Gasser Frame, CAD designed, Drag Car Gasser chassis by Kustom Bitz can be made to suit any wheel base you need. The frame width is set, and the dimensions/geometry, are the same for the front and the back. Only the middle length changes and the out riggers to pick up the body's sill panels. The geometry for the front end and rear end is set. The chassis extends out past the front lower panel so you can mount a moon tank and extends out the rear lower valance panel so you can run a push bar.
My own Gasser still retains the OEM monocoque frame. The 8 point inner roll
cage I made is the chassis and it ties into the fire wall, A' and B' pillars and OEM
subframe, An alternative way of achieving the same outcome.
When the floor of the car you intend to use is all rusted out then a new gasser frame is the logical choice. However just note that my little gasser runs an 8 point roll cage that becomes the main frame of the car, think of it as a frame within a frame. Even the front OEM subframe remains intact, although the firewall and innner guards have been heavily modified. In my case the body was good, it was not rusty. However if I were to go for a V8 into such a small car I would need to chassis the car or put a front clip in it, becasue the sub frame would be in the way of the headers and steering. The blown, alky running, straight 6, however fits well and it was less fabrication to get it on the track this way. If you have a relatively rust free body, I can do this for you also and save a ton of labour. Gets you closer to your Nostalgia Drag racing dream.
So moving on with the gasser frame its made from RHS steel with a tubular centre X member for strength. There is plenty of room for an engine and tranmission of your choice. Place it where you want. I expect most frames will leave my workshop as a frame only, or as a roller, but I can do as little or as much as you like.
The width of the frame is set so it works with a standard aftermarket Hot Rod I beam axle. Its a gasser, the wheels hang out the body, thats the style, how much they hang out is governed by the wheel widths you choose. Narrower wheels for a small bodied car and wide wheels for a big body car.
Intended as a drag race only frame, strong, minimum weight and tuneable rear end
Shown here still sitting within the welding jig.
Gassers sit high so the floor can be quite flat. Great for old guys running nostalgia drags because it gives you more cabin space making it easier to get in and out of the car and it makes it easier for the home builder to sheet it. Set up for a pair of trailer springs at the front where I can make and mount a straight axle or I can fit a Hot Rod 4" drop I beam axle. It can be left hand drive or right hand drive.
Set up for a 9" rear end where you can go as high tech or low tech as you like
The rear is set up for Ladder bars, 9" inch diff and coil overs. This is so the rear end can be tunned to hook up. The ladder bars are made strong, with heim joints [Spherical Rod Ends] and include pinion angle adjusters. The centre tail shaft loop incorporates the front ladder bar mounts and the holes are in a curved arc to the axle centreline to allow for easily moving the ladder bar up or down at the track to soften or harden the tyre hit.
Centre tailshaft loop and front ladder bar mounts to chassis.
The ladder bars are a good length to really help get those front wheels in the air. For long wheel base cars I can make these bars to longer lengths if it felt it is warranted.
Kustom Bitz ladder bars in mild steel. Street version shown with bushed rod ends
The Drag Race version uses heim joints
The Kustom Bitz Gasser Frame is made to be stong, yet while minimising the steel required, so as to keep it's weight in check. It is part of the considered design of this chassis, that a 6 point or 8 point roll cage is fitted, and if properly constructed, the roll cage will make up a large part of the rigidity of the car. I can bend up a chromoly roll cage or a mild steel seamless tube cage for it once the body is fitted. Ideally the body needs to be able to be removed to do this nicely, even if the body gets permanmently welded to the chassis and the cage after the roll cage is made.
Kustom Bitz Gasser Ladder Bars fitted to a 41 Willys Street Dirven Gasser
It is a design point that the upper mounting for the rear coil over shocks is mounted off the rear points of the roll cage. This way you can run a long spring drag coil over, in fact the rear end is purposely left fairly open so you can fit a pan hard, watts link or wish bone locating bars, along with a drag racing anti roll bar. The frame is left high at the back so you can fit wheelie bars, and have no frame interfering with the adjustment of the wheelie bars. You can allow the car to rotate and carry the wheels out of the hole whilst still being able to limit it being excessive. This is a proper drag chassis that can be tuned to hook up and go straight. Of course I can set the rear up with all these features, or leave it for you.
Centre X member provides some rigidity, it is intended the the
transmission cross member and 8 point roll cage finalise it.
At each step up the chassis has appropriate fish plates [gussets] welded in, so there is no single weld point of failure. In fact this chassis is constructed to engineering methods outlined in the ASRF Street Rod Construction guidelines. To do a street registerable chassis I would just need to step up the size of the RHS rails. Food for thought.
Kustom Bitz gasser front end using a 4" dropped Super Bell axle - Race or Street Driven
Most gasser chassis are back yard built on jack stands in the shed, look I get it, that's part of the fun and any welder can stich it together for a few beers and keep the costs down. Where I fit in, is if that sounds a bit rough to you? If you are not good with suspension geometry or building a chassis from srcatch? then this is a good sound base to work from. A frame, CAD designed, all welded up, simple. Then you can feed your welder mate beers to attach the body and anything else. All I need to know is the length of the wheel base and you make a deposit.
A basic gasser frame with front semi eliptic springs fitted, front and rear bars, centre X member with tailshaft loop and ladder bar mounts, and nothing else - starts from around $7,500 up to $15,000 or more depending on how much more you get me to do.
All work is done at our standard hourly rate + parts + materials
I do not ship these units, so be prepared for a road trip to come and get it.
