Projects 1948 Chevy Gasser Pickup

I’ve posted here before but its been years. I’m from SE Nebraska and I’ve always been a fan of g***ers and original patina cars so I merged them int a ‘48 Chevy that started as a 3/4 ton longbox truck. Running a 12.5:1 ‘67 427 for power, TH350 trans, 3.90 ls 9”Ford rear axle, straight tube front axle with disc brakes.
Started with a frame on my hoist in April ‘17.





In front of the CRI&P depot January 2018.


I have more build pics if you’re interested. Thanks.

 

Going to have to loose that goofy visor if you want to call it a g***er. Truck should be a runner and maybe be a HAMB drags compe***or one of these days.

 

Nice rig! My brother is not yet done with his '55 Chevy G***er project.

 

X2 on the sunvisor. Make it go away , otherwise cool ride. I would make the front end one piece so it will tip or get a one piece fibergl*** front clip.
I don't see any ladder bars yet.

 

You’re serious about the visor?? It was on the truck when I bought it so I left it. It hooks way better than I thought it would, but the ladder bars are on the drawing board. I was originally going to make the front end tilt, but I mounted the engine so high that it ended up being really easy to work on even with it one piece. Plus anything short of a gl*** clip would have made it heavier.

 

That visor is going to work....just like a 747 wing!! The only takeoff you'll have will require tower clearance!

Ditch the wing!

 

Tell them the visor is downforce to keep the front wheels on the ground! Everybody loves to tell you how to build your cars on here. Just wait until the "That's not a g***er because..." guys start posting on this thread. If you like the visor, keep it.

 

It’s an auto, no fibergl*** lift off clip, it’s too heavy, no rollbar, the list is long and I know that. I’m self aware enough to know I’m not towing to Georgia to run with the bulls down there so I built what I wanted with what I had. I tried to be careful not to do anything major that would have to be undone if someone (or I) wanted to get serious with it later.

 

lose the visor and the running boards and that thing will look mean as hell

 

^^^ this ^^^...if you leave the visor, put some skirts on it...

 

Don't listen to these guys, with the visor as it sits its a "Cowboy Cadillac"

Like the old truck, I can't imagine that you're gonna drive it much with the high compression 427 but when you do its gonna be a handful.

 

The truck's actually a driver. I run it on Propane on the street which is in the neighborhood of 100 octane. It runs a bunch better with an 850 Holley, but definitely enough to get the attention of "the man" even through the 450cfm Impco carb.

 

Well if you had the correct visor for that truck it might be one thing but that like some home made thing or something that someone pulled off a big sedan and stuck on there. Main thing is that G***ers don't run visors. That thing will probably cost you a half second in the quarter if it doesn't blow off when you hit the top end and may not p*** tech if you actually go to race it at a track. Street race sleeper for stop light to stop light bashes it works as the guy you race will probably laugh so hard you will get a half block on him before he takes off.

 

I'm finding it quite entertaining how flipped out people are becoming over a fulton sunshade. I'm guessing as soon as I take it off, I'll get a bunch of offers to "take it off my hands".

 

^ --- . Ya got that right.!!!

 

The visor would look cool on a low rider pickup. That is not the look you going for.

 

So, has anyone even looked at the rest of the truck, I wonder? My God!!!! I get it. The HAMB hates visors.

 

I doubt that anyone hates visors, I think what they are saying is that it doesn't go with the type of truck you want it to be. Visors are more of a Bombita/custom thing.

 

Hard to convince the clueless PNB. Obviously the OP thinks G***er means something besides race truck or race car that actually is expected to look like it is ready to make a quick p*** down the strip.
Maybe it's time for Western Auto to make a comeback selling these guys junk dooodads to stick on their cars and trucks to decorate them. A few Autozone stick on portholes, some flame decals and a fake race gas cap out to complete the package.

 

Hey I like that stuff. Especially on someone else's ghetto cruiser.

I remember when I was in high school JC Whitney sent me a whole box full of window stickers. To this day I do not know why. Perfect Circle, Holley, Hurst, ******, STP, Champion . . . I was real popular in the parking lot for a while. There was a kid with a '60 Rambler that had one of everything stuck on his quarter gl***. LOL

 

So then educate me. It never occurred to me that the visor was such a cardinal offense since I was born after the g***er era. I just plain didn't know. I rely on folks like you to clue me in. If you knew me, you would know that I really want this project to be as honest as it can be. I fully intend to race this thing some, but I refuse to own anything that is a garage or trailer queen, so I made a few concessions to keep it streetable. I don't like stuff that doesn't need to be there either. I hate scare stickers and fake bugcatcher air cleaners as much or more than the next guy. Probably more than most. Hope we can get off on a little better foot from here on out.

 

Overly simplified a "G***er" is a race car. Prior to the Cam wars or G***er wars if you prefer they were street legal race cars. But that really doesn't change much, race cars are generally bare bones. You do whatever you can to gain an advantage, and the cheapest way to gain an advantage is to remove anything that the car doesn't need and is allowed to remove by the rules. The visor isn't a problem to anyone, it just doesn't scream g***er.

There is a niche that you could fit yourself into especially if you are married to the visor. You could call it a sleeper. A sleeper is a hot car that doesn't look the part. An old farm truck makes a good sleeper.

 

Thanks, that's the kind of constructive criticism I was looking for. I want it to SCREAM g***er as much as it can without being a '41 Willys.

 

If you look around a bit ( search tool) you'll find a thread where different g***er rules from different eras are discussed. Most of the rules are NHRA specific an they were not the only governing body but while some of us don't want to play NHRA they do have staying power. OK off on a rabbit trail here, if you scroll through it you can get a pretty good grasp of what was being done when. You certainly are not bound by the rules but it will give you a lot of insight.

 

First of all nice truck - great job on the "conversion" to SWB and 1/2 ton....and congrats on getting it "running and Driving" to Beano's point, Trucks of this size/vintage weren't usually g***ers (the trucks you typically saw were the aforementioned willys or other pre war models) that said plenty of "true to the era" style later trucks have been built....just try to keep it out of the later "street freak" genre....

 

Um, lose the visor.

 

Why not convert the Holley to run on E85......great on the street and track

 

I would do that in a heartbeat if I had E85 close. That is THE ONLY thing keeping me from doing it.

 

When building a g***er lighter is better, remove anything that doesn't contribute to acceleration.
Do some research on G***ers and you'll quickly see that a visor absolutely has no business on one. Like was said earlier visors and skirts go together on customs or bombs.

 

I actually really like sunvisors on old cars and trucks. I have had several , but just not on a vehicle that is supposed to emulate a G***er.