Gasser Chassis Build

The front axle is a non-dropped stock '32 Ford I-beam, drilled and polished. After the car goes together and Jimmy can check caster and camber, the axle will be chromed. The '28-34 Ford transverse leaf continues the drag look on this dual-purpose car. The front Panhard bar is an important handling component when running a transverse spring. A curved tubular crossmember underneath the front of the engine positions the frontend. The engine stayed in its stock location. He also built a Pitman arm that will be installed soon. A custom transmission crossmember was also added.

Jimmy machined a set of custom bungs and welded them to the back of the axle to mount the shocks so they are still visible, but the hardware is hidden and doesn't detract from the visual impact of the axle. A pair of SO-CAL hairpins hangs on custom-fabricated mounts welded to the bottom of the chassis.

In the rear, Jimmy cut the spring hangers from the outside of the frame, and rewelded them on the inside on the opposite 'rails. Moving the parallel leaves to the inside of the frame provided more clearance for the slicks. He also designed and installed a pair of traction bars similar to the Traction Master bars that were popular on hot rods 40 or 50 years ago. The bars stiffen the rearend by preventing the springs from loading up. Side-to-side roll from the front transverse leaf spring is reduced and handling is improved by the 1 1/4-inch rear sway bar, mounted to the frame with custom pads. The factory-style coilover shocks are mounted to a crossbar instead of in the stock location through the floor. The rearend is a 9-inch Ford, geared for the street, but Jimmy was talking about putting in some shorter gears (like 5.30s) to see if the Chevy can lift the front wheels off the ground at the drags.

A pair of 10-gallon gas tanks are mounted on a frame bolted in the trunk, where the battery will also end up. The 3 1/2-gallon Moon tank is mounted on the front spreader bar in the traditional style. Jimmy plumbed a valve at the rear as well as an aircraft-style T-valve at the line running from the third tank in front. The owner could conceivably drive to the strip on pump gas from the rear, and shut off that line at the track to run race gas out of the smaller front tank.

The plumbing is all half-inch hard-line tubing. Brake lines, fuel lines, and the battery cable had to be routed around the points where the body will lay on the framerails. The body was also cut and channeled to keep it away from mounts, suspension components, and any other obstacles.