Gassers with radiator?

[Hayabusa]

Did Gassers normally have radiators mounted? Looking at pictures, it seems that some did and som did not. The question came up when looking at the Revell '62 Corvette Gasser which not only has a radiator but also a fan & belt drive.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Hayabusa

[James2]

I believe the Gasser class called for the radiator and support to be in place. If it did not they would be in the Altered class I think. I'm sure there are experts who can say for sure.

[disabled modeler]

I use to race seen many gassers with radiators and fan belts they needed them to try and keep them cool...seen very few without and they usually lost the engines quickly due to overheating even though many that had the fan belt would have no fan blade just used the pulley to run the water pumps. Some did run what they called dry block(with no radiator)something I would never do those engines cost too much to replace often.

Edited February 18, 2014 by disabled modeler

[Nitro Neil]

Hi, here are the main differences between Gassers and Altereds per the NHRA rules for the mid-to-late 1960's

To answer your specific question, Gassers were required to have radiators. Gassers were intended at "street" driven race cars, although most of them were only marginally streetable.

Gasser Altered

Stance Must sit level or with slight forward rake Nose-up stance allowed

Radiator Required Not required

Headlights Two working required Not required

Interior Must have upholstery Can be stripped

Seats Two required, seatbelts only required on driver's seat Only one required

Wheelbase Factory wheelbase required Altered wheelbase allowed

Engine Setback 10% of wheelbase 25% of wheelbase

Starter Must be self-starting Not required

Body No more than 4 inch change in body height No more than 10 inch change in body height

Edited February 18, 2014 by Nitro Neil

[Hayabusa]

Thanks, Neil!

[ScaleDale]

Neil's answer is extensively correct. The short answer is Gassers are more or less street legal race cars.

Dale

[Nitro Neil]

Welcome, I know there is some confusion between Gassers and Altereds. They were very similar in many ways - Altereds were one step up in the NHRA class structure from Gassers - and then there were Match Race cars that didn't follow the NHRA rules all the time, and Outlaw track rules that confused things even more. And it wasn't unusual for people to turn their Gasser into an Altered when they wanted to go a little faster.

"Ohio" George Montgomery even built the Multi-Maverick which was a Gasser that could be turned into an Altered at the track in an attempt to keep the Gasser classes alive. It wasn't very successful, but it was a cool idea.

[mnwildpunk]

So to ask sort of a related question. I don't want to steal the thread. But from what is written above a lot of cars that are called gassers with there nose high look are really altered. Being gassers must sit level or have a forward rake or am i misreading that?

[Nitro Neil]

Dave,

Yeah, a lot of "street" gassers (what we used to call "street freaks") have raised noses, and there were always guys who ran as outlaw match racers that made up their own rules.

I don't have a rulebook for the AHRA or any other sanctioning body from that time period to compare their rules. Other sanctioning bodies may have allowed things that weren't allowed by the NHRA.

But most of the "famous" gassers of the day were famous for the fact that they ran the NHRA national events, so they would have had to have been NHRA-legal, at least at the NHRA events. That doesn't mean those same cars wouldn't have been modified to run at a match race the next weekend. A lot of "pro" racers back then would run match races at stops along the way to the next NHRA National event, and they would change the car for each match race based on what was agreed on by the competitors in that match race - a blower here, injectors there, a little nitro at one race and not at the next one, jack the nose up at one track but not the next one, etc.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Nitro Neil

[ScaleDale]

These folks build and race contemporary cars under "classic" gasser rules.

Nostalgia Gassers Racing Association

http://www.nostalgiagassers.com

Dale

[Force]

As far as I know many of the NHRA legal Gassers had "nose-up stance" in the 60's, but the regulations didn't allow more than 24 inches from the ground to the centerline of the crank shaft in the Gas classes.

[Skip]

As far as I know many of the NHRA legal Gassers had "nose-up stance" in the 60's, but the regulations didn't allow more than 24 inches from the ground to the centerline of the crank shaft in the Gas classes.

Correct, as measured from the stock location. Any setback up to the 10% of wheelbase would increase the height! simple Trig proves that true.

Just a peruse through the NGRA website is what I remember seeing at the Drags here in western Washington as a kid, (I started going to the Drags with my uncles at about 7 or 8 in '63) there were all kinds of Gassers. '49 - 54, 55 - '57+ Chevs and Fords, Willys, Henry J's, '32 - '40 Cevs, Fords, an occasional Mopar, Anglias and Austins and even VW's showed up soon after. The Big Name guys made their way through Seattle/Kent/Pacific Raceway, occasionally Puyallup and Bremerton Raceways. Lots of cool cars!

Suggest anyone remotely interested in building Gassers pick up a copy of "Gasser Wars" Drag Racing's Street Classes: 1955 - 1968. By Larry Davis, Car Tech Books it is well worth the money.