Hot Rods where do you draw the line on faux gassers?

needs to lose the side view mirror, wipers, v-butted windshield and Moon tank which looks like a good bump could cause it to fall off...

 

Ya looks like shit, give it to me.

 

If you go back and look at photos of real gasser class cars from the day, and you stay away from the supercharged classes, you will find plenty of cars that were basically just stripped cars with decent horsepower and cut out wheel wells to get some tire under them. Many had stock front suspension with ball joint spacers to raise them a little or straight axles that weren't ridiculously high. It has become fashionable to make them way sky high and this just wasn't the way most were, especially if you look at b/gas and lower classes. My Anglia set a B/Gas track record at Irwindale in 1970 and does not sit high at all!
If you just have to have the nose way up there then you better have the motor (and blower) to back it up, otherwise it's just a poser.
IMHO

 

Can't wait to hear more.....anything with an injected nailhead sounds like a winner.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

I guess these guys are going to be upset when they find out their rides are 'fake'

CC

 

This "look" became very popular in the 70's as a "Street Freak". More done for shock and awe than purpose. Gassers were a bit nose high in effort to put a bit more weight on the rear tires during the launch, that weren't very sticky in the earlier days. Street Freaks were more jacked up evenly, and to clown like proportions, or an exxageration of it's predecessors(sp). More to turn heads than anything else. IT WORKED, and still does I guess. I dug most of em. It was a lot better look than some others from that same era. I don't think I'd build a Street Freak, but I do get a kick out of looking at most of em. This one included. I think this look carrys on the Freak like nature of early drag racing that started to "calm" by the 70's

 

HAHAHA, I love it.

 

Where do you draw the line? I don't think there's anything wrong with having discs on a spindle mount-esqe wheel. Safety is traditional, and when 70% of your braking is coming from your front brakes, negating them because they don't look right is irresponsible at best.

I've said it before, and I've caught a lot of shit on here for it, but I'll stand by it.

IF YOU HAVE A STRAIGHT AXLE, FENDERWELL HEADERS, MOON TANK, ETC. AND YOU CAN'T RUN A 14.0, YOU'RE POSING.

I know that the lower gas classes couldn't go that fast, but I'm not talking about the stock classes. I see too damn many straight axle cars with emission 305s. Speed is style with a gasser. The same way us kustom guys concern ourselves with shrouded lake pikes and body work, the gasser builder should concern themselves with blowers, injection, ported heads and making horsepower.

 

Mazooma, do you even know how cool that pic is?.....Of course you do, ha!


To me, that's the difference, a believable "gasser" type bad-ass street car and all those "jersey" style street freaks.....
No different than a mean, low down model A sedan and the mini-truck-think overly channeled, crappy stance hack jobs.....

Dang. What was the question?

 

"A straight axle does not a gasser make......."

The impression I get of gas class cars is they were the "put up or shut up" class.

little to no frills. as light and fast as possible. Straight axles were for weight savings, and the sacrifice was on the road driving. but they were intended to go in a straight line....like all drag cars.

 

Streetable:

Rule #1
Light car means less HP tp push it. 375-425 Hp = healthy streeter. Nothing wrong with a healthy streeter.

Rule #2

Mud Bogger does not = Gasser.

Granted memory is selective but as I recall the vast majority of what were called gassers were just past running in stock classes. No major lift, a couple of inches in the front, with or without a straight axle. Driven to the track tires changed gone racin' and if it wasn't broken driven to work on Monday.

What happened to a lot of the fellas was that they went a little too far and got moved to Gass Class from Stock Class by the techs. Then they had to go for broke.

A lot of Gas Class racers were PorknBeaners, no sponser, nothing more than what they could get on thier own hook. They were the mainstay of drag raceing. More often than not they didn't own a dedicated race car, maybe they would have liked to but breaking into raceing on a mechanics budget was rough. So it was soup the daily and hope you didn't break it on Sunday.

If you want to build one streetable and keep it gasser styled go for it. Remember if there are any rules who really gives a big rats ass about 'em.
Real Rodders don't really care about the rules.

 

In answer to the original question.....A little attitude, a little power, some tasty little things like fenderwell headers, Moon tank, cheaters, and have fun. Not all Gassers had solid axles, but there's MILLIONS of solid axles in service that drive just fine (36 Fords, 53 Chevy trucks.......................MILLIONS). My past Gassers drove fine, 1000's of miles with solid type axles. No Cadillac, but no cement mixer either

 

howdy,

i'm rather new. but i have always loved the "gassers" and old cars, even as a kid. i'm 28 now and own a 1957 lincoln landau premiere, it's a 4 door. also have a 1958 chevy apache truck, it's in great shape, but i want to do the "gasser" look to it. what front leaf springs do i use to get height? i'm not putting blocks on the front end. i'll put blocks to raise the rear a bit, not not on the front end. it has a 350 combo, and a 10 bolt rearend. any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Unless the apache has been dropped you don't hae much to do to achieve a gasser look.

Just re-arch the springs (a couple of inches should do it), set yourself up with a good tire and wheel combo (read Groucho's post for an idea), strip it to the max, don't leave anything on it it doesn't need to function and drive it.

Here's a thought, over across the state line in KS back in the '80s there was a non HAMB friendly Fairlane. I want to say it was between around a '66, it was the mid-sized car. I ran an FE (that was pretty stout) and was originally built in the later '60s. It was a straight axle car but here is the clinker, it only sat about 2-3 inches above stock, real sublte, and dead level front to back. At the time it was street driven daily by a young kid, and was still competitive at least locally. Very smooth, not a sky scraper and totally streetable.

I know that all that goes against our grain, but hell the kid was a Salmon, he always swam against the current.

Anyway its just a thought, it could be done with about anything that fits into our time frame and be totally trad in a less is more sort of a way.

 

An authentic gasser HAD to run front brakes per NHRA rules.
Some of the A/GS cars may not have had them because they were primarily match race cars.

Today, a faux gasser is something without front brakes other than a Willys or Austin.

P.S. Maybe IHRA or AHRA allowed no front brakes on gassers, but they don't count.

 

This pic should accompany the definition of "faux gasser".

 

Revhead enjoy that Pontiac! Here is mine.

It's picture has been posted here before.
AHRA drag car w/292 class wins between 1960 and 1975
Factory front suspension
316ci Pontiac engine
modified 4spd hydro
large Pontiac rear axle (91/4 ring gear) with a posi trac diff.
The car had paperwork left in the glove box that shows it was licensed during it's racing days.





In addition my friend has a '53 Ford Mainline that he has owned since the sixties, back in the day the car was raced with a straight axle and was driven everyday (w/ front brakes). The car was later tubbed but still has the straight axle front end.

Tad

 

That beauty is just begging to be back on the track!-MIKE

 

With all this talk about spindle mounts, as in American 12 spoke, reading this thread coming in you might believe that they were 'obligatory'. Not so - many gassers ran a variety of skinny bolt on fronts - Mag Torq Thrusts, Ansens, Cragars, Fentons, Gyros, Halibrands in both Kidney Bean and Big Window - mag and aluminum and a number of other brands. Spindle mounts on F/A - sure but not 'mandatory wear' on Gassers - especially not in the lower classes.

As for the E/T bolt on ten spoke Gasser wheels, I agree they look so gay and of course the bling bling look at me EgoRod crowd have abused them by bolting those damn things onto everything. The only time I have seen these things look even vaguely acceptable is on Paul Riekers blown 392 powered steel 1933 Willys. He had them powdercoated Magnesium Grey but then spoiled the whole effect by using shiny lug nuts to bolt the fuckers on.

He should have 'lost' the front bumper too. Kinda gives the 'Faux Gasser' game away.

 

what type of leaf springs would i use on my 1958 chevy apache truck if i wanted to do the "gasser" look? 4x4 springs? 4", 6", 8" lift springs? im not gonna use blocks, maybe out back but not up front. i have the original front end on it.

 

Not to mention the motorcycle tires are not only stupid looking but very unsafe. This thing should not be driven near anyone on the street . It's just silly cartoon fashion.

 

I can't believe someone has not said "build what you want" yet.

 

Okay then, "Build what you want"

 

I just about vomit when I see mooneyes and clay smith woodpecker decals on any car anymore.

 

sooooo is my old stude a 'faux' gasser? ran 15.01 with a stock 350 goin to the coast and back, now with some changin im in the low 12's shootin for the high mid 11's and i drive mine to and from the track.....oh yeah its my daily toooo

 

I have been kinda watching these Gasser post's and am amazed that No one here that is approx my age (42) or older remeber what was running around on the street in the Late '60s Early '70s.

I think the term "FAUX GASSER" is to a point BULLSHIT !

Everyone calls them a Gasser because people know the LOOK you are talking about when you say Gasser.

I have a straight axle '54 Ford with a hemi & 4spd project, I dont refer to it as a Gasser because i THINK its a Gasser, Only cus 99% of the people understand what i am talking about when i explain the project.

The fact is, I have styled the build after the cars i remeber my Uncle & his Friends were driving ON THE STREET in the early '70s.

They had Axles cars, Big engines, Slick, some cut fenders~some not, But werent REAL DRAG Gassers....... But did drive to the track & race.

So in my opinion, "FAUX GASSER" is a Bullshit term.... There were plenty of healthy Axle cars & cars with the "LOOK" that ran on the street in the '60s~'70s

The one that really stick for me was around '71~'72ish, My uncle traded his '56 Chevy for a '54 Chevy BelAir post car, Chrome Tube straight axle, Dual Quad 409, 4spd & posi, Cragars all around, Dark Green Metallic & Black Diamond tuck interior.

Alomost Every car he had was an Axle car or had maxed front suspension, ALL of them were on the street every day.

Not really a GASSER, But had that look & all were Fast cars..

 

I'm with Desoto on this one. people bring up gassers and all sorts of nonsense ensues... people post ancient NHRA rulebooks and talk of real race cars.

if you want a straight axle on your car do it. I think gasser style cars are cool. I had a 56 Bel Air for a couple of years around 1980 with all the gasser stuff. it was a total slug in the performance department but it looked real cool and I had fun driving it.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head with the last 4 words here. Back in the 60's and 70's, the cars that you're talking about were fast street cars. The purpose wasn't to have a car that looked like a gasser, the ultimate goal would be to be the fastest car around.
To me a FAUX GASSER is a car that has been built to have the look without the performance. If you have a car that looks like it'll run in the 9-11 second range, it better not turn 15 second or slower et's. And you need some timeslips in the glove box.
Larry T

 

As I recall, the seventies saw extended shackles, ass in the air, nose in the dirt wannabe drag strip refugees. Faux is just the French (pah, pah) word for false - and that's just another word for fake. So this can apply to many areas - how about fake lakesters "fakesters"? or fake Bonneville coupes, roadsters etc. or even the dreaded Pro Street, which has singlehandedly fucked up more good cars than almost any other fashion fad.

Isn't a lot of this hot rodding deal nowadays based or recreating a certain look to reflect an original genuine competition style? If it is not the real deal - most of which are completely unstreetable, why do we build 'em? Is the earth flat, what is the meaning of life? Does it matter?

 

I gotta go with De Soto on this. Below is a 1975 pic I took. It's a healthy motored, straight axled showcar, Gasser inspired, Street Freak. It ain't a Gasser.

Great post though...

Joel