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History Earliest Willys Racecars

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by elgringo71, Jul 2, 2016.

  1. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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  2. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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    This is Pitmann and Edwards in 1959

    image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2016
  3. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
    Posts: 3,859

    elgringo71
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  4. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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    I think that this is the same car later on.

    image.jpeg

     
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  5. wentzarco
    Joined: Sep 9, 2012
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    wentzarco
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    from NE PA

    Local car circa 1965.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. wentzarco
    Joined: Sep 9, 2012
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    wentzarco
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    from NE PA

    Mystery willys pocono drag lodge
     

    Attached Files:

  7. 1934coupe
    Joined: Feb 22, 2007
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    1934coupe
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    Pretty sure this is Dover Dragstrip.

    Pat
     
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  8. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    Hete Is a little more information on a picture posted earlier in this thread. This is from Hot Rod Magazine in December of 63

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  9. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    This looks like it could have been Pitmann and Edwards again. Look at the sticker on the vent window compared with the picture in the quote below. After a closer look, I don't think it's the same car because of the hood scoop.

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    Last edited: Sep 6, 2016
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  10. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    Howard Hughes' Jinx Willys- Oct. 1962. Earlier in the year, Howard won the A/Gas class at the NHRA Southeastern Nationals at Lakeland. Travis recalls Howard tangling with the trees once situated just past the start line on the right side of the track. Evidently Howard was looking to make a partial warm-up run and the throttle stuck. He went up the hill off the right side of the track and rolled.

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    Last edited: Sep 5, 2016
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  11. Jimbo17
    Joined: Aug 19, 2008
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    Pat I think you are right about it being Dover Drag Strip that fence in the back round kind of gives it away.
    Jim
     
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  12. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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    Here was Howard Hughes' Jinx in better times

    image.jpeg image.jpeg

    I believe that this is the same car before lettering and found the picture in the same place.

    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2017
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  13. 37willysgasser
    Joined: Jul 24, 2007
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    Picked this Jem up a few days ago.
    Popular Hot Rodding October 1962
    Mike Bambers Wild Willys Pickup, before it was known as the $ilverDollar
    image.jpeg
    image.jpeg

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  14. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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    Yes that is a very cool article on the Pickup. I had no idea of the history before the Silver paint job and it looks like the body was all steel and retained the factory trim at that time. Mike sure made that small block Chevy scream. He was an underdog but at the same time could be a giant killer and put some big names on the trailer. That is one of very few early gassers that survived intact and mostly unaltered from the 60s time period. The owner of that pickup is a lucky guy.

     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2016
  15. elgringo71
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    Does anyone know anything about this one?

    image.jpeg
     
  16. 3day
    Joined: Apr 15, 2009
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    3day
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    from UK

  17. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
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    Engle cams ad from 1960.
    Scan.jpg
     
  18. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
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    its hard to tell but the car above looks like this green 4 door willys i posted on page 5 from @jnaki
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2016
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  19. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 10,420

    jnaki

    Hello,
    Thanks for the byline movie credit, but it could also be this primered sedan at Riverside Raceway during the same day in 1959. watch the gear shift...
    Jnaki

     
  20. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    @Speed Gems and @jnaki, what I find interesting here is that all 4 pictures have very many similarities to each other. They are all 1941-2, because of the small rear side window. They all have the non factory sealed beam conversation head light rings. Also several of the pictures have the licence plate hanging from the grille. I have never seen this done before in any of the Willys pictures. Also all of the car from the ad and all of the footage was taken in California. Here they are for comparison. If the footage had been taken at different times I would say that they were probably different versions of the same car. Notice the hood scoop on the first picture and some of the other ones look like they might have a hole in the hood.

    image.jpeg image.png image.png image.png image.png
    image.png
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
  21. porkshop
    Joined: Jan 22, 2004
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    porkshop
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    from Clovis Ca

    The greenish/grey one and red primer one look to have the same license plate number......
     
  22. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
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    @porkshop and @elgringo71 good catch on the license plate on the grille of the primer red Willys and them being the same. I was just saying the green car and the one in the ad look to be the same because they both have steel wheels up front and aluminum in back and the green car has Engle cams stickers in the window and both have the same license plate. so i think all three cars are the same. it seeems odd that they took off the moon disks after they painted the car green,or maybe they just hadn't put them back on yet. Could it be posiable that @jnaki filmed the car at two different times?
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
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  23. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
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    jnaki

    Hello,
    It was the same day at Riverside Raceway in 1959. It was a long drive out to Riverside from Long Beach. The freeways were not in and it took a while. I am sure we did not go out there two times in the same year. (Riverside 59, Bakersfield 60, long drives for teenagers...) We were Lions regulars since it was a mile or so away. The Riverside pits photos look cleaner as it was not moving. The red primer sedan is moving...fast... different cars, same day.
    Jnaki
     
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  24. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    elgringo71
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    @jnaki, thanks for taking this footage so that we can see it and have these discussions. You were there so you would know. Thanks everyone for your comments and feedback. Who would have thought that we would still be talking about these cars so many decades later. There are a lot of similarities and I bet that one of them was the one from the ad. I remember reading that a Willys sedan is only about 70 pounds or so, heavier than a coupe. It might be a little more on a 41-42 since they have a wider and longer wheelbase than the 37-40 Willys and also have the extra rear windows. I am surprised that we didn't see many Willys sedan racecars but there didn't seem to be very many and of the ones that you see there seem to be fewer of the 41-2 sedans.

    Could this be one of the ones in the videos. It's from California and close to the same color as the red one but it has the stock headlight rings.

    image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
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  25. Speed Gems
    Joined: Jul 17, 2012
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    I'm thinking the car is from the Engle cams ad is the green car because both cars have so much in common and the green car has Engle cams stickers in the window. It's just strange that both cars have a licence plate on the grille and that they seen to be the same plate.
     
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  26. 37willysgasser
    Joined: Jul 24, 2007
    Posts: 777

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    My 41 four door was raced in California in the 50s/60s them brought out to the Midwest "Iowa " then Detroit , still has the green paint similar to the one posted?

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    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
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  27. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    @37willysgasser, do you have any idea of its history in California? That would be very interesting if it was the same car.
     
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  28. 37willysgasser
    Joined: Jul 24, 2007
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    37willysgasser
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  29. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
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    That green kind looks like a factory color.

    image.jpeg
     
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  30. 37willysgasser
    Joined: Jul 24, 2007
    Posts: 777

    37willysgasser
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    Looks like Sherwood Green for sure!
     

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