Projects 41 All Steel Willys Gasser - Ex Elverne Pfeifer car

I know this is a very old thread but I just discovered this thread. My brother and I would like to contact Kevin S. Jim and I lived across the street from Al Pfeifer in Kenosha in the early 60 s. We both worked on his 41 Willys. The first version had a 400 inch Cadillac with Hillborn injection. We have tons of stories about how it was built and who worked on it. We even have pictures of the build. I believe a 426 Hemi went in next. If Kevin reads this please speak up. If I can figure out how to send a private message to him I will do so. He might like to talk to those of us that helped build the original.

Bob

 

@KevinS to the Bat Phone. Beowulf50 has some info for you!

 

Kevin hasn't been on the hamb in a year

 

Kevin has sold the car. He runs the Opposing Cylinders website and on FB and Insta. Im sure he could put you in touch with the new owner.

 

Please post those photos up! This to me, is some of the most important history of one of the most Iconic Gassers Ever! The time it spent in the Cadillac version is The most important window in it's timeline, with very limited information out there. I am a Caddy geek from way back, and that is the direction I lean with the my Willys coupe. If you ever wanted to sell those photos ,I'm your guy. Please share with the world.

 

I will first have to find the pictures. My brother has some too. Then I will have to learn how too post them here. I remember the first time we ran it at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove we had so much wheel hop the little three foot driveshaft broke and took the tail of the Lasalle transmission with it. Back too the drawing board. The guy that put the forty some coats of lacquer on it painted fire engines at Peter Pirsch in Kenosha before the son ran the company into the ground.
I never knew there was interest in the history of the car. I believe my brother and I are the only two left alive who helped build it. I’m 80 years old and my brother is almost 78. He did much more work with Al than me. I was away at college.

Bob

 

There are many here who would be happy to help I'm sure!

 

@Beowulf50
There is definitely lots of interest in the car and it’s history here. We are looking forward to seeing the pictures and hearing some stories about it if you remember any.

 

I just finally read through the whole thread. The original as we first built it had only a rudimentary seat for the driver. There was no passenger seat. Instead, a cylindrical 3 gallon gas tank sat where the passenger seat would be. I remember that Al gave my brother Jim a ride up Cooper road, 2 miles up to town hall road. He met a friend there to fill up the gas tank to make the 2 miles back home. My brother sat on the gas tank during the 4 mile ride. I hope we have a picture of that tank but don’t hold your breath.

Bob

 

Bob, I really enjoyed that story. I can imagine it being a small Moon or Eelco FuelTank. That sounds like it was at the very beginning when the car was first built. There is always something special about the first ride in a car like that and especially with your brother involved. Hopefully you have a picture but if not it’s ok. I’m looking forward to hearing more stories and hopefully seeing some pictures. It eventually won best engineered in 1964 I think.

 

When I saw the bare metal fenders in an earlier post I felt old. You wouldn’t believe the number of hours I spent wet sanding those fenders. Al would prime them and I would wet sand. Then prime again and sand again over and over until Al judged them perfect.

Bob

 

Bob,
Your work paid off because it was a beautiful car and won awards. It sounds like Al wanted everything to be just right. What’s interesting to me is that the car survived and still appreciated and admired. There is no doubt that a lot of money was spent making it as nice as it is today and from what I can tell it was always pretty nice and not allowed to rust out or go too far downhill. I would guess and hope that it would outlast us all and still be appreciated.

 

While looking for pics of Al’s Willys I found three pics of the Pittman- Edwards Willys. The pics are black& white taken with an old brownie hawkeye camera. They are dated Oct 59 but were taken in summer & developed in Oct. I think it’s the red one with the number 538. It has whitewalls front & rear. The engine is the 57 Olds with the blower & Hilborn injection. The car appears to be in Al’s driveway. I don’t remember taking the pics. Maybe my brother did although there are 4 or 5 pics of me & my roommates in the dormitory in Stevens Point from the fall of 1960. they are dated Oct 59 also??? Iv’e got more places to look.

Bob

 

That would be fun to see. It was a very fast car in its day. I believe that the motor and transmission belonged to John Edwards and the Coupe belonged to KS Pittman. I have a magazine picture of the Pittman and Edwards Coupe in 59 that I can take a picture of. There are other pictures of it on here too. I like learning about the early history of these cars.

 

1959 Lion’s Dragstrip K.S.Pittman/John Edwards

Hello,

In 1958-59, my brother and I were at Lion’s Dragstrip racing our 58 Impala and usually in the same area where we liked to park in the pits and use as our home base, was a red 41 Willys. It was the Pittman-Edwards Willys Coupe.
John Edwards
It was/is one of the fastest Willys Coupes in the nation.



In 1959
1958 Impala with Bruce Slicks at Lions Dragstrip (Pittman/Edwards red Willys coupe making a run)

As the gates opened for the competitors in any class to run prior to the eliminations, there were various racers on the track for a variety of runs. When we put on our 7” Bruce Slicks on the 58 Impala, it was still in the A/Stock class, but, this was only for timed runs and not official elimination races. So, the black rims and slicks were shown in the film.

Then later, when the film was developed, we noticed that a red blur comes whizzing by the Impala, coming back on the return road to the timing tower and Mr. Childers with his Pontiac Ambulance. It was none other than the Pittman-Edwards Willys Coupe and the designated blue Ford push/tow truck.



Here is a compilation and progression from the relatively stock red Willys Coupe with whitewalls to the modified version with the new M&H slicks.

1959-60 stock to radius and larger M&H slicks



Finally, an oldie from the past: @elgringo71 posted this group of photos from his vast collection and information on Willys Coupes.

 

@jnaki,
You pulled a lot of great information together in that post. It’s tough to find much information about Willys Coupes that raced before 1961 and they were the ones that set the stage for more on the drag strip and paved the way for the success and fame