Projects I found a '40 Willys Coupe.. a dream come true!

I Approve!

 

The Blue Coupe, with Tom Brown on the passenger side is mine!

 

Those cars are very dangerous, send it to me and I will properly dispose of it. LOL. You are soooo lucky, DAMN!

 

Ok, so many have asked how I found out about the Willys (this is a filler story until we find out the REAL story).

I was manning my booth at the annual How To Build & Maintain a Still convention where I was selling many copies of my latest book How to Divorce Your First Cousin So You Can Marry Your Sister. It was selling surprisingly well up here in the mountains. I should state though ... very little text, mostly pictures.

Anywho, myself and my Uncle-Daddy were loading up the station wagon after the event when I spotted a bumper sticker that read I Heart My Willy. I wandered over and WOW, it was my mom and dads Cousin Jethro. After some initial confusion regarding the intent behind the bumper sticker, during which I described in detail exactly the type of car I was hoping to see/find ... Cousin Jethro blurts out that closest neighbor, over the next hill, has that exact car that his youngest son has been cooking meth in. Now, Jethro is heavy into researching our family pool ... whoops, I mean family tree so he asked me, as a finders fee, to send him a picture for his family collection. I obliged (pic below), got the address and, as far as payment, all I had to do was find Cousin Jethros youngest son another vehicle he could "cook" in ... I ended up trading a gun, two goats, a pair of women's underwear (mine actually, I find them comfy) and a propane tank for a hearse. I then swapped the hearse for the Willy's ...
the end.

 

Haha ok.. I'll tell you the real story. The owner told me he had been planning on eventually passing the Willys on down to his grandson, but that he had no interest in cars. He said all his grandson seemed to be interested in was playing his video games. Kinda sad, but also typical with a large number of young people these days. So he decided to sell the car and he put in the local classified exchange newspaper. After a month of it being listed in the newspaper, he said he didn't receive a single phone call so he decided to list it on a local online classifieds/bartering website. This site is where I saw it listed for sale, to my surprise. It was listed in the Auto Parts section, with zero photos of the car. It's headline read "Willys Coup 1938 Delux" and it's description simply read "All metal body". I was the first person to drive up to his place (literally on the side of a mountain) and the first one to see it in person. I should also mention that I had made a tentative deal with him over the phone even before seeing it in person. When I walked up his driveway and saw a real deal, unmolested '40 Willys coupe sitting there, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was surreal. It had just been dragged out of its nearly 40 year hibernation in the little shed positioned directly behind it.. He began to get visibly emotional as he told me the story of how he'd originally found it, and then as he continued to talk with me, it seemed that it was all really beginning to hit him. He was finally letting it go. A car that had been very special to him and a part of his life, when he was a 17 year old young man. Part of his story, and now he was letting it become part of someone else's story. It was a big deal and I could feel that. After a bit more talking, I extended my hand and we sealed the deal with a handshake. The rest is history.

 

Cool story! Just PLEASE don't tell us you paid $500.00 for it! Lol!!! You were definitely in the right place at the right time!!!

 

SEE!!!!!!!!........this just proves you're from Aler-Bammer !!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ride BTW (OP)
6sally6

 

Clearly it was meant to be. Congratulations!

 

I'm suddenly thirsty for a Munn's root beer...

 

Maybe if he had fixed it up, and taken him for rides, his grandson would have been more interested in cars. A nice running and driving hot rod would then have been a gift. That kid looked on that as a burden not a gift. Good lesson to be had here. Fix 'em up, show them off, take kids for rides. I could not imagine dragging a shell around all those years and never doing anything with it. Our time here is short stop wasting days and get building. Hope to see this one tearing up the streets and not resting in a shed.

 

This is such a great story, it gives hope that there's still gold out there! You obviously have the skills and gumption to get this thing done, so get after it! Do you have an engine plan?

 

A vintage Hemi in a Willys is like peanut butter and jelly, so that's the direction I'm leaning towards at the moment.. a 427 side-oiler would be pretty bad as well, just a whole lotta $$$.

 

That is an amazing find (as you are well aware ).

Save yourself some money and do NOT buy any lottery tickets ever again ... you sir have just spent your lifetime allocation of luck

 

Dude, that's awesome!

I feel the same way about the Willy Coupe.... made of unobtainium...

 

Ugh ... boring

Put it on a VW pan then install a flathead, upside down, in the front. Be creative, this is your one chance to make a real impression

 

Next best.........'41 Stude Coupe. Have one so I'm bias.

 

Previous owner proves that even a Project Car can be loved and enjoyed.

Judging from the Falcon, it's in the right hands.

 

Hello,

Nice find of a 40 Willys Coupe. Your smile says it all. The 40 was the first year of the dual grille and perhaps that is why we liked it when we saw ours sitting in a neighborhood back yard in a overgrown tall grass area next to a garage. Actually, in the same neighborhood a few years later, our friend Atts Ono also found his 1940 split grill coupe.

Since our neighborhood back then had large yards, most of those cars were not stored for long. They were used as daily drivers until some reason or another popped up. A larger family or newer model of car from a dealer showroom, etc. could have been a reason to stop using the coupe. The houses were in an old tract, not a huge empty field or barn.

Our Willys Coupe was in fairly good condition as the body and fenders/hood were all in pristine shape. Even the chrome was covered with a huge canvas tarp and we did not have to do anything except use some chrome polish to get it like new. The first thing we did was take every chrome piece off and spray paint the whole body with red primer.

Jnaki

Our liking of the split grille was good. The business factories started making fiberglass front ends and the single grille of the 41 version was easier to mold and manufacture. So, most of the later versions of light weight molded front ends were 41 models. We liked our 40 dual grille version.

Over the years, we started liking unusual grill set ups and the 39 version with the headlights sticking out and the odd grille was very unusual. So, in recent times, in order to satisfy my curiosity of what a 39-40 Willys pickup trucks would look like if we went that route was created and drawn to the best drawing I could muster.

We had the motor and one complete 40 Willys Coupe build under our skill set. So, the next Willys truck project would not be as complex. It would just have more safety aspects built in and still be competitive.

The 39 front end would have given us a different look and approach to custom hot rod pickup building.
January 2022 Friday Art
Spring Break Friday Art thread, a 40 Willys truck with a 39 nose, grille, fenders and hood with the huge Chocolate Easter Egg contraption being towed to a week long party… for our granddaughter and her friends.

July 2022 4th of July Art

 

Wow, cool car, amazing story. Well done. Hope this continues into a build thread!

 

Congrats, hope to see pics of it coming together! One of my favorite cars!

 

Congratulations on being in the right place at the right time. I’m subscribed and looking forward to seeing this Coupe get back on the road. Based on your Falcon it is in capable hands.

 

Wow, what a find. Perfect for a nice Hemi. Congratulations.

 

This one seems priced fair

 

Congratulations

 

I agree 110%

 

I have been away from home on the other side of the state of Washington at the annual Estranged Drags when I learned that a major wildfire was growing and was fast approaching my home and family. My wife and kids hurriedly began packing up the car with a few special irreplaceable items as a new wild-fire cropped up directly across the creek from where we live at. It was time to GO so they evacuated. My friend asked me if he could come over and help in any way as he knew I was still traveling back home, and at least 6 hours away. I told him if he could grab my truck then that would be great. I mentioned that I wished he could save my Willys too but I understood if he couldn't, as I was currently pulling
my trailer back with me. After what seemed to be quite a while he messaged me back and said it was safe and sound. My wife then sent me the following photos. I'm grateful that my family is safe and sound and also very thankful for my gear-head buddy that knew what I had and was willing to do what was needed to save it for me. Thanks again, Nick!

 

Good friends are the best. I hope everything works out for you. These fires are incredible.

 

These wildfires just break my heart!
As long as freinds and family are safe life is good.
You have a Willys coupe........life is great.
Hug your local and traveling firefighters.