Thanks (so far) to LarryT, GASSERGUY, Mr48Chev, four-thirteen, and especially moparron426 for the very good pics. Didn't mean ruffle any feathers, but couldn't resist looking up the first thing that came to my mind after I read the Wikipedia reply. I am considering a build of a '38 Plymouth Coupe. Thinking hemi, manual trans, 9" ford, and of course, straight axle. I will skip the 10% setback since modern slinks and properly set-up rear will get plenty of traction. Thanks All!!!!!!!!!!
Hey josephine outy put your encyclopedias away and get some grease under your nails , Hot Rod forum !! You won't get far with the smart ass word game and pictures of your kin-folk here >>>>.
Gasser Full body 10% engine set back (measured from centre of front axle to the front sparkplug hole in relation to wheelbase.) ie 100 inch wheelbase 10inch setback 120 inch wheelbase , 12 inch set back ) BTW an altered which is the next step is 25% set back measured the same way. Don
Here is a pic of my '37 Chevy Coupe Gasser that I ran in the late 60's/early 70's. I ran a BBC with 4 speed Hydro and Olds 486 rear end and some big ladder bars and M&H slicks. The car Ran 11.0's which was pretty quick back in the 60's. If you go to my web-site http://www.marsh-racing.com/willys.htm you will see over 1200 pictures of gassers both old and new. I'm currently building a '41 Willys to run D Gas and some door banger classes. Here is a pic of current 41 Willys under construction:
Wouldn't it just be easier to look up the NHRA Gas Class rule book? I know there were many changes but if a car falls into the rules then it is a Gasser, if not then its not a gasser. Or am I reading too much into this and being a complete and utter Josie? Doc PS, Eracer, I had one of them as my first car, had an O/T 13b rotary that came from a group C touring car from the 80s. My old man was a mate of Alan Moffats engine builder, I got it for free after the rules changed and it had sat in his shop for a few years. It could pull the fronts on a hard launch but ran out of breath real quick. I think I just set it up real bad. Doc.
Man, I love 'em but the term has become VERY over-and-misused over the recent past couple of years. I hate seeing a blown or injected, Altered Wheelbase car with LOTS of engine setback and people are still calling it a Gasser. I don't think so. There's a big difference between a Gasser and a MatchBash car. I could even throw "Street Freaks" in here too, but that's a whole 'nuther animal!
I guess he was reacting to post 2 and the very helpful advise given. If we all just searched here instead of posting questions then there would be nothing here to search JM2CW
The Term derived from the old "Gas" Classes in early drag racing.Weight/HP... it later became a slang term for straight Axle Nose High cars like Stone, Woods and Cooks Willys any one of them.
AGREED. When people ask me what i am building i dont even say gasser because i dont want to sound "cliche" . Seems every body and thier dog is buidling a gasser . I just tell em i threw a pick up solid axle underneath a 55 chevy , I just get the " WTF" look and they move on ha ha ha. I watched a video the other day on the interwebs title " Gassers to midnite rider" Love the alman bros so i had to listen . Watching the video it had a lowered 55 running weld draglites all the way around , wtf is GASSER about that ? Seems like if you take a tri 5 chevy nowadays and mput flat paint on it it is instantly a gasser. THis is that axled Fiver ive been building.
A gasser, today is just a loosely used term. It does infact include cars modeled after actual gas class cars, throw into the mix, alterds, F/X cars too. A basic generic term, which seems to piss off the supposedly knowledgable and the purists. If you know what constitutes what a legal gas class car.... great, a lot of hobbiests, don't know and probably will not change calling their altered car a gasser....... so what, just enjoy.
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