Hey ALLSTEELWILLYS, awesome car and the way you ended up with it. I am building a all steel 38 factory 2 dr sedan will be doing a tread on it as soon as i get my pic's in order. Totally cool build your doing.
Thanks everybody. Went and picked up the roll bar, that my dad built. And the center section, the EELCO tank still looks in good shape!
I got the fuel lines and adapters off the tank so i can polish it up. I also got the roll bar mounted back into place so I can set up my seats and build seat risers. What thickness sheet metal should I use for the risers? I am going to make the sides out of steel "weight bearing", and a front panel out of aluminum or stainless steel with lightening holes "looks".
Sorry guys, its been ahwile... But I got the firewall side panels tacked into place. And I have been fully welding the floor pans in also. Next is to weld some hat channel down so I can build seat mounts.
It's looking good. Your lucky to have the original roll bar and eelco tank that your dad ran. You might look at the Moonlighter thread for more willys build ideas.
Thank Yall, for the kind words... I think my dad is finally starting to appreciate what iam doing with the car, at first he wanted to throw a mustang 2 under the front, put a blown big block in it, tilt column, a/c, etc... But I convinced him to 'restore' it back to the way he had built it!
I am glad that you were able to convince him because to alter that car would have been a crying shame. Not to mention the cars history and the fact that it survived for this long without being changed. To me its a timewarp back to the early 60s gassers. (All steel coupe running an injected olds)
I got the seat channels formed, primed the insides, and temporary bolted down. So I can build my seat mounts.
Keep up the good work, soon it will be time to give your dad a ride and let him drive it again after so many years
I got my radiator mounted. I used stainless steel radiator support rods, for a Model A then cut them, and re-tapped the ends for hiem joints. Radiator came out Perfect! I used Eric Hazen, at C and R Racing. Very easy process, and great customer service.
Allsteel I have lived in San Antonio most of my life, I am 65, so your Dad must have run the car at Double Eagle. There were a couple of Candy Red 40 Willys coupes then. One had an injected 421 pontiac and the other had a injected small block chevy. The owner of the pontiac powered coupe also drove the 63 FX 421 pontiac Tempest for Superior Pontiac. My Dad was the shop forman there. Fun times. What year did the coupe get parked?
glrbird Thats cool, I would have loved to been around back then, with REAL cars racing and driving around on the streets, not all the rice rocket grab there is now... I don't know exactly when it was parked, he wont tell me why or when he parked it, kinda odd, but there must be some bad story behind it. He also raced a 1957 Chevy Softtop back then, had a 327 with 3 deuces, and a 4 speed! I would love to know someone who remembers his car, or has pictures of it. CGkid I had to get a different block, from what my dad had ran in the car, because it was bored out SOO far and pitted from sitting there was no rescue in sight. But it has #10 Heads, and I reused the ISKY cam he had in it, along with the ISKY adjustable rockers!
#10 heads are for a 56 324. What isky grind is it? Should be stamped on the back of the cam. Can't wait to see more of it.
Great car. Have you got any more pictures of the rear end set-up? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You should talk to Tommy Kendrick at Kendrick automotive. Tommy had the baddest 56 265 inch in the area around that time. He is around my age and might remember your dads car. Worked at Smith Chevrolet for years before opening his Speed Shop in the 70's http://www.kendrick-auto.com/
CGkid, correct the heads are from a 56 324, but they are could flowing heads, and I did a little clean up work to the runners and bowl area. I didn't build it for crazy power, just rebuilding the car back, I believe it is a 7000T6 cam, I got the specs from ISKY awhile back, when I rebuilt the engine. Ponti461, thank you. I will look through my pictures, to see if I have any of the original rear-end setup, I re-used to ladder bars, and replace the coil overs with new ones, but installed a 9-inch under it instead.
Allsteel If you need inspration, the "Key to the Hills" rod run is comming up in Boerne, October 10-12. If you have never been, Saturday all the cars will be on display down town.
glrbird, I have been to that show many times, I actually work in Boerne, and I have emailed pictures of my car to them, they say I can take it, as long as it drives in! Iam trying to get it to that show, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
speedyb, thank you. Are you going? I really like your panel! glrbird, Thank you for the pictures, i did something like that, i just used square tubing. Here are a couple pictures of them.