h3ae86 Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) Hi I just got a revell '62 impala special edition 2 n 1 kit for Christmas and I've been looking at alot of gassers lately and I really like that classic dragster look and I'd like to make this impala into a gasser but I'd like some insight on how to do it. Edited December 31, 2010 by h3ae86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 A '62 Impala is kind of too new to have run in the gasser classes. Back in the day the '62 Impala would have run in the "stock" classes. Many people on this forum and other forums use the term "gasser" too loosely and should read The Gasser Wars book by Larry Davis and you would get a good insight as to what a gasser really is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart-Resins Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Yes, they would have primarily ran in the stock class. Fairly easy to replicate. Just add slicks to the rear. Did you get the Lindenburg kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf15 Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Harold , While the two gentlemen make valid points , they are not totally correct ! The ' 62 Implalas were generally run in The Super Stock classes , however several Belairs and Impalas were run in the Gasser classes . In Larry Davis ' book Detroit Iron , there are photos of a ' 68 Dart being run in the gasser class , complete with an I beam front axle , sporting a tall stacked Hillborn injection set up sticking out of the hood ! I will have to check through my books , as I do have a picture of a red metallic ' 62 Impala coming off the line , sans hood and front bumper , with the straight front axle and Hillborn injected motor on prominate display ! Check out the front suspension set up from the Revell Willys gasser kit . With a minor adjustment , this will fit on the frame of your Impala. As for a Hillborn set up , the Amt AWB Falcons , Pontiac Tempest , or Nova kits all contain one , which are easily adapted for your project. I would suggest purchasing all 3 of Larry Davis ' books if drag racing is your forte . A wealth of information is contained therein , including photos , personal recollections , and tech specs , etc ! They are a very valuable resource and are available at slixx.com . Hope this helps ! Donn Yost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diymirage Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 as interesting as the history behind it is...i dont think it really awnsers the question one of the best things about modeling is that you can do whatever you want slap a 426 into a lotus elise ? sure put a honda engine in the back of a acura to make it all wheel drive ? have it at build a car in a style that does not match its vintage ? why, your actually being creative point being, as much apreciated as the information on what a gasser is, i think we would be even more impressed if we got some good advise on how to turn ANY model of ANY year into a gasser so, what type of engine ? what kind of wheels? what suspension set up ? thanks guys (P.S. i realise i didnt answer the question either....but my dad was barely born during the era of the gassers so i know nothing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart-Resins Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Ah yes, as I said, primarily ran in the stock class. The gasser classification/ guidlines changed many times over. If you removed the front suspension and added a straight axle, it could possibly become a gasser. But there is more to that then just that! Likewise, if you were to move the engine back slightly, it would have become a altered depending on the year. Likewise, changing the wheelbase would have made it a AWB. However, in the early sixties, it could have been one of three things, and had the opportunity to choose wich class to run in. But by the mid sixties, more regulations came about changing all of the fun. By the late sixties, they were so regulated that these cars were generally ran as stock. In the early seventies, things changed drastically and changed the whole concept of racing! Now there are many people who are rivet counters and can even go in and tell you every regulation change made and when! I applaud them and thier vast knowledge! But as stated, with our models, we can interperite anyting the way we desire to! Gasser is used very loosly indeed. To do such a thing, remove the front suspension pieces and smooth out the frame. Then add leaf springs like those from the early chevies and a straight axle, slap slicks in the rear and there you go! Remove the inner fenderwells and throw on some nice headers and your all set. These were nice cars to modify! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf15 Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 as interesting as the history behind it is...i dont think it really awnsers the question one of the best things about modeling is that you can do whatever you want slap a 426 into a lotus elise ? sure put a honda engine in the back of a acura to make it all wheel drive ? have it at build a car in a style that does not match its vintage ? why, your actually being creative point being, as much apreciated as the information on what a gasser is, i think we would be even more impressed if we got some good advise on how to turn ANY model of ANY year into a gasser so, what type of engine ? what kind of wheels? what suspension set up ? thanks guys (P.S. i realise i didnt answer the question either....but my dad was barely born during the era of the gassers so i know nothing) E , I thought I did .... But here goes ! Front suspension , The best out there is the Revell ' 41 Willys gasser. It is easily adaptable for a multitude of diffrent kits . The second , Lindberg's Little Red Wagon . AMT '33 Willys , both the coupe and sedan delivery . Engines ..... Off the top of my head , AMT'S awb kits , '55 Nomad , '70 Impala , certain releases of the '69 & '70 Chevelle kits , and the '65 El Camino all had Hillborn Injection systems available . The Revell ' 41 Willys has a blown Hemi as does the Miss Deal kit and the IMC Volkswagen. Wheels...... Quite a few of the recent repops of the old Amt kits have Cragar mags , a main stay from back in the day . The AMT ' 33 Willys kits had Fentons . Once again , the Revell Willys gasser had slotted mags . As for tires , period correct slicks and front tires can be found in many of the AMT kits. I am sure that I missed quite a few , the other guys will be able to fill in the gaps . Donn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Sure, someone can do whatever they want with a model but...... A gasser, at least in NHRA was up to 10% engine setback. You could run just about any engine. That determined the prefix AA, BB, A, B through H, etc. That changed some over time, also. Some were supercharged, some were injected, some were carbeurated. There was no requirement to run any kind of suspension. You do not need a solid front axle to make it a gasser. AWB is a description of a certain type of car and not a class. It was done to FX and SX cars that led up to the funny car. I do not believe an AWB car could be run as a gasser. It could run as an altered which was up to 25% engine setback. The thing is if you build a model that you call a gasser but is anything but a gasser it just looks silly. If you really want to build something a certain way that is a mish-mash of details and practices that isn't reflective of reality, don't claim it as being real. Just call it a your own idea of a drag race car! That would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCarCulture Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Sure, someone can do whatever they want with a model but...... A gasser, at least in NHRA was up to 10% engine setback. You could run just about any engine. That determined the prefix AA, BB, A, B through H, etc. That changed some over time, also. Some were supercharged, some were injected, some were carbeurated. There was no requirement to run any kind of suspension. You do not need a solid front axle to make it a gasser. AWB is a description of a certain type of car and not a class. It was done to FX and SX cars that led up to the funny car. I do not believe an AWB car could be run as a gasser. It could run as an altered which was up to 25% engine setback. The thing is if you build a model that you call a gasser but is anything but a gasser it just looks silly. If you really want to build something a certain way that is a mish-mash of details and practices that isn't reflective of reality, don't claim it as being real. Just call it a your own idea of a drag race car! That would be fine. Well said Andy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaughn Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Well Harold. If you were lost on the subject before, I am sure the info you have now has boggeled your mind. Deep breaths,gather your senses,sort out the info and build to your liking. I am sure it will turn out good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Speaking of "different" gassers... if any of you have the current issue of Hemming's Muscle Machines (the February 2011 issue) check out page 70 and you'll see a 1965 Rambler Marlin gasser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3ae86 Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share Posted December 31, 2010 WOW I wasn't expecting so many comments. I love all the info but I don't have money or a job to afford all those kits and books. I do like the idea of a street gasser and I'm going to look into it. Thank you all for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Cullinan Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Here is a link to a thread about AWB's and that forum may be of help. And I think Donn's(Lonewolf) advice is sound and will result in the gasser "look". http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393460&highlight=awb+tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Heres a link to a bunch of picsof the real thing! http://www.gassersinc.com/pictures.htm Just because it wouldnt be a "real" gasser as used in competition doesnt mean it wouldnt be cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaindewd Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Here is another link that may be of some help. http://gassermadness.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCarCulture Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Since this thread started with a question about a '62 Impala I remembered this '62 I shot at the Mooneyes Xmas Party in '06 - gassers always looked best as coupes or sedans rather than hardtops but I guess you could do something similar to this with the Impala... Here a '62 sedan done as a gasser look street car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) I like the 62 sedan. It would be real feasible to imagine it at a strip as a locally campaigned gasser or modified production car. The Plymouth wagon is really freaky but kind of intriguing - obviously it is not in the least prototypical of gassers that actually raced but as a modern statement of cool weirdness it is pretty successful. The coil springs at the front of the ladder bars are kind of frightening. Also open headers like it has wouldn't work well with a carbeurated car. They work best on supercharged cars. That 64 is kind of weird. It is someone's impression of what a gasser might be but really wasn't. If all the ladder bars, piecrust slicks and tilt nose were on an earlier car like 55-57 it might fly but a 64 was too new, big and heavy to be outfitted like that. It isn't egregious, though. I say this as a student of drag racing but I am sure all 3 of the owners of these cars are quite proud of their cars and justifiably so. They are very cool cars. They just aren't accurate renditions of real gassers except the for the 62. Edited January 1, 2011 by Modelmartin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3ae86 Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 I've been trying to find some pictures of street gassers and I like the pictures posted here and was wondering if anyone could post more pictures like some street gassers because my mind works so much better if i have pictures to look at. I'm not going for an exact look I'm just trying to get some ideas and make it as close as i can to what I want with what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Ck out what I found at gasser madness! Lousy pic, and its a 63, but I like how it looks without the front bumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCarCulture Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCarCulture Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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