Steel 41 willys coupe VS steel 32 5 window

This is one trade that should have already happened...................

 

If you have another driver I'd trade, but if you restore that willys back to like it was you won't be taking any cross country trips in it.

 

Which 3 window are you referring too? LOL

 

Trade trade trade

 

If the money is the deal,
How much work does the Willys need?
How much work does the 32 need?

Subtract the difference.

If it's which car do you like better, that's your call isn't it?

Personal opinion-I love gassers, but they're race cars. For the street, I'd go for the 32.
Larry T

 

The Willys is so Cool... I dont have a Ford Coupe, I dont have a Willys Coupe.. the Fun would be building the Willys back to its Gasser appeal.. alot involved but a worth while venture..

 

Thats the Holy Grail to any Hot Rodder....

I bet Milner would do it too

 

TRADE! Put the Willys on the street as a gasser!

 

Keep the 5 window. A deuce 5 window is better than a willys, I always thought the gassers were over rated and can not see the attraction to them.

I'm the right age, when I was growing up the gassers were the hot setup on the track and the street, it just never seemed right to me.

 

id say keep the coupe. Its freekin beautiful.

And hey! I build that best mill trophy!

 

something to think about. Since this car is loaded with history, you will never really OWN IT. You'll just be the caretaker of somebody elses car. You'll be restoring it to someone elses specs, as opposed to your own. You'll have spent all the money, spilled all the blood and burned the midnight oil just to hear "Hey look, that's the old so and so car."
If you're the type that likes to create rather than re-create, I'd think about it.

 

Willys Gasser!

 

Willys for sure! Absolute no brainer.

 

I have owned several Willys coupes and they can be absolute frightmare's, pigs to drive and uncomfortable as hell with zero three quarter or sideways vision. The problem is that most of them have had the firewall hacked back to the back edge of the hood. This means everything has to be set back accordingly, including the driver and the rear parcel shelf has to be removed so that you are almost jammed against the rear window. Like this they are not going to travel too far without major masochism, cramps, stretch stops etc.

With careful planning it is possible to build a comfortable cross country driver with adequate leg room for someone of 6ft 2ins, with decent if not spectacular sideways vision and retain the parcel shelf - all of this only if you do not recess the stock firewall. You will have to use a crossflow radiator, but it is actually possible to get a decent size engine in there - early hemi included. it is all down to measuring and planning very carefully. I say this because I am in the process of going through all of this on my '40 coupe - the recessed firewall has been reinstated to near stock, the engine/trans has been relocated 4 inches further forward and the cabin is now spacious, comfortable and visibility is good all of this relatively speaking. But then again, I am re-building it as a resto rod, organically and visually close to it's original factory appearance with a few visual hot rod concessions.

I guess your call has to be based on what you want the car to be and how much and how far you want to drive it/how much discomfort you are prepared to suffer.

A steel Willys has undeniable cachet and should be a rock solid investment. Just about any sheet metal parts you want are available - check out www.rolandsrodshop.com - the build pictures are amazing and Troy Thompson is a super nice guy as well as a master craftsman.

Good luck whichever way you choose to go.....

 

From the looks of the pictures the guy has already got a fine collection of '32's. If he is willing to trade for another '32 what does that tell you about the desirability of your car. To some the Willys is the Holy Grail.....................others it's a '32...............pick YOUR poison.

Frank

 

You may regret getting rid of the 32, but would you regret not owning the Willys, more?

You can always sell the Willys and get another 32 if you still want a 32.

$0.02

 

willys, then sell it, then get a 32 coupe and have spare change

 

Put fenders and hood on the 5 window and keep it...

 

As sweet as that deuce is, I would have to go for the Willys.

 

We really need more info on what YOU want.
Economics aside... do you want to tackle another project or do you want to cruise?

If it were me, I'd trade.

 

If you want to put the car back like it was, I hope you can either do most of the work your self, or you have an extra $60-90K laying around. Even if there's no rust, Willys are notorious for door alignment and panel fit issues. You're going to need a new firewall, which isn't that big a deal, but seeing it cut like that with no bracing, I'd bet the doors are sagging, and you could be looking at countless hours of tweaking, bracing, etc... to get everything to fit right. Additionally, does it have the original body mounts and is it still mounted to the frame? Getting everything square could be a real challenge. Someone mentioned that the car may have been heading the pro-street direction. That could also take a lot of time and money to undo. I guess the main point I'm trying to drive home here is you have a cool running, driving hot rod, and if you trade you're in for a long term project that may take years to get on the road. If you're ready to make that commitment, then go for it. If you'd rather drive than build (and spend), then keep the 32-5w.

Oh, did I mention Willys gassers are bad ass!

 

Man thats a hard choice....I love them both...it would depend on what you really really want. I would lean toward the Willys....you just don't see them with that history and that complete.

 

Put aside the history aspect and determine what you will do with and how much you can afford to spend on the Willys. I am in total agreement with Weasel, having driven a Willys gasser in the '60s. In regards to comfort and visibility they are both compromised. It is certainly a hard decision to make but take into consideration all the time and expense to put the Willys back on the strip or street.

 

While I think a Willys coupe is kool, I kept thinking on the lines of what weasel was saying. Is it a value gig or is it more aesthetic? Value? Why do nasty looking Deuce 5W bodies bring so much dough? Sometimes it seems that a body is worth more than a whole car. Did that situation subside? Also, like was said already, why does the Willys guy want your car? You "live" in the car when it's done. I couldn't see living in an historic drag car like I could a Deuce 5W. Money aside, Ford for all the right reasons. Money the issue? The restoration will "tax" more than your wallet. Hey, you asked.

 

Willys

 

If your looking for the most value, than the Willys might be the best deal, but you will have a lot of work to do and your 32 is no longer, It's gone forever, original steel 32's are really getting hard to find, and so is the Willys, so my question is do you want to represent street rodding or drag racing ? No one is reproducing the Willys in steel like the 32, but I love my 32 Roadster and I would not trade it for a Willys, especially one I would have to do a lot of work on to get it back on the street, let someone put that Willys in a museum where it belongs. tit for tat John

 

Another vote for the Willys here.

 

either way you cant loose,

the 32 if traded would be easier replaced than finding a willys to build, dont get me wrong, i love 32 five windows, i have two, if i came across an affordable steel willys id be all over it, but that aint gonna happen, there are still reasonably priced 32s out there.

go for it!

JEFF

 

I had a really nice 5 window. I sold it to pay for more garage space. If I was lucky enough to find or have a steel willys, I would never part with it. If you do this trade, you gotta restore it to what it once was too...

 

Another reason to keep the 32.
Larry T