what is a willys gasser really worth?

Hmmmm, this sounds like a good offer.

 

Roddinron, that is hilarious..

... The american pig-dog


BTW, Kiwi, sounds like you may be a bit of a guru on these willys..a lot of others who posted on here have some good points. I guess when I started the thread I was most curious about if you found a gasser with some history..maybe not a lot, and the car was together, but was older and cruder like they used to make them, how much they would be worth..most seem to agree it is what you want to pay or just what the seller commands. The old together cars that have not been molested don't seem to show up very often. I look through the net at all the old pictures and there were a lot of gassers..wonder where they all went..are they gone and wrecked, or do guys really just have them laying around not really wanting to part with them? It is hard to tell from the pics, and quite honestly in 1960 I was building model cars, not going to the races and studying engine bays and undercarraiges to see the construction quality of these things...the ones I do see at the tracks nowadays don't seem hateful, maybe redone some for safety, but just how were all these made like back in the days?..it is probably like today I suppose that some built a nice quality car and others blew one together with baling wire and took their life in their own hands racing down the track at 120mph. they didn't have all the stuff you can buy today back then and I know a lot was experimented with and handmade..just how many mostly untouched together race gassers with any kind of history, even a small amount have you fellas seen in the last few years for sale?

 

Amocat owns the GM Auto sales 41 Willys from up here in the Seattle area. It is about 60 percent finished. It is a total nut and bold period correct restoration of what it looked like after it came back from Indy in 65. It was a national record holder in B gas and runner up at Indy. This car was mostly there when we bought it. We were very lucky that a friend of ours that first found the car did a ton of research and saved us a lot of time (mainly original photos). We hope to be finished with it by this time next year. It will go up forsale shortly after that. that should give us a good Idea of what the market is. I would like to think it could pull around 125k or more because of its history. We will see.
Steve Glucoft
Amocat Speed Emporium

 

I own a steel 40 coupe and a steel 33 coupe.

Like most, I'm very opinionated about these cars.

I tried to track the "value" of steel cars and parts up until a couple years ago when I just became completely disenchanted. I very rarely search ebay for Willys anything because the prices are crazy, especially for parts.

Luckily I have what I need to build my cars the way I want to.

There is a lot of pure profiteering going on in the Willys world, where guys will just buy cars or parts just to resell since they've seen some big $$ sales in the past. I'm not critizing anyone, since I profited from parts in the past, but it makes it difficult to get a decent price on anything.

I really feel values have dropped considerably in the last few years, but most Willys owners can afford to hold on to their cars and will not give them away. That's why you see 40K cars for sale for months and months at 95K.

Your title says "Willys gasser". To me, that's why Willys are so popular.... the 1960's gasser wars were dominated by 37-41 Willys.

Both of my cars will have vintage mechanical injection, real magnenesium wheels, M&H slicks, fiberglass fenders and deck lid, hacked off cowl, large radius fenders. No radials, no carbs, no AC. They will not be very street friendly, but that's OK with me. I'm not a street rodder and I can't compromise on certain things.

I've seen a lot of Willys gassers and probably my favorite based on how it's built is the fiberglass Swindler clone built by Dennis Taylor. Most glass cars, I wont give a second look, but this car is about perfect save for the glass body. At the time, he just couldn't find a steel body.

 

Hey Shakey Jim, how have you been?

 

Shakey, you are right about the buy and resell thing. I have seem maybe 4 coupes in the last 8 months or so sold after a while and the next week or two there they are again, on e-bay, craigslist, racing junk..whatever, there they are for maybe 15-20k over what they just paid..or at least what the last guy was asking..maybe they paid less, I don't know. e-bay is fine for these guys to sell on, but it sure prices everything out of sight..these people sometimes bid stupid money on things, then the next guy wants that too..I see coupes for sale on there then never see them again and the auctions aren't won, so maybe they make an outside deal with whoever bid. Ironbuyer, I can see you wanting a pretty good price for your coupe doing what you are with it, history, a painstaking nut and bolt resto (which most have no idea how much that costs these days)..but I see old crude cars for sale in the 50-90k range..even with a little history that just seems to much money..again, depends on the car I suppose and the amount of history that go with it..a fella told me once.."they all have racing history..even the stock ones!"
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I see guys asking 75 plus for glass cars. I around here a guy has a outlaw body w/ a hemi, 80K price tag. I guess for that money I would like a steel one with a racing pedigree.

 

Hi Dave! Hanging in there. How close is your car to being done??

 

Its real close, took a year off last year with family and health issues but back at it hard right now.

 

Well lets put it this way , If you have to ask , then you can't afford one !

RetroJim

 

Kiwi Kev yep that's the updated 1970's version of my Willys gasser and that's Big John Stanton standing beside it the owner at the time. we are putting it back to the 1960's version Gill Guggisberg gave me permission to paint it like he had it with the family logo and business name on it.

 

Awesome news! Here is the earlier version.I love the panel paint job. This car is one of the reasons my car will one day get a panel paint job. I sure am glad you are restoring it back to this version! As for what they are worth I would say any steel coupe roller in any condition for under $20,000 is a good deal. After that is any bodies guess. It does seem like the prices have dropped in the last year or so. Many surviving gassers were pro streeted over the last twenty years. Makes any survivors that turn up pretty valuable.

 

Eh, not true. I got a 53 Willys in my driveway.

 

I've owned my 33 Willys coupe for over 32 years. I had first seen this car in our local newspaper and knew I had to have it someday. A few years passed and it came up for sale shortly after it was rolled at Kil-Kare dragstrip in 1972 and it sat dust covered in an old garage.

The car does have what they call a paper trail or a pedigree. It's been featured in Hi-performance Cars Mag, Sox & Martins History of Drag Racing ,Car Craft & Hot Rod Pictorial and most recently in Gasser Wars Magazine.

The car was raced up and down the east coast and pictures taken at the Gatornational in the 70's were featured in Sox & Martins History of Racing. Just recently I found a CD that had a vidio clip of the car being towed through the pits at the Gators back in the day.

The car ran a 337 Hilborn injected sbc chevy and muncie 4 speed. The chrome 57 olds rear was held by chrome leaf springs. The chrome front axle had chrome springs and hurst airheart brakes. It had a chrome roll cage, bellhousing, cross members and windshield and window frames.
The car ran different gas classes and was entered into the ISCA shows in the 70s. Won first place Comp and Hurst plaque at Baltimore car show.

This car is an all steel rumble seat coupe with stock steel grill. I only had the car done a couple of years but people come up to us ALL the time and ask if its for sale. You would be surprised what some people are willing to pay for the right car. If I was to go out now and try to buy and build a Willys like my car again I couldn't do it, as its taken me 30 years.

One of if not THE most famous Gassers is the Stone Woods & Cook Car that was redone by my good friend Joe Trillo (left in the photo)and it belongs to Mike Wales(in the middle), I'm standing to the right. He has had that car just as long as us and has now been offered close to 7 digits for his coupe.
Enclosed are shots of the Wynn's Spit Fire 33 from 1971.

 

I've owned my 33 Willys coupe for over 32 years. I had first seen this car in our local newspaper and knew I had to have it someday. A few years passed and it came up for sale shortly after it was rolled at Kil-Kare dragstrip in 1972 and it sat dust covered in an old garage.

The car does have what they call a paper trail or a pedigree. It's been featured in Hi-performance Cars Mag, Sox & Martins History of Drag Racing ,Car Craft & Hot Rod Pictorial and most recently in Gasser Wars Magazine.

The car was raced up and down the east coast and pictures taken at the Gatornational in the 70's were featured in Sox & Martins History of Racing. Just recently I found a CD that had a vidio clip of the car being towed through the pits at the Gators back in the day.

The car ran a 337 Hilborn injected sbc chevy and muncie 4 speed. The chrome 57 olds rear was held by chrome leaf springs. The chrome front axle had chrome springs and hurst airheart brakes. It had a chrome roll cage, bellhousing, cross members and windshield and window frames.
The car ran different gas classes and was entered into the ISCA shows in the 70s. Won first place Comp and Hurst plaque at Baltimore car show.

This car is an all steel rumble seat coupe with stock steel grill. I only had the car done a couple of years but people come up to us ALL the time and ask if its for sale. You would be surprised what some people are willing to pay for the right car. If I was to go out now and try to buy and build a Willys like my car again I couldn't do it, as its taken me 30 years.

One of if not THE most famous Gassers is the Stone Woods & Cook Car that was redone by my good friend Joe Trillo (left in the photo)and it belongs to Mike Wales(in the middle), I'm standing to the right. He has had that car just as long as us and has now been offered close to 7 digits for his coupe.
Enclosed are shots of the Wynn's Spit Fire 33 from 1971.

 

Sorry for the 2nd post, I sent the first one I did'nt know if the pictures were attached.

 

I seen your 33 at the Cincinnati car show and it a beautiful car, I believe the SWC Willys has had some serious offers. Its got to be the most valuable Willys gasser out there. Thanks for posting the pictures.

 

All 3 cars are steel cars. 33 has a glass nose, blown 355,original chassis, 41 steel gray glass nose and doors,sbc , Aqua car is all steel 354 blown hemi. original chassis

 

benje2714 you are a Willys hog! Very nice.

 

That is on topic.

They sell for a whole more than they are worth most of the time. But in the last year or so I saw a 39 builder/project go for about 5K. It was mostly solid stock by appearance.

I personally think that is too high for a project car. but if its a gotta have it it'l cost you as much as it costs I guess.

 

Thanks for the compliment. We were coming back from that Cinni show with all the show stuff with the car in the trailer and we hit a show storm. Just about the Pa. line near Pittsburg I lost control on some black ice and put the trailer into the guardrails. It did'nt damage the Willys but it sure changed my plans for the rest of the year.

We will be going to more shows in the summer when its warm. I plan on Boiling green and Indy this year and maybe the Gasser reunion if we have time. I was planning on meeting up with Pork Zartman, but he is not doing to well right now with his cancer treatments. If you are at either of these shows look us up.

 

benji2714..wow, nice cars. I have seen your aqua one in person before at lobecks..maybe solon? been awhile. That gray one would be right up my alley..keep me in mind if you tire of that one!!..I live close to you here..I see a 38 chevy rear? are you the fella with the 38 chev gasser for sale? If so that looks pretty nice too..
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That is one great looking Willys!

 

benji thanks for the pics...and damn man. That is one serious stable right there.

 

I'd say $45,326. Sounds about right.

 

cruizzin Yes thats my 38, its real clean.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com:80/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140395082564&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

Did ya ever here at a car show or swapmeet and hear. " I know a guy with a garage full of Willys." Well there not all mine. But its fun to look at everyday.

 

pig!

 

Benji..awesome pic!..the 38 doesn't get to join in? Thanks to the rest of you fellas sending in your pics too!..any willys pic is a good pic..as long as we are all talking about these old gassers.let me ask another question. If one should find an old racecar that is still in it's "patina"..is it more valuable to leave it in that state or is it like a piece of old fine furniture that once you screw with the finish the value lowers..I see quite a few cars "restored" to their former glory. I like them either way, but just something about the old non restored look is really captivating..people seem to like that old nostalgia look these days.
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