JamesR Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Finally, someone who understands a universal truth: "EVERY OLD CAR IS A DRAGSTER!" The article in Rod and Kulture verifies it. 1948 Oldsmobile woodie gasser | eBay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 13, 2020 Author Share Posted July 13, 2020 Here's more proof: 1963 Ford Thunderbird Coupe | eBay 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Someone has bid $500 on that Tbird. Since it has not met reserve I doubt it will sell. That hood treatment is about the silliest thing I have ever seen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Want to make your car worth $0.00? Turn it into a gasser. Nobody thinks that looks good anymore. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 On 7/12/2020 at 9:35 PM, JamesR said: Finally, someone who understands a universal truth: "EVERY OLD CAR IS A DRAGSTER!" The article in Rod and Kulture verifies it. 1948 Oldsmobile woodie gasser | eBay That magazine cover could inspire a woodie...oh wait, you mean the CAR! 🤣 On 7/13/2020 at 11:28 AM, Matt Harwood said: Want to make your car worth $0.00? Turn it into a gasser. Nobody thinks that looks good anymore. Hello, my name is Nobody because I still like the look - not as much as original or non-gasser hot rod but it's OK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 8 minutes ago, CHuDWah said: Hello, my name is Nobody because I still like the look - not as much as original or non-gasser hot rod but it's OK. Really? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kelso Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Why does that Tbird have a toilet paper dispenser on the front bumper? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: Really? Yes, really. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Well that's not really fair comparing one of the most famous actual racers of all time to a momentary styling fad that makes street cars look stupid. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 3 hours ago, JAK said: Why does that Tbird have a toilet paper dispenser on the front bumper? It's a historic snapshot from a time you could still buy toilet paper. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 9 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said: Well that's not really fair comparing one of the most famous actual racers of all time to a momentary styling fad that makes street cars look stupid. Well, that particular car is not "one of the most famous actual racers of all time" - it's a fiberglass-bodied street car constructed in 2018. I get your point but I said only that I still like the look - I didn't say WHAT I like it on. If I say I like the look of old cars, that doesn't mean I like the look of EVERY old car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 I never really understood the theory behind a "gasser". Jack the front end up high with a straight axle so the whole underbelly is a giant air dam, slap a big block something in it and expect to go fast ? Who was it that said "most cars will go faster if you turn the body around backwards". Of course that does not work for a "shoebox". 55 /56 Chevy, for the kids. They look the same, coming or going. Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 About 6 or 7 years ago I almost pulled the trigger on a 40 Willys coupe with extensive period race history. It came with all its trophies. Most of the cars built in period have a look that I like. Many or most of the current replicas/tributes/facsimiles do not look right. But neither do most Cobra replicas or Auburn Speedster replicas or anything that is a cheap knock off of something cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 So what class do these cars race in, and under what sanctioning body? Building a replica drag car and not draggin it..???? Why bother? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Drag racing for the weekenders is all about consistency any more. A slow car that can duplicate its ET consistently has the same chance s a fast car. Its not really racing the other guy, its matching a clock. That ought to stir em up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 I should mention that I don't hate dragsters or hot rods. I like them very much, in fact. They were the entry point of my interest in cars when I was a little kid in the 1960's. And early hot rodders and drag racers were saving rather run of the mill cars from the scrap heap before many in the old car hobby were. My problem is with the attitude that I posted in satire in my original post: "Every old car is a dragster," which just isn't true. A rare 4 door Olds woody makes a very poor dragster visually. It's awkward and ugly in that context. It's discouraging because it's likely that the builder found the iconic '33 or '41 Willys coupes or '56 Chevies too expensive, so he probably took whatever was available. Just guessing, of course...maybe it looks great to his eye. Here's how great that car could've looked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 21 hours ago, FLYER15015 said: I never really understood the theory behind a "gasser". Jack the front end up high with a straight axle so the whole underbelly is a giant air dam, slap a big block something in it and expect to go fast ? Mike in Colorado I've never built a race car, but it's my understanding that the intent was to transfer more weight to the rear of the car for better traction. It was more complicated than that, I'm sure. You can research it. Within the last few years there was a really good retrospective in Hot Rod magazine about the early attempts at this strategy among drag racers in the very late 50's to the mid-60's. I believe the Ramchargers racing team - sponsored by Mopar - were among the earliest pioneers. (I think they team was originally made up of engineering interns in the auto industry.) According to the article, until these cars were able to go faster than 140 mph in the quarter, the poor aerodynamics of that set up had minimal impact on elapsed times, so it wasn't an issue until later on. At that point, the classic "gasser" disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 I'm still trying to figure out why this is in the "Cars for sale" section. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 Just now, keiser31 said: I'm still trying to figure out why this is in the "Cars for sale" section. They were both for sale. We got off track with the commentary. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 1 minute ago, JamesR said: They were both for sale. We got off track with the commentary. Sorry. Oh. I see that now. Duh on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Yup, Too much commentary going on out there............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 19 hours ago, FLYER15015 said: Yup, Too much commentary going on out there............... But we are all bored and need to discuss this important stuff. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven 123 Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 like them or not they are a part of history 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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