The Perfect '60s GASSER Comes out of Hibernation - Straight Axle HENRY J

Of course, it's time for a new project to go along with 47 others that are currently in the Hot Rod Hoarder collection. This one is really special because I've always loved Henry J gassers. My dad had one in the '70s and I can remember looking at pictures of it in his photo albums and hoping to someday find one. Well, this makes Henry J number 6 for me, and finally landed on a very buildable car with lots of great vintage pieces still in place.

The car is a 1951 Henry J, which is my favorite because it doesn't have a trunk and it doesn't have taillights cut into the fins, like the later cars. It has a drilled I beam front axle with parallel leaf springs, and it appears to have been converted to '53/54 Chevy drum brakes. It has an old Airheart master cylinder, which may not be salvageable, but it's a neat piece. The rear suspension consists of factory leaf springs and a custom four-link setup, which is a little bit overkill. The rear end is a GM 12 bolt, but I have yet to determine the gear ratio or any other details. The Weld wheels were already on the back and we bolted some front runners on so it would roll around, but these are temporary...gassers and Weld wheels don't exactly match up.

The quarter panels have been radiused for large slicks. There is VERY little rust in this car...it's amazing solid compared to most Henry J's. The fiberglass one-piece front end is in excellent condition. It had a lexan windshield and fixed door windows, but they have been removed. The seats are mismatched, but it still has the old Bob's Drag Chutes harnesses in place. A three-point roll bar is correct for the '60s. The aluminum work on the firewall/dash and transmission tunnel is outstanding. A series of vintage gauges, including a Stewart Warner 160mph speedometer and Sun blue line gauges fit inside the dash.

I'm excited to start working on this car, and hopefully get it back on the road this summer and maybe to the track someday.