I'm looking to build a '63 Chevy Impala into a Gasser type car to street/strip. I don't know a lot about these cars except what I see at cruise nights in my area. What is a good source to go to for building info. Thanks....
By the early 60s, the full size cars were not the hot ticket for a gasser. They were more common in the super stock classes.
Right here! Start with a search on the topic to soak up what you can and then let the questions fly. Some folks (a very vocal 5%) will be rude, cause you just discovered gassers, so you're obviously not as cool as they are. However, if you stick around a while, they'll move onto something else shortly and new******s will replace them!. You can then be comfortably rude to the new ones and have all kinds O fun! The rest of us will do what we can to help out.
I concur with Squirrel. Early '60s cars make cool Stockers, Super Stockers, or Modified Production racers. Also make neat street machines, but an attempt to turn one into a gasser will probably be a waste of raw material, and the worst of it is that it is hard and expensive to go back if you change your mind. That said, we live in America, and you can be as foolish as you decide you need to be. Have fun with whatever whatever path you choose.
Crease I couldn`t have say it any better myself. I too am building a Gasser,most of what you will find out there are more to the Willys Gassers and my best info that I have found is on this site. When it comes to early 60s chevys I alway see a white car with white steel wheels. A 409 4 speed come to mind as well.
Gasser - No Street Freak - If you want Super Stock - Hell Yes!!! I have to second the idea of a super stocker for your Chevy. Not really a big fan of building something that really wasn't built much. A straight axle under your car would look out of place. Just my 2 cents.
Not a common body style for a gasser. If your looking for a 60's body style to build a gasser go with an early Nova or Falcon. 63 Chevy, go with the Stock/Super Stock vibe.
Saw a 1964 Impala 2dr ht made into a Gasser a while back and it just looked all wrong. Try something a little earlier. Just my 2 cents
Although not a common body style for a gasser, ignore the naysayers and build what you want. Here's an old one that sat for many years and is enjoying a second childhood on the strip... looks pretty cool to me, but I'm old too Check out http://gassermadness.com/ ....... CC
"Gasser" doesn't necessarily mean "straight axle" or "jacked up" or "outrageous in any and every way." Traditional* gas-class cars came in many forms, from beat-on street cars with just a few modifications to bucks-up track-only cars. *Okay, I admit that the word "traditional," like "gasser," can be a hot-button word and means many things to many people, but generally speaking: Not all gassers had straight axles. Not all gassers had stock front suspensions. Not all gassers had fenderwell headers. Not all gassers had under-car exhaust. Not all gassers were two feet off the ground. Not all gassers were stock height. Not all gassers had the front bumper removed. Not all gassers had "Moon" tanks mounted in front of the grille. Not all gassers had cut-out rear quarters for huge slicks. Not all gassers had stock rear quarters. Not all gassers were '41 Willys coupes. Not all gassers were tri-5 Chevys. Not all gassers were Anglias or Austins. Not all gassers were show cars. Not all gassers were low-buck drivers. Not all gassers were cool. Etc., etc., etc. (Etc. etc., etc., etc.) Do what you want to and have fun. If you put it to a committee then the car "hobby" can quickly stop being fun. You want a jacked-up straight-axle Impala? Go for it! If you then post it on the Internet and get*****ped on then that's the risk you take. (The Internet is a rough place and it's best to wear a cup.) Keep in mind that every other car guy would do your car differently than you would. No one has all the answers. There is a lot of constructive criticism to be had, especially on the Internet, but no one has all the answers. I sure as hell don't. Oh, and pick up a copy of "Gasser Wars" and look closely at all the photos, especially the early days. There is nothing like knowing the history of something to really enjoy it and do it right, or at least get as close as you can.
lot of these full sized Chevys were altered. Many early-mid 60's builds used 09's, fenderwells, straight axles, radiused wheelwells, Olds rearend. Very cool. Go for it!
Which is not really a gasser, it's an early funny car or AF/X car. I'd build want you want also, but if you want to build a straight axled 60's gasser, your body style was not very common. Stick the nose in the air with some coil spacers, run some narrow slicks and build a late 60's super stocker, just as cool as a straight axle gasser styled car and period correct!
What is or was correct is more defined by the model / build year and class of the car than anything else. How much this concerns you varies person to person. I agree to build what you want but if you do want anything close to plausible wipe the idea of most of what you see today from your mind and pick up some old magazines. You'll find more facts and less I didn't build one myself but "I was there and it was this way" BS. Super Stock or Modified Production is more of a fitting place for a 63 Chevy but a D/G or E/G car like the one pictured would be cool. The gas classes cover a wide****ortment of cars over the years. The thing is people see silly***** like the ***"real" "vintage" built two months ago, just for Ebay, Gassers like the 64 Chevy thats listed every other week and they think there were A/GS 64 Chevys, F-100s, and****orted other land yachts taking out the top Willys coupes back in 65.
That was well put. I was jus going to ask what "Gas" class do you plan on building it like? I once built up a 63 hardtop impala with no front bumper, 396 big block,big block springs with spacers. I used weld 15x8 draglites on 29.5 by 12.5 Mickeys and front runners. I raised the hood bout 1 inch from the rear to get that cool cowl look. It was a something different to look at back in 1993.
Thanks to all for the great advice, I'm going to build what I want and have fun with it. Steamer.....
I'd sway towards the Super Stock style myself..... BUT, i'd aside from the slight radius on the quarters of that maroon 63 i really dig it!! Like you said, do what ya want and have fun!
That car is kind of cool, but if you are going to sell a 62 Chevy your brain must not work right if think you'll make more money after hacking up the front of the X-frame. Gassing out a decent Willy's, Austin or Anglia to sell is profitable , Gassing a 62 Chevy is just making a desirable street car worth less money. Building something you want is cool but these tards on Ebay just amaze me. If you are only in it for profit wouldn't you think you'd do some research first?
If the cars posted in this thread are wrong, I don't want to be right. Fuck the pre-'64 Stasi, it's obvious there's a bunch of folks around who enjoy talking out their****es. A note for most folks who take life way to seriously- like it or not, these days the term 'gasser' has basically come to mean any post-War/pre-'64 street/strip looking ride. As you said, Steamer- build it how you want it. As for where to get the info- you're there. You can do searches for tech threads on how to set up your ride- of particular interest to you would be these threads- http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302183 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225171 There are others here as well. If you can't find your answer by searching, post your question. Among all the posts that will tell you to use the search function before making a post will be a few helpful souls who will actually answer your question.
Lets****ume you own any 58-64 GM X-frame car, slide under it and enlighten us how you think you could build a"box tube" frame more sound than factory without hacking the original floor or letting it hang down past the rocker like a truck with a stacked frame? Then it would need new body mounts also requiring changes to the stock body. Now a stronger tube and panel back bone style X frame is possible but it would be a serious undertaking and less than vintage if that is still the goal. As I said, if a person wants to build such a car for himself, cut it up that's cool, its just a Chevy there are thousands of them, many of which are restored. My buddy is building a 64 Impala tube chassis car right now, its not what I'd done with it, but its his, its not forsale and he has more than enough back ground to complete the project. My original point was, if you notice, that car posted and other mis guided hack jobs like it built out of full size cruisers are on Ebay quite often and rarely meet reserve much less the amount of money the same effort toward restoring the same car could have brought****uming your only interest is profit.
If you think its cool, you don't need anyone else's approval...tend your own garden,***** everyone else!!!
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