History What is the big deal with Gassers???

I am not much into drag racing stuff but keep seeing folks from time to time on here building their projects in the gasser style.

There seems to be a lot of nostalgia behind this style, but I just dont understand the principle for drag racing this configuration.

To me they dont look all that aero dynamic at all.
Maybe I am missing somethings that needs to be pointed out to me.

Post whatever you like to help explain it...

 

old way of drag racing . weight transfer. front high ,back low. puts weight on rear wheels.

 

Its not about ultimate speed and ET bar nothing.
If it were then all that would have ever raced would be fuel dragsters.
It was about building an available car to fit in a class and wringing all you could out of it using the parts and tires available at the time.
At the time...the classes that GASSERS ran in, ran fastest using the setup you see.

It's just how it was at the time...and we remember it fondly. LoL

 

Set up high for weight transfer. In the early 60 the tires were very hard and narrow { lots of tracks had a 7 inch tire rule}so to launch you wanted weight transfer. We had more horse power than we could get to the ground. The first high cars were from Chrysler Engineers with the Ramchargers.Later Geo. Montogmery figured out aero and the face of gassers changed after that. Later bracket racing came so most gasser cars were parted out or junked as no one wanted them. Now to many old folks like me its a link to our mis spent younger days. some more HAMB ers will add more to what I said.. Bobby.......... Damn I type SLOW

 

Aerodynamics were not considered in automotive design at the time, even from a factory design standpoint. The drag racers cared (or understood) even less about aerodynamics. The name of the game was getting power to the ground through skinny tires with stiff sidewalls. The best way to achieve this is the nose high stance that allowed for extreme weight transfer that planted the tires as hard as possible. Taking it a step further, altered wheelbase cars set the entire body back on the frame to increase weight transfer, and eventually became the modern funny car. Improving tire technology and advances in aerodynamic understanding eventually made the gasser style obsolete. Many build them because they are an integral part of drag racing history and the over-the-top look guarantees that you'll stand out in any crowd.

 

I'm too young to remember the "Gasser" days (35). Yet I am still building one right now, just because they are a cool part of drag history. Not because they are faster or better in any way, just because I like the style. I know it wont be worth anything to anyone else. Ill keep it then.

 

Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines.
Gassers were a big part of drag racing in the 50's 60's when the only racers bothering with aerodynamics were the F.E.D. guys.

Scotty

 

Its the history Behind them.
In their time, they were "DRAG RACING"

When big money started playing the game, technology changed and the gassers were gone from the racing scene.

 

I saw a spare tire cover on a Jeep one time with printing on it that said "If I have to explain it you wouldn't understand anyway." Same with gassers. Unless you have been at a drag strip or car show when one of these beasts rolls up with uncorked headers, it is hard to explain. They are just so animated and exciting to watch.

Don

 

Beautifully said!
Jay

 

i think you are missing the evolution aspect of the cars. most of anything on cars evolved from something else that was modified and or improved with time. the gasser style had its moments of fame and peak of performance and style, then dragsters evolved into something else within time...

theyre cool

 

what he said...

 

im actually a bit dissapointed i stayed up just to see tis thread explde... the gasser was a way of lifeback then they WERE the monsters of drag racing... and still turn as many heads as the top fuel dragsters, (no there not as fast) but we still bring a crowd...57 pontiac Gasser... watch your local dragstip schedule here we have a nostagia night once or twice a year to pull as many of these out as possible...

 

I'm soaking it all up and got to say I am starting to get the hang of what it is all about.

I am inspired by the look of these machines and see why they would draw a crowd quite easily.
I had never considered the tire side of things!


OK, so the aero dynamics thing was no big deal back then, but surely it must have been a problem for some cars wanting to lift the front end by the time they would reach the end of the strip.

If most of the weight is down on the back wheels you can't get it up front later...

Especially since my logic tells me the quicker you are down the strip usually means an increase in speed which makes it more likely the front would want to lift the faster you go.

 

This video of the HAMB's own Shakey Puddin' kinda sums it all up.

Don

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x68ZHe0hM4

 

Someone say gassers???....

 

You could say the same thing about some folks still using flat head Fords for power. It's a "look" that is a huge part of car racing/hot rod culture.
Long may the flat head and gasser live.......not necessarily together though.

 

The Stone Woods and Cook Willys. Classic!

 

With how incredibly fucking mind numbingly boring drag racing is these days, that Shakey Puddin' video has got to answer the question!!

Doc.

 

You either get it or you dont, if you dont it cant be explained.

 

Awesome

 

Great vid!!

 

I'm feeling the love and that video was great.
I just needed to get my head around the detail and history.
I still think there must have been some runs where guys flipped cars with those high front ends!!!

 

Of course there was some hairy runs but most accidents were due to poor handling characteristics. Terminal speed for a gasser was not fast enough to result in lifting the car in the top end of the track.



Doc.

 

Ouch!...^^^

 

traction was a harder issue to overcome than aerodynamics back then due to lack of tires no slicks with the right compounds no good suspension/shocks etc. so that is why the noses went up this was fixed later on in time and then the noses came back down

 

DOC clean out your pm's i sent you a message...sorry not tryin to hijack this thread!

 

Gasser brings us back to the simple days. Many of these cars were all built by guys in their back yards. Engines built on the garage floor, with parts from the junk yard. Back then you could get that big engine from a wrecked muscle car, put in in a $35.00 car and go racing. Most of what people are building today are in the style of the bigger dollar cars from the day. But there were plenty of 55 chevys with 327's and 409's and stock suspension running gasser class. It was a power to weight kind of thing mixed with run what you brung.

 

I don't see the fun in todays 4 second races, you don't even have time to yell for your favorite.