Hi I have finally decided to start a new thread about my Willys coupe, I bought it in Finland in Sept. 2012 and the seller had just imported it from Argentina.
Some more pics when I got the car home. A question the engine it doesnt look like a Willys to me, does anyone know the make of the engine. The head is marked Industria Argentina and Metalurgica Tandil. The head or the whole engine could be made in Argentina I dont know.
That does look like the Willys engine my dad had in his Jeepster. Pretty much exactly EXCEPT for the head with the fins and type cast on it. Oh, and that crazy fan yours has...
Could be, the rear fenders looks widened, the shape of the right front fender and right hand drive like mine. My Willys also have orange paint under the black. Do you know where the picture is taken?
Ok then it might be the same car. If my memory serves correctly the orange pic was in for sale ad on Finnish "nettiauto" years back.
I remember seeing a pic of your car in the For-Sale ad which showed a little orange overspray, and being that it came from Argentina I thought it might be the same car? I'm pretty sure the orange pic/info can be found somewhere buried in the willys pic thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=550556&highlight=willy.
Tandil is an auto assembly plant for Renault near Buenos Aires and has been since 1975 but its hard to say what it was before that. Probably a casting foundry for motors. Industria Argentina definately means Made in Argentina. Could the head be from a Renault?
The Willys Americar (your car) used a 4 cylinder flathead engine that was later used in WW2 Jeeps, and in Jeeps and Henry J cars in the fifties. Your car may have been fitted with a newer Jeep engine at some time. The original design dated back to the Willys Overland Whippet of the 1920s. By the time they made the Americar, and the Jeep, they had developed it into an extremely reliable, long lived power plant that was also economical on fuel. It would be a kick to see a Willys with the original engine since so many have been replaced by big V8s for drag racing. Willys had a factory in Brazil where they made cars and Jeep station wagons, they may have made the flathead engine longer than in the US.
i wonder if the motor is a continental. our clark. IT. 40 model fork lifts motor looks really similar...
Modified the centersection for a 40s grille and some rust repair on the front fenders, I think the car looks more happy with the new grille.