GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

I wasn't talking crazy by no means, just an inch, looking to get a little more clearance around my headers. I figured if the nose went up it might look a little shorter anyhow and an extra inch would make it right again.
Somewhere in my mockup phase to welding solid the angle of my headers moved a bit, I get a rub on hard left turns.

 

Guess it depends on whose rules you play by. Sounds like Quain's group is more lenient and allows small altered wheelbases. If you need it to clear the headers, then there's the answer. Just move it enough to clear.

 

If one inch will give you the clearance you need, I'd do it. And maybe the added inch will take little off your 60 ft time. I moved the axle in my 55 1 1/2" ahead, but more for the looks than traction.

 

How 'bout Valley Head Service, I think they had a pretty good reputation.

 

I forgot all about them,thanks Larry....I'm getting old ya know...!

Scott


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This is how far I cheated mine forward. Like someone else said, not for performance or clearance...strictly liked the look!

 

I have a really good shot of the black version of the SWC "Swindler" car (my favorite,as it looks so much meaner in black),and it clearly shows that the rear wheels were moved forward,but I'm guessing this version of the car was built to match race?
Or maybe they cheated on the rules just a bit when radius-ing the wheel wells,sort of like Ford did with their '65 A/FX cars;when enlarging the wheel wells,they made them bigger,but...oops....how'd that happen?We shifted the radius 2" to the front..?

Scott

Ps:I will try to dig up that photo in the morning,as the Wife is getting cranky that I'm bullshitting with you guys about cars instead of checking HER oil...! HaHa!!!



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If you re-arch the springs to get the extra height that you want the axle will move front or back depending on which end the shackle is on. More arch will pull the axle to the solid mount on the chassis, less arch will go the other way. This also helps explain part of the bump steer problem on traditional steer cars, but can be used as a tool to make it better.

 

Yep Larry Ofria still has Valley Head Service, we both had 57' Bel Airs in 60' but he had a 1/2" arm and a Racer Brown roller cam

My 301 incher would not beat his 352 CT stroker

One other head porter who made good was Ken Sperling, who started Air Flow Reaserch, he did his work in his duplex garage in the ally and matched the intake ports to my heads on my new Hilborn manifold in 65'

With my own shop I was using Charley Slover then he went to TX at Chaparell cars and Jerry Brady ran his shop and Jerry ported my stuff for years after getting his own Manning & Brady shop

They had one of the first custom built flow bench's made by Briar McKay and was brazing up the ports on SBC and turning out some killer heads with wild looking exhaust ports that had a ' D ' shape with a flat floor and a big hump right in the middle of the floor and a angle mill job from zero at the intake to .100 off at the exhaust side for a lot smaller chamber

You guys are so lucky as you can buy it all that way now, where we had to give these wild ideas a try and that was real racing not knowing how these things were going to work

It was a great time being there seeing all my friends open up their own shops too

G Don

 

That's a good point Quain,and something I never gave much thought to,until I ran into that problem with my O/T Ford that I'm going to be running at the Meltdown Drags this year.
It's fine to re-drill the springs and move the mounting location slightly,right...?
If not,Im going to need a slightly longer main leaf fabbed up I think..

Scott


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Don,
That's a pile of work to make power,but I bet those heads ran circles around the average set.
I love spending (wasting,in my buddies' opinions) a bunch of time working on a part to get it to run better than another near-identical part.
It's pretty rewarding when a guy who spent as much on his carburetor as you spent on your entire engine,can't figure out why he has a hard time beating your better thought out and researched combination.

Scott


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Found that SWC photo too:

That car is just magical,in my opinion.I wish they would have painted all of their cars black.

Scott


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Another thing to consider on GM cars, is that the centering pin on the leaf springs is not in the center of the axle tube on the rear suspension. The pin is ahead, so if you put a Ford or Chrysler rearend in it is moved ahead about an 1 1/2".

MELTDOWN DRAGS
VINTAGE DRAG MEET
JULY 18,19,20 2014

 

Now THAT raises a point I definitely hadn't thought of.

Scott


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Early GM like 37-41 for sure. The early trucks too.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
VINTAGE DRAG MEET
JULY 18,19,20 2014

 

The other thing you can do to off-set the rear end (forward or back) is to drill the axle pad off center and drill the bottom plate (or traction bar) to match. I had a huge set of tires on the back of a 69 Roadrunner I had, and had to move the tires back 1 inch for clearance. Just have to remember to check the length of the driveshaft when doing this.

 

Cause the chicks are NOT impressed when your driveshaft flops out on the road when you try to "peel out"...!

Scott


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Drilling another hole in the perch is easier than drilling another hole in the spring.

 

Good point.I bet that spring steel eats up drill bits like they're made of plastic.

Scott


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I had to just slightly enlarge the leaf spring holes to accept a bigger pin on some springs and was surprised that even the tiny cut destroyed drill bits trying to open the hole. Relocating the hole in the perch is the smart route to go.

 

I have the Speedway front axle setup so hopefully not re-arching any springs there. I did re-drill a main leaf on the rear on my truck to move the axle. I also had to weld on new spring mounts on the rear end to change the pinion angle back because the rear end moved up the arch of the spring.

 

I've got some wedges for that,cause I had been planning to play around with it anyway.When I welded the spring perches on my housing,I couldn't make up my mind who believe about pinion angle,so I set it where I thought it should be.....and bought the wedges just in case all my brilliant theories turned out to be bullshit!

Scott


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For future reference.

 

Thanks Baron!
The way I have it set up now it seems to hook REALLY hard,but I have a lot of angle set into that pinion yoke.Probably a bit too much.

Scott


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I welded my perches on to match trans angle than could change them around. Running 4 degree steel wedges down and working well. Bill

 

You can see the arch of these Dodge Trailduster springs in this photo, one end is reversed eye, other end is standard. 48 in. spring with pin dead center at 24in

 

Btt

 

So I was originally going to run fenderless,with lots of engine setback,and build the car as an Altered,but after seeing a picture of this coupe,I'm tempted to put fenders on my 'A',and maybe get out to a few Gasser events...


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I got to thinking the other night did they have their front axles chromed in the 60's, I would of thought they would of rather have put the money into the motor ???

 

George Montgomery had a ton of stuff chromed