Last I'd heard it'd been streetrodded. By the way, when the car was originally lettered it read "Mind Binder"
That car is still my all time favorite Willys. I have an issue of Popular Hot Rodding with that car on the cover. Pretty sure the issue is from 1967. I remember reading that the builder had never taken it to the track. Sure looks the part.
I believe they talked about it being turned into a modern pro street style car in the issue of The Rodders Journal that had the yellow Willys that was together with it on the cover of R&C back in the 60's. I think California Street Rods may have done the work.
Well I built it when I was 19 years old and it was ment to be lettered MIND BINDER JUST AS YOU SEE IT I PAID $75. For it and my brother pulled me home and I sat on a bucket with a pair of vice grips for a steering wheel to get it there . I sold it at the last show of the year in 1967 for $7,500 and a 1941 willys unfinished. I was 19 and married so I bought a new house with the money. I have no idea where it is it was sold to a guy to pull his race car to the pits from the end of the track in Long Beach calif LIONS SPEEDWAY.
Very cool to hear from you Russ, it’s great to get the story straight on the lettering, the bogus story about the misspelling has become urban legend in the hobby.
I went to high school with Russ. We lived together for a while after I got out of the Navy in the late 60s. He was always building something cool. Quite the craftsman as he did almost all the work himself. Can you imagine cruising the local burger joint in that thing. It was awesome. Back in the days of the g***ers the '41 Willys was one of my favorites. Also the '48 Anglia. I haven't been in touch with Russ since back then. It's great to see he was up and kickin' in '18.
Inspiration for me too as a youth. R&C article came out just before I bought my Willys in high school. Never varied from goal of a street g***er.
The Jalopy Journal
