41 willys panel? Saw this yesterday

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very cool project

 

Great for quick 1/4 mile deliveries.

 

i've never seen one, very cool lines.

 

Sedan Delivery?

Regardless, I can already see how damn cool that thing could be.

 

I want one!!!!

 

Looks like an early (from the left side tail light a '39) with a '41 front clip. The body shell "might" (notice I said might) have started life a as a 2 door sedan. A clearer rear shot and whether or not it has a trunk lid or a hinged delivery door. It's definitely not a full on '41 due to the shape of the body. The jury is still out on whether or not is a "factory" 2 door......some claim that Willys never produced a 2 door sedan, others insist they have one. What say ye Weasel....g-willys......Kiwi Kev. Any insight?

 

I've seen one of those at the downtown Livermore show a few years ago. It was actually a 4 door sedan with the windows molded in. If you looked inside, you could still see the door frames under the skin.

Not the same car (unless it's really gone downhill fast...), but might be the same idea.

 

As a Willys owner and enthusiast, I'd like some insight on this.

I want one, was this for sale by chance? Did you speak with the owner?

 

Willys did not make a sedan delivery in the 1937-1942 model years (Nor did they make a 1933-36 sedan delivery - only a panel delivery in 1935/36). These are all fabricated from sedans and there are quite a few around. A buddy of mine has a 1937 made into a sedan delivery. Willys did indeed make a factory 2 door sedan in 1938 and 1939 and they were skinned as such - not welded or leaded in rear doors as was the practice of some other manufacturers.

Willys made a panel delivery from 1938-1941 which was a step van - exceedingly rare - I only know of one survivor. The so called 1942 panel van currently on evilbay has been debated about several times and it is extremely doubtful this is factory. It is from Argentina and South American cars are notoriously suspect for authenticity - despite all the protestations and 'proof of authenticity' the sellers bring up....

 

Looks to be a ph#ber on the door of transport truck, with a partial name, maybe a little investigation work would produce a drop off point if your that interested.......................

 

I was on my way to L.A. and saw it near my mother-in-laws house, gonna swing by tomorrow to take a closer look and better pictures. Cool as hell though. I'll see what i can find out about it.

 

way cool

 

M&V Auto brought the car to their shop, apparently that things a driver. The guy I spoke to said it's got a Grand National 3.8 V6 in it. It's in the shop for over-heating issues. He's going to pass my number along to the owner.

 

Here's a '41 that's on egay atm. Supposedly from Argentina.

 

+1 !!!

 

definately make a very cool custom either way !

 

Here's a local Ozzie sedan delivery made from a 4 door sedan. Nice proportions and all steel

 

That's awesome. Most likely 4 door sedan turned panel. Love it though.

 

It looks like a custom job to me, started with a 1939 4 door sedan, filled the rear window and door seams removed the drip rail and then molded the rear fenders to the body and added a 41 nose. For sure there were real Toledo built two door sedans made in 38 and 39. The real two door sedans had many differances from the four doors. Speaking of rare, I was always told there were no 1942 Willys Woodies built, I found an old 1940's newspaper ad with one for sale.

 

Never knew that about the 2 door sedans. Would love to see an example.

 

Very cool looking

 

Damn, sure caught my attention, I will be interested to see of you are able to dig up more info. From the posts on production types it is a remake. But it is cool as can be. Thanx for sharing this oddball dandy. ~sololobo~

 

Hey Gang,
Been gone all day so I didn't get in on all this discussion. Very much appears to be a '39 sedan, made into a delivery. There were several out there in the lat 80's and one that I saw did a great job of making it a panel delivery with the indented panels. (Just like the blue one on page 1) They did not make deliveries in those years (except the step van type as per Weasel's thread). As Dave McCauley said there were many differences in the factory two doors of those two years ('38 & '39) I had 2- factory '39 bodies in the past, and Jon H( from Wis. ) had a nice '38 factory 2 door. There are a few ways to tell the factory 2-doors, but the most reliable way was the window for what would be the rear door. In factory 4 doors the doors had a moulded (as part of the door) window moulding. The factory 2-doors had a removable moulding similar to the coupes, and like the front and rear window removable moulding. In 4 doors you had to access the slot in the back door to put in the window glass...couldn't do that on a factory 2 door that couldn't be opened, so the whole window mechanism bolted in from the inside (I still have one of those factory mechanisms and window moulding). Just recently I bought two inside window mouldings on ebay in great shape ('39 factory 2 door-'38's were the same). Don't know why I bought them, as I don't need them...so if anyone is looking for some, they can go for just what I paid (reasonable). Getting back to my 2 (2 doors )...one was patina-ed so much that you could see the lead line that the factory filled in...it was a skin as Weasel said, but this one was leaded in, and it had no hole for the rear handle in the skin. Certainly more than you wanted to know...what I can't tell you is how many Willys/Overland made...just don't have any idea what kind of production numbers they made. So look for the removable window moulding on what would be the rear door, and it's a factory produced car. Now, that '41 from Argentina...that is a weird duck!!!
g-willys

 

Looks like a great project! Keep us updated!
J

 

I guess next you'll tell us theirs no Santa

 

Here's my buddy's 1937 Sedan Delivery conversion I mentioned earlier - over 600 hours of metalwork....

 

look up c/gaswillys on here, he races one with the eastcoast gassers

 

Thats a 1941 four door sedan. The only two doors were in 1938 and 1939, totaly a different body.