Technical Building a Gasser 51 Desoto coupe

GEEZ, A-HOLE, BS ,etc..
My semi-apology is all you're gonna get here.
The o/p is cool with this thread.All that matters to me.
His explanation is exactly what I figured was going on here. A group of friends , that probably didn't know much about real gassers either , were encouraging him. That's also why I didn't suggest the 6 cylinder route at first .
After all the work, he would have had trouble finding anyone at the local cruise night who understood what he was trying to do.
Mostly , what he would have still heard is comments such as Jim's, about putting a big V8 in it, which was a valid point.
YELL AT ME all you want, but I'd still suggest making a cruiser out of this one.

 

Jack it up and put fender skirts on it . It's your car. A lot of lower class Gassers back in the day did not run a straight axle or radius the wheel wells so they could run as a Gasser or a Modified production car depending on which class had fewer cars.
If that Desoto was my car and I wanted it to be a Gasser . It would get a big wedge motor and look into a clutchflite for strictly nostalgic reasons. I would probably put an axle under the front and make it a tilt front end.
A stroker wedge motor will overcome some of the weight that the car has to deal with. Are you going to race it or drive it ? Or both ? watch your compression if you are going to cruise it.
Try and keep it all Mopar by using a Dana 60 rear.

 

Build/call it what you want, It`s your car. I too always loved the look of the old gasser cars, "60s child", I`m in the camp of putting a V8 mopar 4spd driveline in that bad boy.
I wanted to build my 52 Dodge < in avatar into a gasser vibe type car, but as the build progressed, plans changed. What it morphed into was a taildragger/up in front, dropped beam axle, No radius wheel cutout, No fenderwell headers, Front bumper installed in-case I decide to get it inspected for full time use. But, I think it has the ingredients of a badass, faux gasser. Built 440- 4spd- 8-3/4 sg rear.
Good luck in your build.

 

This '55 was the D gas record holder around '65. Note independent.

The Wapid Wabbit won Indy in '65 on A arms.

When I started racing in '69 I was running a semi competitive Stock class or Gas class '55 Ford on A arms. The first car I tuned for cash was a D gas car, a '57 Chevy, A arms. The T 400 I use behind my 355 is out of a D gas car, a '55 Stude, semi independent (king pins and A arms).

Into the '70s there was a company that made lifted spindles for popular gas class cars, and before that many used blocks.

There were way more cars ran independent than axles over the years.

I got nothing against axles, they are a simple functional suspension. I am just being the devil's advocate here.

Actually just to keep this oddball and 6 cylinder and hopefully not ruffle too many feathers in the process, this is a Willys ( I think) sedan, a real deal built in the later '50s and still belongs to the guy that built it 6 cylinder gasser. Stockish front suspension, 90/10 up locks. Slower than the Advent, but its a lot of fun to watch the old guy thrash it.

 

The reason I'm going with a l6 is it was given to me and I've already bought the custom motor mounts. I know I'm doing this the hard way but I'm 22 and doing something most people my age doesn't even think about. Plus I want to build something unique and it's mine so it doesn't work out then back to drawing board. If does work then I will probably have people giving me confused looks.

 

build it....they will come...call it what you want.....

 

Pretty easy to put a turbo on an inline 6. that would help to unturd it. Wait is that a word ? Or did I just invent one ?

 

You have said that your on a tight budget, correct?

If so, spend what you need to for the drivetrain and brakes and drive it.
Cutting out the front suspension and replacing it with a tube axle does not make a gasser.
You can find everything you want to know about Hot Rods, Altereds, Gassers, Stockers and much more right here on the HAMB.
Just do it right, one time. If your serious about making it right, just ask for help, and we (most of us old guys) will be glad to steer you right.
Just be honest with yourself and us.

Hot Rod

 

I've said this before on a similar thread a while back and got my head handed to me but I'll say it again. Sounds like a better candidate for a mild custom than yet another fad gasser.

Lee

 

Build it, and we will follow

 

...near as I can tell, the gm 6 is about the same HP as the 250 L6 already in there.....

.

 

There used to be a 34 Dodge sedan with a slant 6 that was maxed out that ran as a gasser in the 60's.
Nobody made fun of him . You watched him leave and tried to run him down.

 

53 Chrysler Town & Country wagon gasser

 

I just got given a 1959 Apache 3/4 ton front end. Will the front axle work with my car?

 

Does it have the 8 lug hubs ? The length should be fine, but you will want to change the front hubs to maybe a 1/2 ton . Disc brake conversion ? Your first purchase should be a measuring tape to find these things out on your own.

 

build it to the best of your ability and pay check and go out and have fun. don`t listen to the nay sayers, they just want to feel superior. one thing about this hobby is nothing is forever, you can make any changes you want down the road while beating the hell out of your current ride and loving every minute. don`t know your plans but bracket racing against an 18 to 20 second car scares the hell out of me

 

I had a 292 inline in a '41 truck that no one laughed about ( very much). I wasn't handing anyone their hat but I could keep up with the locals and that was all I cared about. Well that and getting to work and back. LOL

Some cars are a progression, that is how hot rodding used to be the cars were in a constant state of flux. Most cars were never one and done. I have built a few cars over the years that started out as 6 cylinder cars and progressed over time until I was tired of them and they moved on. In my mind now was a '54 Effie that I had, drove it with the original 6, then upgraded to a 6 out of a Gremlin ( I had it and needed something different), then an SBF and later an FE. I finally traded it for something different for whatever reason.

I can think of a way that I would build the car were it mine, but I am not going to build it I am going to watch it get built and be happy with the outcome no matter how silly it seems to me. LOL

 

Yes it does have the 8 lug. The desoto front track width is 56.3 and the 3600 front track width is 60.5. Will I have to narrow the axle down to make it fit.

 

Nope you use skinny wheels with a deep backspace, like say and Ansen Sprint.

Actually if you look around and I mean really look around for some of the early axle cars, you will notice that there is a fair amount of them that the tire comes right to the edge of the fender well that is because they used what they could find when it came to axles.

 

I'll say one thing, you got the right attitude. With all the shit hitting the fan, you're hanging right in there & not getting butt-hurt. Good for you. They're guys here who really know their shit, and some take exception when the coveted term 'gasser' is mentioned. Just build it, & call it a racecar if you want. Way less to deal with that way. I'm just happy to see a young fella turning wrenches on anything these days. Good luck

 

Right......people used what was available. What was the best fit was more widely available then and not as expensive as now but if there was an old truck out back, that is what was used in many cases. Especially if you were a young guy without a large bankroll.

 

If I narrow the straight axle to fit. Would I lose the strength and stability by cutting it and welding it back together?

 

There are some that say yes. I have a narrowed axle under my Morris minor that was a 54 Ford F100.
Done correctly in a jig that is made to hold the axle straight and welded correctly there is no problem cutting and welding an axle. You just need to make sure you get both sides the same or when set the front end up you will have different caster from side to side and camber which means going to a truck shop and having the axle bent or twisted for alignment.
Are you going to have it done or are you going to attempt it yourself ?

 

Yep ^^^^ and either stick weld it or use core wire with E80-18. I have welded a few and never had a problem. Most if not all original axles are forged, it welds up real well.

 

Probably do it myself.

 

You may want to measure the spring mounting point and compare with your frame.
If you narrow it then they may not line up.

 

As I remember in the early 60's at Lions any stock bodied car without a FRONT BUMPER was put in a "gas" class. Weight and claimed cubic inch directed which one.
"Real" ones had straight axles, radius rear wheel wells, roll bars, Moon tanks up front, injected engines, etc.

 

Just noticed you are in OKC, you can PM me or email me back at [email protected], may have some parts you can use.

 

I stick welded my front axle back together after I narrowed it 6 1/4 inches to fit my Morris Minor.
When I raced modified production with my 57 Nomad in the 60's the Anglia's and willys coupes and early corvettes ran axles in the front and maybe a few falcons. The majority of the lower class gassers ran independent front ends. The 55=57 Chevys and some other odd ball combinations ran a mixed bag of set ups ,but most were not competitive . The C through F/ Gas was dominated by tri- five chevys with ball joint spacers and no front bumper. Radiusing the fenderwells was almost a necessity with a 55 to get any type of slick on the car. I remember jacking up my 57 letting air out of my slicks and unhooking the rear shocks to get them on the car and that is after working over the inside fenderwells.
I can't tell you the number of times I wanted to radius the 1/4's on that Nomad, but I liked the modified production rules and there was fewer cars in the class. So a class trophy was what we raced for. Then we went into eliminations against the gassers, modified sports cars and street roadsters.

 

Jeez ,I'm scared to axe you guys any questions now.