Projects What is your take on a fibreglass 1941 willys?

I have always wanted to own a 1941 willys but have you seen the prices? I can't touch a steel willys and probably never will. That is just how life is and I am not made out of money. Never have been and never will. I stilll want my dream to come true to own one so I am starting to look at options of building a "traditionally styled" 1941 willys that is fibreglass. For all the steel body owners I know you might cringe but lets face it. They are getting crazy expensive and it is just not in the cards for me. What is your opinion on this one fellas?
Jay

 

Lot of work too, they aren't the greatest and they always seem to look well plastic. Search for the best.

 

Build what YOU want and dont worry about others oppinions.

 

As a period correct Gasser?...sure,why not!
As a Prostreet peice of shit? FUCK NO!!!

It would be alot cheaper and more acceptable to build something like KiwiKev's Willys....

 

For sure I agree with you there!
Jay

 

Got to be fair man. I do want opinions. I have been pushing the traditional ideals for years. But this one because my wallet is not big I might have to break my own rules. That is why I want some opinions.
Jay

 

I agree with you there!Sometimes the more simpler paint schemes look better on glass cars.
Jay

 

Like primer,haha!

 

It still boils down to what I said above. How hardcore of a traditionalist are YOU? If you are to the T, period perfect traditionalist, then no matter what you do to a plastic Willys body, it will NEVER be traditional.

On the flip coin, if YOU just like traditional looking cars, than that could be a way to go for a price you can afford.

Me personally (since you wanted oppinions) I would rather DRIVE a non perfectly traditional car, than NOT DRIVE the period perfect car.

You are always going to have anti plastic guys telling you NO.

 

I'm building a glass one, 50 years ago my father and his partner ran this one and it actually is still around.A fellow H.A.M.Ber owned it for a while.I thought about buying it when it went up for sale but with the price it was going for (and it was now a street rod) and what it would cost to bring it back, I figured I would build a glass one. This way if anythng happened while I was racing it it wouldn't hurt as much

 

If they are like the Model A's, Model T's, 32's, 40 Fords. etc most will never know. If a million guys can build a glass 32 Ford and get more than many steel 32's then why not build your dream Willys out of glass?

 

I would do the fiberglass body. I really wouldn't care what others think. You know what you can afford. Please your self. Check out Quain Stotts' build thread here on the HAMB.

 

Looks ok in primer!
Jay

 

True.
Jay

 

Looks like a great car! I tried to click on it? It didn't work? hmmm?
Jay

 

Don't worry about what anyone else thinks, build what you want, how you want it, and use what you can afford.

 

The "Real" Willys Gassers I remember from the Gasser Wars had fiberglass front ends, doors, deck lids and plexiglass windows. When you got closer than 10 feet most of them didn't look all that hot. The fit and finish was 'race car standard'.
So now you are down to, "Can I live with a fiberglass shell?"
Somewhere in the 60s (I think) someone, (Ohio George?) had an all glass 33.

If you want to see a current build that is really nice, check this out.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=572303

It might not be period perfect, but I'd love to own it and let everyone else tell me how it could have been more traditional. I'd just smile and smoke the tires for the jealous S.O.B.s

 

What didn't work,it's a picture. I scanned into my computer.What is it you wanted it to do.Get bigger? I don't know how to do that. That's a steel car from back around 65 that's not the one I'm building.

 

They make the same sounds that the steel ones do. Plus, if you got nailed by a teenager in an econobox, you're not out 30,000 plus.

 

Buy a sedan - they can be had cheaply and convert it into a coupe. Then you have a steel coupe. Lee Kay is making all the panels to do this - www.kayskustommetalworks.com - we took this one down and displayed it the Big 3 swap meet in San Diego earlier this year....

 

The link is not working for me, and I get an alert from my security

 

How much for the back half?
Jay

 

Say you like the '57 Vettes, and someone started hammering out a steel kit version, for say, a fraction of the cost of the real thing, would that be okay?
It just isn't the same thing.
You are settling, rather than getting what you really want.
It really has nothing to do with what other people think, but what you are okay with.
Fake Rolex, real Rolex thing.
If there's a will..there's a way.
Good luck

 

So going with your theory,you can't put glass doors,rear fenders, nose, trunk lid,etc.If you are willing to accept those in glass why not the main body tub.As for me I am not asking permission I am building a glass one for the reasons I stated, and I don't give a rats ass who approves.

 

I've had a few glass cars in the past and my mantra was "It might not be real but it sure is real fun."

I probably had more fun in my glass roadster than any hot rod I've ever owned. HRP

 

Call Lee or e-mail him - the contact info is on the website....

 

Plastic surgeons are the richest Doctors
Wonder why that is ?
There's a lot of folks that are ok with fake boobs I guess. About all they are good for is sweater stuffers, but its about the looks right?

It's about the fit finish and details.
Take a fiberglass part out if a mold ,paint it and it will look like that. Work the details, the lines , the definition, and you'll have a much better looking part/car.

 

Funny stuff.
When did this become about you?, I was responding to 55gasserkid, who is the OP.

 

Never said it was about me, you made a comment about glass cars I replied to it.I then said I was building a glass car as I stated earlier, and really don't care if you or anyone else approves.

 

PM me, a pal bought a really nice glass body from your neck of the woods, I will get you the supplier info.