1. Here is the car we'll be creating in 1/25 scale. It's a modern, rad-rod-style reinterpretation of a 1960s dragstrip Gasser. The base kit is Revell's 1948 Ford Chopped Custom Coupe, introduced in 2011.
2. Let's begin with the frame, which comes from the MPC 1957 Chevy Gasser or the AMT 1953 F100 Street Machine (both previously reissued in multiple variants under the MPC logo). Remove the bump in the frame colored in red marker in this photo.
3. Remove the molded-in ribs along the rear of the gas tank (colored here in red) to allow the frame to slide slightly forward and better line up the wheels in the wheel wells. We'll do additional adjustments to finalize this alignment later.
4. Up front, remove the inner fender wells up to the front edge, which I left in place. The area cross-hatched in red is the area to be removed. Be careful that you don't distort the body panels when you remove these areas.
5. I'm going to use the custom coupe body; the top is already chopped, and extraneous exterior moldings have been already smoothed away. However, you'll need to remove the frenched headlight rims with a razor saw (shown here after removal) because we'll use the stock headllight bezels for this Gasser build. Also decide if you want to remove the front and rear bumper sight shields (highlighted in orange) - I left them on.
6. Pick the rear drag slicks that you want to use and wrap some 220-grit or similar sandpaper around the outside. Proceed to "radius" the rear wells so that they are big enough to house the slicks. (Unlike modern-day street machines, Gassers make no attempt to house the slicks inside the fenders.)
7. I sprayed a semigloss, eggshell-type finish for this model, because I wanted to use decals for graphics, but decals tend to show "silvering" if applied over purely flat black surfaces. I used Tamiya TS-29 Semi Gloss Black, followed by several coats of Tamiya TS-79 Semi Gloss clear. Try to get the finish as smooth as possible, because unlike gloss finishes, you can't use rubbing compound and wax on semigloss finishes.
8. In the first of several steps to make sure the engine fit the body, I placed the interior bottom and floorboard pieces together, then I removed as much material as possible around the transmission hump. Use a motor tool with the speed set to low on the variable-speed control. I've highlighted the remaining surfaces (after the removal of material) in orange marker.
9. The stock instrument panel was filed flat, then finished in Testor's Metalizer Aluminum Plate. The instrument panel is NASCAR gauge panel found in the original MPC 1968-1970 Charger annual kits and the 1969 Charger 500 and Daytona reissues, also under the MPC label. The gauges were treated to thinned flat black paint, then curved "lenses" were formed with DevCon five-minute epoxy and allowed to dry.
10. I removed the lower rear seat cushion and replaced it with a new panel made from sheet styrene. I filed off the rear seat back upholstery pattern and glued a piece of sheet styrene on top of it. The result is a paneled rear compartment, which is more in keeping with the Gasser idiom then a stock rear seat.
11. Here is the completed interior. The seats (from two separate kits), roll bar, steering wheel and column, gas pedal, and shifter all came from the newer Revell 1941 Willys series kits (with Big John Mazmanian, Stone Woods and Cook, and K.S. Pittman markings). The carpet is Ken's Fuzzi-Fur flocking.
12. I chose to use the entire front suspension and rear traction bars from the Revell 1941 Willys kits mentioned above on this build; I felt these parts were slightly better detailed than the comparable parts from the MPC Gasser frame. They were finished in Testor's Metalizer Stainless Steel.
13. To accommodate the revised front suspension, the shock mounts need to be moved from the inside of the frame to the outside - shown here at the ends of the toothpicks. For an even better fit on your build, locate them slightly rearward from the position shown here so that they line up with the engine mounts.
14. Here you can see the front suspension components. Neither the MPC Gasser nor Willys frames have the steering box and drag link parts, so you may want to scratchbuild these parts and add them to your build, if you are creating a contest-quality model.
15. The rear suspension came straight from the MPC Gasser, except for the traction bars as noted earlier. Note the use of various colors on the suspension, differential, and shocks, which is authentic and adds visual interest to the chassis.
16. At this point I began the engine buildup. A small-block Ford is the perfect engine choice here; I used the basic 289 V-8 engine assembly from the AMT/Ertl 1967 Mustang GT and Shelby GT350 kits. The intake setup, oil pan, and valve covers came from the 289 Ford in the reissued AMT/Ertl "Buyer's Choice" Surf Woody kit. The headers are from the MPC Gasser; they line up well with the exhaust ports of the 289 Ford.
17. I painted the engine with 1:1 scale Ford Engine Blue spray paint. Spark plug wires were run from the distributor to the spark plugs. Thinned flat black paint adds interest to the Ansen valve covers from the Surf Woody kit.
18. The entire intake assembly is also from the Surf Woody kit. The plated manifold received a coat of Testor's Dull Cote. The ignition coil is from the AMT/Ertl Mustang kit. The fuel lines are plumbed to the carburetors and to a fuel line injection block; these lines were painted a steel color later.
19. The engine is nearly completed. A line was run from the fuel pump to the junction block. The next steps (not shown here) would be to add the throttle linkage, and if you are running a heater in your 1/25 scale street Gasser, heater hoses.
20. Fenderwell headers are a key visual element of the Gasser look, and deserve extra effort in this type of build. I glued the exhaust tubes together, puttied and sanded the seams, and then reduced the thickness of each header flange plate by about 2/3 before gluing them in place. I cut away the remaining plastic between each of the individual header flanges, drilled out the bottom of the headers, and finished them in a slightly dirty flat off-white color.
21. After test-fitting the frame to the body, the frame needed to slide forward some more for the tires to line up properly in the wheel wells. I cut away the rearmost crossmember, which fits against the tank, and reglued the crossmember at the very back of the frame rail, as you'll see in the next step.
22. I determined that the rear slicks would stick out beyond the body too far, even for a Gasser-themed build. I removed about 3/16 inch off both ends of the differential/axle assembly (loser right of photo) before gluing the wheels and slicks in place. Note the location of the repositioned rear crossmember from the prior step.
23. Because the tube axle will be visible from the front of the car, I decided to add brake lines to the disc brakes from the Revell 1941 Willys Gasser kits. The lines run to the frame rails, with enough slack to allow the wheel/brake assembly to rotate through its steering arc. Note the realistic finishes added to the parts.
24. The Revell '48 Custom Chopped Coupe has a front windshield that installs from the inside, as usual, but the window moldings are applied to the windshield casting instead of the body casting. Accordingly, don't forget to apply Bare-Metal foil to the windshield unit before you glue it in the body.
25. Tinted Plexiglas side and rear windows were a design cue from the original 1960s Gassers that often carry over to today's rat-rod Gasser-style cars. I picked up some yellow tinted acetate from a local hobby store, and then cut it to shape using the clear window parts from the Revell kit as patterns. The tinted windows were glued into place with Testor's Clear Model Cement, using a small strip of Scotch Magic Tape applied from the inside of the body to hold the windows in place for 24 hours while the glue dried to a strong joint.
26. The body is nearly complete. After this photo was taken, I added the headlamps and bezels from the 1948 Ford kit, door handles from the Revell 1941 Willys Gasser kits, and 1939 Ford teardrop taillights from my parts box, mounted horizontally instead of vertically.
27. On any model as kitbashed as this one, you can expect to do some fine-tuning of the components during final assembly. Remember that we opened up the transmission, but we needed to create a corresponding area of clearance in the firewall. The hobby-knife blade points to the notch I added to the firewall.
28. When I removed the lower rear seat cushion of the interior and replaced it with sheet styrene, the revised interior bumped up against the chassis floor pan during final assembly. So I scraped the floor pan with a hobby knife along the area shown (shaded in orange) until I created enough clearance that the components fit together properly.
29. A final shot of the engine and transmission assembly, just before installation in the chassis. I added a flat black wash to the carburetors and used a photoetched alternator mount to partially address the "alternator flapping in the breeze" look of most kit-assembled engines.
30. After installing the engine, the drive shaft from the MPC Gasser kit needed to be shortened slightly. I removed about 3/16 inch immediately behind the front universal joint, rejoined the components, and located the drive shaft in place.
31. Looking underneath the front of the body, I needed to file down the remaining portion of the fender well on the passenger's side, to ensure adequate clearance for the engine alternator. The area in white just below the knife blade shows where I thinned the fender well.
32. We're on the final lap now! I created two parachute straps from masking tape folded over on itself and glued them to the rear chassis crossmember, painted the parachute in Olive Drab (a signature feature of my drag-racing models since the 1960s), and added the parachute release wire. The parachute will be mounted to the trunk lid later.
33. You may be able to find radiator hoses in your parts box, or be able to adapt the kit pieces, but I chose to create new radiator hoses from Evergreen 1/16" solid styrene rod. After bending them to shape (you have to bend the curves to a greater curve than required for final fit, because of the "spring back" of the tubing), paint the components flat black and set aside for assembly.
34. Here is the completed chassis. The MPC Gasser chassis can be assembled with two different wheelbases (I used the long wheelbase setting), which will allow the chassis assembly to be used with many different bodies from this era.
35. This picture shows the radiator hoses located, the beautiful fit of the headers to the engine and frame, and the brake line wiring. Also note the transmission shift linage, which is included in the AMT/Ertl 1967 Mustang kit; I modified it slightly to sit flush to the transmission so it would not interfere with the transmission hump of the floor pan.
36. It was a building adventure, but now the model is done, and I've just showed you every step involved in its construction. The ride height and engine/chassis components hanging below the body are signature elements of the Gasser look.
37. The completed front shows the headlight assembly and a faux-Moon fuel tank in the grille opening (for street use, the rear thank is retained). The hood scoop is the 1960s Ford N-Series Cab-Forward truck component that Pontiac purchased from Ford for the 1962-1963 Super Duty Catalina racers, as mastered and cast by Mark Budniewski. Those front wheels were originally in the MPC 1968-1972 Corvette annual kits, but are more easily found in the trailer option for the AMT/Ertl reissue of the MPC 1976 Chevy Caprice.
38. Elements of the completed rear view are the tube bumper and mounting arms from the Revell 1941 Willys Gasser (which I may refinish in flat black or dull silver), the completed parachute assembly, and the 1939 Ford teardrop taillights from my parts box, which I mounted horizontally rather than vertically.
39. There is plenty of room for the completed engine after the fender wells are removed; a Ford 385 Series 429 Super Cobra Jet (from Revell's 1970 Torino GT and Cobra kits) should fit easily in here as well. For a real 1960s-era Gasser dragster, the engine would need to be moved back 10 percent of the wheelbase length, and the fender wells would need to wrap closely around the headers. The addition of an accelerator pedal linkage to the carburetors (not shown) would add even more visual detail.
40. I was concerned that the tinted windows would obscure the interior work, but as you can see here, the modified instrument panel and steering wheel are clearly visible. A more rearward-looking camera angle would show the roll bar and the paneled rear compartment where the rear seat was.
41. A look underneath the completed model shows the accurate appearance yielded from my kitbashing sources. It would be difficult to adapt these Gasser-style engine and suspension components to the stock frame in the Revell 1948 Ford kit; the approach I used saves times and aggravation. Several of the MPC 1953 Ford and 1957 Chevy Gasser kit issues include mufflers and dual exhausts that fit perfectly; I left them off this model (the sound of open headers: yeah!).
42. Magnesium drag-racing wheels oxidized quickly and took on a dull, dark metallic appearance, which I recreated with Testor's Metalizer Magnesium and Titanium paints, followed Testor's DullCote. 1960s drag racers kept their mags polished to a bright shine, but today's rat rod crowd generally prefers the oxidized look. Note that I painted the wheel lug nuts chrome, however.
43. With this last profile shot of the model, emphasizing the fenderwell headers, hood scoop, and tinted Plexiglas windows, we hope you've enjoyed this Scale Auto Online Extra "full detail" street Gasser build. Even more importantly, we hope we've interested you in attempting your own similarly-themed model build - whether you duplicate this model or strike out with your own building ideas.
So what does it take to be considered a Gasser?
When someone says "Gasser," there are really two types of cars it could be. The first would be a late-1950s or 1960s drag-racing car, built to the letter of the applicable NHRA rulebook. It would be a coupe or sedan, most likely of an early-1930s-to-late-1950s vintage (no convertibles, Corvettes, or Thunderbirds), though in the late-1960s Pony Cars (Mustangs, Barracudas) and even a few Opels became legal. In their most extreme forms, they were further characterized by the engine being set back from the stock position in the chassis the equivalent distance of 10 percent of the wheelbase from the stock dimension; lightening of the body and chassis throughout; and quite possibly a one-piece, tilting front hood and fender unit.
The ride heights were high — often the front being higher than the rear (though limited to no more than 24 inches from the ground to the centerline of the engine crankshaft) as a way of ensuring weight transfer to the rear slicks of the era. Slightly lowered ride heights evolved late in the decade. These cars were often finished in candy, pearl, or fogged paint, with gold-leaf lettering and a minimalist-but-impeccable finished interior treatment.
A more recent type of Gasser would be the streetable cars that you see at today's Rat Rod events or in the Autorama Extreme in the basement of Detroit's Cobo Arena. That is, a car that shares the high ride height, tinted Plexiglas windows, and overall proportions of the 1960s-era Gassers described above, but equipped for modern street duty.
These cars often wear a flat or primer paint job, with distinctive lettering and graphics that share nothing in common with their 1960s brethren. Engine setbacks, tilt front ends, and Moon fuel tanks alone (without the gas tank supplementing the supply) aren't in the cars for this category of street Gassers. Today's genre includes convertibles (illegal in the 1960s Gasser classes), plus Corvettes and T-Birds (which were classified as Modified Production instead of Gassers back in the day).
But keep the wheelbase stock - those with altered wheelbases are considered "A/FX" cars — an entirely different (if equally cool) genre of the dragster world!
SOURCES:
Revell 1948 Ford Chopped Custom Coupe 3 in 1 #85-4253 (currently available): Body, hood, windshield, headlights and headlamp bezels, basic interior components, floor pan, etc.
AMT/Ertl 1953 Ford Pickup Street Machine #6341 (issued in 1991): Frame, rear suspension/axle/differential/ (also optional choice for front suspension assembly), exhaust headers. Note: this same frame and suspension are found in all issues of MPC's 1957 Chevy Gasser and 1953 Ford Pickup kits, which were each reissued several times, most recently as the Model King resissue of the MPC "Spirit if '57" Chevy circa 2006.
Revell K.S. Pittman 1941 Willys Drag Coupe #85-4990 (currently available): Front suspension assembly, rear ladder bars, roll bar, steering wheel and column, gas pedal, shifter, bucket seats (from two kits), exterior door handles, rear tube bumper and brackets, parachute. Note: Revell's prior John Mazmanian #85-2350 and Stone Woods & Cook #85-2032 (black car) 1941 Willys kits both have these same components; Revell's original Stone Woods and Cook "Swindler II" (blue car) kit dating from 1963 and its many reissues are based on an entirely different kit.
AMT/Ertl 1967 Mustang GT/GTA and 1967 Shelby GT500 kits (first issued in 1994-1995 and reissued multiple times since; I used #31550 issued in 2002): Basic engine and transmission assembly.
AMT/Ertl Surf Woody "Buyer's Choice" #31921 (issued in 2003; prior versions of this kit date from the mid-to-late 1960s and are expensive collectibles): Cross-ram intake manifold, carbs, valve covers, "Shelby" deep sump oil pan. Note: A similar cross-ram intake, carbs, and dual air cleaners can be found in Round 2's AMT 1966 Mustang kit #794-12 (currently available).
MPC 1969 Charger 500 #6284 (issued in 1987),
MPC 1969 Daytona Charger #6278 (issued in 1990): Instrument panel. Note: the same parts are found in MPC's 1968-1970 Charger annual kits, which are expensive collectibles; however, the later MPC reissues referenced above sell at reasonable prices from the usual old kit sources.
Revell Tony Nancy "22 JR" Roadster and Dragster Double kit #85-1224 (currently available): Rear wheels and tires.
AMT/Ertl 1976 Chevy Caprice with Trailer #38454 (issued in 2006),
#3001 (issued in 1999 and 2001): Front wheels. Note: the same wheels are found in MPC's 1968-1972 Corvette annual kits, and are likely available from aftermarket resin casters.
Mark Budniewski: Pontiac "drag car" scroop (originally a Ford HD truck item); mbudniewski@aol.com
Slix Decals Rat Rod and Nose Art 1 #RRNA1-7136: All exterior decals except Mooneyes.
www.slixx.com. Note: item is not currently available in the Slixx catalog as this is written.
Tamiya TS-29 Semi-Gloss Black; TS-79 Semi-Gloss ClearTestor's Metalizer paints in five colors, Testor's DullCote
Parts Box: Carburetor air intake horns, 1939 Ford teardrop taillight lenses, front tires.
REFERENCES (1960s Gassers)
Gasser Wars - Drag Racing's Street Classes, 1955-1968, Larry Davis, 2003, Car Tech Publishing
REFERENCES (1960s and current Gassers)
Street Rodder magazine, November 2012 - Gasser Theme Issue (Source Interlink Media)
Car Kulture Deluxe and Ol' Skool Rodz magazine - any issue (Koolhouse Publishing)
Traditional Rod and Kulture Illustrated magazines - any issue