Projects Gene (Moonlighter) Cromer's A/G Willys Resurrection

Thank's Rick it made the fire wall twice as hard to make and it's still a long way from finished but with the doors on it you are going to have to look hard to see the bars plus the inside was painted blue like the out side so it should all blend in good.

 

Great job Quain!! Love this thread!!

 

A little bit of history was made yesterday. Gene came to my shop to check on the progress and help me figure out where and how some things were mounted in the car when it was built. In doing that we put the seats in and had him set in it, that's when we realized that it was the first time in over 40 years that he had set in the moonlighter. Even with the same seats and seat covers. I think we both had a little tear in our eye.

 

Another angle

 

Pretty cool, wonder if he was thinking about how he used to get with it back in the day ?

 

DAM this is so cool to see him setting in it after all these years. Keep it going as it is looking sooooooo good. Can't wait for more progress reports.

 

Gene,,Man you look like you are in deep concentration,must be practicing your take no prisoners poker face!

I'm tickled to see you in that seat once again,great job guys. HRP

 

Hopefully he's not sitting there wondering what he's gotten himself into this time He found the right guy to get with it and turn the work around, that's for sure. Full steam ahead Quain, full steam ahead.

 

Quain. this is a good thing that you are doing with this car. Few of us take the time to make a difference in someone's life as you are doing. Keep up the good work and I hope your example inspires some of us to do something like this.

 

Lookin' sharp so far. I wonder if Gene is thinkin' what I did yesterday when I sat in one of those old glass buckets. They seem to be made for a 120# teenager.

 

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement sometimes I think that's all that keeps me going. Thanks again~Quain~

 

Quain, those shots of Gene sitting in the MoonLighter is quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen!! You think Gene would wanna come by next Saturday when we bring the hot rods up to the shop? (hint hint)

 

I'll ask him, btw anybody that is going to be in my area Saturday morning December 15th Darren is bring some people by to see the Moonlighter in person anybody on here is welcome to come by also.

 

Very cool build! Your doing a wonderful thing.

 

We are having to change the petal set up the master cylinder and petals were made together and rusted beyond repair plus I think it needs a dual master cylinder for Genes safety and this way I can get him a little more leg room (he's not as flexible as he used to be) We are using a master cylinder from a 67 mustang so we are staying in the era and I'm also using the petal arms from the original that's all you will see when the floor pains are in place.

 

Master cylinder mount

 

Master cylinder push rod

 

The hole in the frame for the clutch shaft bushing

 

All put together now you can see that the only thing that will be seen when the floor pans are in is the original arms

 

Another angle

 

Thanks to everone for their interest and offer of help and donated parts on the Moonlighter. Restoring the car was my plan in retirement, but in 95 i had a bad stroke affecting my right side and balance. i had to learn to use my left hand. It was long hard recovery and very frustrating but i am doing fine now. the LORD has been so good to me and my family. Some time ago i had a phone call from Quain Stott Whom i had never known. He wanted to meet me and bring a video from Shuffletown Drag Strip in Charlotte NC. I raced there many times. Quain had watched me race when he was very young, His dad used to take him to the Spartanburg Drag Strip.

We have become good friends. Quain is well known for building cars and his racing.
He is an ADRL Champion and very nice and talented Guy. He wanted to build a Willys gasser and started with a glass body, fabricating everthing himself and very precise.
He wanted the car to be old school. It's a great car, quick and fast.

Quain told me he wanted to put the Moonlighter back together Which will be big job and that what he is doing, It is a lot of work and many hours. I am very grateful and humbled, how could you ever repay someone for this.
I want to thank everone, not by name for i might leave someone off. I will need help
later from those that have offered. When Quain has finished there's will be more to do. I am very happy with what Quain did.
Your Friend,
Gene,

 

Gene, great first post and we are so glad that you and your car are here. We have enjoyed the "history" lesson. I think our hotrods keep us young and happy at heart. Tom.

 

Gene Thanks for the kind words It's an honor to be working for and with you on this project.

 

Gene... I don't know you and we have never met but let me tell you that I know exactly how Quain feels. It isn't work to him working on that car. It is an honor and a privelige to have a chance to work on a car that you idolized from your youth. I am lucky enough to have been able to do the same thing Quain is doing for you, but it was my Dad's car that I spent my youth idolizing from the fence then was able to bring it back to the track many years later.

You would be able to pay him in full for all that work if you let him drive that car once it is done. Speaking from experience, there is nothing like it. I guarantee that will be a day that Quain will never forget

 

Gene,
It is so good to have you on here and now posting in this build thread. I can't wait to see you and Quain unload the Moonlighter for the first time, once it's finished! I hope to see you at Quains shop on the 15th!
Daron

 

Gene,I am happy to see you joining in on this thread,,I consider myself fortunate to call you a friend and like Quain I remember my dad taking me to the drags and seeing the Moonlighter run.

Quain,,you are doing a fantastic job of bringing the old Willys back to life,,BTW,what are you going to use for a steering box??,,correct me if I'm wrong but didn't it have Fiat steering? HRP

 

Gene said it was a fiat but can't remember the year. Back then they just went to the junk yard and searched for something that would work. He said that he thinks that he had to turn it sideways to get it to work. If any of ya'll have a clue what it might have been you can see the mount behind the petals in post #230 some say it's from a 1938 fiat. I have a corvair on mine but we would like to have the right one on the moonlighter. Gene can recognize it from a pic if anybody has one.

 

Gene, you are fortunate to have your car in such capable, caring hands, and Quain, thank you for starting this thread and sharing this build. I truly love old Willys gassers, and this was/is a really good looking one you guys have here. Thanks again to both of you for sharing this, I look forward every day to see your work on this car.

 

I'm sure that I'm boring some of ya'll with some of these post but I thought this was just too cool. I had to very gently take the seat covers off and I'm sure that this is the first time they have been off since they were covered some 40 years ago.

 

The backing plate was still there that was used to mount the seat to the roll bar at the back.