History So when did the gasser noses drop down

Well I'm pretty sure the rules for Anglias and english Fords wont apply to my AUSTIN. But you're not the first to think it's an Anglia or Prefect.

From what I saw back in the early 60's when I started attending drag races, the rules for modifying the suspension must have been ignored a lot. There were plenty of Willys and other old coupes that were way up high.

 

Here's another argument-what year was this picture taken, was the car all 'gl***, and when did all 'gl*** Willys hit the scene?

 

I'm pretty sure Charlie Hill's Willys was a steel body. Not sure about the frontend though.

 

Hill & Zartman made gl*** frontends for Willys' and sold them to the compe***ion and others. Maybe doors too, I don't know for sure. That's what the Fibergl*** by Hill & Zartman Enterprises on the door refers too.

Fibergl*** bodies weren't legal in the G***er cl***es until around 1967 and then only in the blown cl***es.

 

HMMM Wheels are turning now, I'd probably never be willing to part with steel Wyllis money even if I DID have it(I don't!) I have a blower in my garage, and 'gl*** bodies aren't THAT expensive...

 

Well according to a "Larry T" thread that includes the rule book, I believe you are wrong.

1966 Rule Book


1964 Rule Book


1971 Rule Book


No where in any of these rules does it say you must remove the front bumper or you cannot run with a front bumper. Unless I'm not reading these rules correctly, running with a front bumper in the "Gas" cl*** was purely optional.

 

I think he meant "did not require a front bumper"....not "required removing the front bumper"

 

You could be right Jim but around here these guys won't let you run if you have a front bumper. In fact they have made guys take their front bumper off or they can't run with the g***ers. Perhaps this group should read these rules.

 

Ya might look at Jr. Thompson's Opel in post 143. Or Maybe Ohio George's Mustang.

 

you are right. I stand corrected.

I made contact with the current owner of the Hurst Barracuda.

When it was built, a junkyard Willys ch***is and brand new powertrain were used. After the car was sold, the Peifer Willys ch***is was installed. This ch***is had been modified, the rear end narrowed and bigger tires installed.

When I transported the project, a stock Willys ch***is was part of the load. The restoration will use this ch***is to bring the car back to the way it was when built by Fred and Jim.

 

This is my '57 Chevy in G/Modified Production trim at Bakersfield in 1970...
When I found the car in 2007 the front bumper had been removed and the fenderwells had been slightly radiused, and from what Im told, either of these mods would have bumped you from the MP cl*** and landed you in one of the gas cl***es. The car was then campaigned for a short time with a Hilborn injected SBC in D/GS.

 

The Charlie Hill body has drip rails and is for sure steel. The front end and doors (and maybe rear fenders and deck lid) were fibergl***. You are right about being bumped into the gas cl***es for removing the front bumper.

 

The injectors and removing the bumper would move you from MP to Gas.
If I remember correctly, the rule for Modified Production was that the tires couldn't hang out past the body panel. I don't think radiusing the wheelwells would have been illegal for the cl*** as long as the tires were tucked inside the body line. I'm pretty sure this one rule ultimately let to tubbing cars and that led to the "Pro Street" look everyone is so fond of.

 

I said that just for you. So you awere not even legal until a later rule change unless you ran altered. Correct? Do you know a loophole that I don't?

I saw some as well, like the deal with George Montgomery it had to do with how much pull you had and who the tech was. Anyone could have protested at any time and that was a chance that you had to take.

I used to run my '55 Stock in Portland ('69-'71), even with my 8" slicks and 2x4. The techs just grinned, I guess that is called home track advantage. If there was a purse at stake I ran Gas cl***, not worth the risk to me. But when I got out to woodlands or some other track where I had no pull I couldn't slide past in stock cl***.

I learned the trick of cl***ing down from an older fella who ran a famouse Modified Sports car, a Healy. He had his engine dressed to look like the stock healy engine. he tried to run stock cl*** all the time, when he got caught he got black flagged and he was through racing for the day.

The Ol' Man used to dump a load of pop in his AA/GA when I was a kid, he explained when I got older that if the dose was light enough it gave you a slight advantage and no one would notice. He said some fellas ran bardahl top oil and others ran other fuel additives when no one was looking and that is just racin'.

The Ol' Man's friend, the one that told me to lower the back got pulled out for having the front lifted on the weight transfer rule, he told the tech that his front wasn't lifted his rear was lowered. I was pretty young but I am pretty sure that the front was lifted a bit as well but how would you know, when you drop the rear the front automatically comes up.

A lot of what we saw as gas cl*** when we were kids was window dressing. Things got ignored to fill the bleachers. Sometimes those cars werw paid to show up. Later it was wheel standers that they used for window dressing.

I think too that we get confused by Match Bash cars. Match racing was played by different rules than you or I would have been allowed.

I remember once when I was tunning for Donny in the '70s that he had a match race with a rail. He got paid to show up as well as the rail and it was a big deal. Pro Stock v Rail who can win? We ran the car on alcohol that day with a couple of other tweaks that were outside the normal rules. It was a match race to get the general public in the gate. It helped pay the bills.

I know it has nothing to do with "G***ers" but it is a different perspective. The races from the pits was a whole different game than from the bleachers. I never watched a race from the bleachers until 2 years ago.

 

WOW....What a great thread.
I can't believe I missed most all of it.
I have always loved G***ers....er'...... what I think are G***ers, er'...... was told were G***ers, er'......what I thought looked like G***ers........
Unfortunately, I graduated in '62 and got married in '63 with a child on the way, so never could get really involved personally ($$$) with this stuff.... BUT, a few comments:

* Nine full pages and no real name calling, or the usual BS when folks disagree !!!
* Very knowledgeable comments and views expressed, and even with some humor...most from real guys who were really there.....
* Some great pictures shown of all different types of "G***ers"
* And Lastly...BobWop....how do you expect to sell anything when constantly on this post ?????

I learned a lot, and thanks to all for the education !!! This is a real HAMB thread !!!
Cheers........

 

The elimination of the 7" tire rule for MP had a lot to do with that too. MP and SS ch***is/body rules pretty much ran parallel, except MP cars were permitted a gl*** hood, bumper, and non-factory hood scoop.

 

On the Hill & Zartman deal, how many guys know that this cars predecessor was a '40 Ford sedan?

 

I am going to build a Nostalgia G***er Henry J and it will be nose down up front. I keep saying the front suspension and ch***is will look like a Woody Gilmore funny Car from around 1970. 4 bar and coilovers on a straight axle.

 

I was a pup when g***ers were in their hayday Benno! Attended my first drag race in 1962 at 12 yrs. old. I was instantly hooked and when I reached driving age in '66 I bought my parents minty '57 Chev Belaire and to my mom's dismay put a straight axle under it, and built the 283 to go racing!
Every change I made to go faster, my mom would tell me I was further ruining a nice car! My dad's response was always the same, "It's his car, and he paid us for it, so it's his problem."

 

This makes sense...The stock leaf springs on the car had been notched 1" with a torch for tire sidewall clearance...anything to stay within cl*** rules I guess!

 

Yeah, I meant no ft. bumper required. Also my limited rules knowledge relates to the years I raced, 1972-1979. Fibergl*** hoods,fenders,doors were allowed in Gas cl***es, full gl*** bodies only in supercharged cl***.

 

Never so lucky as to get a car from my folks bought or otherwise.

We drove the '55 to and from the strip in the beginning and it finally got extreme enough that it just made more sense to tow it. I never did go the straight axle route and it really only sat a little higher than stock. But it made it to the big end quiker than most and all on a good day.

My first ride in a 9 second car was a straight axled J. That would have been around '70. It set about like my Ford, it was just lighter and had a whole lot more motor. The guy that owned it said that end of the season he was going to get it obscenley low. He figured with a lower profile and some ch***is tunning he could pick up a tenth or two and said it would be a whole lot easier to drive.

 

did somebody say Henry J g***er?

will be at Great Lakes Dragaway this weekend, with the rest of the herd

 

wasn't it the original ramchargers with the high and mighty plymouth that got all this started anyway, as well as the altered wheel base in later years.

 

See post #148

 

That's Cool as Hell!! BoBWop

 

So if i get it right: G***er Style is nose up, and Real G***ers is a dessision made right there and then on track!
Basicly one is a look-a-like thing, the other is a go fast thing and changed rapidly.

IMO it's only looks good on some cars, but it is so easy to overdoo to the point of stupid!

So the rule book states no lift and they all had lift. So if you Follow the rules from back then you are disqualified. No wonder a stupid kid from abroad gets confused!

 

Don't have to be overseas to get confused! I don't know how the rules were interpretted as I saw so many "tall" cars running in the early 60's gas cl***.

 

High and Mighty was NOT a g***er, it ran in the altered cl***.C/A

 

Ad to that the rules changed from one year to the next and one sanctioning body to the next. That was just racin'.