History TRADITIONAL GASSERS, Gas Class cars and modern TRADITIONAL cars.

And there are still people that claim 55 Chevys "ain't a hot rod"

 

Our 36 Ford drag car from the early sixties. The picture was taken at the Westhampton NY drag strip by the local newspaper. It was originally flathead powered and was later swapped to an SBC. I'm the skinny one in the middle.

Gary

 

From Phoenix, Arizona came Johnny Loper’s legendary “Lil Hoss” ’48 Anglia A/Gasser. Loper’s small-block Chevy powered car became a well-known advertisement for his Loper’s Speed Shop. That later became one of the Southwest’s largest and most successful speed warehouse operations. Along the way Loper moved from Gassers to the loud and expensive nitro Funny Car ranks where his bad, black Funnies were never a laughing matter. Here he makes a run at The NHRA Winternationals, Pomona, CA.



Joplin, Missouri’s Harley Estes was a traditional Gasser racer for many years. Harley’s 394 Oldsmobile V-8 powered ’40 Willys had the classic Gasser up-front stance and factory steel wheels all around.



Olds engines were favored by many early Gasser racers, including the famed Stone-Woods-Cook team and Gene Adams, both from California. Here Joplin, Missouri’s Harley Estes blasts off running A/Gas.



This classy Willys Gasser ran out of Don’s Hot Rod Shop, in Tuscon, Arizona. A blown small-block Chevy motivated the ’41 Willys in B/Gas Supercharged. Simple front straight axle and leaf springs plus Halibrand five-slot magnesium wheels all around show the seriousness of this car.



Back at Phoenix’s historic Bee Line DragStrip this ’41 Studebaker Gasser set out on another quarter mile run. Bee Line was one of the Southwest’s most successful drag strips, hosting both AHRA and NHRA events over its lengthy career.



Henry Ford’s classic ’34 five-window coupes were popular Gasser material during the 1950’s and 60’s. Here the Ace Auto Parts sponsored ’34 makes a run in B/Gas Supercharged, a 6-71 blown small-block Chevy providing the go-fast urge.




From Plains, Kansas came Larry Gowers and his unique, classic ’32 Ford Victoria sedan. That’s a trusty 301 CID, small-block Chevy with six Stromberg carburetors mounted atop a Weiand log intake manifold. Larry’s C/Gas Vicky ran with sponsorship from Thompson Auto Electric.




Willis Ragsdale’s Chevy powered roadster won Little Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals in 1961. The Denton, Texas racer ran this Chevy powered roadster for many years, then built a new roadster for B/Street Roadster class. During his long racing career Willis won many class trophies and Eliminators using Chevy, Boss 392 Ford and 426 Hemi engines.”Raunchy” was never pretty, but always fast.



Don Hardy gained legendary status as a trusted Funny Car, Pro Stock and all-around chassis builder, but he began his drag racing career running this ’32 Ford three window Gasser in Little and Street Eliminator. The Floydada, Texas terror made serious noise in A and B/Gas with this coupe, shown here in the pits, 1962. Hardy’s shop later built and sold hundreds of conversion kits for small-block Chevy V-8’s into street Vegas, Monzas and S-10 trucks as well as Ford V-8’s into Pintos and Bobcats.



’40 Ford coupes have always been prized classics for street rods and in an earlier age, race cars. Here this Utah based ’40 running in B/Gas out of Stag’s Rod & Custom heads downtrack with injected big-block Chevy urge. All sorts of classic things are at work here… the straight front axle, no-hood front end and mile-long ladder traction bars.




Jerry Underwood’s Denver, Colorado based, A/Gas ’48 Anglia was never an underdog. A 427 big-block Chevy moved the English import swiftly downtrack.



The popular “Willy Charger”, Austin, Texas based, four-door Willys was anything but a family sedan! A 426 Max Wedge “B” V-8 provided plenty of power for A/Gas combat across the Southwest. Painted steel wheels and homebuilt suspension are evident along with M&H “pie crust” slicks.



Ron Regier’s B/Gas ’40 Willys ran across the Southwestern states in the 60’s and 70’s. The clean ’40 called Omaha, Nebraska its home and received sponsorship from Charley’s Speed & Machine and Valvoline Racing Oil for its 427 CID, big-block Chevy powerplant.



From Denton, Texas came Bill Wendt’s ’32 Ford tudor sedan. Wendt traveled far for an “away game”, running at the NHRA Nationals, Indianapolis. Wendt’s Hilborn injected, big-block Chevy engine pushed the tudor in B/Gas class. Classic pre WW-II Fords and Chevys remained popular until the mid 70’s when the aero advantages of late model cars could no longer be ignored.



That's it next up CALIFORNIA cars.

 

loudbang
Thanks for all the work put into the information. It is greatly appreciated.

 

A friend of ours in Washington State was offered this Spiegel Bros 41 AAG Willys 4Dr with a ton of history and HALIBRAND's. Car was located in Kansas. The friend thought is was too much at $4500. We thought it was a buy, but he backed out.

 

This car was for sale here in MI about 18-20 yrs ago. Asking price was about $9K.

 

Finally we reach CALIFORNIA. It's disappointing not as many cars as I thought there would be.

Arguably, the candy apple red, A/Gas Supercharged, 480 CID Chrysler Hemi powered ’41 Willys coupe of “Big John” Mazmanian symbolizes the Gassers of California during the 60’s, shown here at the Winternationals, Pomona, CA.



Big John Mazmanian had this Austin sedan built into a customized “coupe”. Called “The Football”, it was later run by K.S. Pittman. ‘Maz left A/GS fora storied career with nitro Funny Cars and their lucrative booking fees. Note the FC inspired coil-over front suspension. (Drag Racing Memories photo)



Before Doug Cook gained fame as Stone and Woods’ driver he ran this bad, blown ’41 Studebaker sedan. Cookie’s car reflected the rules-required street legal items such as its California license tag.



The famous Stone-Woods and Cook blown Gassers were legendary. Fred Stone and Leonard Woods, Jr., were among drag racing’s earliest African-American figures. Driver-mechanic Doug Cook joined them, first with this Oldsmobile powered, ’41 Willys. “Cookie” was a constant with the S-W-C team.



S-W-C built a second Willys coupe, “Swindler A” with all the tricks, including the switch to big-inch (480 CID), blown Chrysler Hemi power and a B&M Hydro-Stick trans. “A” was ink well-deep, black lacquered, and bad-ass fast! Long time friend of Stone and Woods, Jack Engle, designed and ground special roller cams for the nationally famous team. Doug Cook is on the left.



60’s A/GS rivals gathered at the NHRA Nationals for a hotly contested class shoot-out, to claim national superiority… and sign contracts for match races with the scores of track promoters on hand! Here Doug Cook wheelstands against NY standout Jack Merkel’s ’33 Chevy powered Willys at the ’65 Nationals.



The rivalry between S-W-C and “Ohio George” Montgomery was fierce in the 60’s. In spite of big, blown Chrysler power in the S-W-C Willys, George’s blown small-block Chevys often prevailed at Indy. His ’33 Willys wound up with a blown, 427 SOHC Ford “Cammer” before George went to a ’66 Mustang.

What is up with the SWC trunk lid?




Not all California Gassers were blown monsters. Pete Carlson’s bright yellow “Canary” sported classic ’32 Ford, injected small-block Chevy power.




Not exactly what classic American author O. Henry had in mind, this Henry-J gasser ran C/Gas, here at Fremont, CA, for owner-driver Tom Olson.



More Fremont action has Olson taking on a Mustang fastback, with the famed Fremont Raceway tower in the background. The northern CA track was running under AHRA sanction at the time. Track owners were known to switch sanctions for better rates, or major event dates.

 

Looks like Cookie was trying for some rear down force.

 

The late, great Joe Pisano's Model A

Roo

 

Never said the rules nixed spindle mounts!
Cars had to have front brakes, brakes on all four wheels. It's possible, but not likely.
It's in the LATE 60's when cars went to fabricated chassis, gutted or all aluminum interior, no radiator, flip top bodies etc. that they ditched the front brakes. Then they used spindle mounts.I'm looking for TRADITIONAL gassers, 65 and older( approximately) that still had street car lineage.
Look at the pics posted here, mags, a LOT of steel wheels for front brakes.
Please, let's not belabor this point! There ARE weird exceptions, not the rule!
I cannot recall ( I was a teenager in the 60's)any legal gassers with no front brakes and spindle mounts. That would have put you in the altered classes.
WHY would anyone go to all the work to put brakes on for spindle mounted wheels? These were low buck cars for the most part.
Again, an we please not belabor this point, I'm looking for gassers as real cars, not purpose ground up race cars. The Football WASN'T a traditional car, that's why it was called the Football.

 

First, spindle mounts were not considered "Automotive Type" wheels by the NHRA when that was written but more importantly, 4 wheel brakes were required through 1966. In '67 the blown classes and A/G were allowed to go to 2 wheel brakes. Maz's Football was built in '67 (and by the way those are Halibrand's)
Loper's car originally had front brakes as seen here


And I think Jerry Undewood's car came about around 67or so

 

Exceptions to every rule guys. The rules also stated gas classes had to run a hood, yet you can find pics of cars running without a hood! Also, since most tracks had small fields of any given class ( i.e C/G ), the might have raced altereds , even dragsters in Street Eliminator, or Little Eliminator or whatever your local strip called it.
Racing was VERY, very different the, dissimilar cars ran based on their respective National Records, SORT of bracket racing in a way. These were not "national Events" LOL! There were only two of those for most of that time! If nobody objected, your hood was broken or whatever, you could run without it. That's just a random example.
I was a teenager but I WAS THERE!!! LOL

 

GASSERS TO THE LANES! GASSERS TO THE LANES!
LANES 2 AND 3, GASSERS TO LANES 2 and 3 !
What memories, what fun! The gas classes were HOT RODS!!!

 

10% setback put the motor almost in the front seat!

 

Pretty well known Chevy! A Texas car????