Gasser (car)
A gasser is a type of hot rod originating on the dragstrips of the United States in the late 1950s and continued until the early 1970s. In the days before Pro Stock, the A/Gas cars were the fastest stock-appearing racers around.
History
Gassers are based on closed body production models from the 1930s to mid-1960s, which have been stripped of extraneous weight and jacked up using a beam axle or tubular axle to provide better weight distribution on acceleration, though a raised stock front suspension is common as well. Common weight reduction techniques include fiberglass body panels, stripped interiors, and Plexiglas windows.The 1933-36 Willys coupés and pickups were very popular gassers. The best-known would be the 1933 Willys 77. It was never built in large numbers, making it a puzzle why it became popular: it was neither cheap nor plentiful. Keith Ferrell's Dogcatcher, for instance, was a 1936 delivery with a fuel injected small-block Chevrolet, built for the class; in 1967, Ferrell deliberately left something off to run it in B/Altered.
After the company revived, the 1937-42 coupés, sedans, and pickups were again popular with hot rodders and gasser teams, and again, comparatively low production leaves unexplained why they gained so much attention. Ollie Olsen's 1940 coupé Wil-A-Meaner won the 1961 Nationals' A/G title. Between 1962 and 1964, the Hassel & Vogelsong 1940 coupé "was the scourge of B/Gas", winning the 1963 and 1964 Nationals and setting a 1964 national record at 11.34. In 1967, the Hrudka Brothers' 1933 panel delivery was a popular wheelstander.
Postwar Willyses were also used, but, despite being a better chassis than the 1955-7 Chevrolet, were never as popular as the prewar cars.
Combinations could be unusual. Fujimo,Too! was a B/G 1950 Plymouth business coupé with an injected Oldsmobile and Hydro-Motive transmission.
NHRA first licensed women drivers in gas classes in 1963, when Roberta Leighton, member of the Dust Devils Car Club and driver of an injected El Camino, was first admitted.
Throughout the 1960s, the Stickle and Riffle Anglia, based out of the Rod Shop and driven by Bob Riffle, were frequent winners. Their only national title, however, was the B/G title at the 1967 Nationals and C/G at the 1968 Nationals. Riffle's best pass in B/Gas was 10.54 seconds at.
At the 1965 NHRA Nationals, held at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1941 Willyses driven by Dick Bourgeous and Doug "Cookie" Cook faced off in A/GS.
Stone-Woods-Cook abandoned A/GS for Top Fuel Funny Car by the start of the 1967 season.
Late model cars were first allowed in the Gas classes in 1967.
Mazmanian would quit the gas classes for fuel funny car in 1968.
Gas classes were eliminated by NHRA in 1972.
Engine
Because they were primarily built for racing, these cars typically had the engine swapped to a larger or more powerful one, or the existing stock engine modified. It was very common to fit a Roots supercharger modified from original use on General Motors two-cycle diesel truck engines and mechanical fuel injection, manufactured by Algon, Hilborn, or Crower.Suspension
With form being dictated by function, their appearance is often very top heavy and ungainly, largely due to front ends being raised higher than stock, to assist in the weight transfer during rapid acceleration. Having their exhaust pipes exit through the front fender well is a common characteristic of gassers, as is having bodies painted in flamboyant metalflakes, pearls, and candy finishes complemented by lettering in wild fonts. Most gassers also had ladder bars.Name
The name arose because they competed in a gasoline-fueled drag racing class, rather than one using methanol or nitromethane.Named cars
There were a number of cars run under names.| Name | Entrant | Year and make | Class |
| Agitator | Paul Day | 1933 Willys | BB/GS |
| Assassination | Guzman & Ward | 1934 MG | AAM/SP |
| The Bare | Dick Shroyer | 1939 Chevrolet | H/G |
| The Bird Hunter | Ted Walters | 1940 Willys | C/G |
| Bonesmobile Special | Curt Carroll | 1931 Ford | A/G |
| Born Runnin' | Willie Johnson | 1927 Ford truck | A/SR |
| Boss Hydro | Joe Pirrone | 1933 Willys | AA/G |
| Cat Skinner | Bogan & Renfroe | 1941 Willys | A/G |
| Chicken Coupe | Ray Moore | 1940 Willys | B/GS |
| City of Industry | Sam Parriott | 1953 & 1963 Kurtis | A/SP, AM/SP, AAM/SP |
| Confusion | Courtney Lee Scott | 1934 Ford | B/GS |
| Dark Horse | Stone-Woods-Finders | 1933 Willys | B/GS |
| Dark Horse Too | Stone-Woods-Cook | 1966 Mustang | AA/GS |
| Dirty Thirty | Charlie Hill | 1933 Willys | A/GS |
| Dogcatcher | Keith Ferrell | 1933 Willys delivery | B/A, BB/A |
| Filthy Forty | Hill & Zartman | 1940 Willys | C/G |
| Fire Brewed | Chuck Finders | 1949 Anglia | AA/GS |
| Flintstone Flyer | Dave Koffel | 1949 Packard | E/G |
| Flintstone Flyer Too | Dave Koffel | 1959 Studebaker | F/G |
| Frivilous I | Bob & Jim Joffer | 1963 Ford | B/MP |
| Fujimo, Too! | Adler & Trout | 1950 Plymouth | B/G |
| The Gasser Passer | "Ohio George" Montgomery | Ford Prefect | AA/G |
| Giddy Up Go | Joe Lowery | 1956 Chevrolet | D/G |
| Here Comes Snoopy | Bucky Burk | 1949 Anglia | B/G |
| The High and Mighty | Jim Parsons | 1927 Ford | A/SR |
| Holeshot 6 | Tom Langdon | 1949 Anglia | G/G |
| The Hammer | Dick Becker | 1950 Anglia | G/G |
| Hydro Phobia | 1931 Ford | B/G | |
| Inch Pincher | Dean Lowry | 1956 Volkswagen Beetle | H/G |
| Irritation | Dan Stanton | 1940 Willys | C/A |
| Jolly Dolly | Bob Bernarden | 1939 Chevrolet | C/G |
| Kamikaze Koup | Coonrod & Harry | 1933 Willys | A/GS |
| The Kentuckian | Glen Wothington | 1966 Corvette | BM/SP |
| King Kong | Kohler Brothers | 1951 Anglia | A/GS |
| The Klein Bird | Bill Ireland | 1965 Mustang | A/MP |
| Wil-A-Meaner | Ollie Olsen | 1940 Willys coupé | A/G |
NHRA National Champions
Source1955, [Great Bend, Kansas]
| Class | Entrant | Engine | Car | Elapsed time | Trap speed |
| A/G | Dick Cadwalader | Oldsmobile | 1933 Ford | ||
| B/G | Waterworth/Morris | Mercury | 1932 Ford | ||
| C/G | Howard Johansen | 1955 Chevrolet | |||
| D/G | M. S. Shephard | 1955 Chevrolet | |||
| A/SR | Owen Bowling | Chrysler | 1929 Ford | ||
| B/SR | Red Lund | Ford | 1932 Ford | ||
| C/SR | Dale Ham | Dodge | 1929 Ford | ||
| A/SP | Warren Turner | Chrysler | Allard | ||
| B/SP | Ralph Richter | 1955 Porsche |
1956, [Kansas City, Missouri]
1957, [Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]
| Class | Entrant | Engine | Car | Elapsed time | Trap speed |
| A/G | Harry Lawhon | Oldsmobile | 1933 Ford | 13.14 | |
| B/G | C. E. Foltin | Oldsmobile | 1938 Chevrolet | 14.07 | |
| C/G | Richard C. Jasper | Chevrolet | 1934 Ford | 14.28 | |
| D/G | Alan Templin | Chevrolet | 1951 Ford | 14.77 | |
| A/SR | Curtis Franke | Chevrolet | 1924 Model T | 13.22 | |
| B/SR | Carl Stone | Chevrolet | 1932 Ford | 13.97 | |
| A/SP | Don Simmons | Buick | 1954 Austin-Healey | ||
| C/SP | Ernest Grimm | 1957 Corvette |