I know steel is real, but 'gl*** has been kickin' *** for a long time. But my question is, how long? This has been debated before, and I'm not looking for drama, just facts with dates to back it up. When did the fibergl*** Willys coupes first hit the scene?
There were several makers of gl*** parts in the 60's and 70's. They made front ends (1-piece, and 4 piece), along with doors, rear fenders, and trunk lids, but I don't believe that bodies were made until the 80's (streetable, not race weight), and I don't know the chronological order, but Willy Works ( Liberty New York), Outlaw, and Ida Automotive have to be right up there at the beginning. Since then there have been several more, including one or two in Australia. There was a guy (I think last name was Phillips) who came a bit later than that and he had a very accurate body in gl***. I think the molds still exist with a builder in Louisiana, or close by. Dennis Taylor also is in there with some nice bodies. I feel that good fibergl*** body makers are guys who make gl*** parts that are accurate enough to fit steel cars...not all do! For the early cars (33-36) Willy Works, and a guy named Thompson from Ontario made some good ones. Before them there was a place I think in Ohio called Scheffeler (?) that made some nice race weight bodies, but the place may have burned down. Sorry that my memory isn't more accurate, but other can fill in the blanks. I have not included here some of the original makers of the race parts like Fibergl*** Trends,Cal Automotive, and Anderson Industries, etc. There were 4-5 as I remember from the race days. Lastly...even though there are a lot of steel cars out there, and a few continue to turn up, they have always been kind of hard to find. I have had steel cars since 1960, and continue to be amazed at the number that survived, because you always had to hunt for them...they weren't just lying around. Willys biggest production year may have been 1938 with about 65,000 units (estimate). In those years Ford and Chevy were producing more than 650,000. If I couldn't find a steel one, I would have bought a gl*** one...however my hunts were successful. g-willys
The Rebel Reaper was made in a guys back yard when he made a mold off of a steel coupe he was restoring (Chuck Bonick)...but that was not very long ago (1990's)... My Hart Automotive coupe body was one of the first bodys purchased from Cal Automotive for $650 by Will Barath in late 1967 earlly 1968. It came in a box! Will, Chuck Finders, Larry Sikora, and the rest of Mickey's mob finished the car for match racing. Here is an early picture. Thanks for the picture Ken Mott.
I looked into buying a used gl*** '33 Willys in Ontario in the late '70s. I ended up buying a steel one instead in 1980.
come on guys im really interested in this myself. thanks g-willys for the info. ive heard of a couple of those you mentioned. I got one from alanta hotrods. biggest piece of junk I ever bought. I got 2500.into a body that looks like the willys but its gonna take a long long time to get things right on it.like fitment of doors hood trunk etc....but hell even if I don't get it right it still will look cool and be as light as you can get!!!lol
The Ellison & McGarvey 33 Willy's was an all gl*** body, built around 1968. Not sure who manufactured the body though. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
I might be wrong but wasn't Scheffeler out of Pittsburgh. I had looked at one of their 33's in the early 80's . Building and molds burnt in a fire. I had heard he was involved with street beasts in Florida.... like I said heard
Pretty soon gl*** will be the only way to go. They are so expensive in steel... Hey are there any steel repop bodies being done?
I bought a willy's works '41 seamless body with suicided doors & a tilt one piece nose. I also got the larger fat rear fender because I tubbed the rear gl*** wheel wells & floor to fit 21.5" x 15" MT sportsmans. best thing about the car was the support I got from the willy works crew + the parts . the body was flawless, yeah we had to board it a bit but it really was thick & smooth (no parting lines or pin holes etc from the molds) with great gel coat. when I got the body from them they told me they were one of the first to have a seamless one piece body and that the bodies being produced by IDA & Outlaw where copied off of one of there bodies (don't know if that was the truth or fiction?) this was back in 1997. I put the body on a 1940 willy frame with a boxed & narrowed rear frame, narrowed 9" rear with S&W ladder bars, mustang II front cross member, 358 sbc & Th350 trans. I don't know if willy works is even still in buisness at this time, but if they are I'd recommend them! Paul
I don't think IDA was making Willys bodies back in the early days. Could be wrong, but I don't think so. pretty sure they didn't start doing bodies until the 1990's The Willys Works claims to be the first to do the 1941 style body, but elsewhere on their site they say they have only been doing it for a decade - certainly there were Willys bodies more that 10 years ago. (even if it were more they have only been in business according to the state since 1985) Outlaw has only been at it since 1986 I am pretty positive that Tex Collens' Cal Automotive was the first to do the Willys bodies back in the mid 1960's. In the 1980's Chuck Finders bought the molds from Cal Automotive and continued to make them up through his p***ing. I am pretty sure his son is still offering them. Contemporary Fibergl*** had Willys bodies back in the 60's as well from what I am told.
I went up and watched them a few times building the mold for the outlaw willys. The car they used as a plug for the mold was a steel car. If memory serves me correctly it was an original willys out of the Joe" Hrudka, Mr gasket collection. And wasn't Bob Idas 33 plugged off his car. I believe his boy is on here maybe he can chime in. I agree with G-Willys A good fibergl*** part will fit a steel car. I think alot of these cars are being plugged off gl*** cars making them a scale smaller.
Pork Zartman and Charlie Hill were making 'glas Willys coupe parts, in Hanover, PA early in the game, but I don't know the dates. I would think early 60's. ME G***er might be able to fill in the blanks
KS Pittman's S&S Parts '33 Willys was running a fibergl*** body all season in 1968. I think when the Gas cl*** rules changed to allow more than just gl*** frontends, doors, and decklids, the big guys all switched bodies to gl***. 1967 was the year the NHRA rules changed to allow gl*** bodies in Gas cl***es, and that spurred makers to begin making them. Prior to that there was no reason to make fibergl*** bodies, as they weren't legal to run in Gas cl***es.
Outlaw 256 come on guys im really interested in this myself. thanks g-willys for the info. ive heard of a couple of those you mentioned. I got one from alanta hotrods. biggest piece of junk I ever bought. I got 2500.into a body that looks like the willys but its gonna take a long long time to get things right on it.like fitment of doors hood trunk etc....but hell even if I don't get it right it still will look cool and be as light as you can get!!!lol Outlaw, don't fret...those of us that have had nice steel ones from way back know that even on them nothing ever fit very well anyway...they were cheaply made...but I still love 'em! [I]1967 was the year the NHRA rules changed to allow gl*** bodies in Gas cl***es, and that spurred makers to begin making them. Prior to that there was no reason to make fibergl*** bodies, as they weren't legal to run in Gas cl***es. That makes sense to me...I got out of drag racing my D/Gas all steel coupe in '67, to raise a family. and I do recall that rule change. g-willys [/I]
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