History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Phil Bonner from Atlanta Georgia............

 

Damn straight Gary.
One of my favorites is the Zakia 55.

 

So how about a 63 Valiant would that car make the cut.
If done correctly

 

There is nothing better than a '55 Chevy Gasser with a license plate...

 

Do you mean as a gasser? Sure, if done right. There are threads here on this, but better yet Google (and this thread) has a zillion pics of real gassers. Not a very popular car in the 1960;s though. On Google you do get a ton of modern "gassers" though. They are like rat rods to me, not my style.
But build what you like!
I'm partial to this one though it's modern, not a gasser and is a 65 Valiant, not old. But it looks right, ran 6.60-220 mph as shown, in it's present Pro Mod form, 5.50's at 250 mph!
Driven by Sean Rentaria, owned by the Rentaria Brothers.

Again, NOT TRADITIONAL! This is a REAL race car!

 

Gary you are 1000% right and a street car sets level, and that is what the gassers started out as hot street machine's

But some how it got way out of hand with most of the gassers today being sky - hi and very un-safe too

DND

 

Hear what he says and take a look at his gasser on his avatar! A REAL 60's gasser.

 

Thanks Gary for your praise on building a 60's correct gasser

In the early 60's when I started building my 37' the best runners were setting pretty close to level, that made a lot more sense to me

Plus the spirit of the Gasser was a fast street car with rear mags and slicks, just plain & simple and haul the mail too

DND

 

This is to me...... An old Guy now, exactly how the Gassers were and should for the most part be. A stunning looking build that I would be proud to park in my garage.

 

Yup!
The REAL DEAL! That's a gasser.
Check George Klass site, it's got a ton of REAL gassers! Plus, it's one of the coolest sites on the web!
Go and BEHOLD!
http://georgeklass.net/gassers.html

 

Thanks Fedman I was one young proud puppy towing my gasser to the strip & having a ton of fun too

I just cant believe that it was 50 years ago

 

...and, speaking of George Klass, here are a couple of new ones from his site, with captions:


Pate Brothers rear engined flathead powered roadster at Santa Ana, early '50s. This car has been perfectly restored.


Henslee and Cook, from San Diego. This roadster has an interesting history, first run by Paul Scheiffer, as a front engined flathead powered lakes car, then the engine and driver swapped, new running gear, finally went to Red Henslee and Emory Cook, with a carbureted Chrysler. I think that this may have been the first direct-drive drag car, and the first roadster to break 150. Both Red and Emory drove, then Emory partnered with Cliff Bedwell in the Cook & Bedwell dragster that set the world's record at 169, until Garlits beat it with a 176 at Brooksville FL in November '57.


Mike Marinoff, before his red Willys gasser.


This car should always be in the running for the best looking dragster award. Jack Williams from British Columbia, first run with Potvin setup, then top blower. It was probably obsolete in this photo, post '65, but it ran well for many years.


I believe that this is Dallas Martinson from San Diego, carbureted on fuel.


No ID, maybe just out of the tin shop...remember the "Lee Eliminator" dual oil filter system, at the front of the engine on this car?


Mooneyham, Jackson, Ferguson, and Faust, usually ran without this streamlined body...the bodies looked cool, but added weight and, sometimes, weird handling at high speed...


This might be at the ATAA World Series of Drag Racing, Cordova, IL, '57...no IDs...pretty basic, the dragster even has stock exhaust manifolds, but for the guys who owned them, they probably had all the bragging rights in their hometowns...


Art Ward's "Assassination" before the name was painted on...blown Chevy, did very in the modified sports car classes. Art would go on to race funny cars, including a really nice Buterra car. This might be at Continental Divide near Colorado Springs.


No IDs on either...anyone?? (SixtysStyle identified the near car as the Scoundrel, maybe Gary Gabelich driving? Thanks!)


Lefty, far lane, racing Jack Chrisman. Chrisman is driving the old Ed Losinski dragster that first ran in the early '50s. It was later converted to slingshot design, and a blown Chrysler. This is Riverside, '59, probably at the same meet that Jocko's Porting Service streamliner ran a one-time 8.35 with a slipping clutch...and set the model for the slipper clutches that followed.


Don't have an ID on this sbc powered Dragmaster...anyone?


Don Yates driving Vic Smaldino's banger with a Fargo head, shown here at Saugus. Don would later drive the Mikkleson Brothers Ardun to a supposed 9.44 et in '55, then drove a number of fuelers, including for Jim Ward. A later version of Vic's Fargo powered dragster ran a 135, amazing for a 4-cylinder dragster in the mid-50s.


Pirates Racing Team, from Tacoma, WA, 276" Desoto powered dragster, running on '15 T frame rails. The Pirates were Jack Cross, Jim Boyer, Bill Woolms, and Bob Haines. Cross and Haines went on to run the Haines & Cross fueler, and later Bob Haines would drive several fuel dragsters, most notably for Sid Masters and Sid Richter from San Leandro, CA.


Ronnie Winkle's engine in John Wenderski's Ivo fueler.


Scoville and Koper's blown Chrysler gas roadster, looks like early Bakersfield, not sure who is in the other lane. Tommy Ivo borrowed their blown Chrysler to run in his Fuller car, pulling the unblown Buick, and setting the gas dragster speed record of 159.

 

Hauls ass and looks good doing it.
Saw it run many times as well as the previous version.
They have a matching black wagon tow back/pit car also.

 

Ray Flesher at Cordova dragstrip 1970

 

My first thought when I saw this on bangshift today that it was yours. Close but no cigar.

 

No apology necessary, totally BITCHIN' picture!

 

Hi Bang

There were quite a few 37's & 8's painted met blue back then

 

I just want to say "thank you" to the guys that post photos from my site on the H.A.M.B. I really appreciate it, it kind of validates what I'm trying to do. Sharing is what it's all about for me.

As far as the "new" Gassers I see, the ones that are supposed to look like vintage Gassers, most of them do not make the cut for me. They just don't have the essence of what this class was all about, at least in my opinion. It's kind of like porn; it's hard to define but I know it when I see it. On the other hand, I can look at Don Nowell's '37 Chevy all day long. I can just stare at the photo and let it wash all over me. It just looks perfect. Of course, I've always been partial to '37 and '38 Chevy Gassers myself.

Of all the original classes in drag racing from the '50's and '60's, I miss the Gassers the most. I'm talking about the Gassers that had metal bodies and metal doors and real glass in the windows. Actually, the Gassers that were in the pre-Willys days...

 

I enjoyed the photo it bring back a lots of memories. maybe i will take my 34 back to the track.

 

Hi George

Thanks for the praise on my 37' gasser, I started seeing gassers in the late 50's when they were very simple cars with out stuff hanging all over them

And that is the look I was after for 3 yrs building it up, like you say it has the right look and i'am glad to be featured in these drag racing sites 50 + years later it really makes my day and a few more too

DND

 

George, don't ya kind of miss real steel street roadsters too?

 

But...we can't become so dogmatic that only one version of anything is considered "right." There were lots of variations -- some worked and some didn't, but that's not the point -- and everyone is entitled to their preference. It's awesome to have an opinion, but don't dis on someone else's view just because it's different than yours.

 

More

 

Level

 

Not level


But...different!

 

Henry J's were so-so 'grocery getters' but were really built for drag racing.

 

Interesting--I have never seen a shot of the car with the shorty body before. Plenty out there pre canard wings with the full body, but this one is a first for me.

Roo