Is it just me or is the word "gasser" becoming a cliche like... "rat rod". Acquiring a 55 chevy 210 has led me down several thought processes on what direction to go with this build. But I swear if one more person comes up to me and says..... "Boy that would make a cool Gasser" im going to pistol whip them. Not Every tri-five Chevy HAS to be a gasser.... and not every Tri-five chevy drag car WAS a gasser. Talking to an old timer that still has his 56 dragcar that he ran back in the 60's he said... very rarely did you ever see much of the straight axles at the local small tracks. He said all they did was toss in a set of 58 impala front coils and went racing... his car still sports them today. After the Autofair here in Concord Im still without a clear direction other than I want it to be clean, solid, and pretty.... Ive had nice, I own cool, now its time for something pretty. Not a street rod, not a gasser, not a dragcar, not a full out custom... but just ready for something different. Now that my blood pressure has leveled out... back to work I go.
If you do a search, you'll find we start a new thread to rant about this two or three times a week. Larry T
I'm really disenfranchised with this hobby all together lately. Somehow, this mini-microcosm of the world got flooded insanely with ignorance and labels. Anything in primer is a rat rod, this or that should be a gasser, this is/isn't traditional, etc. It's really sucked the fun out of the hobby for me. All the magazines have gone to shit too, totally coddling the advertisers and giving the reader virtually zero useful information. The other less popular mags I try to pick up are now showcasing panel paint jobs ad nauseum, so we'll be real fuckin tired of that soon too. And car shows...even the car shows that are considered "cool" and "off beat" end up catering to the fucking rockabilly wanna-be Bettie Page side shows. Gassers are really cool, but it's just another bandwagon people jumped on and are driving the wheels off of.
It goes the other way too. I remember putting model kits together as a kid of crazy straight axle fenderwell header Drag racers. I did a 53 Chevy Coupe a few years ago as s "street Rod". I also had a 55 Chevy 150 that I did as a "street rod". Since then, I got me a 50 Chevy Coupe. I thought "Why Not?" do a crazy straight axle monster. Guess it's becoming a cliche to do that now, but I'm pressing on. I can guarantee you it won't be flat black though. Since you have a 55 210, you ought to make it a "Gasser".
I'm glad you feel better. It's what happens when fad chasing mini-truckers find old cars all of a sudden. Give it time they'll bring back ProStreet or get into hippie vans and move on as soon as one of thier heros prints those are "Kewl". No, not every Gasser had an axle but the guys who ran top classes and actually won national races more often than not did... Not that the car wouldn't be competive without one just most complete racing efforts did generally end up with one. Weight savings on a race car what a concept? Mommy's hand me down turned weekend warrior, little Johnny learned how to swap coils... and ran D/G at the local track for fun when he didn't have a date that would put out. I could not own a 55 Chevy that wasn't a 60's style street car if not a Gas style racer. Just I wouldn't have it marked A/GS sporting a dune buggy tank mounted to the license plate flange with zip ties and a fake speed shop logo on the door. Stock sucks and every custom 55 is a GASSER that could have been. LOL
HA! I laughed out loud on that one... Nice. '55's look good as gassers... They just do. Even so, if I built a '55 it would look like this: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=1836 Scroll down to part 3 of the video. Then, scrub to the 7:30 mark of the video. Rad, right? That's how I would build mine. I think you need to get away from cars for awhile man. This is supposed to be fun. It shouldn't leave you thinking that hard. And more than anything, you should do it for yourself...
It does not matter what you build someone will think it's cool, someone will bash it. The good news or bad news depending on how you look at it is you have a car that is almost universally cool. I am a ford guy but those are cool chevy's and i have no problem saying that. build it, drive the wheels off it and you will be having so much fun you won't give a shit about anyone's opinion of it.
I have a '55 150 that's going to become a "gasser" hahaha I've wanted to do one since '02 but I was too young back then and the funds just weren't there! So I don't care if it's the "in" thing to do now.....I want a '55 straight axle car because that's what I like.
Who cares what people call what or what is mainstream or what a show is. I just love riding in my old truck or motorcycle and enjoying the ride. You can call my truck a shit sandwich and I would still enjoy it. My pecker is too big to worry about things like that.
My take is I was here doing this before "them" and I still will be when they are gone. When the last buck to be made is exploted... when that last pair of poser center bolt SBC finned covers and E-T "Gasser's " is sold we'll see where they all go then.
hippee vans are back & pro street is coming.... im not into customs ..i like looking at them but dont want one ....i race my car...and it seems right to build it in the form of a 60s drag car.. its alittle nose high... no front bumper,moon tank...and yes the moon tank is used as a fuel tank... if it was a 55 chevy 210 it would be a gasser styled car...i like the look ...to me they look mean, ready for action...
I can appreciate the latest "trends", if you are into "flipping" cars. You will without doubt be more successful if you appeal to the most potential buyers. However, if you build the cars for yourself, there should never be any rules (as long as they are safe), except for your self-imposed ones. One thing to keep in mind is that not everyone has the ability/vision, to create their own style, and then to be able to carry it out. We are all being influenced in some way or another, since the day we were born. How we decipher/react to this influence, is what makes us all different.
All fads are cyclic, they come and go about every 30 years. Vans are back, and I agree pro street is coming back. I'm good with that! I'd love to have my pro street Duster back again, cruising to Ratt with my 440 rumbling!
Just remember that 55 Chevy in Two-Lane Blacktop. It wasn't really a gasser (though some would disagree). It was just a 55 Chevy torn down to the basics. Remember the scene at the very beginning of the movie when James Taylor tells Dennis Wilson to turn the radio off because it took away from the car. Think about that and turn off all of the radio chatter you hear about 55 Chevy's, tear it down to the basics (in your mind), and build what seems cool to you. It is still a free country after all. The only thing that I must ask for is that you keep us all posted on the build, not so that we can tell you what to do, but so that we can see it built. We are all car junkies after all.
I wish the HAMB had as many car event photo threads as they do bitch threads. hey look.. here's some now, be sure to bump them up. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621268 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621162 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621386
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