My dad is in this video at 3:30 he’s in the back (far left) helping push Ohio George’s car. He passed in 2021 and one thing he always cherished, was his time working for George. My father was a drag racing fanatic until the end. With George’s recent passing, I hope they’re racing together once again up above. RIP Dad & George
Your Father is hangin with the Greats Again! I'm disabled now, But I built and maintained NHRA cars till I couldn't anymore, Now I lay in bed and build custom Hot Wheels and custom model cars, Just told model buddy its time I build the Malco Gasser kit, No customizing needed, At All! George did awesome work! 😎
Like NASCAR with cars all the same and NHRA Pro levels basically all the same, it’s the lower ranks, of stock, super stock etc. are the real race cars, just like the Willys’s of the day.
Talked to OG at a meet 2 years ago. He told me he was a Chevy guy till he saw the Ford Cammer. When he got his hands on the engine it was over. His first year he went 11 of 12. He lost only 1 race, his wheely bar broke. When he went to Indy with the Cammer, he said he was a full second quicker than anyone. He peddled his way to a win, never making a full out run! Stone Woods, Big John and others saw what he had, and all signed a petition to ban his engine. OG told me he had a much better engine at home that was quicker than his current Cammer. And yup, it was another Ford engine.
That goes to show what sore losers ,Stone, Woods ,and cook and the others were to sign a petition to ban that Ford Cammers,it's competition why not build some thing to beat it, instead they were just being a bunch of crybabies😂
@@AirsallyI think GM has stock on the different sanctions. Use to see similar in local stock car racing too. The far and few Ford powered cars were always being penalized with weight or spoiler changes.
@@danonoveh8114it’s just easier to pitch a fit and have a sanctioning body ban something than it is to spend time and millions of dollars trying to beat it. I blame the sanctioning body’s for their lack of balls for standing up for fairness!!! They buckle to who ever whines the loudest.
Yeah boys, I'm older than dirt also, I worked at blue max in dallas, We built offshore race engines, Roundy round engines, aries himi s All of my chevy and mo par buddies, Argued with me, I told them that ford had the goodies, They argued it cost more, I told them horsepower cost money. Pretty sure I owned the most h.p.that ever came out of detroit. It was a pontiac big block, Somebody had ordered what was called a stage two cam for it, It was so bumpy, And idled so rough, Pontiac discontinued that cam after the first year. I was turning low 10s, With an automatic, And cheater slicks. factory intake, factory cast iron exhaust, Factory factory factory. I did put high octane fuel in it, I advanced the timing. But that was all I did, The damn thing was a torque monster, I could never get it more than half throttle, Till I was going eighty miles an hour, These are just the facts boys, Find an old pontiac dude, And he will tell you the same story.
To me that era of the gas-class cars was the most bad ass. Those Mustangs (Ohio George, Mallicoat Bros, Mike Mitchell's Corvette, Opels etc). Some of the meanest drag cars built. Thanks Mr. Lohnes for the memories, I'm going to search for a Malco Mustang model kit now. Let's keep our thoughts on Steve Magnante's recovery.
Brain, I am 75 going on 76 and I clearly remember the early 60s of drag racing. You are so right the Gassers were fantastic the sound was pure thunder and speed wo baby. I did not get into drag racing until at a family reunion I met a long lost Uncle. Bill GRUMPY" Jenkins and I hit it off right quick. I fact I bought a 68 Camaro and he steered me into a good quality frame builder.And theone day I came home from work and was faced with two large wooden crates. The sender was Jenkins Competion. In one box was a complete Chevy Small black. And the other was a Jenkins built 4 speed. When I got the car built a trip or three to the strip revealed 10.5 second times. And the car drove straight as a arrow. The power was smooth . Oh yeah I wish I had that car now just as a collector. I know where the complete car is I offered to buy the car but pricewas 100,000 so nope.
Fun fact no car is worth over a 100k. Max price for any car should be 50k. Sorry but blame auctions for artificially inflating the prices. Why I hate that big ass car auction that's always on TV. They control the prices on all used and new cars
The best years were the 50’s and 60’s. I went to the Sumer Nationals in Indianapolis in the 1960’s. The biggest thrill I got at the Nationals was when the Freight Train made a pass down the track. What a beautiful sound. When you see that for the first time it is hard to believe your eyes! Thanks for the video Brian. It brings back memories!
By the 'Freight Train' I assume you are talking about the twin engine AA/ Gas Dragster. the AA/GD class was deleted and replaced by the Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) class. Today's drag cars rarely have names and are updated and repainted each season. The drivers rather the car is the focus nowadays
One of the coolest people I've ever had the chance to meet was George! Got to sit with him at the hot rod reunion in Columbus for an hour or so while it rained and just listen to stories about the racing the willys. Rank it right up there with being able to sit in Bill Jenkins office and do the same about L79 novas for a bit, and get a tour of the shop. Thanks B!
That Willys with the chopped-top and the big cammer was my favorite car of the day !!! Being a young lad nearing the age of 10, I witnessed the transition to the Mustang. But that Willys has always been near and dear to my heart !!!
The first model car I built, back in 1966, was the Ohio George '33 Willy's. My mom worked in an orthodontist office, and she would bring me the older issues of Hot Rod magazines. (how I wish I'd of saved 'em!) She knew I had a passion, bc we had met TV Tommy Ivo (he had a see through car trailer back in '65), and Kris Karamansini, when they were headed to the Gatornationals. The pictures brought drag racing into my room, where I was supposed to be doing my elementary school homework...lol Street cars now run Way faster than anything on the drag strip back then, but that doesn't diminish how Exicting it was, way back then! Thanks for the memories!!
I'm 70 now,i had the great pleasure of watching George in his red Boss 429 win at the US NATIONALS. I'm very sorry to hear of his passing. Time marches on,& another drag racing hero of mine has left us. RIP sir,you were one of the best of the best.❤
I met George at the NHRA Museum in Pomona in the 90s. I was able to set down with him and listen to his stories about his racing days. I grew up around diggers but always loved the Gassers, so much that I'm finishing up on mine right now. A blown 57 Chevy gasser.
First a big thanks to UA-cam for recommending this video and leading me to Brian's channel. Second, thanks Brian for telling George's story, as I feel he's often overlooked in favor of the California based Gas teams. As a kid who began his addiction to cars and drag racing in the mid-1960's, my admiration for Montgomery was fueled the magazines of the era, and by the model kits of the Malco Gasser Willys by AMT, and both the 1967 and 1969 Malco Mustangs by MPC. Third, the legacy of Montgomery and his contemporaries is reflected in today's interest in Gas class race cars, with several vintage builds resurrected and racing again, and also participation by folks who were born a decade or more after the category ceased to exist.
My oldest brother had a 56 Ford back in the early 60's. He came across a Latham Blower which he planted on his 312 Ford engine. Wanting to drag race with it, he was told that he would run C Gas Supercharged, but would have to have a roll bar in his car. being a welder and metal fabricator, he installed a removable roll bar and was allowed to run CG/S at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He never had any competition in his class and brought home a trophy every weekend. I think he ran in the low 14's. Yet another classic story of kids following their dreams and spending what we called CUBIC MONEY.
Grew up with these cars, we raced what we built. George's Malco mustang was state of the art.and a beautiful piece of work a d was super fast! There were a lot of cars in this class that were phenomenal!
75 years old. My first trip to a dragstrip was Deer Park, WA, N. of Spokane. Shortly after, 6 years in the Navy. BOY a LOT happened in those 6 years!! USN, 68-74, ETR-2, I maintained GCA RADAR and TACAN at then NAS MIramr, 70-74. Part time job at the auto hobby shop.
I hope to some races at the casino in airwayhights hope the get it going for race fans thanks for your service ny pops was in the navy also at the same time as you he was in the gulf of Tonkin on uss Mason thanks I miss him have a lot of respect for people who severed at that time
Two of my most cherished old magazine's are ,1967 and 1968 Popular Hot Rodding Engine annuals , the 1967 edition has an advertisement for Crane Cams on the back page , with a photo of Ohio George Montgomery 's Malco gasser.
I got to communicate with Ohio George a bit when Robert Hill's Drag Racing Page was still a thing on FascistBook... still as sharp as ever and a true legend of drag racing... It was an honor...
Another great history piece. AMT tooled the Ohio George Mustang AND Willys gassers as 1/25 scale plastic model kits. The Willys was even molded in robins egg blue! Mouth watering stuff for kids of any age! -Steve Magnante
I didn't know what happened to the Gasser class. I never got to see any Gassers run at our local strip.They were apparently dying off before I got old enough to be interested in Drag Racing in the late 1960s. This is an interesting story. Drag racing history is always fun. Thank you for this video.
Just found your channel and I love the style. I'm a fan of motorsport in general so learning the histories of the different disciplines is always a good time. Keep it up mate.
My family and I are Road Racers, but I was born in the 50s and you couldn't NOT be a fan of Drag Racing during this time. Thanks you VERY much for a well researched, well presented and VERY entertaining history of the Gassers and Drag Racing in general around that period!
Thanks Brian I have been arguing about this with people for 40 years. I hope that you can keep on doing this. I love Super Stock, it was a neat era. The 427 Mustangs and Hemi Barracudas.
My dad made me a 10ft by 15ft poster of that picture of the winged express when I was 6. It still hangs in my living room to this day. The greatest car and driver to ever grace drag racing.
I remember going to drag races as a kid in the late 60's and early 70's. Unfortunately my family moved way far away from any track. Even finding magazines that would tell me about what was going on was impossible(we moved into the sticks). I eventually lost interest, as young kids are apt to do. Thanks for filling in the gaps, it is very interesting stuff!
George also progressively altered the Willys body...he trimmed the bottom a few times AND chopped the top, I think twice. And this was an excellent documentary, built on facts, though I still think the Gassers could have continued as a class...given the chance.
Yep good report Brian. Technological advancement has brought on the changes in classes and rules. We were in awe of the gassers and altereds in the 60s. Now we're in awe of Pro Stock and Pro Mod. The A/FX cars became altered wheelbase match race cars and now TF Funny Car. I'm so glad I've been around to see it all happen.
I miss those days. I was totally consumed in it Building Super stock and gassers. Great historical video. Well done. I'm 80 yrs old now and just live in my memories of the era. Lucky to have been there. Dandahermit
I was lucky enough to have been at an OCIR weekly 8 car top fuel-AA/GS show in 1968. The socal AA/GS cars were beautiful and the drivers were first class showmen.
Thanks for the story Brian I love the look of that car and others like it. How about a drag and drive version that would be cool. I know that’s a stretch.
Great vid. I went to high school and Skip Hess' daughter and one of the Kohler Bros. Son's went to my school. They were alway trash talking each other. And since i only lived a couple of miles from Irwindale race way saw a lot of west coast gassers and funny cars. Great memories.
I ran a 57 Chevy Gasser till '75 , Yeh it was at Local Tracks in Central Florida. Had a 301 SBC in 71-2 then a 327 in 72-3 & a 427 in 73-5 The induction was always a Dual Holleys & a Tunnel-Ram. I even drove it on the street (my Hi School car 70-2) till 73.
Back in 2019, I was in Beaver, Utah fueling up and the Malco Gasser hauler was in the lot as well. I took a deep dive into Ohio George, but this video shed a lot more light on the subject for me.
Very well done! I thought I knew quite a bit of Ohio George's history; you not only enlightened me with a fair amount of new information, but presented it in a coherent, concise, even handed, and contextual manner.
I saw the malco gasser willys run at sunshine speedway in largo/st, pete florida back in the 60's as a young track rat.What a bad ass machine it was.If memory serves me it had a beautiful metal flake paint job on it not seen in this video.After the run we all stood around it with our jaws hanging down like we were looking at a flying saucer .Also saw the stone,woods and cook willys run there as well.great memories.👏👍🧙♂️
Awesome!!!!! I was there for several years straight once I started driving. Every Wed for test and tune, Friday for eliminations. Then Thursday for roundy round practice and Saturday for racing. But this was early ‘00’s.
man, that was great. We got a guy out here in KC town building gassers. Buddy rolled out a 66 Mustang coupe, nose-up gasser. It looks great. noisy cammed small block Ford.
I grew up in the 60s ,and frequented most So. Cal , dragstrips .. my favorite was Gas Ronda and The Ritchie bros teams both rivals , And both drove gassers .. gas Ronda with a ford fairlaind gt body and Ritchie bros with an Anglia or English ford .. Ed Ritchie was killed instantly at irwindale ..when his ford hit the guard rail head on 200 yds from the lights .... Sad day
Big misconception about that car. It was a comp eliminator car that IHRA allowed to run one pro stock race. Nhra never “banned” it from pro stock but it never fit tue rules, either. Awesome car and story that is on my list!
I have an anecdote about George and that car. I grew up in Dayton. My friend Danny had a 67 Mustang GT, and the stock 390 was a boat anchor. We were 17 or 18 at the time, and I talked Danny into building a motor for the car and making it a hotrod. There was an older fellow named Joe Klepaz who worked at Brockman's Speed Shop in Dayton and moonlighted out of his garage. He set up rear ends, transmissions, etc., did some work for us and was nice to we two dorky kids, letting us hang out and ask millions of questions. Joe was friends with George and in later years worked in his shop. One day Joe told us George's blue Malco Mustang was for sale. (Rolling Chassis) Our idea was to buy it and make it a street racer, so we went to George's shop. George was not known to be a jovial guy. The first thing he told us was to not touch anything, but we said Joe had sent us, so he let us look around. When we finally got to the point of telling George why we were there, he stared at us with a blank expression as we explained how we were going to make the car streetable. I laid on the best of my 17-year-old technical expertise, thinking he would surely see our logic and love the idea of a rolling billboard driving the streets of Dayton and blowing everyone's doors off. When I finished making my case, he said nothing for a few moments, then proceeded to tell us in very precise technical terms why that was the dumbest idea ever. We left with our tails between our legs, totally deflated. When we saw Joe again, apparently George had called him and said of our visit, "You sent those kids out here, very funny." I don't know if George ever had the intention of selling the car, but Joe roared with laughter at having pranked George and the two of us.
Just found your channel. I raced a V-8 vega in the 90's at Maple grove wheile I was in High school. Super cool video my friend. I am starting a UA-cam channel as it gets warmer to finish assembling a small machine shop to support the restoration and building of pre War race cars..Hope to see you guys then...
It's funny how things come and go....but then come back again. There is a giant and fast growing old style Gasser movement all round the country thanks to a few dedicated racers who have kept it alive. The Southern Gasser Association, Southeast Gassers, Midwest Gasser Assoc. Rocky Mountain Gassers, etc...Not so much yet on the West Coast but no doubt it won't be long. There is quickly becoming way more interest in Nostalgia and Gasser racing than the once popular ET Bracket Racing....which in lots of people's opinions nearly killed the sport of Drag Racing...Drag Racing used to be a everyday Joe's sport...you could build a car in your own garage at home and go be competitive....the ET Bracket thing was supposed to do that but now it's become an elite sport as well where Bob down the street with a home built hot rod can't be competitive....well there is a dedicated group of old school racers like the Gasser FOLKS who are changing this and I for one am very glad.
Saw that clip of Mr. Norm -- remember watching him run back a couple times in the 60s... The gassers were spectacular, live was simpler (and I was a lot younger... :)
The fact that they changed the rules so quickly to allow full tube frames shows how the cars were changing anyway and where the class was going. If it had really been some crazy rule bending car then they would have changed the rules to outlaw it. Although, I’ve always been more fond of the fuel altered cars. About as rowdy and noisy as you can get.
This is SPOT ON!! And as a 16 year old drag racing fanatic since 1963, I personally witnessed George Montgomery destroy the Gasser Class in about 1966 with his late model Mustang. I was attending a gasser meet at the old Alton Dragway in Alton, Illinois where The Greek supposedly ran the first 200 mph pass. On the day of the gasser meet, all of the top names were there racing their traditional cars that we had all come to love. Then, Montgomery pulled up to the starting line and ran times and speeds the traditional gassers could not match due to the superior aerodynamics of his Mustang as opposed to, say, Stone, Woods, and Cooke's 1941 Willys. Even as a teenager, I knew this was all wrong and that Montgomery had just destroyed a part of drag racing we all loved. And who would want to watch what was essentially an nitro funny car running on pump gas and posting times in the 9s and speeds of 150 mph? What a travesty. I will forever hold Montgomery in low esteem, and what he did that day with is late model Mustang canceled all of his previous glory in his traditional gasser so the he personally could win races.
We all know racing is about going faster. The old Willys, etc., just couldn't cut it any more. They were a evolutionary dead end, just like Neanderthals, and were bound to be replaced eventually.
Wishing here that you might change your mind on George. Somebody was going to do it first. He took advantage of the rules or maybe lack of rules of the day. That's what drag racers do......lol.
Would you feel the same way if some guy showed up in the Top Fuel eliminations with a rocket motor instead of a Hemi? Top Fuel racing would be dead forever, just like the gasser class. Same thing as what Georged did. @@larrymagee8758
My dad watched Ohio George race back in the day at Detroit and Milan drag way. He use to race several cars in stock class including his 67 GTX 440. He Has George's die cast Willys and blue Mustang in his 200+ die cast car collection. He said Ohio George's shifts were some of the fastest he'd ever seen.
I helped and learned building the new in the crate Locker rear ends..I worked for Jack Hohl who had done it for years.He was also of course a old freind of his and racer and great mechanic. George was a great guy…this was in the late 60s into 7os.
Ohio George, what a man! What a career!! Excellent video friend, thanks so much... Funny fact for me was I made sure to make my little H.O. Willys slot car an Ohio George car 🙂
My cousin helped the Mallicot Brothers in Northern California. They were long associated with Chrysler Racing into the 1980's and helped with the tech on the GLHS Dodge Omni's SMART DUDES!
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
My dad is in this video at 3:30 he’s in the back (far left) helping push Ohio George’s car. He passed in 2021 and one thing he always cherished, was his time working for George. My father was a drag racing fanatic until the end. With George’s recent passing, I hope they’re racing together once again up above. RIP Dad & George
Your Father is hangin with the Greats Again!
I'm disabled now, But I built and maintained NHRA cars till I couldn't anymore, Now I lay in bed and build custom Hot Wheels and custom model cars, Just told model buddy its time I build the Malco Gasser kit, No customizing needed, At All! George did awesome work! 😎
Sorry for your loss.
Im 60 years old and i freaking love history lessons like this. I hope that you keep doing this.
Like NASCAR with cars all the same and NHRA Pro levels basically all the same, it’s the lower ranks, of stock, super stock etc. are the real race cars, just like the Willys’s of the day.
As a 21 year old, I love videos like this explaining parts of car history I wasn’t alive for :)
Talked to OG at a meet 2 years ago. He told me he was a Chevy guy till he saw the Ford Cammer. When he got his hands on the engine it was over. His first year he went 11 of 12. He lost only 1 race, his wheely bar broke. When he went to Indy with the Cammer, he said he was a full second quicker than anyone. He peddled his way to a win, never making a full out run! Stone Woods, Big John and others saw what he had, and all signed a petition to ban his engine. OG told me he had a much better engine at home that was quicker than his current Cammer. And yup, it was another Ford engine.
That goes to show what sore losers ,Stone, Woods ,and cook and the others were to sign a petition to ban that Ford Cammers,it's competition why not build some thing to beat it, instead they were just being a bunch of crybabies😂
Happen to Ford alot. And hemi's in some classes too. Nhra must have had stock in gm.
@@AirsallyI think GM has stock on the different sanctions. Use to see similar in local stock car racing too. The far and few Ford powered cars were always being penalized with weight or spoiler changes.
@@danonoveh8114it’s just easier to pitch a fit and have a sanctioning body ban something than it is to spend time and millions of dollars trying to beat it. I blame the sanctioning body’s for their lack of balls for standing up for fairness!!! They buckle to who ever whines the loudest.
Yeah boys, I'm older than dirt also, I worked at blue max in dallas, We built offshore race engines, Roundy round engines, aries himi s
All of my chevy and mo par buddies, Argued with me, I told them that ford had the goodies, They argued it cost more, I told them horsepower cost money.
Pretty sure I owned the most h.p.that ever came out of detroit.
It was a pontiac big block, Somebody had ordered what was called a stage two cam for it, It was so bumpy, And idled so rough, Pontiac discontinued that cam after the first year.
I was turning low 10s, With an automatic, And cheater slicks. factory intake, factory cast iron exhaust, Factory factory factory.
I did put high octane fuel in it, I advanced the timing. But that was all I did, The damn thing was a torque monster, I could never get it more than half throttle, Till I was going eighty miles an hour, These are just the facts boys, Find an old pontiac dude, And he will tell you the same story.
To me that era of the gas-class cars was the most bad ass. Those Mustangs (Ohio George, Mallicoat Bros, Mike Mitchell's Corvette, Opels etc). Some of the meanest drag cars built. Thanks Mr. Lohnes for the memories, I'm going to search for a Malco Mustang model kit now. Let's keep our thoughts on Steve Magnante's recovery.
Yeah that man should be a car enthousiasts national treasure. He's a living encyclopedia.
Brain, I am 75 going on 76 and I clearly remember the early 60s of drag racing.
You are so right the Gassers were fantastic the sound was pure thunder and speed wo baby.
I did not get into drag racing until at a family reunion I met a long lost Uncle.
Bill GRUMPY" Jenkins and I hit it off right quick. I fact I bought a 68 Camaro and he steered me into a good quality
frame builder.And theone day I came home from work and was faced with two large wooden crates.
The sender was Jenkins Competion. In one box was a complete Chevy Small black. And the other was a Jenkins built 4 speed.
When I got the car built a trip or three to the strip revealed 10.5 second times. And the car drove straight as a arrow. The power was smooth .
Oh yeah I wish I had that car now just as a collector. I know where the complete car is I offered to buy the car but pricewas 100,000 so nope.
What a lucky duck you are.
Fun fact no car is worth over a 100k. Max price for any car should be 50k. Sorry but blame auctions for artificially inflating the prices. Why I hate that big ass car auction that's always on TV. They control the prices on all used and new cars
I’ll be 60 this year. I’ve learned more on UA-cam in the last 5 years than everything I learned in school. What a great time to be alive.
The best years were the 50’s and 60’s. I went to the Sumer Nationals in Indianapolis in the 1960’s. The biggest thrill I got at the Nationals was when the Freight Train made a pass down the track. What a beautiful sound. When you see that for the first time it is hard to believe your eyes! Thanks for the video Brian. It brings back memories!
By the 'Freight Train' I assume you are talking about the twin engine AA/ Gas Dragster. the AA/GD class was deleted and replaced by the Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) class. Today's drag cars rarely have names and are updated and repainted each season. The drivers rather the car is the focus nowadays
One of the coolest people I've ever had the chance to meet was George! Got to sit with him at the hot rod reunion in Columbus for an hour or so while it rained and just listen to stories about the racing the willys. Rank it right up there with being able to sit in Bill Jenkins office and do the same about L79 novas for a bit, and get a tour of the shop. Thanks B!
That Willys with the chopped-top and the big cammer was my favorite car of the day !!! Being a young lad nearing the age of 10, I witnessed the transition to the Mustang. But that Willys has always been near and dear to my heart !!!
For sure. I got to sit across from him at dinner at the FE Race in Beaver Springs and will cherish that forever. A great innovator and a great man.
@@tomp1612 Wow !!!
I remember building the AMT plastic model of the Malco Mustang back in the day 😎👍
Ha ha… I think I still have one in the box.
My brothers and i all had those models too ! Loved those days....want them back
As it turns out I actually have the Gas Ronda model. I did build the Malco Gasser back in the day. I think it included two wheelbases even.
The first model car I built, back in 1966, was the Ohio George '33 Willy's.
My mom worked in an orthodontist office, and she would bring me the older issues of Hot Rod magazines. (how I wish I'd of saved 'em!)
She knew I had a passion, bc we had met TV Tommy Ivo (he had a see through car trailer back in '65), and Kris Karamansini, when they were headed to the Gatornationals.
The pictures brought drag racing into my room, where I was supposed to be doing my elementary school homework...lol
Street cars now run Way faster than anything on the drag strip back then, but that doesn't diminish how Exicting it was, way back then!
Thanks for the memories!!
I'm 70 now,i had the great pleasure of watching George in his red Boss 429 win at the US NATIONALS. I'm very sorry to hear of his passing. Time marches on,& another drag racing hero of mine has left us. RIP sir,you were one of the best of the best.❤
I met George at the NHRA Museum in Pomona in the 90s. I was able to set down with him and listen to his stories about his racing days.
I grew up around diggers but always loved the Gassers, so much that I'm finishing up on mine right now. A blown 57 Chevy gasser.
Hope your gasser is a blast to drive when you get it done
First a big thanks to UA-cam for recommending this video and leading me to Brian's channel.
Second, thanks Brian for telling George's story, as I feel he's often overlooked in favor of the California based Gas teams. As a kid who began his addiction to cars and drag racing in the mid-1960's, my admiration for Montgomery was fueled the magazines of the era, and by the model kits of the Malco Gasser Willys by AMT, and both the 1967 and 1969 Malco Mustangs by MPC.
Third, the legacy of Montgomery and his contemporaries is reflected in today's interest in Gas class race cars, with several vintage builds resurrected and racing again, and also participation by folks who were born a decade or more after the category ceased to exist.
My oldest brother had a 56 Ford back in the early 60's. He came across a Latham Blower which he planted on his 312 Ford engine. Wanting to drag race with it, he was told that he would run C Gas Supercharged, but would have to have a roll bar in his car. being a welder and metal fabricator, he installed a removable roll bar and was allowed to run CG/S at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He never had any competition in his class and brought home a trophy every weekend. I think he ran in the low 14's. Yet another classic story of kids following their dreams and spending what we called CUBIC MONEY.
Grew up with these cars, we raced what we built. George's Malco mustang was state of the art.and a beautiful piece of work a d was super fast! There were a lot of cars in this class that were phenomenal!
75 years old. My first trip to a dragstrip was Deer Park, WA, N. of Spokane. Shortly after, 6 years in the Navy. BOY a LOT happened in those 6 years!! USN, 68-74, ETR-2, I maintained GCA RADAR and TACAN at then NAS MIramr, 70-74. Part time job at the auto hobby shop.
I hope to some races at the casino in airwayhights hope the get it going for race fans thanks for your service ny pops was in the navy also at the same time as you he was in the gulf of Tonkin on uss Mason thanks I miss him have a lot of respect for people who severed at that time
Two of my most cherished old magazine's are ,1967 and 1968 Popular Hot Rodding Engine annuals , the 1967 edition has an advertisement for Crane Cams on the back page , with a photo of Ohio George Montgomery 's Malco gasser.
I got to communicate with Ohio George a bit when Robert Hill's Drag Racing Page was still a thing on FascistBook... still as sharp as ever and a true legend of drag racing... It was an honor...
George told me the exact same thing you said at the 2004 Gasser Reunion at Thompson, Ohio. That man was a wealth of knowledge.
Thank you! It’s very good of you to shine some light on this evolution confusion.👍
Another great history piece. AMT tooled the Ohio George Mustang AND Willys gassers as 1/25 scale plastic model kits. The Willys was even molded in robins egg blue! Mouth watering stuff for kids of any age! -Steve Magnante
I didn't know what happened to the Gasser class. I never got to see any Gassers run at our local strip.They were apparently dying off before I got old enough to be interested in Drag Racing in the late 1960s. This is an interesting story. Drag racing history is always fun. Thank you for this video.
Just found your channel and I love the style. I'm a fan of motorsport in general so learning the histories of the different disciplines is always a good time. Keep it up mate.
always informative and well researched...this one a history lesson in just 12:55.
My family and I are Road Racers, but I was born in the 50s and you couldn't NOT be a fan of Drag Racing during this time. Thanks you VERY much for a well researched, well presented and VERY entertaining history of the Gassers and Drag Racing in general around that period!
Another brilliant vid from Mr. Lohnes. Thankyou Brian.
Cool video, Brian! I love learning stuff. I really miss the earlier days of drag racing, when innovation and creativity meant something.
I was 12 years old when the Malco Mustang came out. I ate those gassers up in the pages of Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines.
Thanks Brian I have been arguing about this with people for 40 years. I hope that you can keep on doing this. I love Super Stock, it was a neat era. The 427 Mustangs and Hemi Barracudas.
Wow, this was excellent, so many pictures 📸 📷 🖼 that i have never seen before, please 🙏 keep making more videos 📹 about car 🚗 racing like this...
My dad made me a 10ft by 15ft poster of that picture of the winged express when I was 6. It still hangs in my living room to this day. The greatest car and driver to ever grace drag racing.
I remember going to drag races as a kid in the late 60's and early 70's. Unfortunately my family moved way far away from any track. Even finding magazines that would tell me about what was going on was impossible(we moved into the sticks). I eventually lost interest, as young kids are apt to do. Thanks for filling in the gaps, it is very interesting stuff!
Didn’t even realize you had a UA-cam channel. This is awesome
That was very well done ! Many thanks for that; although I , like many others , still love Gassers.
Love these history lessons! Keep up the great work @Brian Lohnes!
I can't believe his speed shop is still around! Checking it out tomorrow!
Great history lesson!! I still love this era of drag racing.
George also progressively altered the Willys body...he trimmed the bottom a few times AND chopped the top, I think twice. And this was an excellent documentary, built on facts, though I still think the Gassers could have continued as a class...given the chance.
Yep good report Brian. Technological advancement has brought on the changes in classes and rules. We were in awe of the gassers and altereds in the 60s. Now we're in awe of Pro Stock and Pro Mod. The A/FX cars became altered wheelbase match race cars and now TF Funny Car. I'm so glad I've been around to see it all happen.
Local drag strips still host pre 68 old school style gassers, and there are lots of really cool videos of these straight axle heroes.
I miss those days. I was totally consumed in it Building Super stock and gassers. Great historical video. Well done. I'm 80 yrs old now and just live in my memories of the era. Lucky to have been there. Dandahermit
Keep making these! Finally some history I don’t feel like I should be watching with someone who was alive when it occurred
I was lucky enough to have been at an OCIR weekly 8 car top fuel-AA/GS show in 1968. The socal AA/GS cars were beautiful and the drivers were first class showmen.
Thanks for the story Brian I love the look of that car and others like it. How about a drag and drive version that would be cool. I know that’s a stretch.
Great vid. I went to high school and Skip Hess' daughter and one of the Kohler Bros. Son's went to my school. They were alway trash talking each other. And since i only lived a couple of miles from Irwindale race way saw a lot of west coast gassers and funny cars. Great memories.
Absolutely incredible just how many gas and nitro cars there were JUST in the greater So.Cal.area!!
I ran a 57 Chevy Gasser till '75 , Yeh it was at Local Tracks in Central Florida. Had a 301 SBC in 71-2 then a 327 in 72-3 & a 427 in 73-5 The induction was always a Dual Holleys & a Tunnel-Ram. I even drove it on the street (my Hi School car 70-2) till 73.
Was lucky to meet George, through Jay Brown, at PRI, and what a wonderful man he was. So nice, and knowledgeable. Great Video Brian!
Thanks Brian that was great it also brought back many memories from years past
Back in 2019, I was in Beaver, Utah fueling up and the Malco Gasser hauler was in the lot as well. I took a deep dive into Ohio George, but this video shed a lot more light on the subject for me.
Very well done! I thought I knew quite a bit of Ohio George's history; you not only enlightened me with a fair amount of new information, but presented it in a coherent, concise, even handed, and contextual manner.
Thank you!!!
awesome video sir, learned a whole lot from this. thank you
Great video. I love the history lessons you offer in your content. Keep up the great work 👏 👏 👏
I love this! thank you! And Dork-O-Motive podcast! keep up the great work!
What a great story, gave me goosebumps
Loving these videos. Please keep ‘em coming
The original Willys Malco Gasser is sitting in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn Michigan.
I saw the malco gasser willys run at sunshine speedway in largo/st, pete florida back in the 60's as a young track rat.What a bad ass machine it was.If memory serves me it had a beautiful metal flake paint job on it not seen in this video.After the run we all stood around it with our jaws hanging down like we were looking at a flying saucer .Also saw the stone,woods and cook willys run there as well.great memories.👏👍🧙♂️
Awesome!!!!! I was there for several years straight once I started driving. Every Wed for test and tune, Friday for eliminations. Then Thursday for roundy round practice and Saturday for racing. But this was early ‘00’s.
Thanks..great story.. I appreciate how you lay it out chocked full of information.
man, that was great. We got a guy out here in KC town building gassers. Buddy rolled out a 66 Mustang coupe, nose-up gasser. It looks great. noisy cammed small block Ford.
I grew up in the 60s ,and frequented most So. Cal , dragstrips .. my favorite was Gas Ronda and The Ritchie bros teams both rivals , And both drove gassers .. gas Ronda with a ford fairlaind gt body and Ritchie bros with an Anglia or English ford .. Ed Ritchie was killed instantly at irwindale ..when his ford hit the guard rail head on 200 yds from the lights .... Sad day
Your drag racing history videos are fantastic. do u like buddy Ingersolls turbo buick pro stock car? that would make a neat video.
Big misconception about that car. It was a comp eliminator car that IHRA allowed to run one pro stock race. Nhra never “banned” it from pro stock but it never fit tue rules, either.
Awesome car and story that is on my list!
Saw most of those cars shown in this video.
It was a wild time.I'll bet I have some pics of George's cars stuffed in a box somewhere.
A fantastic education on the evolution of drag racing during its hey dey, the 1960's! Thanks for the very well done video!
I met George at a nostalgia race about 10 years ago, nice guy. I built models of both his cars. He had the first successful turbocharged drag car.
Amazing video on 2 cars that were long running model kits as well. Please do more like this !!!! So cool
Keep doing these! I love it.
Excellent presentation. Substantial work exerted to produce this.
I have an anecdote about George and that car. I grew up in Dayton. My friend Danny had a
67 Mustang GT, and the stock 390 was a boat anchor. We were 17 or 18 at the time, and I talked Danny into building a motor for the car and making it a hotrod. There was an older fellow named Joe Klepaz who worked at Brockman's Speed Shop in Dayton and moonlighted out of his garage. He set up rear ends, transmissions, etc., did some work for us and was nice to we two dorky kids, letting us hang out and ask millions of questions. Joe was friends with George and in later years worked in his shop. One day Joe told us George's blue Malco Mustang was for sale. (Rolling Chassis) Our idea was to buy it and make it a street racer, so we went to George's shop. George was not known to be a jovial guy. The first thing he told us was to not touch anything, but we said Joe had sent us, so he let us look around. When we finally got to the point of telling George why we were there, he stared at us with a blank expression as we explained how we were going to make the car streetable. I laid on the best of my 17-year-old technical expertise, thinking he would surely see our logic and love the idea of a rolling billboard driving the streets of Dayton and blowing everyone's doors off. When I finished making my case, he said nothing for a few moments, then proceeded to tell us in very precise technical terms why that was the dumbest idea ever. We left with our tails between our legs, totally deflated. When we saw Joe again, apparently George had called him and said of our visit, "You sent those kids out here, very funny." I don't know if George ever had the intention of selling the car, but Joe roared with laughter at having pranked George and the two of us.
Interesting content, great voice and narration. I love your channel.
Thank you!!!
You are an excellent storyteller sir. Subbed
Thank you!
Stellar content. I've seen you on Instagram. But I think the longer format really helps accentuate the story telling.
Just found your channel. I raced a V-8 vega in the 90's at Maple grove wheile I was in High school. Super cool video my friend. I am starting a UA-cam channel as it gets warmer to finish assembling a small machine shop to support the restoration and building of pre War race cars..Hope to see you guys then...
loved the gassers , the stone woods and cook '41 willys was one of my favorites .
It's funny how things come and go....but then come back again.
There is a giant and fast growing old style Gasser movement all round the country thanks to a few dedicated racers who have kept it alive. The Southern Gasser Association, Southeast Gassers, Midwest Gasser Assoc. Rocky Mountain Gassers, etc...Not so much yet on the West Coast but no doubt it won't be long. There is quickly becoming way more interest in Nostalgia and Gasser racing than the once popular ET Bracket Racing....which in lots of people's opinions nearly killed the sport of Drag Racing...Drag Racing used to be a everyday Joe's sport...you could build a car in your own garage at home and go be competitive....the ET Bracket thing was supposed to do that but now it's become an elite sport as well where Bob down the street with a home built hot rod can't be competitive....well there is a dedicated group of old school racers like the Gasser FOLKS who are changing this and I for one am very glad.
Brian - Thanx for what you do !
Saw that clip of Mr. Norm -- remember watching him run back a couple times in the 60s... The gassers were spectacular, live was simpler (and I was a lot younger... :)
Great walk down memorie lane
The fact that they changed the rules so quickly to allow full tube frames shows how the cars were changing anyway and where the class was going. If it had really been some crazy rule bending car then they would have changed the rules to outlaw it.
Although, I’ve always been more fond of the fuel altered cars. About as rowdy and noisy as you can get.
Saw the Mustang at Shuffletown in the 60’s, awesome!
Very well done. Brings back fond memories.
This is SPOT ON!! And as a 16 year old drag racing fanatic since 1963, I personally witnessed George Montgomery destroy the Gasser Class in about 1966 with his late model Mustang. I was attending a gasser meet at the old Alton Dragway in Alton, Illinois where The Greek supposedly ran the first 200 mph pass. On the day of the gasser meet, all of the top names were there racing their traditional cars that we had all come to love. Then, Montgomery pulled up to the starting line and ran times and speeds the traditional gassers could not match due to the superior aerodynamics of his Mustang as opposed to, say, Stone, Woods, and Cooke's 1941 Willys. Even as a teenager, I knew this was all wrong and that Montgomery had just destroyed a part of drag racing we all loved. And who would want to watch what was essentially an nitro funny car running on pump gas and posting times in the 9s and speeds of 150 mph? What a travesty. I will forever hold Montgomery in low esteem, and what he did that day with is late model Mustang canceled all of his previous glory in his traditional gasser so the he personally could win races.
We all know racing is about going faster. The old Willys, etc., just couldn't cut it any more. They were a evolutionary dead end, just like Neanderthals, and were bound to be replaced eventually.
Wishing here that you might change your mind on George.
Somebody was going to do it first.
He took advantage of the rules or maybe lack of rules of the day.
That's what drag racers do......lol.
Would you feel the same way if some guy showed up in the Top Fuel eliminations with a rocket motor instead of a Hemi? Top Fuel racing would be dead forever, just like the gasser class. Same thing as what Georged did. @@larrymagee8758
65 years old, I grew up at Lyons dragstrip, Spent my 20's street racing SoCal and chasing fast women, Great cars, Great times!
One thing that is encouraging is the Ohio and New York area vintage gasser revival circuits. Very popular and really quick.
Yup saw it at US 30 Drag Strip several times
I watched the AA/G tour in Lexington My in 1970.
The gassers were having trouble with bookings due to the emergence of AA/FC
My dad watched Ohio George race back in the day at Detroit and Milan drag way. He use to race several cars in stock class including his 67 GTX 440. He Has George's die cast Willys and blue Mustang in his 200+ die cast car collection. He said Ohio George's shifts were some of the fastest he'd ever seen.
Seen this car many times, remember this Era so well, great video, gassers were fast exciting cars. Were many😂
This was GREAT!! New subscriber.
Thank you!
Funny cars are great, but nothing looks as fast standing still as a well done gasser.
So glad you made a channel! ❤🤘
I helped and learned building the new in the crate Locker rear ends..I worked for Jack Hohl who had done it for years.He was also of course a old freind of his and racer and great mechanic. George was a great guy…this was in the late 60s into 7os.
Ohio George, what a man! What a career!! Excellent video friend, thanks so much... Funny fact for me was I made sure to make my little H.O. Willys slot car an Ohio George car 🙂
Excellent video, thank you.
Glad you liked it!
Very interesting and enjoyable. Good job!
great vidio
Great video. I loved the Gasser class.
My cousin helped the Mallicot Brothers in Northern California. They were long associated with Chrysler Racing into the 1980's and helped with the tech on the GLHS Dodge Omni's SMART DUDES!
Good stuff I watch all that racing you just talk about I work for Ford 21 year that 427 over head cammer.was the big talk of racing
really enjoyed this - thanks