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Southeast Gasser Association

45K views 62 replies 22 participants last post by  manicmechanic 
#1 ·
#33 ·
My frame is all factory, it hasn't even been clipped in the front. It is straight axel, buy it would be easy to go back factory if I wanted. I'm gonna clip it this winter, and the car is going on a diet. It weighs 3400, my goal is 2900. My friends have given me the nickname " the drivetrain assassin". I don't cut the car no slack. I have a pile of broken Muncie before I went to a jerico, a few driveshafts. A fee weeks ago I shot the pinion out of the front of a 9 inch N case. I broke a strange 31 race axel at the finals two weeks ago.
 
#34 ·
My frames are both factory rails front to back, but the Falcon has a lot of weight added in the way of 1"x3" heavy wall box tubing added to the bottom to support the straight axle install, and the BBC engine. Both cars are heavier than stock, but they were both light cars, so still aren't terribly heavy. I haven't got enough power to damage the built up Pontiac rear in the Austin, or the fairly stock 8.8" Ford in the Falcon. Both have held up to a lot of abuse so far.
 
#36 ·
WOW I think I'm about a year late on this one. I usually try to answer any questions people have on gasser sites but didn't know this was going on until one of my members told me about it today.
Im sure I'm not going to remember every complaint because I just read the whole thread at once but I'll try to get to them all.

First off early in the thread sometime last year someone said we would never make it with the strict rules we have. I will admit it has been a rough road but you was wrong, we are now over 4 years old and now have 58 members that are already racing with us or building new cars. 5 are in Wi over 11 hours away 1 in Iowa well you get the pitchure.

Another post that got my attention was that we made the rules to fit the cars that were already there. When we made the rules I had an all steel 48 anglia (with an automatic) and another dude had a 55 chevy 4 speed car. Both were original old gassers from the 60s.

The fiberglass body rule reads that it has to be a glass body that was available in the 60s. Which includes Anglia, 40 or 41 willys and a 33 willys, we had no glass cars at the first race but the rules allowed those 3 or any others that could be bought in the 60s even tho none were involved at the first race..

About the chassis, homemade boxed tube chassis became legal in 1967. Problem here was so did coil over shocks. So in the original rules coil over shocks were legal and so was the automatic trans and that was a big mistake. As we started getting more and more people interest out of 12 cars we had 6 automatic cars and 5 with coil over shocks. Now all of the sudden the fans quit coming so we started trying to find out why. The surveys yielded that the show was getting boring and the cars had gotten too predictable. Several told us that they could see the same thing any Saturday night at the local bracket race, cars looked like they were hooked to a rail with the wheels only coming up off the line. So that's where the grandfather rule came into play. If y'all have kept up with us you will know that we have only kicked out one car since we started and that was because of his conduct. So instead of kicking out the automatic and coil over cars we made the rules where they could stay but no more could come in. Now out of the 58 members we are down to 2 Automatic cars and only 3 cars with coil overs.

Oh yea the one about not reading the rules because of the waver, I'm lost on that one. It's just a statement from my lawyer to keep the group from getting into legal trouble. Like when the woman spilled the hot coffee on herself and was awarded over $1000,000 from the people that made the coffee.

There were several post about the wheels. Wheels have to be an exact copy and they are out there cheap, not as cheap as the chinese knock offs but cheap. I just bought a set of rear torque thrust brand new for less than $400. The wheels are the first thing someone sees when they walk up and yes they do notice but most won't tell you to your face, if you don't know no one is going to tell you.

Now about the group that splintered off, and it was not 1/2 of our group it was 4 cars and most of the time they were broke before first round, So we haven't missed them at all. As far what they are doing now, last I heard there were no rules just bring anything you want. No need to start a group with no rules there are 1,000's of them already out there. I guess my pro mod would be legal it's a 63 vette.

The funniest post I've read on here is the guy that said I've made it impossible for the little guy to compete and used the no coilover rule as an example. Last time I checked a set of leaf or coil springs out of the junk yard (that's exactly where mine came from) was a whole lot cheaper than a set of coilovers.

In closing I'll say this. Every SEG legal car gets free entry for driver and 2 crew, we pay $250 to the top 8 qualifiers and $150 to the next 8 qualifiers. How many groups do y'all know of that puts on a show good enough for the cars and crew to get in free and still get paid just for having fun. I get the feeling that y'all think we would be better off if we changed our group to be like the 100's of others that have to pay to race and don't get show up money.

I hope this helps because it has took me about an hour to do this and I'll be glad to answer any other questions or any I have missed.
Thanks Quain Stott
 
#37 ·
sorry I build my cars to suit me
and I do not require acceptance from a support group aka club
but I do understand that some people do enjoy being part of a club
but in the case of a gasser for street use I only have to comply with rules set forth by the DMV
beyond that I am free to use my imagination and creativity
Be safe Have fun :)
 
#38 ·
I don't blame you one bit, No one should build a car like some one else wants them too. That's what I don't understand about the ones that don't like our rules. We have never begged anyone to race with us, they call wanting too then gripe about the rules. Everyone is welcome if they meet the rules like everybody else does. The ones that have cars that don't meet the rules get mad at me because I won't change the rules just to suit the car that they have. We are having a blast and I think it's obvious the fans are loving it just the way it is.
 
#39 ·
Excuse me for doubting, but I find it awfully hard to believe that fans would answer a survey saying they didn't like coilover shocks, when coilovers were around in the day, and legal. Or saying they don't like automatics, when they were also around. These seem to be rules that's just there for no reason. In most cases, a fan would have to go to the pits and get on their hands and knees just to see the suspension. In the case of automatics, a simple rule that didn't allow trans brakes, or electronics on a automatic, would have kept the automatics similar to what they had in the 60's.
Yes, one of my cars runs coilovers, and with about 12"-14" to the ground at the rear, you have to lay down to even get a look at them. The rules you have that don't allow things that were OK during the gas class era, are the most puzzling. I still don't understand not allowing things that are period correct.
 
#41 ·
Coil overs didn't show up on gassers until 1967 and they weren't very popular until 1968, The fans that were surveyed said that they didn't like the cars that looked like they were running down a rail, that was the automatic and coil over cars. We are trying to put on a show that is different from the boring stuff that you would see at your local track every Saturday night and a lot of them have nostalgia bodies but the stands are still empty. As for fans getting on there hands and knees you wouldn't believe how often that happens, I have seen them all the way under the car very often. As for the automatic's all you have to do is see or hear the car do a burn out or leave the line then it's painfully obvious, especially on the shift's. If you want to get real technical I would have to take away the tunnel ram intakes, electric fans on the radiators, and allow the cars to set low and use control arm front ends. Like I have said many times before the cars that don't fit our rules have plenty of places to race and have fun, the only difference is that MOST of the time the stands are empty. Even at our races we have test and tune between our rounds for the cars that don't fit, but the fans are in the pits looking at the correct cars when they are running. By the way I love your car it looks and sets right.
 
#40 ·
maybe I have no business replying to this but as a totally netural party it seems that the rules are written with the intent of keeping the cars the way that the clubs founder feels that they should be.
almost everyday I have spirited discussions with people that feel very strongly about whats cool and whats not what works best and what sucks :) perhaps the club rules are just a way to keep like minded people together without to much friction
.
I ran into this same type of thing with My vintage racing Kart the people at the R.E.A.R site have a vision of how karts should be but it dosent totally reflect how it actually was :)
.
I find rules very restricting so I try and avoid them whenever possible
for me having fun and enjoying life is what it is all about
we are all different
that may be the understatement of the year :)
 
#42 ·
Your right rules do restrict and i wish we didn't have to have them, it would sure make my job a lot easier. One thing that might be confusing y'all on this site is the fact that we are not bracket racing. Our deal is first man to the finish line win's (just like it was) Could y'all imagine no rules with heads up racing. I did that from 2008 until the end of 2013 and I don't want any more of that.
 
#43 ·
Funny that your fans don't like coilovers that were OK in 1967, but they're fine with fabricated frames that weren't allowed until that same period. Nothing screams the end of the original gasser era more than a fabricated frame. This is a perfect example of one thing being OK, while another thing that's more egregious not being OK. Both from approximately the exact same era of the rules.
 
#45 ·
I no expert since I just started racing a few months ago LOL, but who would want their car to fall on it's face right before the shift by hitting the rev limiter. If a driver does that it's by mistake. I have in very rare cases heard some of them touch it when the clutch go's in and the rpm's flare up if they are running it too close to the shift point. I'll bet you really hate a 2 step (rookie switch) like I do also.
 
#47 ·
I will go back and review the video from there, I have most every run that was made by our cars. We was running some of the cars from the north so it could have been one of them but I will check. thanks for bringing it to my attention. I will post a video from there for all to enjoy if i can find it.
 
#49 ·
Period Correct can be a VERY fine line. After reading through this I can see both sides of the story. For the sake of safety some modern day parts have to be used and unfortunately there are some aftermarket parts that are not being reproduced in a modern version. Take the "Winged Express" AA/FA, that car is built as close to original as possible right down to the unpainted 392 engine. But look at the rear wheels. they have to be a beed lock rim and no one repro's a Halibrand bead lock. But after watching Iron Mike Boyd do a half track, fog bank burn out and then run a crossed up mid 7 second pass, go tell him his rear wheels suck. He probably knows it but I'm not gonna say anything.

I've seen mid 60s gassers with Corvair coil springs with shock going down the middle so is that a coil over? Is that not correct? And what about the famous Hydro that so many ran back then! I personally would rule out tunnel rams before automatic trannys.

And when it comes to parts, aside from safety issues, you can find original,correct parts for no more than it costs to buy a modern part that doesn't look right. Just shop around.

I'm all for Period correct but the rules need to consider every type of Gasser from that era. And there was alot of experimenting going on back then. Thats why the 60s was indead "The Golden Days of Drag Racing"
 
#50 ·
Good post, The coil spring with the shock running through the middle is legal as long as the spring and shock have separate mounting points. In other words the spring can't be mounted to the shock. Don long built a 33 willy in 1967 with this spring and shock setup, only difference he used a spring from a triumph. Again the mandated 4 speed is to make the show better for the fans. Maybe in time we can start another class but right now my hands are full with what we have.
 
#51 ·
One more thing I'd like to say about preriod correct cars. I love all old car but am a Mopar guy first and formost. There is a couple original Sox & Martin cars that have been restored wearing Keystone Classics They ran Keystones but they were the early Kustomags and not the later Classics of the 70s. Simular but not the same. My point on that is the original Kustomags are around and cost no more than most other old wheels. And if your spending Thousands on a piece of history go the extra few hundred and get the right wheels.

Aside from Halibrands, Hilborns and a few other specialty items, correct parts are out there and can be had for a good price. Not as easy to find sometimes but dig deep and they are there...........and not a budget buster.
 
#54 ·
Well crap having started out as a spectator many many years ago we always liked the wheel standing, getting out of control mid track squirrely stuff as well as the 3rd gear loss of traction, we didnt care who won it was the show, jet cars and such every one stopped what they where doing, stood up and watched, stands where always full, then came pro stock and and crowds began to dwindle. racing was getting money only racing and boring, the hole shot was the only thing you watched for, then I took up drag bike racing and building and encountered the rules, witch to many was a drag (no PUN) I can see both sides having been on both sides, I think there should be a guideline for two class, lets face it the little guy has been left out far to long,,,,,,,,,,, and to say its affordable is just wrong hot rodding is expense period, the younger you are the more it is so, so why not have a low buck class running at the end of the races,,, help keep it alive cause when us old suckers are gone that era of racing will be lost
 
#55 · (Edited)
" . . . help keep it alive cause when us old suckers are gone that era of racing will be lost "

VERY much in agreement ! ! !

Not to dredge up a dead post, but I just found this one and read it with great interest. We have relatives down South and it would have been great to possibly join up and make the "vacations" a little more fun, try to time them to racing events.

Not going to happen as the MGA that I'm currently trying to build is going to have to be an automatic. I'm going in this Winter for the second knee operation and won't be able to drive a high performance clutch after that; really can't do it even now for any length of time.

I know that the rules are designed around some of their existing cars and the fans have already spoken, but (there's always a butt since we all have one) it sort of cuts out a lot of aging drivers/racers who would be most drawn to this kind of racing. More and more of us are running into knee and hip problems which force us to cut back on more physical activities and being able to continue racing in the old style would be a nice alternative. Just seems like the rules are cutting out one of the growing groups who would like to participate.

I think that the "grandfather clause" ought to apply to real grandfathers . . .
 
#56 ·
Having raced with the now defunct Classic Gassers and being told that my car did'nt fit the look that they were looking for. So I traded my tube chassied stack injected big block nova for a straight axle coupe and spending thousands getting it ready . Only to go to the races and find a 69 Camaro convertible as an accepted looking A/Gasser ?
I am happy to see an organization set it's rules and stick by them. I would probably still be racing and would have added an extra pedal to the old Faded Memories coupe that had no problem fitting in their rules except for rear coil-overs.
I am about to become the proud owner of a 37 chevy coupe that needs the Gasser transformation. I have raced gassers and other door cars since the 60's and have first hand knowledge of what kind of cars ran back in the day. Some where hacked together junk. Thank God that those days are behind us.
 
#58 ·
#60 ·
Well that's a shame. Your history of racing should definitely be mentioned. Do you have any pics?
 
#61 ·
Went to Union, SC to see the SEG. 9 hours each way. Had a fantastic time! Southern hospitality at it's finest. These boys are serious about racing, family, friends and God. I have a new respect for them all. The tight rules are not for everyone. And no, they don't all make perfect sense. But the belief and devotion in what he is doing shown by Quain is undeniable. I hope the spirit migrates north. These are some badass machines!
 
#62 ·
I've seen some of their Instagram videos and yes they are passionate.
 
#63 ·
The rules are just totally out of line. All the AA/G and most of the BB/G cars were running auto. Look at SWC and Maz in '64. Hydros! The Maz was running 4wheel disc brakes. As for coil overs start looking at pix!
 
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