Customs Her name is Cherry, cuz she ain't

well I have had visions of gassers dancing in my head for awhile now...seeing a bunch of them at Day of the Drags didn't help. So I have switched gears on my fleetline build and have decided to build a straight axle gasser out of it. Well since I have already notched the frame and bought all of the stuff needed to bag the car I had to come up with a solution...The solution followed me home last night.

the donor frame.... the restoration was started on this car ten or so years ago and the frame was cleaned and painted then. Car really isn't as bad as it looks...


p.s. I will bag the 54 instead.

 

Subscribing..

 

Awesome decision! Cool either way this should get good!

 

Did a quick and dirty photoshop to help me solidify my decision. I'm going to shoot for a period (67-68) correct drag car and not a street freak. The hardest part of this decision for me is letting go of this car as a street driven car.

If anybody has any information for me that relates to the period I'm aiming for, please fill me in. I have my father-in-law's input but every little bit helps...cuz I was just messing up diapers in 68.

 

I would have loved to see this one as a custom, but its your car, so MORE POWER TO YOU!! Have fun with it man.

 

LS1 is a small block for the record.

 

this oughta make you shit your pants then (buddies car)

suicide, i like what your doing to the car, keep up the good work

 

Great build so far but you lost me at the gasser part! I have a 50 fleetline myself and i'm kicking around the idea of a LS1 or a 292 inline. Build it as you wish its your car, but im my opinion, fleetlines look the best bagged. The body lines of the car just look great. Either way you go, i'm subscribed!!

 

Go wild in style!

 

whats wrong with that? looks safe to me.

 

Ok kids... for all of you who are opposed to the fleetline becoming a gasser... you can relax. I am proceeding with plan A. The 54 turns out to be worse than I thought and would take much more work to become a nice street car. This Fleetline is in much better shape, not to mention I already have year of manufacture plates registered for it.

I made some progress...

Ride height?



and the six to make it go...



so the 54 will sit and become the gasser afterI get this car back on the frame.

 

feet up admiring my efforts


Sent from my iPhone using TJJ

 

I'm with you on the gasser decision but you bought it so build it how you want. I wouldn't make it totally unstreetable though. That'll be a big part of the fun is being able to drive it and drag it. I LIKE IT!!!

 

lol...looks good dude

 

I will bag my Fleeline and build the gasser out of my 54. The 54 will be track only. Too many sacrifices have to be made to have a streetable drag car.

 

Glad you are going to drop the Fleetline. Looks good so far. What part of Texas are you from?

 

Katy, west of Houston.

 

You don't have to chop it either, the roofline is nice the way it is. A nice Sunvisor, and it's golden.

 

Cool, my sister and brother in law live in Tomball. I am in Central Texas, about 3 hours away. I have a 51 Fleetline that I hope to get started on this winter.

 

new photoshop. I think this looks alot better than the fleetline as a gasser.

 

^^I agree.

 

Got some work done...

Mark it...


torch it...


weld it...


tada...


I used my torch to weld it up mainly because I was too lazy to drag out my mig...no the truth be told if a guy in the 50's was bagging his car a torch is all he probably would've had.

I ground the other side smooth but didnt take pictures... I'll get one in the am of it all ground pretty.

 

I like the idea of the gasser as well, I say go for it

 

i look forward to more picture....i like your thread

 

subscribed.
i'll be starting on mine as soon as i unload my current.
this thread may change my mind about a thing or two...

 

I messed around with the car again saturday and tonight. I put the lower a-arms on so I could check out how the bags would fit. These are some big ole bags....and these are the littler ones I have.

I clearanced the sides and haven't welded and ground all that stuff.


I think this was completely smashed and the sides are touching the a-arm. Just barely... but touching.


I will need to clearance the arms also.

I decided I wanted to see how the frame would sit with it laid out. So I hacked off the rear spring mounts...(I smashed my finger with my BFH and had a little fit there in the shop...I can't even type with it...which really limits my typing speed.)

Well I decided I wanted to run 195/60/15's on it. That is a 24.2" diameter tire. So I mocked it up on some jack stands and it is close enough for the girls I run with... (errrr girl singular)


This would be totally aired out without dropped uprights. I am happy with that. I may have to cut the floor under the back seat to clearance for the trailing arms and the wheel wells... i don't know.







I like how the front tires won't sit all wonky when aired out either..I have $100 tied up in steel for the notch and frontend and I still have half the 1/4" plate I bought at this point.

 

cool!!! Looks good!!! I wanna see more of the rear suspension!

 

I'm also keen to see more of the rear end.

 

I got to fart around out in the garage today. I welded and cleaned up the front crossmember and then put the bag back in and it is still touching everywhere. The diameter on this bag is 7" compressed!!!!! So while I contemplate buying some different bags vs. make these fit (more fabricating on the a-arm)...I decided to look at the back end.

I mocked up a string to act as the bottom of the rocker panel and I didn't like how the back of the car would be about a half inch off the ground and the front about 3 inches. I decided I wanted the rocker to be level when aired out and sitting on the k-member. This equates to about 2 5/8+- inches.







So I started contemplating how to make the car stop with the rocker where I want it in the back. I thought about setting the shocks up where they were completely compressed and the rocker was right...i dont think so Tim.

So I went to the drawing board... Photoshop. This would be a crossmember between the notches with a stub (red) going down with a bump stop (blue) on the end. I would need to make a plate (green) to level out the trailing arm.





What do you think??