Interesting post...actually all of you are right to some degree. Willys used what ever was left from past production years, and so sometimes strange things showed up in the next model year. I got my first willys in 1960 (a 40 coupe) and have had close to 30 cars since (including 6 coupes). I have also see Abe Suderman, and Ron Ladley's collection at their prime, and there are quirks everywhere...some examples: the MacLander twins '39's had different dashes. The 2 dr. had a dash with the earlier round guages. I have 39 hoods with Overland, and Willys Overland script on them. In addition, I have seen that script in solid castings, and thinly stamped metal, which looked exactly alike. Regarding parts numbers willys listed a separate parts number for the 37-40 pickup frame, but they were identical in every way, except for the brackets that held the pick up box. Some 39's had the beltline tail lights, and some had the round ones. I did have 2 39 2 doors, and they had the skins leaded for the back doors, a separate removable window mechanism, and as a willys factory worker back in the 60's told me, the factory ones had the removable door garnish moulding. Both mine had all that, and I still have a garnish moulding in my shop. I have read these posts for a few years now, and many of you have some good knowledge of the Willys car, but a couple that seem to know their stuff are Weasel, and McCauley, amoung others.
I know,Iknow,its not the real deal,but a great excuse to sneak this fantastic Willys in,as if we needed one.Merv Barnett's "ugly front" 37 Small block chev with a 4 speed
Glad I got you to join in, you have been a member for over three years and this is your first post. Guess I got your attention! I will be sending you a personal message about Willys. Here is another sedan picture for the bump.
I love em like that too,,,,but we see em like that all the time. How many times you see em slammed and Pro-Streeted?????
Does anyone have pictures of the inside "garnish molding" that you speak of? I am planning to make my '37 into a 2-door, and have wondered how to finish off the inside edge where a door seal would normally go. I am also curious how Willys got the rear windows out of the car if they were the same as Sedans, because the only way to get them out as a 4-door is through the bottom slot in the door, is there a slot in the fenderwell on a 2-door car that has 4 windows that roll up and down?! Couple pictures of mine:
Hmm, for some reason I missed page #3 which described these items, so it sounds like the rear windows were not rollable, which both eliminates the need to take the window out from the bottom as well as having any internal structure inside to roll the window up and down in, I will have to fabricate something up to make this work for my car. Gotta love the HAMB! bgaswillys - you asked for slammed and prostreeted?
Dave has it right and to expand a little, the 1937-39 fenders are the same on sedan and coupe for models 37, 38 and model 48 (which is a carryover Model 38 with a few minor differences. The 1939 Overland (sharknose with 102" wheelbase) rear fender is the same as the 1940 Model 440, but NOT the 1941/42 coupe. The wheel opening on the 1939 Overland/1940 Model 440 is much smaller than the earlier Model 37/38/48. The 1941/42 coupe fender opening looks like the 1939 Overland/1940 Model 440 but is actually set back about 1" rearward in the fender and the passenger fender has a hole for the gas filler neck. They are also notched at the lower inner edge for the bumper irons due to the 2" wider frame at the rear, but on the similar appearing 1939 Overland/1940 Model 440 the bumper irons are mounted to the narrower frame and it is the rear tail pan that is notched, so the fenders are not notched. The 1940 Woodie passenger fender also has a gas filler neck opening (wheres all other Model 440 passenger car fenders do not), and a completely different mounting flange where it bolts to the fenderwells and no notch for the bumper irons. It is specific to the 1940 woodie wagon.
Previous post... working out the bugs on posting photos.. The Spiegel Brothers A/GS 41 Willys 2 door sedan on a launch at the fabulous Fremont Dragstrip summer of '69.
The old Spiegel bros sedan is the baddest of the old Willys sedan race cars! How about some current pictures as it is now, I had some of it for sale but have not found them yet.
Some fender pix: Model 37/Model 38/Model 48 1939 Overland 1940 Model 440 1941 Model 441 - note notch in fender for bumper iron. This stunning piece from Troy Thompson at Roland's Rod Shop!
And at the risk of getting flamed for being O/T - so bite me! Some of my all time favorite stock Willys coupes - well they do have two doors.... 1937 1938 1939 1940 Speedway Ron Ladley's Model 441
With a name like Dick Long ....I guess you could ask $250.000 I guess its better then Peter Little.........(sorry for the bad jokes), I could'nt help myself. Going through school must have been hell. Saw this coupe a couple of months ago and thought of you.
Weasel- You can post these great Willys pictures anytime. Made my day..........Thanks! Here is one of my old 42 sedans, here you can see the 41/42 sedan rear fenders are totally different.
After I posted a picture of my black sedan I noticed you cant see the detail difference. Here is a yellow 41 you can see the detail better.
Thanks for the information. I have learned more about Willys cars in the last few weeks here on the HAMB then I ever learned in the entire time I have owned my coupe and that's been 28 years!
Here's a shot borrowed from Kiwi Kev's Nasty Habit build thread (hope you don't mind Kev) which shows the notch for the rear bumper iron on the 1941/42 coupe fenders. This is only for these two years - earlier rear fenders (1937-40) did not have the notch. It looks as if Kev has filled the gas filler neck hole in this fender.
So disregarding notches for bumper brackets and wheel opening locations all 37-42 coupe and 37-40 sedan rear fenders will interchange,correct?
Not to confuse things , the fenders are fiberglass with the 41-42 notch. My body in a combination 40 coupe body grafted on a 37 dedan floor pan. It had the bumper bracket notches in the rear pan but I filled them . I had to fill eithr the pan or fenders and it was easier for me to fill the pan.
Physically all passenger car rear fenders will fit except 1940/41woodie wagon and 1941/42 sedan. If you use 1941/42 coupe fenders on an earlier chassis, the wheel openings will look a little odd as they are set further back to cater for the 104" wheelbase of the 19401/42 cars. The earlier cars are 100" WB for 1937, 1938 and 1939 Model 48. 1939 Overland and 1940 cars have 102" wheelbase, which is why the wheel opening was changed from the 1937/38 design. I hope this subject is now exhaustively covered.
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