Gasser....or not?

[1 bad55 stan]

Here is a 58 FC Holden,GMH was 1 of aussies first major car manufacturing company's Any ways

Would you class this as a Gasser!It does have nose bleed,If i add some stacks out the hood and and a moon tank maybe??I might get into trouble as this got moved to the pick up section when i first posted it...

I think this is where it should be though.Your thoughts?

.

[High octane]

NOT a gasser.

[Dirty Dave]

COULD be a gasser. That all depends on having proper engine setback (#1 cylinder behind front axle centerline no more than 10% of total wheelbase) and at least a roll bar, but most importantly, it's just a street car with slicks until it's got some class designations lettered on the body or windows.

[1 bad55 stan]

NOT a gasser.

Not a gasser,please tell me why?I did ask .what does it need to be a gasser?

COULD be a gasser. That all depends on having proper engine setback (#1 cylinder behind front axle centerline no more than 10% of total wheelbase) and at least a roll bar, but most importantly, it's just a street car with slicks until it's got some class designations lettered on the body or windows.

engine set back is easy enough,do i have to put the roll bar in the interior or on the tray(bed)?

[Dirty Dave]

Roll bar should be wherever you can fit it, but 3 of 4 point bars were required by the time the early '60s came around. Just noticed the M/T Sportsmans in the back, which peg this as a street car, and not a racer, if we're really going to get nit-picky. I remember a compact 4-door gasser that sat about the way your ute does. Not all gassers relied on jacked-up nosebleed stances and weight transfer to get down the quarter. Some of them just burned the tires off like a digger, instead. By the mid-late sixties, tire and driveline tech was such that gasser builders could lower the cars down for top end stability. It all comes down to the period of car that you're trying to build, and how much thought you really want to put into it.

Lots of mom and pop tracks combined similar classes when fields weren't as full, so local cars may not have always adhered to NHRA classifications so strictly. Example: Modified Sportscars, Street Roadsters and Gassers are often seen running against one another in old photos from smaller tracks. These are all fendered cars with drivers in the standard off-center driving position, but all have different rules regarding fixed roofs, weight/displacement classes, engine setback percentages, and such. I have seen a survivor '65 Vette convertible with a straight axle front end that supposedly ran in C/G at some point, but by the rulebooks of the time that I've seen should have been relegated to an MS/C classification due to engine setback and its lack of a fixed roof.

All of that goes out the window if you define Gasser by what is legal in current nostalga drag racing classifications, which vary from organization to organization, but require a full cage, more lenient engine setback rules and an offset driver position.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Dirty Dave

[gtcapri]

Either way looks cool I would make it a outlaw radial car

[1 bad55 stan]

Roll bar should be wherever you can fit it, but 3 of 4 point bars were required by the time the early '60s came around. Just noticed the M/T Sportsmans in the back, which peg this as a street car, and not a racer, if we're really going to get nit-picky. I remember a compact 4-door gasser that sat about the way your ute does. Not all gassers relied on jacked-up nosebleed stances and weight transfer to get down the quarter. Some of them just burned the tires off like a digger, instead. By the mid-late sixties, tire and driveline tech was such that gasser builders could lower the cars down for top end stability. It all comes down to the period of car that you're trying to build, and how much thought you really want to put into it.

Lots of mom and pop tracks combined similar classes when fields weren't as full, so local cars may not have always adhered to NHRA classifications so strictly. Example: Modified Sportscars, Street Roadsters and Gassers are often seen running against one another in old photos from smaller tracks. These are all fendered cars with drivers in the standard off-center driving position, but all have different rules regarding fixed roofs, weight/displacement classes, engine setback percentages, and such. I have seen a survivor '65 Vette convertible with a straight axle front end that supposedly ran in C/G at some point, but by the rulebooks of the time that I've seen should have been relegated to an MS/C classification due to engine setback and its lack of a fixed roof.

All of that goes out the window if you define Gasser by what is legal in current nostalga drag racing classifications, which vary from organization to organization, but require a full cage, more lenient engine setback rules and an offset driver position.

Thanks!

[W-409]

Gassers are really tricky, as many people don't know the rules and everyone has seen lots of "Gassers" that are nowhere near the rules. I've built a couple of those too, but now when I finally found the rules that won't happen anymore.

One thing that most people don't remember is that Gassers had to sit in a level stance. Nose up stance wasn't allowed. Altereds had often the nose up stance and Altered rules were a lot more free than Gasser rules, so if you think building a Gasser gets way too complicated, it's a good idea to turn it into an Altered.

See these old NHRA Rulebooks at Terry Sumner's Fotki page. They have Gasser rules as well. http://public.fotki.com/tsumner/nhra-rulebooks/

[booboo60]

Bro, u can make it a gasser, pull the grill and bumper off, slap a big block with volicity stacks in it, a moon tank in the grill area, a stright axel under her, left front up, roll bar, tec on dash, 4 speed, single bucket seat, nice slicks sanded on back, a smaller parachute maybe, nice flat black paint job, and rock that bad boy,, just my vision,,

[MADmodelDOCTOR]

Gasser rules required 2 seats..or a bench

[booboo60]

dang, ok put 2 bucketz in it, or a bench seat,, no biggie, thanks mad doc.

Ps..seat belts too,

L

Edited June 16, 2014 by booboo60

[1 bad55 stan]

Ok so its not a true gasser.Thanks for the comments.There is a lot more to a Gasser than i thought.I'll get back to building this even though it won't be totally correct .i will add a straight axle, injection, roll bar,and a moon tank.

[Tim Pentecost]

Bro, u can make it a gasser, pull the grill and bumper off, slap a big block with volicity stacks in it, a moon tank in the grill area, a stright axel under her, left front up, roll bar, tec on dash, 4 speed, single bucket seat, nice slicks sanded on back, a smaller parachute maybe, nice flat black paint job, and rock that bad boy,, just my vision,,

Ya gotta have a functional radiator.

TimP

Notice I didn't say what size you needed...there's a reason for that.

[fractalign]

My definition of a gasser is pretty straight forward, it needs to run a solid front axle, and it should sit high at the front. You should be able to stick your head in between the top of the front wheel and the fender well.

The rear end should be un tubbed as well. There have been plenty of street gassers built over the years that have not run full roll cages or repositioned engines.

So if you can get a solid axle under the front and get it raised up you will have a gasser ! ps..... you will also want to raise up the rear as well.

If you want to know what one of these actually looks like there is a book called "Australia's Hot Rod Heritage" and on page 177 you will find a photo of an FE ute called "Illusion". It was campaigned by Bruce Phillips and Rick Jones. This is the only FE Gasser ute that I know of.

If you can't find the book, google Holden Gasser and you will find an image of an FC Gasser model that The Ports Box

built in 2007. They raised the rear wheel arches and jacked it up. And this will make a good reference for what you want to do.

Edited June 17, 2014 by fractalign

[High octane]

Back-in-the-day gassers were street driven (daily drivers) hot rods that would race on Sundays. They had head lights, tail lights, license plates, horn, mufflers, rear view mirror, two seats or a bench, and all that street legal stuff. NO convertibles as they had to have a top. The class was called: Gas Coupes & Sedans. Back in the mid-60's the class got a bit looser and the pros (SW&C, Big John, Ohio George, etc.) came in and up went the front axles, off went the mufflers, the license plates, etc. If you want to learn about gassers, read Gasser Wars by Larry Davis or Supercharged Gas Coupes by Don Montgomery. Don't just look at the pictures. Today the term "gasser" is used VERY loosely and a lot of people don't really know what a real gasser is.

[1 bad55 stan]

Back-in-the-day gassers were street driven (daily drivers) hot rods that would race on Sundays. They had head lights, tail lights, license plates, horn, mufflers, rear view mirror, two seats or a bench, and all that street legal stuff. NO convertibles as they had to have a top. The class was called: Gas Coupes & Sedans. Back in the mid-60's the class got a bit looser and the pros (SW&C, Big John, Ohio George, etc.) came in and up went the front axles, off went the mufflers, the license plates, etc. If you want to learn about gassers, read Gasser Wars by Larry Davis or Supercharged Gas Coupes by Don Montgomery. Don't just look at the pictures. Today the term "gasser" is used VERY loosely and a lot of people don't really know what a real gasser is.

Thanks Nick,I didn't mean to start all the ins and outs or what is a true gasser,I like the street driven part,I might change the heading to,I wish i was a gasser,.You have made some good points and i appreciate your comments..

[1 bad55 stan]

My definition of a gasser is pretty straight forward, it needs to run a solid front axle, and it should sit high at the front. You should be able to stick your head in between the top of the front wheel and the fender well.

The rear end should be un tubbed as well. There have been plenty of street gassers built over the years that have not run full roll cages or repositioned engines.

So if you can get a solid axle under the front and get it raised up you will have a gasser ! ps..... you will also want to raise up the rear as well.

If you want to know what one of these actually looks like there is a book called "Australia's Hot Rod Heritage" and on page 177 you will find a photo of an FE ute called "Illusion". It was campaigned by Bruce Phillips and Rick Jones. This is the only FE Gasser ute that I know of.

If you can't find the book, google Holden Gasser and you will find an image of an FC Gasser model that The Ports Box

built in 2007. They raised the rear wheel arches and jacked it up. And this will make a good reference for what you want to do.

Thanks,I have seen the parts box Fc.So now i have some ideas as to what i am building....

[Ace-Garageguy]

Click this link to the real deal on US gasser classes and rules, from 1958 on. Remember, as already mentioned, in the beginning gas classes required full street equipment...lights, all that stuff. Later they evolved into more purpose-built race cars.

http://www.gassermadness.us/Gas_Classes/index.htm

[Speedpro]

In 1976 I bought a 1966 nova gasser race car. Drove it on the street. Its like what's been said "must have all the stuff to make it street legal and to drive it on the street". My car was just like that! I think that your '58 is a excellent choice to build a gasser out of. Dare to different!!

[1 bad55 stan]

Bill thanks ,i forgot about gasser madness site,all we need to know about the history of gassers...

Thank you Pau,l Different is some times good...

I started this early on in the year,It was a build of, on another forum site.We had 48 hours to see how far we could get.I didn't get to far.

Here is the chassis,most of it is scratch built.

I will build a non tubbed chassis with a tube front end,(I can use some of this in another project)ladder bars might be the go,but in the end, the ute body says not a gasser

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice chassis. Looks like it would be a great basis for a pro-touring car. A pro-touring Holden Ute would be different...