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Hot Rods How Many Willys Did They Make ?!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by g-willys, Dec 7, 2014.

  1. I have been a Willys owner for a long long time. Over the years people have asked...how many of those cars did they make and how many of each type, (coupe, pickup, sedan, etc)??? I have heard of several different numbers over the years, but they were all somewhat close in terms of total production, year by year, even though the lists I have seen were never exactly the same.
    I came across a list I had from close to 40 years ago that listed the serial numbers for each year of production, and here is the list after I subtracted the begining production number from the last listed number for that year. It is always open to conjecture but here goes...
    1933---12,819 units, 1934---13,234 units, 1935---10,644 units, 1936---72,295 units, 1937---63,466 model 37. 1938---23,999 model 38 (here's where it gets confusing, as it lists some '38 models as out in '39, along with model 48 which was also a 1939 year listing, before the model 39 (shark nose). The model 48 was identical in almost all detail to the model 38. Here are the numbers for 1939...model 38--- 2,749, model 48---5,749, model 39---15,213, 1940---32,340 model 440, 1941---30,100 model 441, 1942---11,919, model 442. All the Willys built from 1933-1936 are listed as model 77.
    The second mystery question was how many of each type (coupe, pickup, or sedan). I have found no data on the break down of each type, but after all the years of Willys involvement, and ownership...this is my best GUESS! I would say about 25-35% coupes, 10-15% pickups, and the rest were sedans. It still amazes me that so many survived, even though they were always hard to find. By contrast Chevrolet and Ford had production numbers during those years in the 5 & 6 hundred thousand range.
    g-willys
     
  2. modelkitbasher
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 469

    modelkitbasher
    Member

  3. 33sporttruck
    Joined: Jun 5, 2012
    Posts: 530

    33sporttruck
    Member

    Being a teenager in the 60's and an eye witness to the Gasser Wars at several Atlanta area Drag Strips was Awesome.
    I guess my comment would be that they never built enough of those to go around. Jeff
     
    RICH B, WDobos and B Bay Barn like this.
  4. Interesting stats.
     

  5. I have the same stats as above. I cant see the confusion around the 38-model 38 and the 39-model 48. Sure they're the same because they carried it over, the real confusion is the 39-model 39 (Shark nose) as it is an Overland not a Willys. Models 37, 38 and 48 were 100''wb and the model 39 was 102'' and was the first to have hydraulic brakes.
    I have owned Willys for nearly forty years and they are very straight forward. JW
     
  6. 26T Ford,
    The part that was confusing to me was that they used model-38 (which was how 1938 serial numbers were listed) in a 1939 production year..
    I thought that the model-48 was the only 1938 style that they put out in early 1939. The shark-nose '39 was indeed made by Willys...the company was called Willys-Overland Motors Inc. and the original parts book I have, lists the '39. The wheel base may have changed but the frame didn't until 1941.
    Also, I have had several '39 hoods, and some had just Overland on them, and others had Willys-Overland on them. Have you seen that? I have hood script of both. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I had an old (now deceased) Willys dealership mechanic tell me that they were not quite ready with the hydraulic brake change over, and that is what delayed the Model 39 to come out to later in the production year, and the Model 48 was to satisfy dealer demand for early 1939. He also said that Overland was not too recognizable as a marque (as the Overland name had not been used for over 10 years,) so that was why the addition of Willys to the Willys-Overland hood marque.
    As far as 'straight forward' goes, we can agree to disagree...I don't thing much of what came from the factory made sense in every instance...different dashes, no belt line tail lights on some Model 39's, amoung a few other quirks.
     
  7. rfraze
    Joined: May 23, 2012
    Posts: 2,008

    rfraze
    Member

    What about the 4 woodies built in each year 1940 and 1941?

    678.jpg 3267.jpg 2571.jpg 520.jpg
     
  8. G-, I agree with what you say there. I have also seen the 39- model 39 referred to as a model 61 but I think that refers to the new 61hp motor. I owned a model 39 for 34 years and was my 1st Willys (1976) and still have all it mechanicals.
    I find in NZ very few people really know the difference between most models and some who even have one don't know what it is. The 37 and 35 I have will never leave my ownership. JW
     
  9. You got me there...but I would hope those 8 (who knows if there were 8 total) are well with in the margin of error!
    Incidentally that tan '41 woodie was owned by a guy in Michigan ( Al Maynard) , but the license plate on it as Willys (if you can find a better angle)and is a Minnesota plate...don't know where he got it, but the car it came from was a Jeepster in North St Paul MN. g-willys
     
  10. Wasn't there some Australian Roadsters made?
    Guess they were built by local coach builders, but chassis and running gear from the states?
    I'm probably wrong.
     
  11. You are right Jeff. JW
     
  12. 33sporttruck
    Joined: Jun 5, 2012
    Posts: 530

    33sporttruck
    Member

    [​IMG]
    FDR's Custom Built 40 Willys Roadster at the Little White House,Warm Springs,Ga.
     
    wingnutz, kiwijeff and kidcampbell71 like this.
  13. From what I've seen listed in various mags etc here in Oz from 1934 we had 4drs, tourers, roadsters, coupes, sport coupes and utes built by various body builders including Holden and T J Richards, in 1938 there were supposedly 12 Tourers built by Holden and I've seen the remains of 2 about 20yrs ago......have attached this scan of a couple of the Utes from the Norm Darwin Book, History of Holden........the Roadster/Tourers listed for 1938-40 I've seen have had a cut down "English" style door similar to that used by Anglias, etc...andyd.
     

    Attached Files:

    kiwijeff likes this.
  14. Good to see some discussion on this topic! Of course it brings up other questions...for instance with those numbers I reproduced in the production history of Willys, were the ones that were sent overseas to Australia, New Zealand and Europe included in those numbers? If they were, then even fewer than I thought we left here for us to discover in the 60's, 70's and beyond. I got my first one in 1960 (a '40 coupe) and drove it home. My friend and I from, the mid 80's on, collected around 20-25 Willys bodies in various conditions, mostly sedans, a few coupes, and few early models ('33-'36). We passed on some we didn't think were worth the price (dumb move on our part), and passed on some we just couldn't afford. At any rate, we had fun in the hunt, and are still looking, but the price is way out of line, and availability is much less than it has been. With all that said, I still would like to hear some opinions on how many were coupes, how many were pickups, sedans, etc. as I have never found any official data on that subject. Our passion spawned a few other friends to join the hunt and several have Willys cars currently. These include a TJ Richard Ute, some outstanding stockers (one from a museum), and some coupes that needed and got a lot of good metal work, and are beautiful today. There were two coupes (stockers) with in 10 miles of my house that I would periodically drive by, but the owners would not sell. One has been long gone, but the other is still there, and the owner still won't let it go, but does nothing with it. Can you tell that I still love those cars?
    g-willys
     
  15. Yes we can tell you love these cars just as I do. All the Willys that came to NZ when new came from the US and the Aussie built cars, utes etc were fro thier market only. Many think that because NZ is so close to Aussie that we all had the same.
    Because of the size of the Willys motor, it wore out quickly and weren't that popular when young folk were looking for a cheap car so many got wrecked early in there life.
    When I got my 37 back in 1977 the other who wanted it was going to turn it into beach buggy! JW
     
  16. When I got my 37 back in 1977 the other who wanted it was going to turn it into beach buggy! JW
    Ugh!!!!!!
    nteresting comment on the Willys motor...had a CJ 2A at one time. I had read that the main reason Willys got the govt contract for the Jeep was the motor. Ford motor was inferior as far as 4 cyl durability so they say, although Ford had the production capabilities, and did help Willys with that during the war production, and American bantam had a better body design.
    As we all know, it saved Willys from extinction...which almost happened in the '30s. g-willys
     
  17. Another demise of Willys cars in NZ was small power boats. I have bought many old pre Jeep engines that had been used in boats.
    The motors that wore out the fastest were the pre model 39s and they didn't have a great motor till the counter weighted crank and big end shells. JW
     
  18. You are right the counter balancing really helped.
     
  19.  
  20. According to my finds the following : 1933 13,820 units, 1934 13,234 units, 1935 10,646 units, 1936 30,825 units and in 1937 2o4 units. Now this a grand total of 68,730. This is all models included. coupe, 4 door sedan , pickup and the elusive panel. Now to put this into perspective Ford made over 4,000,000 cars and trucks from 1928 into 1932. So this tell us you that with that big a difference that's why there aren't many Willys left compared to the Model A. Another fact is the folks that reproduce parts are reluctant to invest in tooling foe the smallish market with Willys Vs. Ford for the same time period. The 33/34 Willys had a list price of #395. where a Ford car was $495 . I think these figures ate fairly close . JB
     
  21. Willys made more than 204 units in 37, try 63,467, and how many young guys that just got their licence wanted to be seen cruising in an old Willys 50-60 years ago, wouldn't have been cool at all. JW
     
  22. JW, I believe the 204 units he was talking about were the late 1936 style Model 77 sold as 1937 production with the seven slot 1937 16 inch wheels. Most of the 1936/37 Model 77 with those wheels I've seen were commercial vehicles (Panel Delivery and Pick Up)
     
  23. Cool info, cheers:D JW
     
  24. Here's some info for Jeremy. On the other side of this Island I live on, is a home with a whole bunch of Willy's cars in the backyard.
    It was a secret for years, although my pinstriper buddy knew of em. Owner in an old folks home, and local rodders now are all in the know.
    I've recently seen pics of em all.
     
    26 T Ford RPU likes this.
  25. Thanks Jeff, would love a peek at those picks. JW:D
     
  26. Let's see some of those pictures...always nice to find a bunch of Willys
    g-willys
     
  27. I agree and imagining what is there. Good and solid or been there too long?? JW
     
  28. I will ask if I can copy pics next time I see the guy with em.
    You can also see them on Google earth.
    If I find address, I'll pm it to you guys.
     
    26 T Ford RPU likes this.
  29. abone1930
    Joined: Jan 16, 2006
    Posts: 1,325

    abone1930
    Member

    So just curiosity , if there was suppose to be 88 35 Willys panels made, is that including the numbers over seas? Or just USA ?


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