Need old Willys Gasser history

Hello fellow Gasser fans, I need your help. The old A-Gas 1940 Willys coupe known as the "Sidewinder" (not to be confused with Don Garlits' Swamp Rat of the same name) that raced in the southeast in the 1960s has found a new home at Goose Island Racing in Idaho. What I have found out so far, and none of this has yet been confirmed, is that the car ran a 426 Dodge Hemi and was campaigned by one Earnest Marcum. I've been told that there may have been 4 Marcum brothers that raced various drag classes in the southeast and this is one of the cars (not sure about all of this yet). So, if anyone has information for this car, or a contact with the Marcum family, I would appreciate any thing you can pass along.

The plans are to put the car back exactly as it ran in the 1960s, paint scheme and all. It is crudely built but had some good ideas such as the extended wheel base. The straight front axle was moved forward on the springs and the fiberglass nose was bobbed to make the tire and wheel look centered. The car is all steel from the recessed firewall back. Some of the gauges are still in the car as well as the fabricated steering column support.

Any and all information on this old Gasser is appreciated.

Cheers for now.

 

I have no info for you, but that is a pretty neat looking car! Good luck with the build and post some pics of the old know-how.

 

Thanks, I will be posting the build on the HAMB.

 

Cool! Thanks!

 

Sweet Willys find !

 

Thanks,,,it has a ton of potential!

 

I love it! Can't wait to see your build pics....

 

Interesting old willys, but it was not a gasser. This car would have had to run in Altered Class because of its wheelbase. In gas classes the rules say that the cars must retain stock wheelbase length with a minimum of 92 inches. Also all gassers must run headlights and full interiors and appear to be street legal.

 

I see on the side close to the window "A/G". This would be the Altered Gas Class. My 2 cents.

 

I thought it pertained to engine displacement vs vehicle weight.

 

Dave's correct on the modified wheelbase rule in the NHRA, BUT there were plenty of small tracks in out of the way areas that didn't hold fast to every rule NHRA used.
A Willys with a 426 in Goose Island Idaho was probably A/Gasser.
BTW...never heard of Altered Gas Class.

 

Altered class would say A/A, B/A or C/A etc. The A, B, C, or D pertains to the cubic inch to weight of the vehicle. If it were a double A or B that means supercharged, examples AA/A or BB/A. This coupe does say A/G on the side which does mean A Gas but it could not have ever run in competition at a sanctioned track. I have seen cars built and painted and never raced in competition. Bottom line is that this coupe as it sits could have never run any sanction tracks in eliminations with those class markings.

 

One more thing, I love all Willys and if I had the car I would change the wheelbase back to stock, replace the nose and go from there, Its a killer coupe but its lost between two worlds right now. Put it back as a gasser.......my .02

 

I agree, I know it's your car and you want to keep it as it was, but the stock wheelbase just looks better, and those clipped fenders, well, I think stock wheel openings would look better....but anyway you do it, thanks for bringing it back alive.

 

Hi, b/gas, this is your lucky day, sort of, I am owner of a dragstrip in Mississippi, I have a 33 willys that I am looking for parts if you know of any original wheels, hubcaps, etc, I need help. When I was a kid Mr Marcum raced that car against
my dad Carlton Franks and his Willys coupe. Your car had hilborn injected 426 hemi
and ran on nitro, don't know what percent. It was then painted solid gold and had a torqflite trans, It was not called the Sidewinder, but I will find out the original name
and get back with you , as I have an original pic of the car from the 60's. I will have to do some searching, but I will get back to you. By the way Mr Marcum passed away a few years ago, but his son Dennis, presently owns a machine shop in Winfield, Al. So for all this info and future help, please help me with my project.
Mike Franks
Fulton Dragway
Fulton, Ms.

 

by the way in the south in the 60's a/g was a/g, NHRA was a bunch of crap then just as it is today.

mike

 

Holy crap! Thanks a ton Mike and thanks to everyone for putting in their 2 cents. I agree with Mike. This car was running in the southeast during a time that drag racing rules were just being formed.

This car will go back EXACTLY as it was raced in the 60s. BTW Mike, the solid gold makes sense as the steering wheel is a vintage correct gold metal flake. It also appears that the name "Sidewinder" was added to the white stripe on the side so it also makes sense that the car was called something else when it was racing in the solid gold color. There also appears to have been a racing stripe down the middle of the car at one time that ran across the hood and the top and presumably down the trunk lid. I'm anxious to learn everything I can about this car and anxious to get copies of any pictures that you have.

I'll help you as much as I can. I have a steel 1933 Delivery. I know, I know, Weasel says there never were any made in 1933 by Willys. Maybe he is correct, maybe not. The Delivery I have was made from 2 separate 1935-36 Deliveries and I switched out the cowl and dash for a true 33 piece. It is, after allis said and done, going to be a Gasser some day. I do know where some 33 parts are that may be purchased.

Mike, I can't thank you enough for this information. This old Gasser coupe will be saved and put back to its original setup, paint scheme, 426 Hemi, and all.

Thanks a ton! Send me a PM and I'll give you my phone number and contact information.

Holy Crap!!

 

Time for the Weasel to chime in. The Weasel said he has yet to find any firm evidence that a 1933 Panel Delivery was ever made - or a 1934 for that matter. The Weasel has a genuine 1935 delivery - one of a purported 88, which has the crank out windshield and dash just like all the US built 1933-35 Willys Model 77s. It has a fiberglass one piece '33 style flip front.

Question is can you trust a Weasel?

 

Cool, so there are a couple Deliveries waiting to be made into Gassers. And we already had this debate on another thread where I produced published evidence on the production numbers. Maybe it is good information, maybe not. That debate is not the purpose of this thread.

Now back to the purpose of this thread, there is a Gasser Coupe from the 60s getting ready to be restored to its heyday in the southeast strip wars!

Thanks again Mike for the information so far and I look forward to many exchanges with you and the Marcum family. I'll post any photos that I receive of this car racing in the 60s and the restoration photos as well.

Thanks everyone for chiming in! These are exciting times in the world of Willys Gassers! If you haven't been to one of the Gasser Reunions in Ohio, go! I've been to 4 of them and they are, sorry for the intentional pun, a GAS!!!!!!

 

Injected 426 on nitro???? Awesome.

 

I may be getting my history blended a little but was your dad the guy that altered the Liberty Motors(Birmingham) Corruptor 64 hemi Dodge and then sold it to Marion Fairchild (the Cyclops) and did the Marcums have a red 65 A990 super stock Dodge( I am pretty sure it was from Winfield or Sulligent) That ended up bulldozed into a pile at Marion's place? Marion Fairchild also had a Willys gasser before the Cyclops I wonder if there is a connection?

 

My dad, built Cyclops originally, w/ blown sbc on alcohol. It was not Corruptor or
Corruptor Pup, owned by father and son, J C and C J South of Birminham, Al. They
raced all over the South with quite a bit of success, I have pics of their car also,
man you guys have gotten me excited. I will look for pics this weekend. I have to get my car, 4 door 40 sedan ready to race tonight. It was Contorno & House gasser from
B'hm , Al. I race it almost every weekend. Hilborn injected 350 Chevy. As you can tell, I like to talk gassers. I welcome anyone to talk about gassers.
Thanks,
Mike

 

Hey Mike, good luck this weekend with your Sedan. Sure am glad you took the time to respond to my original request on the Marcum's Willys Gasser! Can't wait to see the pics you dig out. I've already located a torqflite trans locally and am working a deal to get that. Also have a lead on a 60s era 426 block and crank and am in hot pursuit!

Got on the internet after your post last night and found a Marcums Engines in Winfield, AL and am guessing that is the correct machine shop to contact Dennis. Want to let him know his dad's old Gasser has found a new home and it will be getting the attention it deserves.

Thanks again.

Cheers.

DeWayne "bgaswillys"

 

He Dewayne, I have been looking , but no pic yet. Yes Dennis Marcum is a friend of
mine, and advertises at Fulton Dragway. He is a good guy. Once his dad got older,
he started driving for him. Now he just works at his machine shop. I'm sure you saw his phone #, if not let me know and I will PM it to you. If you wanna see a pic of me
racing my 40 sedan, it was in Bracket Racing USA magazine, October 1997 @ Huntsville , Al.
Mike

 

Whatever you do, don't change it to modern day Willys, put it back the old way. I narrowed mine and wish I would have left it like it was, I can tell you hundreds of old
racing stories from the South, I am 52 and have been going to races my whole life,
now I operate two 1/8 mile strips in Mississippi for over 25 years. Fulton Dragway and
Byhalia Raceway. www.byhaliaraceway.com

Mike

 

better have a truck load of cash!

 

Im glad you found history on your coupe. I cant wait to see the pictures of the car back in the day. I would also like to see the 40 Willys sedan, I cant see enough of them old cars.

 

Hey Dave , been working on your car lately? I don't have a pic of my sedan on this
computer, but click on : www.byhaliaraceway.com and see a pic of my engine in the sedan, I won't get to race it tonight, due to rain, maybe next weekend.

Mike

 

Good news Dewayne, I found one pic of your car, parked at his shop. I also found
a pic of my dad's funnycar,"Cyclops" and one of J C South's "Corruptor's Pup altered
wheel base dart. I don't have a scanner at my house but maybe I can do something
soon.

Mike

 

Awesome Mike! Can't wait to see the pics you find! Sorry to hear that you got rained out on the drags tonight.

The Coupe is going back exactly as it raced, it will not get "modernized". Need to touch bases with Dennis and see what he has for history and pics. Maybe he has a 426 block "under the bench"! Stranger things have happened!

I know where there is a rolling 33-36 chassis with original wheels. It is in the best condition of any I've ever seen and it is for sale. Have a lead on some original hubcaps and will let you know what I find out.

Back to the coupe. Do the pics you found have the name it ran under? You said the Sidewinder was not how you remember it. Just wondering if the pics have a name for the car.

Cheers for now.

DeWayne