Projects Gene (Moonlighter) Cromer's A/G Willys Resurrection

The old 2x3 tubing ladder bars I hope to make them next week.

 

Have you figured out who made those rear shocks that were on the car that he bought from Holman & Moody?

Are they still usable?

 

Gene is bringing them to me next week I'm going to check them out if they need rebuilding I have already talked to one of my sponsors(Santhuff shocks) they are going to rebuild them for us. I'll also find out what brand they are.

 

Without hesitation Quain - we're all glad to see that you and Gene are making this restoration happen!

 

Back in the mood for tin work today. I'm starting on the dash I don't have any pics to go by but Cromer has a good memory of the inside of the car he made a lot of passes in there. I couldn't get the right angle for this pic to show how the original mount for the dash has a slight curve that is going to take a lot of metal shaping to get it to fit right. From what Gene remembers and the few pieces of tin that were still in the car the tin work was real nice in this car.

 

I started the dash with a simple roll in the roller.

 

Here you can see the slight curve starting to form at the top center

 

More curve you can see where I marked the alumn. for the area that needed to be stretched into shape

 

This is getting close, at the top if you look close you can see where I tipped it back over then shrunk the alumn along the top edge for the final fit. The brake at the bottom is where it will bolt to the fire wall.

 

Fitted for the roll bars and in the car you can see the brake a little better where I tipped it over in this pic. I still have to do a little more forming at the top and something at each end. Believe it or not but I already have about 8 hours in this dash with several more to go

 

Quain,the dash is looking great! HRP

 

Every body be on the look out for a set of the old tork thrust wheels Skinny for the front and 15" x 10" for the rear. Not the new style tork thrust D we can get them new. But the old ones like it had are only available in 8 1/2. We have found some magnesium tork thrust like it had but can't afford them. Here's a pic of the way it was.

 

That's a great newspaper article.

 

Yea going from Anderson SC to Indy was big time in 1965, 47 years ago

 

I remember the " Moonlighter " very well from back in the day. I helped Buddy Crosby with his blue 427 FE powered A/G Henry J back then.

My memory must be slipping because I remember the ET's as being much quicker

Quain ...

The work you are doing is GREAT !!
But it is actually going to be NICER than it really was back then. Most all of the old gassers were a little rough by todays standards.
After all ... they were RACE CARS ... not show vehicles.

Randy

 

Team III wheels has the old style torque thrust wheels available and not too bad priced.

 

Here is the Team III. it's also available with a satin lip.

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j367/IIFUNNY/v5_cast_154_sc.jpg

www.meltdowndrags.com

 

Another great resto thread from the good folks at the H.A.M.B.Love this place.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

I'm not positive but I believe J Ed has a set up on the shelf in his shop,,you or Gene might need to give him a call. HRP

 

I didn't get much done in the last few days but I did get the inside plates welded in the housing. They are hard to get to to weld and it was not one of my good weld days anyway.

 

The housing lined up under the car. The bar from the trans to the housing lines up the pinion ( 2 degrees drive shaft to pinion) then lined up from front to back and side to side. Then I tacked some tubing to the frame to hold in in place while I build the traction bars.

 

I used the wheels from my car just to make sure I was close from front to back the tires that were on the Moonlighter were taller, when we get the right tires on it it will fill the wheel opening better.

 

I went to team III they don't offer a 10 wide for the rear. I'm going to call them to see if they can special make them.

 

Looking good. Great Progress. Nice to see the ole irl coming back to life.

 

The brackets for the traction bars.

 

The old school traction bars just a piece of 2x3 tubing the bushings will be welded in where the bolts go through the tubing.One is already welded in I about forgot to take pics before I built them.

 

The rear bushing welded in . The front will be a little different it will be a bigger bushing welded in with another bushing that's a little longer so the bolt can be tight but not bind up.

 

The traction bars tacked under the car. It's hard to tell what's what in this pic all the tubing under the bars is my temporary Jig to hold them in place. You can see the plumb bobs hanging every where. This type bar had to be perfectly square because there are no rod ends so if any thing is off a little it will bind. It really won't need a pan hard bar because it can't move from side to side but it had one so I'll put it back just to be like it was.

 

Quain, I got to know the owner a little bit while I was buying my wheels. He is a nice guy and has a pretty cool story of his own how he ended up with the wheel company. He may, or may not be able to make them, if not, you may consider the "classic V" for the rears. There is also a guy named Greg Shelton out here who is a vintage wheel guy with a boat load of wheels, if anyone has originals it would be him. I'll. Call you tomorrow with a Ph# after I dig it up.

 

Thank's Rick. Call me we need to do a little bench racing anyway.