flat6rick
Well-known member
do all gassers have a trunk floor? inner fenders? bumpers how much interior was used. i know the beginning days int was a must have rule. but later i am not thinking the same. how about glass? well this is enough for now.
gasser ? n#3,4,5,6,7,8
- Thread starter flat6rick
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Onequick26
Puts Nitro on his Cheerios
The rules on gassers changed alot thew the years. As far as I know they were classed by the cubic inch too veh weight and they had too have full interior but you could remove back seat. as for bumpers and such im not sure.
Onequick26
Puts Nitro on his Cheerios
donsrods
Well-known member
The idea was that the gassers, to be legal, had to have all the operational systems that a street car would have, like full floor, interior, fenders, hood, etc. Some people stretched that ruling to take as much advantage as possible.
There was a car, in a 3 part series in Hot Rod Magazine, and built by Don Long that they called the Ultimate Gasser. They took each rule and bent it just enough to be legal, but to make the car as light as possible. For example:
Rules said you had to have two working headlights. But the rule didn't say how bright or big they had to be, so they installed two penlights behind the lenses, and called that legal.
Rule said you had to have working shocks. So they built two shocks that had no guts in them and weighed only like a pound each.
Rule said you had to have a full interior. They upholstered the car with aircraft upholstery that was super light.
Rule said you had to have operational windows, so they used seat belts to raise and lower the plexiglass side windows.
They stretched the rules in every area just to see if they could get away with it, and at the first strip they took it to they were turned away as the car was just too radical. I forget if they ever got it approved to run, but it was a fun exercise in cheating the system.
Don
There was a car, in a 3 part series in Hot Rod Magazine, and built by Don Long that they called the Ultimate Gasser. They took each rule and bent it just enough to be legal, but to make the car as light as possible. For example:
Rules said you had to have two working headlights. But the rule didn't say how bright or big they had to be, so they installed two penlights behind the lenses, and called that legal.
Rule said you had to have working shocks. So they built two shocks that had no guts in them and weighed only like a pound each.
Rule said you had to have a full interior. They upholstered the car with aircraft upholstery that was super light.
Rule said you had to have operational windows, so they used seat belts to raise and lower the plexiglass side windows.
They stretched the rules in every area just to see if they could get away with it, and at the first strip they took it to they were turned away as the car was just too radical. I forget if they ever got it approved to run, but it was a fun exercise in cheating the system.
Don
bob w
Still crazy after all these years!
Don, you're so right about that Willys. I tried to copy many of the "tricks" they used only in my ignorance I used thin wall mild steel where they used moly. End result, I stuffed my Thames (Anglia Panel) into the guard rail after catastrophic failure of the rear suspension structure. I build 'em stronger now.
As Don indicated, the original intent of Gassers was a street legal, full bodied car that was drag raced. Through the years many of the requirements were eliminated and they became total race cars. Sadly, NHRA no longer has Gas classes. Cars of Gasser design run in the index classes of Super Street, Super Gas and Super Comp, or can run in E.T. Brackets.
As Don indicated, the original intent of Gassers was a street legal, full bodied car that was drag raced. Through the years many of the requirements were eliminated and they became total race cars. Sadly, NHRA no longer has Gas classes. Cars of Gasser design run in the index classes of Super Street, Super Gas and Super Comp, or can run in E.T. Brackets.
