Second Wind - a Packard Gasser

[DozerII]

All I know is it's gonna be real cool.

 

[Old Iron]

I must say i am surprised about the imperfect body plan ZZ. I anticipate however that you will enjoy comfortably not worrying about paint chips.

I too am surprised. Now to wait and see if he can pull it off or if the OCD will take over
[P[P[P

 

[zzrodder]

Doesn't matter anymore if you meet the rules of any gasser era. There are several "Gasser" associations around the country. Each has its own rules. The Southeast Gasser group runs to the 1967 rule book. But they don't require a level rocker panel. In fact, "Nose up" is desirable. The Ohio Outlaw Gassers require a nose up attitude.
If I'm not mistaken the upper classes of Gassers that run the NHRA Heritage series have fiberglass/carbon bodies and tube chassis.
For the street, pick the gasser style you like.
I dug this 1967 pic out of Jim and my '33 Willys gasser. I was surprised to see it sits "rocker level". Didn't even know it was a rule then, but it was. Kudos to Doc for knowing that. BTW, we had to run Altered class because it wasn't finished to Gasser requirements.
Incidentally, when "Gassers" evolved (devolved) into pure race cars and no longer were street legal vehicles, the Modified Production class was invented. Doc might have some interesting insights about that.
Sorry to get so long winded on your thread. But you know you have to indulge us old people.

All good info Bob, I absorb everything I can, whether it makes it onto my builds or not is a different story, but it's still there in my mental toolbox...

 

[zzrodder]

I must say i am surprised about the imperfect body plan ZZ. I anticipate however that you will enjoy comfortably not worrying about paint chips.

It's hard to get out of the rut when you've been driving in it for a while but I'm really going to try to keep to the game plan here.
Of course, the Hennway was originally meant to be a flat black rough and tough everyday driver that I could use for work and look where that went......
Must focus......aaarrrghhh!

 

[MercuryMac]

ZZ, My thoughts for a future concern of yours, are, could you use a mostly good '47 Ford coupe deck lid to make your Packard one out of? I have one here with a wee bit of rust-through in the drivers upper corner. You can have it.

 

[05snopro440]

ZZ, I like the way your mind works. You say that if I think my creation is a 'ratrod' then it's a ratrod in my mind.
I guess, though, we have to accept onlookers thoughts that differ from ours. Sometimes someone else will say "that's not a ratrod, it's a low end streetrod". Or "that's not a 'gasser', that's an 'altered'". It's all in their minds.
People are funny, sometimes.

I was talking with a guy at a local car meet. He has a flat black mid-60's Ford stepside pickup. The interior is very unfinished, no carpet or sound proofing, inline 6 with copper plated valve cover and everything. A pretty good bodywork job by a pricy local shop, lowered significantly with skinny wheels and bias tires. Someone walked by and called it a Rat Rod, he pointed at my truck (which he didn't know was mine) and said "This isn't a rat rod, that's a rat rod". It was at this point I inquired if he'd ever seen that truck up close (not mentioning it was mine) and he had not. So I made mention to the fact that it was much more completed than his other than the body and paint, and took the opportunity to suggest if he was so offended by someone calling his a rat rod, maybe he shouldn't do the same to others rides he hasn't even seen.

Like you said, people are funny.

ZZ, I think you've got a great vision, and if you want to call it a gasser, it's a gasser. It's your car.

Hope you're not affected by the flooding in BC, it looks scary out there!

 

[zzrodder]

ZZ, My thoughts for a future concern of yours, are, could you use a mostly good '47 Ford coupe deck lid to make your Packard one out of? I have one here with a wee bit of rust-through in the drivers upper corner. You can have it.

Hey, thanks! I'll keep it in mind, there are no newer cars in the ever disappearing boneyards with anything like the size or shape of a piece of metal that I can harvest around here so that may be a viable option, I'll keep you posted..

 

[bob w]

Maybe you can find a roof skin for a starting point.

 

[zzrodder]

Like you said, people are funny.

ZZ, I think you've got a great vision, and if you want to call it a gasser, it's a gasser. It's your car.

Hope you're not affected by the flooding in BC, it looks scary out there!

Yep, I guess they've been hanging around with the wrong crowd. Sometimes I want to educate people on the correct terminology or try to give them a history lesson of sorts, but then wonder if I'm just doing the same thing, pushing my interpretation as the gospel.
Oh man, what a mess on BC highways, I drove to Langley BC on Friday expecting to return to the Okanagan today but every highway to the interior is closed, slides, flooding, bridges out, lots of evacuations and stranded motorists getting choppered out. Going to be a couple days before I can go home and everyone is going to be jamming up whatever route opens first. Going to need patience, it's going to be a real gong show!

 

[05snopro440]

Yep, I guess they've been hanging around with the wrong crowd. Sometimes I want to educate people on the correct terminology or try to give them a history lesson of sorts, but then wonder if I'm just doing the same thing, pushing my interpretation as the gospel.
Oh man, what a mess on BC highways, I drove to Langley BC on Friday expecting to return to the Okanagan today but every highway to the interior is closed, slides, flooding, bridges out, lots of evacuations and stranded motorists getting choppered out. Going to be a couple days before I can go home and everyone is going to be jamming up whatever route opens first. Going to need patience, it's going to be a real gong show!

Take care and be safe, ZZ, I can't believe the mess there. We got a storm yesterday in the form of snow and high winds, but nothing like you're seeing in BC.

Some of the roads we drove on last month through BC and on the island are now washed away, scary!

When were you planning to head south?

 

[05snopro440]

If you decided to abandon ship and go shiny paint, you could paint it green and name it "Green Energy", in a push against all the environmental stuff.

To be clear, I don't support painting it.

 

[MercuryMac]

ZZ, I'll try to get you a picture of the trunk lid, but we have finally got snow, about 10 inches in the last couple of days.
It sound like you have a mess down in your neck of the woods. Good luck getting around.

 

[zzrodder]

Take care and be safe, ZZ, I can't believe the mess there. We got a storm yesterday in the form of snow and high winds, but nothing like you're seeing in BC.

Some of the roads we drove on last month through BC and on the island are now washed away, scary!

When were you planning to head south?

I'm leaving on Jan 4, travelling thru the dry side of Washington, Oregon, then thru Idaho and Utah etc., usually pretty smooth sailing on that route. I've towed a 5th wheel that way many times in winter but as the weather is showing us right now, the is no 'usual' any more...

 

[zzrodder]

ZZ, I'll try to get you a picture of the trunk lid, but we have finally got snow, about 10 inches in the last couple of days.
It sound like you have a mess down in your neck of the woods. Good luck getting around.

Thanks Mac, no panic, I won't get the body here 'till April anyways, no need to get out the shovel yet!
When the roads are passable and I get home, I'm going to get to work on the frame - I want to get it to the roller stage with the engine mounted before flock south with the rest of the old birds.

 

[05snopro440]

I'm leaving on Jan 4, travelling thru the dry side of Washington, Oregon, then thru Idaho and Utah etc., usually pretty smooth sailing on that route. I've towed a 5th wheel that way many times in winter but as the weather is showing us right now, the is no 'usual' any more...

Ah, so you've got some time yet. Yeah, who knows what to expect for weather. Hoping for clear sailing for you in January!

 

[Bamamav]

You might find a deck lid in AZ or CA, or something close.

 

[MercuryMac]

ZZ, a few more months or even a year won't hurt the trunk or my feelings. I've known this car for almost seventy years. It sat up on blocks in a neighbours yard since I was a little boy. Nice old guy. When I was about 14 I broke a head in my '47 Ford truck and this old fellow, Harry, gave me one off this '47 Ford car. When Harry got older, he retired to town and a new guy got his farm. The new guy hired a D7 Cat and pushed this car around the pasture until he came to a tree, and then kept pushing until the poor old coupe was a mess. [Can you imagine anyone in their right mind smushing up a Ford coupe that has been sitting up on blocks, in good shape, for at least 20 years?]. Anyhow, the next owner of the place thought the car was junk so I got it a little bit cheaper, but I got it. In the pictures I show the trunk, the rest of the car, and my '47 Ford truck.

 

[bob w]

Not a nice way to treat an old Ford coupe.

Good of you to save what you can.

 

[zzrodder]

Thanks again Mac, that is a sad sight indeed but the lid looks remarkably unscathed and appears to have enough good metal to be usable since the Packard lid is smaller I think. Brrrr, not liking the winter preview, makes me want to go south now!!

 

[MercuryMac]

A few days ago I was thinking of bragging that all of you guys should come up here where it's nice. The grass was still green and we hadn't had much for frost yet. Then, in the last couple of days, winter set in. I'm a way smarter now. I won't be bragging anymore.
ZZ, I just talked to my brother on the phone, and he's heading east in southern California, going to hit Yuma tonight. There was no line up at the border, so no hassels.