Hey, Anyone have recent experience with a gasser style car that is still decent to drive on the street? I'm thinking of going that route with my 51 Plymouth since the front suspension and frame is messed up anyway. A front swap seems unlikely since I can't find a doner from an original or something in a junkyard. Thanks.
you can make anything decent to drive on the street. But most "gasser style cars" seem to be set up for looks, not driveability. A 51 plymouth would be pretty far down on the list of cars I'd do that to, however.
That 51, had very modern IFS in it's time. Those front ends with new parts, tight steering box and shock relocation drive and handle very well. A disc brake conversion is easy and fairly cheap. I am not trying to steer you( pardon the pun) to stay stock, but a lot of guys who are not familiar with post war Mopar front suspension do not realioze they were way ahead of their time....
Please don't take this wrong . Do you have the fabrication skills and equipment to do it? Finding a qualified shop that can do it can prove to be feat in itself. Another option is a mustang 2 sub frame clip from Fatman Fabrication . If a guy can run a tape measure and a level it is a fairly simple install and the welding to install is pretty straight forward for someone with good mig welding skills. then the suspension install and alignment is a snap. Guess it just depends on what your looking for. I have built a number of axle cars and have installed more mustang 2's than I care to think about. Another thought if your heart is set on an axle is Jim Meyer's Racing. He builds straight axle sub frame assemblies in custom widths. At least then all the steering engineering is taken care of. It is one thing to fab in an old truck axle and self designed steering and run it down the quarter mile with guard rails and a safety crew on hand [ and this is totally possible safely] and another to take it down the highway with your family. best of luck with your project, I love dare to be different cars! Larry
Thanks for the input. I have an experienced shop to do the welding and such. I know a 4 door Plymouth isn't usual...but that is what I like about it. The car was butchered when I got it but my wife liked the custom interior so I want to get it going. I don't really want to spend 5k or so having a new ifs and frame stub put on. The current ifs is pretty sketchy and the frame has been abused enough that it makes me want to cry. I think a gasser style front end will let me get it driving and make room for the 350 sbc that was in the car. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated...even if you think a Cranbrook gasser is like a drunk clown on a tight rope Sent from my LG-D800 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Most guys use springs that are way too stiff. If you get a popular "gasser axle kit" that includes leaf springs, you probably want to remove a few leafs, so the springs sit flat when the car's weight is on them. Then it will ride smooth. If you leave all the leafs in them, it will be too stiff, and have a rough ride. Be careful with shock placement. And set up the steering so there is minimal bump steer.
When you say 51 Plymouth gasser my mind went to the 49 Dodge the Ramchargers built back in the day. I don't think it had a straight axle and I'd pass on the wierd headers but still it could be somewhat of an inspiration.
If I owned a '51 Dodge truck I would drive it on the street no reason you can drive a car with a truck axle on the street.
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