Hey everyone... I've been wondering something lately. I know 40/41 Willys were very popular during the gasser wars of the 60s, but they've been around a lot longer than that. Were they used as hot rods back in the late 40s and 50s? I can't seem to recall seeing any from that period in rodding history. If so, what form did they take? What did they look like? Some pics of Willys during that time period would be great if you have any!
Thats a GREAT question. I don't know the answer to it, but I am very interested in finding out the answer. To add to your question (I hope you don't mind): What made those particular cars popular for the gasser wars anyhow? Was it because they were cheap at that point? Lookin for some answers from you cats who are in the know.... JT.
I would guess and say they were smaller and lighter than other cars, like Anglias, Henry Js, Austins, etc
Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember seeing them used as rods before the gasser wars. The Willys was light and short wheelbase for weight transfer compared to say a Ford or Chevy coupe. Later they went to the even lighter and shorter Anglias and Thames. The wild runs these things made kinda made up for them being furrin*****. The first accepted import racers along with the bantam style roadsters.
The first Willys I ever remember in any of the 1950s magazines was george Montgomery's '34. It was featured alongside his '34 Ford. He switched to the Willys for its size and weight. Within a few years you couldn't walk through the pits without tripping over '34 to '41 Willys coupes. Here's a side note -- Willys were always built in my home town, Toledo. I worked there in the 1960s. John north Willys, the founder, always pronounced his family name as "Willis" as in Bruce or "What you say, Willis". Like I said, just a side note.
I don't remember ever seeing a tradition hot rod Willies either back then. But of coarse I can't remember seeing any foreign made vehicle that was popular in the late fifties to early sixties either. I agree, I think the large engine compartment, light weight and good looks made it a popular car during the gasser wars....Cool looking cars in any way they're done, in my opinion.
So it looks like many of you are in the same boat I am... we've simply never seen a 40/41 Willys built as a hot rod back in the 50s. I guess my question, then, is why? Was it the fact that other, lighter weight cars were so plentiful? From the sound of it, an early 50s style 40/41 Willys hot rod may be a cool project, given how rare it was. Hmmm... I really like the flowing lines of that model year, as well as the split rear window. Oh, by the way, I definitely consider a gasser-style Willys to be traditional, if that's the era that your project is trying to resemble.
I don't have much to add because from the little that I know it sounds like everyone pretty much hit the nail on the head about WHY these cars became popular as gassers. I do have some neat pictures of bone stock Willys though. This one was posted a few months back by another HAMBer...
I really don't think Willys of any sort were used as rods to any extent before the Gasser wars of the late fifties and early sixties. Early period rods were based on whatever the owner thought looked good and could be made fast; Willys were very underpowered, crudely suspended econo cars of the day, equivalent in rodding appeal to, say, a Chevette nowadays. Strictly Grandma's clunker. They came into use as streetable early Fords and '55 Chevys or racecars based on them became obsolete--the Gas class had turned into a pure race division and was growing more radical as people twisted the rules harder. As noted above, their light weight, small size, and high CG matched the need perfectly--they were considerably smaller than normal US cars, and the even smaller cars like Anglia were still below the class wheelbase limits. They blew away the last pretence that Gas class was a street class, and then were blown away themselves as rule changes allowed in the even smaller Anglias. At this time, Super Stock/FX cars with factory backing came along and took over the public interest, further moving drag racing away from hot rodding by the introduction of factory money. Gas class then withered because the racers followed the money into the newly popular classes. I don't think Willys emerged as streetable hot rods until Gas class became officially nostalgic well into the "street rod" era.
I think that the reason you didn't see any '40-41 Willys's as hot rods before around 1960 is because fat-fendered cars really weren't all that accepted as rods until that time frame. With the probable exception of '36 and '40 Fords. If you look back at the mags from before that time, there are very few fat-fendered cars of any type done as rods, most were customs. Combine that with the greater availability of much lighter early Fords ('26-'34), and I think you have a large part of why fat-fendered cars were not seen as rods. I've read that rodders were even reluctant to accept anything that wasn't a roadster as a hot rod in the late '40s/ early 50's. My 2 cents.
I would love to see one done as a Westergard-style 40's custom with lowered suspension, wide whites,single bar flippers,black paint, skirts etc etc... I'd use the sleepy-eyed 39 front sheetmetal too. A flathead ford would hafta be under the hood, or maybe a mildly hopped stock "forklift motor"..
You don't see many Chopped top willys but here is a pic of my buddies 41 Orig 60's Gasser with a chopped top. We will be at Atco this weekend for the Nostalgia Drags. Steve
Custom Rodder, March 1959. 292 cid Chevrolet V8, '39 Ford trans. Lemon Yellow. Always wanted to build one like this, lots of gassers out there and way too many pro-streeters!
Even that one is set up to drag race with the big and littles, Plain steel wheels etc. Looks like fenderwell headers dumping behind the front fender. Probably drove it to the airport/track tho. Still not a real street hotrod. Yet not quite a Gasser. But on it's way to becoming one.
You may be right, but the improved brakes (11" Lincolns in back) and the taller rear tires (for reduced gearing and "look") would seem to indicate more than just occasional street use. He put a load into the engine and it implies that there may be more work to come on the appearacne. The Chev mill featured porting, relieving, lightened crank and valvetrain, H&C roller cam, '57 heads, triple 97s and a magneto. A clean little installation, all in all. He ran at Lodi, California and reported 111.25 mph in the quarter.
Ok, sicne we are talking Willys.. When did they begin getting the Tub rear ends like the blue pictured above. I see lots of guys saying that is 60's gasser style just because they are nose high and on a straight axle but I disagree. I do not remember seeing them with that much tire tucked under the car. I remember wide wheel sticking out with radiused wheel wheels or skinner tires.. I do not think the "Pro Street" tub jobs came until the 70's or very early 80's. So did were some of them fully tubbed in the 60's?
The earlist that I've found were in late '50's magazines... they had a engine change ( Chevy,Olds,Cad, etc.) steel wheels, that's about it. As to why they became so popular? WEIGHT They were 700# lighter than a '40 Ford, and a shorter wheelbase, which at that time was HUGE. The tires in that time frame were as hard as a wedding*****, so you but the HP in there, added 200#'s in the form of a rear tube bumper, and you were in business! Here's a picture of mine, done to honor the late '50's-early '60's era street/strip lowbuck Gasser...
I do that for work-But I just dont see any improving on that roofline!I love them stock roof and level/low to the ground or hi in frt as a gasser too!there are no ugly willy's.......
Yes! Now this is the kind of rodding history lesson I was hoping for! Thanks for filling us in on this subject. I've always liked that "bad" look of a Willys.
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