GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

Even before the SOHC Ford, I bet it was a handful! One of the things George said he was proudest of, was that he competed and beat the best with a SBC, and a Cadillac, when everyone else was running big hemi engines. The SOHC Ford was not run long in the '33, so it saw very little track time in that car.
Most of George's national wins were with the little Chevy and the Cadillac engines.

 

I thought his first Mustang was built on his Willys frame?

 

It was, but it was stretched and lower.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

It was,but it sat a little lower and had better aerodynamics so it was probably a little less of a nightmare on the big end....


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Yes, it was, but with a lot of changes to the suspension. He had to use a "factory" frame per rules, but lots of other changes to suspension were allowed.

 

I can't believe that chromed banjo rear diff held up with the blown chevy all that time.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

I almost asked the same, but I managed to hold my finger. Now you know some little detail isn't going to get in the way of a good story on here!

Yea, I'm still watching!

 

I read somewhere, years ago, that the Mustang was built on the frame from under Montgomery's Willys. Apparently not. I just went to Montgomery's homepage and it reads just like 1971BB427 posted above. I stand corrected.

 

Had to use a stock frame,as per the rules,but it sure sits a bunch lower outta the breeze than the 33 did...

Scott


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that banjo is a one ton isn't it ...

 

Tire spin probably helped, and maybe George was so fast, cause he knew to slip the clutch a bit?

 

Here's a 55 from the CHRR. Speaks for itself.

 

Duct tape on the water manifold ' Tacky - Tacky '

 

That car is badass.
And Ric:I agree....I'm pretty sure George was one of those guys that could get a tricycle to run 10's if you let him have a few passes to get used to it.
Seems like some guys just have the magic..

Scott


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George Montgomery was probably one of the most inventive driver/owners in Gas class racing. He never waited to see what the competition did, and then reacted. It was always his way to be the guy everyone else would react to.
Many innovations in Gas class racing were first developed by Ohio George, and eventually everyone else caught up, while George was moving on to the next innovation. There's a reason he won so many National Championships.

 

Hey man! That's not duct tape, that's RACER TAPE!

 

Ya gotta be the fox,not the hounds,right..?


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It developed a water leak that day - so you use Race Tape!

 

I wonder how well duct tape could seal? Almost seems like maybe he was using tape for strength, so it might not crack any further. I see it's hard piped with copper, so good chance heating and cooling would develop a leak in the solder joint.

 

Wish I had those rear wheels! Very cool!

 

^^^ I made the headers in that Car

 

His sign says "unchanged since 1963". That's a darn good header to last 50 years unchanged! Or is the owner not mentioning a newer set of headers? Have you been with Doug's that long, or did you make them later?

 

Were heim joints on throttle linkage available in '63?

 

It was time for a new set - the originals were rusty, so I made him a new set identical to the originals.

YES

 

Them valve covers were not available though.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
JULY 19-20 2014

 

The Germans invented Heim joints before WWII. I'm pretty sure they were around in linkage by 1963.

 

This 55 is now owned by Dennis Jones aka "The God Father of Gold Leaf". Dennis brother Bobby, bought it from Ralph Hope (The Rat Trap AA/FA) one in 1961 or 62 for $750.00 bucks. Bobby started racing it in the gas classes, and later teamed up with Big Stan Johnson, & the car became the Jones & Jonhson Triple 5 C/Gasser. This is the second car that Dennis ever put gold leaf on, (1963), the first being a very famous 61 Vette Drag/Bonneville car (dang having brain fade on the name of that one). Anyway when Dennis enrolled in trade school to become a better at lettering/sign painting, he noticed that his instructor saved all his gold leaf scraps, so Dennis asked him why..,cause its 14 karat, and after you save it awhile, its worth some dough! Dennis started saving his scraps too. Bobby later sold his interest to Stan Johnson, & had Dennis change the fender lettering to "Big Stan Johnson". Stan, the Jones Bros., Dennis & Carol Coker who owned our '56 back in the day all went to high school together and raced together,(Denny Jones lettered our carback in the day when he was a teen ager, with the Herrera Bros. and lots of other famous gasser pilots. When our 56 came out in Hot Rod, Dennis Jones asked Coker for my phone#, gave me a call, and we've been friends since, he has a ton of cool stories too. Denny Jones kept in contact with Big Stan all these years, and a little over a year ago was able to buy the 555 back. $5700 of the total purchase price was gotten by Denny cashing in all his gold leaf scraps he'd saved all these years, including the ones from "leafing" this very car in 1963! The only thing changed is the motor & headers,(the car no longer had them, and front tires as the Firestone 500 Drag Specials were dead. It does still have the blue streaks in the back that it last raced on in '78.

 

Thanks for that great info! Pretty cool that he owns the car he first lettered!