Hot Rods The Ultimate Willys Gasser Thread

From Bristol, Connecticut.

 

Hello,

My brother and I were always limited as to what we could spend on our 40 Willys Coupe build. The hard earned money was designated for a specific speed part and there was no options for anything else. Until another batch of money appeared for the next item on our list. So goes the life and times of the majority of backyard hot rod guys/girls into the builds and drag racing scene.

But, as in all parts of society, there are some people with deep pockets and then some. So, during the 1964 racing season, the Candy Apple Red Willys Coupe with a finish like it belonged in a car show display rolled into Lion’s Dragstrip for a challenge against the top Gas Coupes/Sedans from all over So Cal.
Lion's Pits...1964

Jnaki

“Without question, one of the very best known A/Gas Supercharged entries in the country was the Kandy Apple Red Willys of Mazmanian with driver "Bones" Balough behind the wheel. It was as much a show car as a racecar with brilliant crimson paint complementing the polished wheels, blower and injector scoop, with immaculate detailing throughout. So exceptional was Mazmanian's workmanship that the Willys was the subject of uncountable pictorial spreads in literally every major hot rodding periodical in America.”

“Toymaker Revell offered a scale model of Mazmanian's legendary coupe and it may have been the most widely-built kit in Revell's lineup for years. Although Mazmanian fielded a string of other equally fastidiously prepared automobiles throughout his career, his Willys is clearly the car he will always be most closely associated with.”

“Mazmanian's Willys was also a winner on the track and its drag racing victories delighted gasser fans who turned out in big numbers whenever an event schedule called for the appearance of those fat-fendered, muscle-bound hard cases. You could always count on a great show.”
vs. K. S. Pittman in 1964
What a great show it was in 1964 at Lion’s Dragstrip...

 

My favorite !

 

Junior Thompson trying to get up off the creaper. ^

 

That's the cover that ruined me for life.

 

Hello,

I am in the same boat. After spending months of our first hot rod build on our own 1940 Willys Coupe, Atts Ono was also one of the contributors to our build. He helped when we were tossing around ideas and ways to finish the job at hand. Our mom liked it when he came over to our house and instantly rushed out with trays full of great food and drinks. He just was one friendly guy with a great smile and tons of skills.

He was a master mechanic and machinist, as well as a wonderful point guard in basketball. His handling/shooting skills were top notch. But, his heart was into hot rods and drag racing. Our mom did not like her two sons building such a car that made tons of noise. Since the two brothers were working together on a project, all was good. When Atts Ono came over to help out, she was all over the idea of drag racing and hot rods as a great thing for the teenagers to work on and have fun.

He was on our "race team" and every time we were running our Willys Coupe with the 283 SBC + Strombergs, he was there to help out in the pits and doing mechanical stuff. Then, during our rebuild of the 283 up to a 292 blower spec motor with the addition of a new Isky Gilmer 671 blower kit, he was right there helping out as much as he could. With his skill and knowledge, we considered him our encyclopedia of drag racing and pit crew boss. Ha!

Jnaki

Here is a post about what we went through during our teenage years knowing Atts Ono and his wonderful contribution to drag racing and for our great friendship along the way.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/american-livery.1266578/page-4#post-14528994

Note: He was the point guard and I was the center on our amateur basketball team. He got notoriety from the local high school basketball coaches for his playmaking skills, but stayed with hot rods and drag racing as his first choice. His one and only build speaks for itself. His contribution to drag racing, hot rods and especially friendship throughout the years? Timeless and despite being gone, will live on in So Cal history.
1964