Kinda nit picking, but NHRA had classes for both FX and MP in the mid 60's. I don't know exactly when MP started but it was an established class by 64. Larry T
The term "splitting hairs" comes to mind. Yeah, it's always bothered me too to see an altered wheelbase, late model car (for the time, 63-66) being called a Gasser. The truth is that a lot of cars were built for neither the Gas classes or the FX classes. They were just plain 'ol Match Racers....and my favorites. They were put together just to go head-to-head, usually 2-out-3, with other similarly built cars. Check out any Super Stock magazine from 1964 up to about 1968. Those were some neat times back then. It seemed the only basic rule was that the car have doors! I mean, look at some of those cars that ended up with the roofs cut off- the Melrose Missle '65 Plymouth, Dick Harrells '66 Chevy II, Ed Rachanski's '64 Mercury Marauder and many others. What kind of class were they built for? The answer is.....NONE. I love seeing pictures of Arnie Beswick driving his left-hand-steering-still '63 Tempest against the early center-drivem flip-tp Funny Cars and winning still. WOW!
I had a friend who actually built a 4-speed equipped abortion/clone of this very car back in the early'80's. Clint was his hero and he kinda dug the character who drove this (choose one-gasser,A/FXer,match racer). He wouldn't spring for the extended shackles or chrome reverse wheels, nor for a bellhousing at first (he made one from a 727, incredibly determined he was). It's probably still @ his mom's, parked in favor of his next project, a shortened, 2-seat '69 Fury II, cut and shortened by hammer and chisel, with some hatchet work thrown in. Sorry O/T.
Gasser....A/FX............if its on the street its a STREET FREAK!...........and car craft said so in the 70s. JMO.......drive em and enjoy it
Al rite street freak it has got to be.......Its driven weekly. Looking at the other thread the gasser rules state cannot be lifted to enhance weight transfer.....its lifted. Allot of these cars on this thread don't fit those guidelines for gassers BUT their ALL cool John
below is a pic of what I hope is a real gasser...48 stude, straight axle, M/H slicks, etc. didn't race back in the day, but am going racing at age 64. agree we ought to be as correct as possible in our terminology, but the anal guys turn me off...how about you? "not slow and not fast...kinda half-fast."
GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! GASSER! I don't like Champion spark plugs that much.
The only drag strip i ever raced at was George Rays at Paragould. Was there a lot during the late sixties and early seventys. If you took off the hood or bumper or had glass pack mufflers you where placed in the gas class. Classed according to weight and cubic inch displacement. Win your class 3 times and you got bumped up a notch. Hard to get anything by George Ray He could hear a non stock cam. Tried to race my dads 66 galaxy 500 428 auto. I put on 352 fender badges and painted the engine blue with a 352 air cleaner. Got caught right away. He took one look at the vin number on the door jamb knew the engine size by one of the letters.He banned me. I came back a few weeks later with a 63 chev PK 283 bored .060 Ran L stock Stick. If he remembered me and the ford he didnt say a word. Of course that was and still is a wildcat non sanctioned strip.Back then any modification of the body or engine would put you in the gas class At that strip. OldWolf
Wow you have one of those hard top roadsters,really I get what your saying but as a young guy I dont know one from the other and I am guilty when I see a straight axle and the nose of a car so high in the air it gives you a head rush I say man look at that gasser but I come here try to learn some things and just hope that my kids get to enjoy my favorite past time by the way nice "RAT ROD"
That looks just like Cannonball's Stude in "Hot Rod". The one they used to tow the Willys...which was a Gasser! WOW.
That's why I'm painting "my tow rig is a Willy's"... On this: MY GASSER! Wanna know what makes it a Gasser??? Besides the fact that, other than functioning headlights, ( which ARE coming...) it meets all the class requirements for the mid-late 60's...(Although, I think it probably would have been in "D" class, thus far based on weight/power...not quite sure yet.) The OTHER thing that REALLY makes it a Gasser??? It doesn't burn fuel, AND it was built to go here: Its kind of like Punk Rock, though...real punk rock, much like real gassers, came about only once...afterward, it can only be emulating... but, thats nostalgia, ain't it?
Mark, When you can beat this 4 door Willys and you get rid of those cheesey modern Moroso valve covers you can then paint my tow car is a Willys on you truck and call it a Gasser. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark, just messing with Ya. Love your truck. Just waiting for your hood to come in so you can race with us. Looking forward to helping you get it all sorted out and flying down the 1320!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you're ever going to Atco and need a hand just let me know.
Hey man...those are vintage 70's style anodized Moroso's... Man, no love for the wide oval? The sidepipe? The 8 track? Don't worry hood will be here on Wednesday...lol! We'll cover that "unsightly" MSD box, too... You ever try finding GOOD LOOKING valve covers for a 385 series Ford?! haha... It looks like we will be continuing the tune and test pursuit at Atco either this Tuesday, or Friday... Watch for us! Looking REAL good right now for Tuesday... By the way...checks in the mail...
Here is my magic opinion. Gasser ment that it ran off of some sort of pump gas. It wasn't "fuel". I don't care what they did w/the car to fit the class, but if it ran off of the same shit that you drive your daily with it is a gasser.....BIG BRIGHT SMILE This means alot of cars that the mag dorks shrugged are now officially gassers. "Glory to god in the highest..." "and peace to his people on earth.." I'm not trying to dick your doo Mark. Somebody had to say it, and your truck does run on gas, so I don't see an issue.
An altered FED is just a resault of rule changes..There where many. I don't subscribe to any. Life is a dream and we all hope to find a happy end. I bet w/ photo shop I could prove that Obamma didn't even go to college w'that siren bitch. Life is simple. Live it. People are the only ones who fuck it up.
I'm one of those people that get a little caught up in terms and #'s. My 68 Formula S 383 4spd convertable is a #'s matching car. It has to be restored #'s matching, that's the way it is. Back in the early 70's I used to hang out at the speed shop. There was a guy in there all the time that called every Rod a Roadster, drove me nuts. He called my 39 Ford coupe a roadster once and I thought I could choke him. I've been around racing most of my life and had a 340 powered front engine dragster back in the mid 70's, so I'm pretty good with terms. That being said, I got called to task here a couple days ago for posting pics of my 58 English Ford Zodiak. I was told that's not a Classic Hot Rod. Well, if I'm stuffin' a 56 De Soto 330 Hemi in it, with a 70's vintage Doug Nash 5 spd, and a Dana, what the heck would you call it? It's gonna look a lot like a GASSER, with an extra set of doors. I'm just gonna call it the "De So Zo" and let every one else fight over the terms, Joe.
Yep! Today's gasser craze is really more of a Street Freak revival. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And I mean that most cincerely.
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