Projects 1938/41 Willys build shots

A day at Kingdon,
Mick

 

Happy Birthday Hot Rod, the first time I drove it was March 15th, 1969, 50 years ago today!
A half century of fun!
Mick

 

MICK...Now I am really jealous...My Willys get together has to be in the 3rd week of June, otherwise Mother Nature can throw a curve ball that changes the whole game (looks like like a fun get together) g-willys

 

Their dragster is one of my all time favorites.

 

I have posted a bunch on the HAMB in a bunch of threads.

 

You just drove to your first car show of the year, lucky you! We just had 3" of snow, winter just ain't give'n up here. Keep post'n Mick, Good stuff!

 

Felt good driving the car to the show Saturday after spending all this time in the garage.
The wife's been cleaning and polishing for two days while I was tightening bolts and nuts
and doing minor repairs,
Mick

 

It was tactfully suggested to me that I streamline the build shots and focus more on the build itself.
So, I deleted most of the non-build shots that I had posted.
I was also "double-posting," posting a picture here and the same picture on the 1937-42Willys thread.
My mistake, also made the mistake of posting owner's names with their cars.
Still learning...
Mick

 

My car came with a 38 front end sitting on the chassis.
I sold it to somebody in southern Ca. within the first year HOWEVER
not prior to becoming a dog house in 1995 for a short while.
Nothing wrong with 38s, I just prefer the 41 front ends...

 

Elaborating on how difficult it was to locate parts prior to the internet!!!
One small example:
The car came with a 38 dash.
I removed it and sold it to two brothers who live in Hawaii, they had a Willys pickup.
Found a 41 dash in Washington, found one glove box door in Palm Springs and the other in NY.
Got the dash SS trim from Ron L. in PA, 41 gauge cluster from Tom F. in Saratoga, Ca.
Old aluminum gauge surround at a swap meet, Sun tach and sending unit at another swap meet
and old SW gauges at another swap meet.
A friend of mine made the glove box pull.
Rear view mirror out of an old Dodge, trade.
Windshield garnish molding from yet another swap meet, score!

BTW, the first shot shows the old dash and a pair of 1969 Firebird seats, traded BBC polished
aluminum valve covers for the seats.
69 FB sold in 68 so period correct for 68, crazy...
Steering wheel, $10 at swap meet in Pleasanton, Ca.
More on steering column tomorrow, whew!
Mick

 

The good thing about your build thread is you can post whatever inspirational photos you choose to, as long as they're on topic to your build and within the HAMB guidelines. So basically Mike .... " F#ck 'em. Post your b#tch'n' pictures.

 

Well, I may have deleted the pictures from this thread but I still have them in my folders so if anybody would like to see anything in particular just ask. Happy to post whatever shots they like.
As a matter of fact we took the car out for a cruise last night.
Ran nice and cool, Mick
Mick

 

My fabricator built the steering column for me instead of buying one.
Column and aluminum drop.
Using Vega cross arm steering, purchased the box from Bill Mullins,
Mick

 

Door panels...
I was given some door panels out of this black Willys coupe years ago, finally had them
resized at a local uph. shop so they no longer cover the entire door.
Installed some 1933 Ford "door pulls,"
Mick

 

What a weekend; drove the coupe Friday night, went to the drag races at Sonoma Saturday
[lots of 6 second cars].
Yesterday we picked up our friend Ken to take home his steel 40 Willys.
Our friend Wayne had recently passed away and Ken [Wayne's brother] finally got the car!
A day of mixed emotions but thrilled to see it in the right hands.
We aired up the tires, dusted it off, filled it up with gas and drove it to Ken's house where it belongs,
Mick

 

Rear bumper talk:
I was making a pipe bumper in the 90s but when the car went to my fabricator's [home] shop he made an aluminum one, swedged in caps and a parachute mount.
Later had it polished, light weight but looks like a gasser bumper.

 

Very cool stuff Mick. Love these build shots.

 

Glad you're enjoying 'em Mike!
More to come; thanks,
Mick

 

After spending years at various swap meets, the hardest item to find was the rear window garnish moldings. Coupe only, the sedans and pickups are different and 99% of the racers in the 60s threw these things away. I somehow came across [the late and missed] Jim Horvatis in NY, he came to my rescue.
He had a "spare" pair in his loft. He was in the middle of building his steel 40 coupe and took the time and locate them and ship 'em here, cheap too. What a nice fella.
Here's a coupe of shots of his coupe, note California plates too,
Mick

 

As a matter of fact, Jim's coupe was the old Snoopy car.
Here's a shot of it at Lions way back when before he owned it.
Jim also built the Hairy Hauler Willys pickup, here it is in primer,
Mick

 

Wonder what the asking price of those old coupes were at that time Mick?

 

• 
  
  How I plumbed my car, another nightmare...
  
  
  Running a BBC with radiator lower than intake.
  Blower intake does not have the normal BBC by-pass provision from water pump to intake.
  This gets somewhat complicated, this is nuts...
  Photos 1 through 6:
  
  1] bought thermostat housing with 2 extra bungs, one for an anode to help prevent electrolysis,
  another for the return line from top of expansion tank.
  2] bought a 1" spacer with provisions for 2 outlets [driver's side]:
  one for a pressure relief valve
  3] 1" spacer [passenger side]:
  second provision is for the normal BBC by-pass line that goes from top of water pump to front of intake;
  bought a pre-formed hose to prevent kinking.
  4] expansion tank:
  a] upper left hose is suppose to return to radiator, my radiator does not have that bung so I
  ran it back to front of thermostat housing.
  Not using a thermostat, merely a washer w/1" opening to slow the flow down.
  b] bottom of expansion tank is fed from the SIDE of the water pump that is normally used for a heater.
  Hose by rad. cap runs to bottom of overflow tank.
  Another hose at bottom of this tank runs to center of car to keep any water/coolant from getting under rear
  tires.
  5 and 6] later installed rubber separators to secure all hoses [not shown].
  Will jack car up in front to add coolant/water mix.
  Get engine up to temperature, park uphill or jack up front of vehicle, purge all
  the air out!
  Runs nice and cool. There are advantages of running a thermostat which I may do
  at a later time, meanwhile enjoying the 160 degree temperatures,
  
  Mick
  

 

No idea but wouldn't mind having a couple of those!

 

My friends 41. It's a all steel car.

 

426 Hemi in a steel Willys coupe, what's not to like?
I noticed the wiper location is above the windshield so is that a 40 with a 41 front clip?
Not criticizing by any means, just curious.
In fact mine is a 38 with a 41 front clip and dash.
Could you send more shots as he makes more and more progress?
Ultimate hot rod Gasser, thanks,
Mick

 

Also on the 38s the rear license plate is located on the driver's side of the trunk
[the 38 plate mount holes covered with decal at the time].
41s are located in the center of the trunk, relocated it.

Rear fender: I had merely cut the opening with a cut off wheel [first shot].
The body shop later welded in a piece of steel tubing making a nicer radius
[second shot],
Mick

 

Speaking of license plates, we trailered the car to the races in Bakersfield, Ca.
and noticed the plate was tearing off at the mount because of the mounting angle.
Almost lost the plate. It's not flush with the deck lid.
Not the greatest aerodynamics.
I also found that I was not alone, Scott H. sent me a photo of his cure.
Might save somebody from losing a plate,
Mick

 

Never ending but maybe it will be helpful to other Willys builders.
More on the deck lid: was at a swap meet and spotted an early Dodge lic. plate light,
identical to a Willys.
Bought it for $5 then told the seller about it fitting a W.
He said had he known that it would have been $20.

Also the tail lights are identical to an early Indian motorcycle,
Mick

 

G-Willys

Mick,
Plymouths of the same era also had those license lights...have bought a couple over the years, and some lenses as well.
Same company that made the Indian motorcycle tail light made them for Willys as well...all Indian ones that I have seen had the yellow (amber) cat's eye on top which acted as a license plate light (same as the Model 37-38 Willys)
I had a similar experience at Hershey PA....guy had a complete factory replacement head light assembly for a
'39 Willys...he thought it was for a Studebaker...got it much cheaper than if it would have been listed as Willys

 

Same experience, if they only knew.
Felt like a swap meet rat.
Spent years "on the hunt" but enjoyed all of it.