Features 1940 Willys drag car sitting since 1980!

Great find, a lot like what mine will be like when I get it finished. There are a couple of threads listed about my sedan. Awesome!!!!!

 

George- You're ONE LUCKY Dog ! as you know I'm " partial" to Dogs and LUCK ___ I must say the Harris Brothers used good taste in choosing their TOW Vehicle ! ! LOLs

 

Who in this world could not love a RUNNING time capsule in their right mind? Please keep us posted on this Willys resurrection - subscribed!!

 

Beautiful!

 

Nice find, nice car. Have fun.

 

Nothing like an angry little small block, yes!

 

Yes, I hear ya! They were on the car when it got parked because they put a stud girdle on the heads. However,I got several sets of early covers with the car including a set of valve cover spacers to clear everything.

Absolutely! Only sad part is that its hometown track has been closed since last year. Would've been great to take her back there a run her.

 

I wish! No brakes and no clutch! I'm replacing the brake master/wheel cylinders and hydraulic clutch stuff next..

I'm certainly not the guy to ask..I think only the 39 willys had 2 door sedan model..I've had a 40 4 door sedan which had a slant back trunk so i'm not sure. this is a 4 door with rear handles removed..

 

2 doors were available 37-39, extra side window 41-42, some say a 2 door was offered in 40

 

^^^ I think the back ends differ. Bob

 

The car in the video has a '37/'38 nose (maybe a similar '39, it's tough to follow the video), and does not have the bustle-back. I had to replay about 8 times to confirm what I was seeing!

 

That sounds incredible how do you resist taking it off the jackstands and going through a couple gears in the street with that ha ha

 

My dream car to find, Congratulations on your awesome Willys.

 

As far as I know, its not the same car. I am told it was always white..

I can't drive it yet Sal..The car has no brakes(that never stopped me before! ha ha!) but more importantly, no clutch yet..The car has an old ford style hydraulic clutch master cylinder and slave..They are totally frozen but I got some replacements now that I figured out what they were.

 

Let me ask you -- I've heard conflicting stories on whether there were Willys 2-door sedans, or if Willys just welded the back doors shut of a 4-door. Can you enlighten me?

You are right in both instances...I don't think the '37's offered a 2-door...but the '38 (model48) and model '39 had a factory 2-door. (I have not heared of any '40 -2-doors from the factory)..the car in those years were called 2 doors...but in reality Willys did weld the outer skin of a back door to the door frame and rear body panel...even covered the hole where the door handle went. I had a '39, and a friend had a '38...both were 2-doos, and to be sure if it was a factory offered car, it would have had a removable inside window moulding...like the front and rear window mouldings. If it was a stamped window moulding like the front doors, it was not a 2-door from the factory.
One other thing...on the four doors the rear door glass was put in by opening the door and sliding the channel up through a slot in the curve of the door that fit to the rear fender. On a factory 2-door the rear door area windows, besides having a removable moulding, had a complete window up and down mechanism that was installed from inside the car. g-willys

 

Damn good find, jealous. I'm on board.
I never noticed until now that some Willys bodies were humpbacks and some were smooth back, when was the transition 1940? I see the drip rail on the smooth back goes around the sail panel but is shorter on the 40 hump back?







The drip rail on this 40 humpback is the same as the 39, knowing Bob IDA's talent I just don't know.


https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/willys-two-door-sedans.499549/page-6

 

I never noticed until now that some Willys bodies were humpbacks and some were smooth back, when was the transition 1940? I see the drip rail on the smooth back goes around the sail panel but is shorter on the 40 hump back?

The hump back was an option that allowed more room in the trunk area for suitcases...it could be put on at the factory or dealership. There were brochures that showed this option. The drip rail on the Ida car appears to be cut or shortened (I wouldn't know why, but this is the only one I have seen like that)...usually the drip rail followed the door down to the beltline...or slanted at an angle back toward the trunk. Below (red '40) follows the door line! Grey car sweeps to the trunk...and has Hump trunk add on, but with some customizing at the license plate. Last pic. is a '39 facto[
ATTACH=full]4261058[/ATTACH] ry 2-door body with a flat back trunk SORRY ABOUT THE MULTIPLE PICTURE DUPLICATES

 

FOR THOSE DRIVEN TO ACCURACY
In my mess somewhere I knew I had some more dated information on the 'hump' trunk on some of the Willys sedan bodies. This bulletin states that the hump trunk that was coming out for the 1940 model year...would fit Model '39's after serial # 39-12790, because those cars were equiped with the external trunk hinges. It does say it can be done at the dealer...and look at those prices. This bulletin means the deck lid would not fit that factory 2-door, with the smooth deck lid. g-willys

 

Incredible find!

 

Another " Hump Trunk"

 

Thanks Tommy!..I knew you'd dig the Harris bros tow truck, even though it was 265 chevy powered!

Thanks for the info g-willys..I can 100% say that this Willys is a 1940..All the tags on the body and frame are in place with VIN# starting in 440 And I have the original nj title for the car dated 1969!

 

GEORGE- I know 1965 at Englishtown Raceway Park and I know 265 Chevy SB with machine shop / boring and balancing by Trenton Speed Shop, (.060 over) however I had to go easy as this was also my daily driver to and from the BOMARC missile site/ McGuire Air Force Base... (see Juniors' Diapers on the clothes line) every day...

 

Killer find. Enjoy.

 

wow, just WOW!

 

1969 was my first year out of High School. Is that OLD now! lol

 

I grew up in Point Pleasant Beach. Left to go to college in Michigan in 1967. Never saw that car but recognized the pictures from Atco. Never knew the Harris brothers. Went to Beach High School with Rich and Dick Harris, but they were athletes, not car guys. Maybe some relations. Local rodders were Bruce King, Lee Malar, Harold Applegate, Jack Ely, Bill Irving and a whole bunch of circle trackers from Wall Stadium. Also a lot of fast boats including Speed Skiffs, garveys and hydros. I had a '32 coupe stuffed full of Chevy.
Now I just play with original T's and A's.
Jon Crane
Rochester Mich
formerly Yale Ave, Point Pleasant Beach

 

Jon, did you ever know of a car club called The Road Hawks in Point Pleasant? That was the original car club that the Harris brothers were in..They had a 49 Ford drag car that they raced..There is a third brother,I think his name was Ted..Their family had a glass business in PP..
Side note..I know Bill Irving..He's still around..Raced ford powered Garvey boats forever.

 

Road Hawks were down in an old garage by the railroad tracks at the South end of town near the OB diner and Jacquin Autobody. They were all a little older than I was...like maybe ten years or so. Bruce King was in the Road Hawks and drove a maroon Ford with a whole bunch of "class winner" decals in the side window. Had a treaded pipe rollbar painted flat black. Bill Irving was a teacher at the local vocational school...He must be a hundred years old! Last time I saw Mr. Irving he was retired from racing and doing the announcing at the garvey races. That was 20 years ago. Pt Pleasant was a great little town to grow up in. Have not been back in many years.

 

Looks to be a 4 dr. with the door handles removed (holes still present as well as the rear hinges.