Projects Gene (Moonlighter) Cromer's A/G Willys Resurrection

This build thread is now over 200,000 views that should let Gene know that nobody has forgot about him. I did the same type of build thread on my willys with no history, it's only at 20,000 and is 6 months older.

 

Amazing... Just shows how a Legend like Gene Cromer and the Moonlighter has sparked interest in the sport! Makes me Proud to be from Anderson SC!

 

Out of all of the pics I took, this is one of my favorites.



Few more from the event

http://s436.photobucket.com/user/01GTB/library/Gassers at Greer

 

How much more patriotic can you get. A Red Willys, A White Willys, and A Blue Willys. Thanks 01GTB for the cool pics. --- Steve ---

 

To Mr Cromer his family and all who helped on the resto.God bless you all.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Most of ya'll know the story of how I met Gene my childhood hero a few years ago. But for the ones that don't I had a video of the moonlighter, when I tracked him down he wanted to see it so I told him the only way he could see it was with me so we set up a meeting and meet. I have been holding out until we finished the car to post it. Here is a small clip from it there is lots more when I get time to edit it out the video is about 2 hours long with lots of other cars on it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIp6heRzY20

 

Very little video happened back in those days, and not even much of that has survived over time. Probably takes some work to get it in digital form & posted too. A video of a drag car from that era is truly rare. The fact it is Gene's car makes it that more special. Quite a gem if you ask me. Thanks Quain, keep it coming. --- Steve ---

 

Here's some more I'm slow editing and it take a long time to get it over to youtube if there is a better way PM me the details because there is a lot to do.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljdmHR92Fz4

 

Those are great old videos, did you shot those Quain?

 

No, I think they were around 1968 I would have been 8 years old. I have some real good video of Gene racing in my mind from back then but don't know how to get it out so the world can see it.

 

Quain ...thanks for posting the videos. Looks like he put one on the trailer. Every track had some private individual documenting history with an 8 mm or with a Kodiak and they did not even know it. We are with in a few years of each other. Its sad most kids today don't have a dad , uncle or good friend to take them to a track. I watched SWC Big John, Grumpy ,Nicholson (us 30 york pa.) when I was young and they are still my hero's. So I understand about Gene.

 

Great videos, thanks for posting, keep 'em coming. I wish you had a close-up of the trunk lid.

 

Thanks for the videos Quain, what history you have there! Would you care to share how you came by the film? I'd love to know, and want to commend you for rescuing it, if thats what you did, and for being the caretaker, couldn't think of a better one. Also thanks ever so much for ramrodding the resurection of the Moonlighter, and to an extent of Mr Gene Cromer also. Thanks for bringing him and the car back into the limelight they so richly deserve.

 

We need a like button for some of these posts, I couldn't agree more with this one.

 

Yeah, my older brother took me to the drags before I could drive in the late 50's-early 60's. My early hero's were Don Garlits (Swamp Rats), Don Nicholson (A/FX), SWC (Willys), Big John Mazmanian (Willys) , Dick Hoffman ( A/SP 427 Cobra), and Sonny Elliot ('41 A/G Willys). The last two guys were local racers, and Big Daddy and Dyno only showed up a couple of times for match ratches. The only real exposure I got to the big names was from hot rod magazines and building models of their cars. My first model car was a '40 Ford Coupe. I built it as a gasser and painted it medium metallic blue. If I had known of Gene, he definitely would of been on my hero's list too! Heck, I've grandfathered Gene to the list now anyway .. lol -- Steve ---

 

thx for posting those vids up---very cool!

 

Quain, that's great footage of the Moonlighter doing it's thing. Also had a chance to watch when it was removed from storage all those years. Question for you where was it being stored? Was that at Genes?

 

Yes, it was at Gene's house.

 

I'll try to post the videos,, HRP

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DIp6heRzY20?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ljdmHR92Fz4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Quain, Is this clip in good enough shape to edit out & put on You Tube? I'm sure many of us would love to see it win or lose. --- Steve ---

 

X 2 This project would not have been as special to me had it not put Gene and Melvin back to working on it together just like in the old days.

 

Yea it's from the same tape that I'm working on now. As much as I have enjoyed editing this my time is very limited this time of the year and working through it trying to find only stuff on Gene is slow so there will only be a few per week. Would someone PM me on how to put the video on the post so you don't have to click on the link. HOT ROD PRIMER did it a few post back. I've got a good dry hop coming up in a min.

 

I got it about 8 or 10 years ago from a good friend of mine Robert McCorkle he and his brother Randy used to run a amx in super stock in the 70s Randy passed a few years ago and his last request was to have his ashes put in the chutes on my pro mod car make a pass and dump him at the finish line at rockingham where they won in 1970. The cool part of this story is that Randy was going to introduce me to Cromer but he passed before it happened but the video that his brother gave me helped set up the meeting. Anyway David Fortenberry had something to do with the video he is on here but I don't know what his handle is.

 

I paint and did the body work and josh and his dad lettered it .

 

I couldn't get the one I wanted to post to play on youtube so here's a clip that's 3 min long It has Fred Hurst and Cromer on it doing dry hops but the video stops and goes to something else before they run watching this 3 min clip you can see what I'm dealing with trying to edit it. It jumps around all over the place. Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nRxtOtWofU&feature=youtu.be

 

Thanks for the video Quain, Robert and Randy use to run the amx at ware shoals on Friday nights, one of my favorites . That was late 90's early 2000's when you didn't get to see a lot of 4speeds and he could drive the wheels off that thing. I for one would love to see that whole video , thanks again!

 

Thanks Quain

 

Quain,
Have you had it converted to CD? A friend of mine has a bunch of 8mm from local tracks from the 60-70's done. He also had them do a cd on a single car that was on some of the films. The deal with the ashes were quite an honor. Thats just another chapter in this story of racers you have be-friended

 

Quain ,THANKS for the Video, TO COOL !!! Chris

 

Just got my Moonlighter shirt in the mail and now some vintage video! Thanks, Quain