History 1933 - 1936 Willys, picture thread

The tire shimmy was pretty common. When I would go to Fremont in the early 70's almost every car with a straight axle would have tire shimmy after the burnout. Probably has something to do with all the caster they were running.

 

A steering damper cured the wobble on the Bizio truck.

 

Hello,

Yes, death wobble in a new build would cause other problems. But if one looks at the two photos, the original build was getting into the taller suspension set up and drive components. The later year version the suspension is brought down as well as a slight rake and a chopped top to give it some lower center of gravity.

Racers thought the high suspension and/or for some, raised front end moves the power back to the rear wheels. After some experimentation, the lower chassis and ground clearance seemed to win in the go fast speed era. Obviously, the inch clearance of the current funny cars and modified coupes are way beyond this era of higher suspension. As the wind tunnel and powerful motor set ups showed in the initial builds.

So, we all must have learned something over the years. From normal size cars to narrow, shorter wheel based cars were all used in the vast experiments to go fast and faster. But, also, it was the top quality new speed parts and builds that played an important part... not just the "high in the air" stance.

We all saw what happened to a short wheel base injected, Buick powered FED that was a top record setting race car. Then as more power was added, the problems with a short wheel based build necessitated a better, longer design for the newer, more powerful builds that began to get put together.

Jnaki

A narrower body like the 33 Willys raised up may be the starting era for chassis set up back then, but it definitely did not last long. A powerful motor, a short wheel base chassis and raised up body just seems like a recipe for something to happen in handling… YRMV

 

Stickier , wider tires also had a lot to do with the lowering the chassis height, along with the advent of the burnout.

 

This rare & complete 35 Willys 77 roadster is for sale down here. Holden body

 

Yes, and slider clutches.

 

Rosin "Burn Throughs" and on to spraying the track surface.

 

We have decided these are all the same Sedan! View attachment 5928840

 

Interesting that they chopped the top...
...but added windshield wipers.

I've seen that car run at vintage events.

EDIT: I see it now has a front license plate so maybe the wipers make it street legal LOL.

 

The first 2 shots (red cars) appear to be without hood side panel louvers.

 

If you are talking about the James Boys Sedan some one did a Clone of it. That might have been the sedan you seen?

 

Yes, I was referring to the green version. But somebody has edited out that pic, so 1940Willys, you may be correct - that is a different car. So now that begs the quesion, Where is the original car?

 

Couple of really clear photos of Quicksilver one from 1965 when ran by WR sanders in KY and the one on the trailer around 69 with it was in IL. I am still looking for the car if anyone may have a slight lead. I recently purchased the engine that was ran in the car when it was last in KY bored and stroked 327 with a reath crank and mondello heads.

 

It was a tire problem. Early slicks were passenger car tire recaps with passenger car hard rubber. Very little traction. Raising the front end put a bit more weight on the rear tires. Gassers used 3" pipe rear axles with screw caps and filled them with lead and/or added dual batteries in the trunk, anything to get weight on the rear tires. As soon as tire companies started making soft compound racing tires that got awesome traction, the noses came slamming down.

 

My '35 I've had since '99. Ex Chuck Finders body. He used it to make molds.

 

Fun fact: Chuck had a ground effects tunnel under his '33 that exited out behind the rear window that kept the car glued down at speed.

 

Southeast Gassers race today

 

wow - a 409. I didn't see that coming.

 

And Lamar Walden Jr., it should run good!

 

The grandson was also there running a 61 Chevy with a hot 348. It was BADASS as well

 

What's next??? A '33 Willys with an inline six? Preposterous - have you no shame?

 

No shame at all Frenchtown, mine had a 4 cylinder chevy.

Pat

 

W.R Sanders passed away at 89 on Friday. Original owner and driver of the Witchcraft as well as Quicksilver 33s in the 60s both of which I have been trying my hardest to find for the last several years which little to no luck. Will continue my search but sad he will not be here to see it if I find one of them.

 

Hello,
Some of those statements are a little off. The time periods have to be listed to be accurate. To say the 60s did this or that, covers 10 years and in the early 1960-64 years, was a lot different than 1965 and later when the Gas Coupe/Sedan classes went crazy and soon disappeared. What was once legal street converted cars with stock equipment and headers was then a street legal car, if nothing else was changed. But, that moved any stock car to the Gas Coupe Class with one simple set of headers not from the factory.

Forget a bumper at home, because you used the brackets for the tow bar? No problem... a street legal gas coupe goes right into the Altered Class. No mufflers under the car during eliminations, that move deemed those legal Gas Coupes into the Altered Coupe classes, too. And it is still a streel legal car, without a front bumper. But, street legal requirements are/were the drag racing rules at the time.

On the West coast, racers went from original soft Bruce Slicks to wider Bruce Slicks until the advent of the M&H series. Then, those M&H slicks were a lot wider and had more traction. The weight over the rear tires were taken care of by adding weight inside of the trunk. But, when other racers complained, the rules changed to making those weights part of the chassis, by welding them in place, not using weight room circular weights, strapped down.

We went one step further by getting 1 inch thick steel plates welded into the rear floor of the trunk. Some were over the floor and stiffened the structure. There were more plates welded above the rear axle. The weight over the axle was important as the Bruce Slicks still grabbed and launched quite well after the weight. Plus, the added weight allowed us to go to the competitive C/Gas class.

All were checked by the tech inspectors at Lion's Dragstrip and deemed legal for the Gas Coupe and Sedan classes. Street legal was a real thing at one time, headers with mufflers and exhaust pipes... AND drive-ability on the local streets as a Saturday night cruiser. No individual pipes from the motor by themselves until the late 60s. Times changed and so did the class.

Jnaki

As far as the noses up in the air, it was not during the real legal street Gas coupe and sedan classes. It was during the late transition from a 37 Chevy so powerful to raise the front end upon acceleration that made others think "up in the air" moves weight back and the car forward faster. Not a proven technique, but a fan favorite thing to do.

After the gas tank ruling for moving them out of the cab to the front or rear in the trunk, most thought the front was a shorter distance to the motor and hid them behind the grill. Actually, the ruling was for the FED and Altered Roadsters/Coupes to move them forward, not for street usage cars. The rules committee wanted to stick the Gas Coupes gas tanks back in the rear where they were actually stock. So, some modifications were made and the shorter area in front look stuck. Not for the better.

Then some decided that it was too difficult place, so they moved them outside of the grille... It was a street legal car insurance nightmare for real street legal cars. By this time the real street legal cars were now sporting individual headers and other modifications for more performance. But legal for the street? Very questionable, as the legal class was waning, the tech committees allowed a mod here or there and soon, the so called "street legal" coupes became no so insurance company legal for the street.

The racing classes began to fade out and soon all sportsman classes like the old Gas Coupe and Sedan + Street Roadster classes were so modified that they were eliminated or moved to the Altered class or eliminator classes, which lasted another year or so, then they too, bit the dust.
K.S. Pittman 1964 gas class
versus:
A much later version…exhibition

So, it is important to signify which period of the 60s is the era you or anyone is talking about, without infringing on what was actually done in a timeline fashion. The 1960 to 64 era looked similar to the 65-68 era, but each designated period changed the rules and the ordinary classes for the masses as originally thought of for dragstrip use, just faded away in the name of more dollar sponsorship and entertainment money.

The last K.S. Pittman race car... Friday Art post

As far as the 33-36 Willys was concerned, there were a few back in the late 50s, but mostly they were odd ball styles not in favor like the 33-34 Fords and Chevy models.

The little guy got left out of the whole picture and now, today we see three categories for what is called: "Drag Racing in the USA." Fuel Dragsters, Funny Cars and Motorcycles. (The theory of high in the front was bunk as the current racers can't put a pack of cigarettes under their cars...)AND... money poured into the race cars like we could not ever imagine when we all started our backyard hot rod builds, just so we could go a little faster than our friends and neighbors. Ha!

Some progress...YRMV