Building a 50 Chevy coupe gasser. I’m looking to make this just like a true gasser 64/65 era.what front end were they using at the time ?Dont want a mile high front end. Looking for ideas on what to use in the front end . This car will be run at the track .gonna be a small block Chevy stick car. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
If you are not going for that sky high look then a beam or round tube "dropped" axle is all there is in my opinion, assuming no independant front suspension, it has a lot to do with spring pack/rate and mounting. So glad you are bucking the trend! 1970, high school mate had a 49coupe with a legit 365 hp 327, yes, it was out of a Corvette, bolted to a B&M 4 speed hydro, Olds rearend, IIRC it had a Ford Econoline axle, man that thing could fly STRAIGHT, was scary turning at speed, don't recall the rest of the front components but I only rode in it once. By the way, extra points for going with a 4 speed (I assume).
My 51 Business Coupe (should NOT have sold that car!), had the front suspension blocked up with 2 inch spacers (16 of them with longer grade 8 bolts/nuts), and NOT the traditional I-beam that was often used. After raising it up, we side plated the inner aspect of the suspension cradle to the frame, and welded it in with 1 inch long weld beads (so it could be removed fairly easily/and the new owner did just that). Then, use a slightly smaller tire, like what would be used on a VW Bug, to help with the "illusion" of being lifted more. The ride will still be pretty similar to stock, and not change lanes when hitting a pebble in the road. The rear end was raised a similar amount with coil wrapped overload shocks, and they were't really too harsh either. It was a "Street Gasser" car, and now it's a low rider/cruiser (yuk!!!). And along with DDD, I wanted a 4 speed, but the nephew wanted a transamatic automission, and we were building the car for him. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
What @56sedandelivery just said. This is how a lot of the earlier chevies with bolt in front cross members were done. Not everything had a solid axle and leaf springs. This is a very easy job and gets you down the road with the right look as well.
Google Gene Schwartz gasser. You will get a lot of pics of his reincarnation he built about 10 years ago that has a lot of off topic updates but you will also see his original 1965 nhra record holder before it was destroyed in a towing accident in 1966. The new car has a similar axle set up like the original. If it is a Econoline it would have been a new set up for the time since that car had that set up back at least to 1963. Some guys where using the Willys front axle as well. A friend used a 38 Chevy a few years back and converted it to disc brakes to get rid of the 6 bolt wheels. A 50's Chevy truck axle could be used to. Larry
my fleetline in 1962...Olds powered C/G, cad 3 speed, Dana rear end...never really competitive as a full dressed street driven gasser...traded it off just before Modified/ Production class came into existence...DANG!
It seems like in my high school days there was one in the area with a 55 or 56 pickup front axle. Pete
The Jalopy Journal
