Anyone done a gasser before?
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ive got a 67 currently with 72 disc brakes up front, and I want to put a straight axle and lift the front end up. I know speedway motors makes complete kits (though idk which one I would need yet), but I was looking for words of wisdom from anyone who's done it.

 

This chili dog and fries and I did one all afternoon today.

 

Most of the kits are universal, you need to figure out how much drop and front end weight for the springs.

 

heres a cool looking 67

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...t-axle-119721/

 

How good are your fabrication skills?

 

Non existent. But I have a savings account and a credit card lol

 

Well, there are a lot of car shops willing to take your money

 

many here just took a course or two at the local voke tech school and bought a welder (i did) im no fabricator but when i cut something to short i can put it back together !!!

Actually my motivation was my floors, they needed replacement, i pushed myself through that project and i am happy w the results. The welder cost is likely close to what i could have paid a shop for floor replacement so its like i got the welder free. (sorta)

I get a lot of inspiration from watching velocity/motortrend TV,

 

But suspension strength is far more critical than sheetmetal tacking. If the straight axle comes loose, someone could die. If he wants to take a good welding course at a local college he might come away with the capability to weld brackets to his frame that will hold up 3500lbs. under braking stresses.

 

Dang it RetroRanger, I cut it twice and it's still too short!

 

Gasers are cool!
I would not cut up the outer body panels nor convert to a flip front end. Some of the purist might disagree,but I don't think it is necessary to pull off the gasser look.
If that is your 67 in the picture you are well on your way. If you could find a cool intake set up that would ad to the gasser theme

 

Sadly that isn't my car, just what im trying to get. Pic is mine.
Since im doing such a mild lift, im actually looking at lift kits for donks since all I need is the front end. I hate to say it, but it seems like a better option vs all the work for a straight able

 

You have a good start.
Build it as time and money allow and if you don't have to have it off the road for any length of time it will be more enjoyable.
Make sure the car is derivable when you are done, don't build one that is unsafe to drive.
Like I said before Gassers are cool.
Good luck with the build

 

UPDATE: After talking to several shops, a straight axle swap seems to be a lot more than I thought due to the frame shape; basically they'd have to remake the frame from the firewall up.

I feel dirty for saying this, but im thinking of looking up lift kits for "donks" (extended control arms, etc) to achieve the 5-7" of lift that I need in the front. The good news is that it shouldn't effect the way the car drives (apart from cornering, but it wasn't great at that to begin with), but I won't have the straight axle which in my opinion, is the only way it would look good

 

What do the guys a Nickey say.
I would spend a lot of time researching before making any decisions.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/nick...tte-nationals/

 

You don't have to go straight to a straight axle start with simple mods first like period correct rims etc

 

Or you can do what I did and lift the car a couple of inches with springs. I think the *** end of yours could come down a bit.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ont-end-53790/

 

That looks good eric!

 

Thats what im looking at next. I've already got BB A/C wagon springs all around, so I need an actual lift or something

 

Can you post a side shot of the car like my picture? What wheel and tire sizes are you using?

 

Not a 67 but very cool.

 

16" rims, 28" in the rear, 25ish in the front. I do have air shocks in the back to give it the lift that I can lower a bit, but I was hoping to go with larger tires in the back.

 

You can try going with tubular fronts and coilover shocks to lift the front. A arm front ends have limits to how high you can go and still get a proper alignment dialed in.

 

That's why in considering a kit from here
https://www.universalcarlifts.com/?g...caAlsuEALw_wcB

 

A engineered kit would be the way to go for safety and drive-ability.

 

My god, that looks _awesome_ !