Rarest car ever made into a gasser? Steel Willys

How cool is that.......

 

Very cool! Can't wait to see the build progress on it!

 

How about one of five 1937 RJ Williams(?) produced Willys Ute being made into a gasser right now in So Cal??

Pics available upon request

 

typo41,

I am hereby officially requesting that you post some photos of the Willys Ute that you speak of per your previous message...

 

It's been 2 months since we brought the Willys home so I thought it time for an update.

Lin keeps asking is that rust dust your choking on or do you have the covid?

Started on the rust repairs and fortunately learned of Troy Tompson of Rolands Rod Shop.
Troy supplied me with the panels to start repairs.
For anyone out there doing a Willys that wants body parts Troy is a great option, you can check out his work on line.
He did what he said, when he said, for the price he said and the quality and fit is as if nos.
Wish I had his talent.

Also started working on the 57 392 Hemi. Block is hone at 30 over, crank is magnufluxed, turned 10 mains 20 rod.
Bought KB 10 to 1 pistons ( about 9.2 to 1 with my 109 cc heads)heads are done except rockers are torn down for rebuild, ER Products - reconditioned original rod, and I am struggling with the choice of cam shaft if anyone has an opinion. I'm thinking low end torque over high end horse power hydraulic lifters and adjustable push rods.

More to follow!

 

Man Im not sure how I missed this thread until now but what a cool story! Good luck with the restoration looks like youre off to a great start.

 

THE TALES OF WILLY'S ROTTENTAIL AND FRANKENTRUNK

MWOOOO HA HA HA!!!!!!!!

Notice the lead filled pipes and stacks of welded plate added to the back of the frame.

 

What a great thread. Awesome work on the panel repairs.

 

Incredible!

This is the HAMB I love.

So thrilled to see this car is getting some love.

 

Back in 1969 I had a 1957 Pontiac Safari wagon with a straight axle, 4 speed and a 389 with 3 2's. Not many of them made into gassers.

 

Thanks!

Troy Thompson in Portland Oregon get the thumbs up for the tail pan, lower quarter patches and low section of trunk skin.
When I started the original lid had been gutted to the point that it wasn't much more than the outer skin held on with hood pins so I used a sedan lid to create the inner structure. If you look closely at the picture from 1961 before the Willys was modified the trunk was hinged on the outside like the sedans not like the coupes with internal hinges. Did what I could to get back to that setup.

 

My wife's grandmother owned a Willys Woodie. I have a pic of her posing with it.

 

Post it up, I'm sure many would like to see it

 

Great save underway, just found this thread for the first time. Bob

 

Don't mean to sidetrack. Any pics of that Vette!

 

The Corvette?

So I talked with John Kech on March16, 2021 and asked him about the Corvette in this picture. As it turns out he had many Corvettes over the years and the one from that era he spoke of was the 56 he met his wife in. This was great because we had Corvette historys in common and being my first Corvette was a 56 the conversation flowed fast and easily.

The Vette in the forefront being 58,59,or 60 isn't the one he recalled in that conversation but I hope to get together with John this spring and follow through with a lot of history he shared in that first contact.

I will share more of the back story that got me in touch with John down the road a bit.

A little about my first Corvette, when I got mine it had been " The Hustler" I bought it at the Mobile station on the Berlin Turnpike if anyone knew it, it had been purple with black leather diamond tufted seats and door panels, rough and tired when I bought it, the paint had been DA'ed off and it was in primer but the best solid axle I could afford at 20 years old and I loved it the best I could for nine years. As what seems to be a pattern for me, it took my last penny to buy it.
It was the beginning of the Corvette restoration craze and prices were going up fast.

If anyone knows more about my 56 we can start another threat. I wasn't much for looking back in that era.

 

I was thinking about this car just the other day. The picture from 1961 is awesome - it is invaluable as it shows what the car looked like early (20 years) in its life. It looks like it was in pretty nice original condition at that time too. Do you have any other pictures of the car from that time?

Thank you for the update.

Steve

 

Yes the picture nails down the origin of the car when Lloyd and John started, otherwise the debate over it being some ones cutdown coupe would be hard to debate. Love the taupe convertible top and fender skirts.
At the moment this is the only picture I know of (thanks to oldebob), but I am continually searching for others. The guys were racers and hot rodders and it was just a $25+- old car at the time.
Everyone I have spoken with has the same basic recall that Lloyd purchased this car (potentially from the original) owner who had used it up. Check the rust in the rear quarter and remember this car was only 20 years old at the time. Lloyd had a 4 door Sedan that blew the rear end so he bought the convertible and drove it for a month or so before they tore it down for the race car.
To recap "allegedly" 4-6 cars were made in 1941 and regional reps used them promotionally, this car may have been the one on display at the 1941 New York Auto Show. If this is true someone somewhere has pictures I hope to track down.

I am chasing every lead I get. It has been my great pleasure talking with some of the people who were there then and my plan is to compile the rest of the stories timeline and known stewardship then share what I can very soon.

 

Yep, as I look closer at the picture I am able to see the rot in the quarter just in front of the rear fender.

It sure would be cool to know if any of the others survived...

 

It sure would be cool to know if any of the others survived...[/QUOTE]

@Thor1 This one (a 1940) was made especially for Franklin D. Roosevelt and is in the museum

 

Very cool car. Glad to see it being saved

 

Sorry but that photo collection went to my good buddy Pete Gibson and he has passed,,, not sure where that photo collection went??

 

Thanks for the post Steve. You never know may jog a lead!

 

Here are my most recent progress pictures for you guys to see.

The nice dash and door hinges came off of a parts car I picked up (HAMB add) . Have never seen door hinges as rusted away as those on this convertible.

Fabricated a pair of bolt in cowl braces from the A pillars to the frame to stabilize the doors. Got the gap alignment and latching nicely.

She's beginning to cast a shadow again!

Have sorted through my front sheet metal and have a pile at the media blasters. A little torn between bolting the front fenders on and running with hood pins or building a steel tilt nose.
So much of the firewall and cowl is removed that hinging the hood like stock is not an option so leaning towards tilt.

I picked up 3 gallons of 56/57 Corvette Venetian Red single stage acrylic enamel paint. Between the remnants on the Willys and knowing John had a 56 Vette I decided it was a good bet to have been the color they used.
The the old Ditzler code gave a near perfect paint match.

Purchased a second 392.(also a HAMB add) that is freshly rebuilt and test run, it has a B&M adapter and 727 Torque flite. Looking forward to figuring out mounts.

Oct. 3rd it's been a full year that I have been working on this project. I may not be good but I sure am slow!

 

Car is looking good, but someone has to notice the wainscoting. That is going to look like an old carriage house. I started the same thing 30 years ago, milk crates with parts stacked three high and you can't see it any more.

Bob

 

Thanks Bob,
Until 7 years ago the old carriage shed attached to my house was a falling down sway backed dirt floor shack. My 3 bay barn was my only work space. No insulation, bad lighting, cold and damp.

Always spend all of my time and money on cars.

While working out there in December on my early Hot Rod (1909 in the picture below), Linda brought me a coffee and as I complained about the cold she said, for the 1000th time, why don't you fix up this barn so you have a nicer place to work.
My answer is always the same. It cost to much and I would rather use money for car projects.
Well after that day I decided to at least fix the shed as a work space. Two cold winter months and 5k later I finished the carriage shed complete with spray foam insulation and wainscoting right down to the wainscoting shutters.
Then forged on with the 09 Cadillac project through completion in the shed.

The 1909 has been done for 3 years and we have driven her about 2500 mile and the Willys project has taken over the carriage shed.

Two months and 5K has turned out to be the best car time and money I have ever spent!
Wish I had done that 30 years ago.

 

Very nice work and progress so far!

 

There have been several articles written about 1940-'41 Willy's Woodies and the '47 Olds Gasser in the Woodie Times magazine. The general consensus is that only 5 Willys Station Wagons built in both '40 and '41. There are two 1940's and one 1941 listed in the Membership Directory of the NWC. Wether any of those cars are original car's or recreations is unknown. The 1947 Oldsmobile gasser is quite famous and has been in a number of publications. As a Woodie owner I can't think of a worse car to build a gasser or any other type race car out of. First of all Woodies weigh the most out of any body style. Second, the twisting of the body during the starting line launch must have done major damage to the body. Remember, Woodie bodies were glued and screwed together unlike a passenger car that had welded construction. I did read that at one time the car went over 150 mph with a blown Hemi, but I would have chosen a different body style. Anyone know where the car is now?

 

Now that is a nice surprise! There are a lot of Brass Era guys, with one foot in both sides of the hobby. I sold the 1911 Hupmobile I'd wanted for 50 years this summer. Reality hit me, had it for over two years and all I did was mount the new white tires on the wheels some painted 40 years ago. Next year the 1912 T goes back on the road. Best thing about the '11 Hup, the buyer found another 1911 just 45 minutes from his place, the two cars were on the assembly line together separated by only one car!

Bob