I have a 64 Chevy SWB fleet side with a 292 / 4 speed. The truck is as bare bone basic as you can get. The highlight of options is the two speed wiper motor. I am looking to change it up a little and want to go with something of a gasser style. The first mod I would do is a straight axle front end. I am wondering if anyone has done this on a mid 60's Chevy pick up and what parts they used. I have some mag slots (6 lug) that I would love to use on it. I would really like the high front rake like the old gassers have. This would be on the truck in my avatar photo. Anything that is done would have to be period correct to be to my liking. Any thoughts or suggestions? I appreciate it, Tom
Lower the rear w/a shorter coil. Get that early '60's drag truck. Raising this all around will peg you in the 4X4 club. And if you name & letter it simple/clean will go farther that gaudy. BUT as the saying goes here...........it's YOUR car do what YOU want.
Awesome would make a cool head turner in my opinion. Are you going to race it at all or just a driver?
NOOOOOOOOO ........ don't do it. Your just gonna ruin a good truck and it will drive so bad you'll want to burn it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS! That truck was not born to be a gasser. I know it sounds cool, but many gasser attempts turn out weird. My neighbor has a bitchin' 63 with a 383 and four speed. It sits on a nice California rake and just sets off the lines of that body style. But, if you're gonna do it, make sure it can light those meats.
Don't, is my advice but if you must here are some "real gassers" a few are trucks. http://www.georgeklass.net/gassers.html
Exactly...most of the gasser trucks were Model As...Willys'...some 30s & 40s Chevys...stuff like that
You know I would be the last person to try and talk someone out of a cool ride, especially if it is what they really want. I mean to hear words like a certain vehicle was never "meant" to be a "Gasser" sort of amuses me. Certainly not one single small British family car was ever destined to burn up a drag strip, it just happened. I will say this though...if you are going to build it, because of its size and obscure racing potential, it better haul (no pun intended) some serious ass! Don't just give it the stance and a stock 305 if you know what I mean...
I would have to see the truck but someone mentioned that lowering the rear a bit is what should happen. If you go by the '64 NHRA rules raising the truck was a No No. Stock they set well and adding a straight axle to one of the best front suspensions that GM ever put on a truck would be a step backward not forward. This is one of the better gas class '65s I have ever owned. Although I did own a '63 with a 396 that I liked really well too. My front is missing a coil so it would have been pretty close to level with the front coils not cut (broken). You don't use shorter coils in an early '60s C-10 by the way you use blocks 1-2" blocks will do it.
It didn't just happen in my opinion - it was destiny and made sense. Small lightweight cars were a logical choice to go fast, especially with the Cubic inch per pound rules of the time. Big Heavy Chevy Trucks were NOT destined to be gassers, or any other type of drag racer for the same but opposite reasons! They were destined to be the Tow and Push vehicle for the real race cars!
I understand working with what you have but that model truck wasn't popular in gas classes so will seem a bit odd in that cofiguration. That said and speaking to the comment on "not being born to be a gasser". Neither was this and it was very succesful on in its class. I am sure the folks they beat never thought they would be seeing the tail end of a Packard at the big end! I am also of the camp that it needs to GO! if you do take your truck in that direction.
This is very close to the truth. My truck was actually originally going to be a push truck (hence the name) but the other project got sidelined for at least 80K miles and running it once a year was a blast. They are a 4000 pound brick. I like 'em real well and with enough motor you can make a good showing, I don't remember the class breaks right now but I am guessing that @ 355" it would be around a *D gas truck ( I don't recall the ruling on trucks either) so if you could coax a 13 second pass out of one that would be a fair showing and I managed to coax a moderately quicker pass that that out of mine. *Maybe C or E. C class a 12-13 would not be a good showing but E would put you toward the front of the class. Pun intended.
Weight distribution had a lot to do with what was built into Gassers (or any racers). Pickups don't have the best weight distribution in the world.
Hello Porknbeaner Am new here. I did the 'start a conversation' thing with you a few minutes ago, maybe I pushed the wrong button It wouldn't be the first time today. Do you have a few minutes to talk? Cheers Zwadny aka Idiot Savant .... Mostly the first part
You pushed the right button. ^^^ @Larry T yes they don't have good weight distribution and the long wheel base pickups are even worse. Seems like most C-10s that you find are long wheelbase. That said lots of A&B model Fords and lots of Willys pickups made it in the gas classes over the years. Some of them were scary fast. Of course they are a lot lighter then a C-10. Where a C-10 has an advantage is the truck arm suspension. With the forward mounted shocks all that is really needed for axle control is a pair of air shocks. I don't see one ever making it as a real gasser but where they shone is in the stock classes of the '70s. But those classes are actually reminiscent of the old gas classes anyway, street legal (if only barley) and weight breaks.
Benno, I've got to agree with you on the rear suspension. It's about as good as anything you could ask for on a street/strip suspension.
Gasser? What did that poor old truck do to make you hate it so? I just hate how so many decent old vehicles end up as parts cars after these kinds of dumb modifications. What you're talking about is the wasting of a finite resource. It could be a real nice truck. It'll never be a real gasser. Reconsider, please.
I hope you didn't take that comment as a slam. I meant know offense. After all I am building a small British family sedan myself. I just meant very few cars were ever truly destined to race. However because of weight, size, availability, economics (what ever) they made killer Drag Cars. But I will say this, just like the Flintsone Flyer...there is a part of me that loves seeing something that shouldn't go fast, GO REALLY FAST!
Well gents, a lot has transpired in thoughts after reading the above comments and deciding that I am going to invest any future hot rod money into a 32 Roadster (no gasser). The truck has been my daily driver for the last 3 years and it is a fun truck to cruise around in. As far as using the truck in some nostalgia gasser drags to be competitive, that would never happen. I understand the truck does not have the design characteristics to do such a task successfully. If I wanted a serious competitive gasser, I would build a 55 Chevy 2 door sedan. It is all a matter of opinion and personal taste I believe. The truck will never be a nice truck because I don't want it to be a nice truck. However it is just a fun little truck that gets used for a truck that sees very low miles. Never had I intended to make it a full blown racer/gasser that would not be street driven. I have the ability to make a straight axle vehicle handle well enough for the intended purpose. All I am really after here with the idea is the "look" of a gasser. All of the modifications I do are and will always be reversible. The truck will never be a parts truck or some project stuck in a corner of a garage because it went to far. This truck will has or will never be off the road for more than a weekend. I just gave it a chrome bumper upgrade and a better hood than the blue one. Hope all of you are having a great holiday weekend, Take care, Tom
Post a side view and I'll photoshop a gasser style look. In the real world, I don't think it would take much to achieve what you have in mind. Often, something as simple as a shackle change and wheel/tire combination will do the trick.
Not a C10...but Ford did have DST build some Unibody drag trucks in the early 60's...and they were pretty sweet
The Jalopy Journal
