Can somebody fill me in on the whole "Gasser" thing? The reason I ask is because there seems to be way more to it's classification than simply the type of fuel used. (I read somewhere that the term "Gasser" can be attributed to any car that uses gasoline as opposed to nitro-methane, etc). 1. Is there a list of things a car "must" have to consider it a Gasser? 2. Most of the gassers I've seen see have the front-end way up in the air and the engine placed as far back as it can go. Whats the deal with the high front-end stance? Is it so the rear gets planted better launching? 3. Can a car still be considered a gasser if it happens to have a high rear and low front? 4. Is there any benefit for having the headers routed out the front wheel-wells, (or is that just a matter of convenience)? Thanks...Any info on this would be appreciated.
You are on the right track with your assumptions. The term is slang for the Gas Coupes and Sedan class (some sources say post 1935) that were becoming popular at the dragstrips. In a way a "Gasser" is the predecessor to the funny car. The gasser was created because it was becoming aparent that the stock location for the front axle, the engine, and the rear axle, just wasn't sufficient enough to produce a successful drag car. By moving the engine back and relocating the front and rear axle forward a better weight transfer is supplied to the rear wheels of the car. This weight transfer is most important when pulling off the line. The goal of the gasser was to transfer as much weight as possible to the rear axle in order to get a good hard launch. Therefore the nose on a gasser is located higher than the rear axle specifically for weight transfer. fender well headers are the best/quickest escape for exhaust, short and sweet, get the job done. The less clutter in an engine compartment the less weight. By now I am sure someone has directed you to this site http://www.gassermadness.com/ Check out the book "Gasser Wars" by Larry Davis. Lots of great info, history and excellent pics. Justin
You should definatly cheack out the book "Gasser Wars" by Larry Davis, very cool, his book "Super Stock" is anawsome book to. -Jesse
Gas classes date to the early years of drag racing, and were for modified "street" cars. Required full bodywork, limited chop/channel/section, maximum 10% engine setback, stock wheelbase (plus or minus a little). In the early years, street equipment (lights, etc.) was also required, although the interpretation got more liberal over the years. The high stance was to encourage weight transfer because the tires of the day were primitive.
Yup, the stance, moving axles, and engine were all because the tires of the day needed all the help they could get. In the stock, M/P and S/S classes the nose was down because guys used worn out shocks and heated springs in the front so the front would lift and transfir weight to the rear with the stock type suspension required. Later came 90/10 shocks to hold the front end up after the launch. They kept the front from bouncing down on the shifts. Gassers and Altereds weren't stuck with the stock rules so the fronts came up. When NHRA started cutting down on the number of classes in the later 60's, the Gassers and A/FX cars mostly folded into what became funny cars.
[ QUOTE ] Gas classes date to the early years of drag racing, and were for modified "street" cars. Required full bodywork, limited chop/channel/section, maximum 10% engine setback, stock wheelbase (plus or minus a little). In the early years, street equipment (lights, etc.) was also required, although the interpretation got more liberal over the years. The high stance was to encourage weight transfer because the tires of the day were primitive. [/ QUOTE ] Gas classes also allowed an engine swap to a different manufacturer, whereas Modified Production was for street cars with stock bodies and modified stock engines. It would take most of Ryan's bandwidth to give a really good background - your best bet is to get the Gasser Wars book and any old rule books you can find. Because of the power to weight class rules, most of the A and B gassers were early cars, and 50's cars were in the C, D and E classes. You must have fenders to run gas class. Otherwise you were an altered. To give you an idea - I raced a '59 Chevy in 1963, and they were going to put me in Gas class because I didn't have a grille in the car. I borrowed a tube grille from a friend's Pontiac and wired it in, in the pits, to qualify for stock class.
The term gasser does indicate the difference between gas and fuel ground pounders. What we normally recognize as a gasser was the late fifties early version of the car. The lift was for weight transfer as has already been stated. There were a bunch of different classes based mostly on power to weight ratio. I guess if you built an early Chevy 2 with the 4 cylinder it would have been Z gas sorry I couldn't resist a little humor. What we recognize as a gasser is the predecesser to the altered wheelbase cars of the mid to late '60s. Fender well headers are easier to build, or more convenient as some already said. I'm not sure if it was the plan but they also offer lower under hood temps as compaired to an in the chassis type of header. Besides on the right vehicle they are just bitchin'.
[ QUOTE ] Just think, Stone,Woods & Cook...the Willys [/ QUOTE ] Us mid-westerners think of George Montgomery's '33 Ford, and later his '33 willys.
When you open the History of Drag Racing Dictionary and look up GASSER, this is what it says..... There are no substitutes to the real thing, we can only try to be this great. Okay, I'm a little bias'd on the subject. Here are some other pictures. The first one is of the replica models that show the different incarnations of the SWC cars. This car can also qualify as a true gasser in grand scale. Rex has a kickass '55 C-Gas sedan that is something to behold. The last three shots of Rex's car I took when I was at Rocky Mountain Dragway while I was on the first Ego Rama Shootout with my '40 Willys coupe. Rex and quite a few others came by that hot Saturday to watch the action. I hear that Rex is in this year's Ego Rama Shootout. He'll have a blast. This shot came from the Gasser Madness files. Gasser Madness is a great resource for the gasser look. This is the ad I had on Gasser Madness for my '40 Willys coupe. It shows quite a bit of the detail on the car but as the car turned out it was far from what I would call a true gasser. It's more like a stock car look that had been modified just a bit. That's all I've got to say about the gasser look. Hope this along with all the other great posts will get you in the mood to get gasser madness.
[ QUOTE ] Hope this along with all the other great posts will get you in the mood to get gasser madness [/ QUOTE ] Well, the "madness" hasn't set in yet, but I certianly do have a better appreciation and understanding for those early ground pounders. That 55 Chevy is pretty-damn-HOT! Thanks everybody for sharing your knowledge on the Gasser subject!
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