Here's whats left of mine....came from an abandoned salvage yard, had about 250lbs of asphalt and rocks in it (kids took care of the glass) Still has a complete engine that turns over.
Phil, 1953 Aero Falcon 4 door. Aeros are not really common to begin with, but look up Florida Four Wheel Drive just outside of Tampa. The owner there knows TONS about Willys and he's one of the nicest guys ever. He's not on the web, so you'll have to do an online yellow pages thing. You can P.M. me and I'll dig up his card. I was just down to his shop in April getting parts for mine. He has a 52 Lark in the back of his shop that's pretty well picked over. My Aero is getting a engine transplant this month, hope to have it at Back to the 50's in June. good luck!
My uncle bought one new in 1953, Aero Ace 2 door. My father bought it from him in 1957. I learned to drive in it about 1966. My younger brother has the car now. There is a 1954 hardtop in town that has the stock floor pan in it yet. It is on a GM G body chassis, 350/th350 Chevy. Minnimal trimming to fit it onto the frame.
as a side note... I believe they made this car in Brasil, in the mid to late 1960's There is a car named "Aero Willys" in several of my old car mags from Brasil It looks VERY similar, with minor changes thru the years to front grille/fenders I will scan some pics and post tomorrow.
from what i read on the net the cars were made here in the u.s for 2 years then all tooling went to brazil they made 7000 cars in those 2 years . here is my 53 ace.. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374403
64wildcat: The other one I saw was (I think) in a front yard in Wainuiomata (sp) it was pink and white, I think.
Can any of you Willy's Aero guys post a close up photo of the gauges, please. I have a set in my 28 that I think is from an Aero
Aeros were sold '52-'55 in the US and tooling went to Brazil and lasted to 1964. The motor itself, the F-head six, actually lasted into the Ford takeover of Willys de Brazil to power some Mavericks in the early '70s. Cluster is probably Aero, just a different year than pictured above, it reminds me of the one in my '53.
This will take you to a web site that has some pictures and a newspaper artical about the car that has a GM G running gear under it. http://www.willysonline.com/aeropages/54aeroeagleMD.html
I figure I'd revive my old thread from the dead. This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when I decided to go for a joy ride down to a near by lake. Unless the most recent caller on my Willys decides to buy it I think I am going to start fixing it up again. I have a SB S-15 frame that has the right wheel base and the track width is within a couple of inches. I wish that Willys wouldn't have went all modern with the Uni-body design, if this thing had a frame I have a feeling I would be farther ahead in fixing it up. I found this picture on Webshots. It looks suspiciously like my car. In fact I would be willing to put money on it. I plan on investigating further. So does anyone else have any more pictures of Aeros they would like to share?
Still just own a Falcon, but I would really love to see a detailed tech post on the S10 chassis swap. -Dave
Sold the S-15. The rear kick up is pretty nasty on those things. The track width is somewhat narrower on the S-15. I believe it is 54 inches front and rear. The Willys front track width is 59 inches. I've been debating on maybe swapping in Jag IFS. The track width is only an inch narrower. I did a little welding on the Aero last Saturday. With all the rain it has been hard for me to get anything done I found a picture of another Willys Aero on the net. I really like the color.
Mine with it's weak floor and seeing the suspension exposed made me wonder if it would be worth the trouble to cut a Fox-platform Mustang or T-bird down to the pans and inner front structure and drop the Willys body over that, like a model car body shell. You'd have to play some games to get the wheelbase right, but they have similar front suspension designs. I've driven a couple of 6-cyl EFI T-birds and they were pleasant enough both handling and power-wise to keep me happy.
I've thought about that but I think it would be easier to put the body on a different frame or beef up the chassis and use a Mustang II kit/Jag IFS.
For what it's worth there is a nailhead powered one on craigslist L.A. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/2069912213.html Looks like a good deal P.S. not mine I just saw it
I have heard of putting Corvair on an '80s GM G-body pan and chassis, so that may be another place to look. -Dave
Looks like I found the right forum. My Dad has been looking to sell his: 55 Willys Aero 4dr (I think it is an Ace based off of the options) "Super Hurricane" 6cyl 3 on the tree He has owned it since the late 60's. It has been sitting in a garage since the early 80's and was running at the time. Has zero rust and a straight body. How much would be a good asking price? I am having a hard time finding good info for him since it is kind of a rare car.
The parts and rust issues with these cars are the reason I bought a Falcon instead. Very cool, though. I love the stance. -Dave
I understand the front suspension has threaded trunnions like my Morris Minor. I wonder if they also pull out if the suspension gets neglected for long enough.
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