car were sponsored by Midwest at this time.

 

If one car dials in a 12:99 and the car in the other lane dials in a 10:99, do they leave together or is there a staggered start? I'm assuming they would leave together and the time would be adjusted on the big end, am I right?

 

Maybe moon ought to go to a dragstrip and find out how things are done.
From all the post here I thought he knew everything with the vast knowlage he shares here with us.