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

Looks great... This will be another great Resurrection of a gasser. Like the FE

 

Quain, brother I just got to say, what a bitchen soulful thing it is, that you sought Gene out, a boyhood drag racing hero of yours, befriended him even after he had been taken advantage of by others. That you are a good enough human for Gene to trust you, and trust you enough to put his ole girl in your hands, and for you to be able and want to help bring her back again and as close to original as possible FE power and all, is just fantastic. Gene has got to be smiling even in his sleep. What's that wedge head doing on the mock up block, ain't you two gonna SOHC it to her!?

 

Gene has the SOHC (need piston's hint hint) and he also has some tunnel port stuff. He also still has the headers (that he made) for both. I think that the sonic will be in it at least for displays and crackle I don't know what he will use when he run's it.

 

Pistons are a done deal, if I gotta pay for em myself, you just call when your ready.

 

nice work Quain, gonna be a very cool thread.

 

Moving right along Quain. I'll see you later in the week. May need some small stuff done on Terry's wagon
Daron

 

Got the other wheel tub ruffed in to day. Note the the Gene Cromer trade mark blue paint still on the inside of the quarter panel. It was painted blue on the inside as well as out.

 

Cool story on the seat's. Gene has been racking his brain trying to remember what he did with the seats. The other day a dude named Melvin that used to go racing with Cromer stopped by to see him and they were talking about the car. Gene ask Melvin if he remembered what went with the seats. Melvin answered with, don't you remember you gave them to me years ago and I still have them in a building. Melvin gladly donated them back with seat covers that was stitched up in the early 60s and the mount's that Gene built when he built the car. The puzzle is coming together.

 

That is amazing the seats were still around, and they appear to be in nice shape yet.

 

I wish someone had been here to take a pix of me I put the seats in and set in it. Think about how I felt getting to set in the Moonlighter in the same seat with the same seat covers as Gene set in when I watched it run in the 60's as a kid.I set there and just dreamed for a while.

 

I hear you Quain,,,but you know what it feels to stab the go peddle. HRP

 

Today started of squaring the body to make sure the original fiber glass door fit right they came out good hard to be leave they were made in the early 60's the stuff to day don't fit this good.

 

The driver side fit good also. A lot of the time when door don't fit good it's because the body is not square it took some time but they came out good.

 

Now with the body square and the door fit it's on to the roll bar the original bars are long gone. First I make a pattern of what it need to look like.

 

Now for the hard part I lay the phone off the hook and run every body out of the shop when I'm bending tubing it's easy to mess up with one of these old benders.

 

It fit nice I'm going to leave about 1/4 inch around the top Gene is going to put the headliner back in just like it was.

 

How cool is this the roll bar is going back through the original hole in the floor.

 

Quain,
Does Gene have pictures of the insides of the car from back then to help you in recreating what is gone? .... or my memory?

 

Very cool Quain!! Great job with the restoration. The FE makes it even better!!

FYI, there are lots of new SOHC parts available now a days. If you need any help with tracking down parts let me know.

 

Love this car, remember seeing pix of it. Congrats on the save!! ~sololobo~

 

We don't have any pix's of the inside just Gene's memory and clue's from rivet holes and the way things are cut out. I do have this one that you can see the fire wall, a little of the roll bar and the top of the seat's.

 

Thank's Trouble I let you know when gene gets his list together.

 

Robert Pond is a very good friend of mine, and is now making Cammer heads manifolds and other related parts, I can put you in contact with him if and when ever you need.

 

Not to get off topic, but that's a damn-fine looking lathe in the background. Monarch? Did you restore it?

 

It's an old Hendey I've had it for a long time. The man I bought it from restored it, he said that he ran one when he was in the service way back in the day when he came out he bought one and restored it for personal use. Most every thing I have is old.

 

Thank's Rick, call me some time we need to do some more Gasser bench racing.

 

I would have had mine done in 1/2 the time if I wouldn't have done so much of this exact same thing.... No one else there.. just you and the car and your memories..

 

I know some of ya'll on here is not going to like this part of the rebuild. We are getting away from the original a little bit with these bars going to the front. Gene is planning to run this car just like he did in the 60's he's 80 years old and not as young as he once was so I wanted him to be as safe as possible plus the tracks won't let him run with out them. As you can see they are very tight to the body and will not be noticed unless you look close.

 

This shot shows the safety bar behind the engine

 

Where they tie into the main hoop and the bars going back, the main hoop and the bars going back are in the original location.