Hot Rods For all the Gasser guys. What do you do with your gasser?

Hello,
My brother had this great idea for our 40 Willys Coupe. He wanted to drive the car on the street to more places and not have to worry about running out of gas every time or having to stop at the gas station to fill up all of the time. So, he proposed that we install a full gas tank in the rear and make it functional when we needed it for longer cruising drives. His idea was to use this larger gas tank on the street and then when we went to the drags, it would be extra weight in the rear for more traction. (We had taken out the stock gas tank to make the car lighter for racing...being lighter threw us in B/Gas, instead of the C/Gas where we wanted to be) But, his need for speed at the drags kept the empty gas tank in our garage and we relied on the 2 gallon moon aluminum tank for gas. (We welded in steel plates to shore up the trunk floor and it also got us the extra weight we needed for the C/Gas class) We just timed our Willys outings from gas station to gas station. We knew the operating hours of every gas station in our So Cal cruising area. But, cruising in that car made for the drags, but still fully street legal was so cool that there are no other words to describe that feeling for a hot rodder... teenager, big ego, crazy ideas, no fear, being cool, what the $%%#... It was the times....
Jnaki

 

If your referring to the fact that the ranchero is and afx car, then yeah I see your point. I put it on there because it was a picture of inspiration for me when I built my car.

 

I'm building my Henry J as a dedicated track car. I've done the street/strip thing for too many years and found I dislike the compromises. This way I can run the compression I need, not care about fuel mileage, and I don't have to worry about tags and insurance.

Devin

 

Gassers morphed into today's funny cars. Sill the most interesting drag racers on the circuit.

 

If I were to pick a current class that is closest to gassers, I think it would be Pro Mod.

 

I don't think any of these cars are gassers...... point is you can run a straight axle and still have a car without a comical nosebleed stance. Problem is the 60s cars look killer and we're all just trying to copy them. It can be hard to get it just right.

 

I grew up with mine being the local myth and legend. When I found it, it was in sad shape. The decision I had to make was to restore it to it's 70's glory - but not street legal and only legal to go slow at the track - or - build it my way and pound on it. We chose the later. I have no intention of making the Scout street legal but that hasn't stopped me from the occasional test hit on the front street. (With the blessing and encouragement from my neighbors and the local constabulary)

So what do I do with my gasser ?
I spend far too much money on it. Simply because I can't leave it alone. It's on it's 4th major engine configuration change. The cool part of that is I get to work on it all the time... the down side is - I have to work on it all the time to get it sorted out.

I pound the crap out of it: I run it as often as I can afford. You'll notice I didn't use the term "race". I hate bracket racing and chasing points. I love making passes and having fun. To borrow a line from Mike Belina - It's all about the show - I'm on my 2nd front axle and 3rd set of front shocks because of that concept.

I show it occasionally. It's been at the big indoor ISCA show a couple of times but I prefer the more interactive cruise night events. It's way fun to rumble into the lot and fire it up once it up once or twice without security raining down on you. The best part of the open air shows is my wife fully supports them and enjoys coming out with me.

I document the history: My gasser has a history from back on the 70's and it's been a major influence in my life. Few people can say they own the car that set them down the path of race fuel and auto parts. I have been gathering any and all pictures of it from back in the day and some day will compile it into some kind of coffee table book or display.

 

I understand the Mr. B car is not a Gasser as mentioned in previous post, it was only posted because it was the inspiration for my ranchero. But please educate me how the other two car are not Gasser's. They are both stock wheel base, and from the picture neither seems to have any motor set back. Maybe I am way off the Jack but by the rules they could gas class depending on the type fuel I.e. gas

 

Rules????????????????????????????????

 

Fair enough. We get caught up in this and forget what it is about. FUN!

 

flathead_10,
I've still got most of the rulebooks I've bought since 1965.
Just a COF attempt at humor.
But you're right about the fun factor.

 

That would be really cool to look through the old books. The rules have changed drastically though the years.

 

You are correct on the second car as well. The second car is actually a NASCAR ultra stock, I have another photo of it racing at York under NASCAR sanction, just trying to find it. It has no side windows, which are not legal in Gas, and it looks like the wheel base is altered 2%.
Guys always think NASCAR Ultra Stocks are "gassers", but if you look at the NASCAR drag racing rulebook, they would have run Altered under NHRA or AHRA sanction, they were allowed all sorts of stuff that wasn't Gas legal.

EDIT: I am looking at 1964 photos of Bonners car, which I THINK was stock WB at that time, looks the same, so I am not certain whether the Swann car had a slightly altered wb or not, I'll step back from that statement. Still looking for the photos of it at York.

 

If I had a '37/'38 Chev I'd want it to look JUST like your avatar!! I love the look of that car. My problem would be I would want reasonable drivability so it would have a mild engine. So the hood wouldn't come up when sitting.

Bill

 

Gassers were actually allowed 10% engine setback.

 

Drive mine to a few local shows and cruise ins. I trailer it to a few further away events, and race it now and again at a few nostalgia race events.

 

I drove mine to get a haircut Wednesday. My barber often drives his nice (non-gasser) '55 Chevy to work.

Gary

 

Drive them on the street most of the time, back and forth to work and try to do a 1/2 dozen Nostalgia Drag events. Hope to do more drag events in the next couple of years if I can get down to a three day work week.
55 At work(old shop),55 in staging lane NE Dragway , and the Corvette at my "new
shop today.

 

1st one looks like an awb car to me. 2nd one has fuel injection and falcongeorge recognizes it as an ultra stocker. 3rd one looks like a m/sp. In the early 60s a gasser was a semi- stock car with a modified engine on gas. Full interior, bumpers, working lights, the whole deal. I thought at one point they were not even allowed to be jacked way up in the front or rear but im not 100% on that. As time went on the rules got looser and the cars got faster. I think some of the coolest cars were on the nascar and ihra circuit.
Different rules and different styles.

Check out dnd's avitar on the 1st page. You won't find a nicer gasser than his 37. Perfection.

 

I drive mine.... be it to a cruise in, up town on a saturday night, or just a sunday drive out through the country.... I also race with the Southeast Gassers a few times a year...

 

24" max from crank centerline to ground. Gotta try to find that photo, but theres been a ton of stuff happening in the last couple days. The NASCAR Ultra Stocks are always mistaken as gassers, but the rules were more liberal than NHRA gas class, and they were late model cars at the time, it was actually in the rule book. Think the body style had to be less than 5 yrs old or something like that?
Some NASCAR Ultra Stocks.


One of the best known, Chick Deninnos Dodge Fever










NASCAR Ultra Stock was a big Influence on early Pro Stock, Chick Deninno, Sam Auxier, Lee Smith, Dave Lyall all gained fame in Ultra Stock and went on to race in the early years of NHRA Pro Stock after NASCAR got out of drag racing.

 

That charger is fuckin killer.

 

I'll start right here with your own words "gasser style". And that other word, "hope". Just do it so long as you stay true your dream and never mind what anyone say's your not doing with it. Me and mine in the avatar. We just travel the highway's to anywhere we want to go. It's simple but some how I captured a little window in time when they looked like what I ended up with at this time. And believe me, it's a far cry from my final vision. I have all the proper period part's stored away to take it to the next generation of what it is now but the old timer's tell me to leave be. And that's a pretty neat feeling since I didn't get a chance to see what it was like back then.

 

No truer words have been said.

 

I had an axled 56 Bel-Air in the days when axled 56 Bel Airs were not as popular as they are now. I used mine to cruise the strip, do burnouts and break rear gears, and chase after high school girls.

now cruising is illegal, and so are high school girls, but I can still do burnouts and break parts

 

This is what I do with mine.

 

UPDATE: So, I just got it sorta street drivable and I had go and mess with it.....
I pulled the mild mannered 4 bbl 350 and dropped in a Blown 355 incher with a bigger cam. No need to make the exhaust system louder now - it thunders pretty good. Now I have to get the bugs out so it's street drivable - again.
The new radiator and fan should be here today. No longer embarrassed to pop the hood......
Need some opinions, it all fits under the current hood/scoop should I leave it that way or add one of those Hilborn-ish BDS scoops on top of the carbs and take off the hood scoop?

 

Drove mine over to a Goodguys show last weekend....

 

Take it to all the nostalgic events I can and alot of test and tunes.I let my sons,nephews, and anyone who wants to take it down the track drive it. It's quite a thrill to bang the gears, lift the wheels and get buried in the seat. It's all about having fun!

 

Use the scoop you have. Fits the look nicely. Although the Hilborn scoop rightfully perched atop a blower, your current scoop looks to close the hole up. Keep em guessing. And it's different.