willys gasser firewalls... should i cut mine?

Hi, looking for feedback and opinions/pros n cons from experienced willys gasser folks. Im starting the build this year on my steel 41 coupe, I,ve seen many done two different ways meaning with the full cowl intact and the firewall recessed for just enough clearance ( ie;Barb Hamiltons coupe) or the more common cut back to the cowl and a flat panel. my car is to be driven pretty often on the street and raced when the chance comes along. hoping for some input as to the pros and cons as far as comfort in a street gasser, thanks for any advice. Rif

 

keep it as is and build the car first, you'll know when the time comes.

 

If firewall is intact I would use/save as much as possible.You lose alot of strength/support in door hinge area when firewall is cut back or totally removed.I do like look of flat firewall on gasser types but it does require reinforcing area to eliminate doors from drooping.Leg room gets tite as well and usually rear package tray gets altered to make more room.I guess it is mostly a matter of what look you want and how much extra fabrication you want to get involved with.I plan on building my 38 coupe with as much stock firewall as possible and not altering package tray/shelf for sbc install.Just my thoughts,build it the way you want.Good luck

 

You have an original steel willys that dosn't have a race history and you are thinking about cutting it up?

 

There is extremely limited legroom in these Willys for starters. If you cut the firewall you have to move everything back in the cab including the driver. You then have to cut the parcel shelf out and as a result you have extremely limited side vision an zero three quarter vision. So now you are cramped, with your knees hitting your chin and you cannot see shit!

I sold a gasser with a cutback firewall as it was the most uncomfortable car I had driven. I have just spent a fortune re- engineering my current coupe, re-instating the stock firewall and relocating engine and trans 3" further forward. I have been obsessive about ergonomics and now the coupe is a dream to sit in. Why did I go to this trouble. Because I want to be able to drive it long distance and not just 20 miles. If you have the choice think very carefully what you want to use the car for. IMO a lot of Willys get built as 'attention whores' with no thought as to usability. Bear in mind that Gassers were built to race - not to be street driven.

You can fit a 392 hemi or a BBC in a Willys without recessing the stock firewall - and while I am about it, if you recess the firewall unless you extend the dash or resort to a rear mount setup, you can forget about A/C. It really boils down to comfort and usability as you do not need to recess the firewall for weight distribution on a street driven car - which is one of the main reasons it was done on gasses - to get the weight bias more towards the rear wheels for better traction....

 

leave the firewall alone if it were me?? you'll need the leg room for sure. everything weasel said is the willys gospel!! my coupe fire wall and dash was cut to set the motor back when it was a gasser. now it has original dash and fire wall back in it. i still would like to have a few more inches. im only 5' 10"!
Im running an original bench seat small block chevy and air. i drive my car alot and take it on long trips. i guess you really need to figure out what you want. good luck!! id love to see build pics!!! hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the advice...I had myself sold on leaving it intact and went back n forth with it then i watched Kiwi Kevs build and fell in love and said "shit! now i wana cut it out again!" I'm not totally green or new to rodding and I have been storing this thing for 21 years now, finally going to start on it. over those years i have collected nothing but period correct parts and patch panels including the original Eastern Super Shaker front clip, glass deck lid, and steel radiused rear fenders. while it has no race history and is stock its missing the floors totally and 3 inches of the bottom and the whole rear apron etc;... if she was a nice stock car no i wouldnt think of cutting her up but from the feedback im getting im leaning toward not cutting the cowl after all.

 

dont cut it theres not but a handfull of cars left uncut......

 

95% of the competitive Willys gassers had the firewall / cowl cut. To me it's a no brainer. I prefer look over comfort, etc. Call me crazy but I like sagging doors, race weight glass front ends and deck lids. Because that's what the cars from the mid 60's gasser wars looked like. I don't think Stone, Woods and Cook gave a shit about door gaps, just hauling ass. haha

 

Just depends on what you are doing. This Willys P/U had a Cadillac 331 in it with a full firewall. Then I got it. I put the Cad in the '33 Sedan as it ran, and got out the sawzall and the cutoff wheel to put the Chrysler in there. Luckily there are alot of cars/pu's out there we can look at for examples of the firewall area. The Mallicoat car has a really clean install of the firewall area and that's what I am going for. A Coupe is cramped for sure but, try a Pick up on for size. I agree with Puddin' if you want the real deal cut it, if you want a more sedate car then leave it whole and hang the engine in front of it. Either way it's not going to be very comfortable if you are over 5' tall, after all it's a Willys.


All the best,

Tim

PS this ones a Roach if it would have been nice I would have sold it to a restorer, because the uncut ones are pretty hard to find.

 

are the ones that aren't cut worth more than the ones that are? i always thought that if we had not made race cars out of them they would have all been scrapped...

 

I saw a neat firewall cut out yesterday. It was in a 49 Dodge pickup. He used part of a wheel barrow for the distributer area. Looked like is was factory.

 

a friend has two 40 willys a pick-up and a coupe the pick-up has been on the road for 13 years tows a trailer to shows 4-5 hrs drives he uses his hand to apply the brakes because his knees are against his chin as soon as he is finish rebuilding the coupe the pick-up will go under the knife the first thing is moving the motor and fire wall forward

 

If you are tall and plan on driving any distance ,leave it be

 

Can I write that on my quarter panel?

 

What are your REAL WORLD intentions for the car? Street driving one of these things even with the firewall intact is an exercise in "head on a swivel." This is when the seats are in a near original mounting area so you can look out the door windows, and you have a ton of rear view mirror area. Then, there's the added situation of door sag with a set back fire wall.....all bad news for a driver. My steel coupe has the firewall intact, the doors fit, I have leg room, and I'm not trying to look around the roof to make a turn or lane change.

If you are using one of those wide style engines requiring firewall/distributor/cylinder head clearance, find a cheapie wheel barrow and use the bottom 3-4-5 inches of it to attain your clearance, leaving the bulk of the firewall welded in place. Build your floors and transmission cover around the modification. My car has a big block (455) Olds and I left the firewall intact.....I've got room to pull the distributor.

Wanna borrow my hydraulic shoehorn?

 

Willys cars also have poor circulation so the cowl vent is a blessing if you dont have AC. Long drives on a hot day can be miserable. My firewall was gone so I did what I could to get more leg room and im short at 5'9". Dave

 

My firewall was cut back. the engine was a blown 354 hemi, it had a roll bar mainly a street car. Had all kinds of room . I am 5' 11" 255 lbs. I insulated the firewall so it wouldn't be so hot.
I have a steel 33 full cage with a cut back firewall which I race only. Now that's a little tight.
but a removable steering wheel makes it easy. Tilt wheel was in my 40. worked fine.
i know barb Hamilton and her car. The upper cowl is there, but under it is cut back.
But her car is a sbc. Study some of her car pics. It's neat , because when she worked on the car, she would put the parts in the cowl where there where boxes. This way she wouldn't loose any or mix parts up.

 

Nice, neat tin work.

 

thanks for the input fella's, i really appreciate the different points of view. im gonna leave it intact for the build and go from there..

 

just my 2 cents,if you are going to have a blower with a scoop on it ,the scoop comes out in the hood reallly close to front of hood,then close to back of hood on engine set back

 

I' m 6'3" and I put the cowl back in so as to be able to enjoy driving the car and it has a BB chevy.

 

Go for max comfort for yourself rather than trying to impress people that do not have to ride in it.

 

[QUOTE="Weasel, post: 8977476, member: 45686"
You can fit a 392 hemi or a BBC in a Willys without recessing the stock firewall - and while I am about it, if you recess the firewall unless you extend the dash or resort to a rear mount setup, you can forget about A/C.

I realize I’m resurrecting an old thread but I’m about to mock up my 392 hemi in my Willy’s coupe with stock firewall and wondering if you (Weasel or others) had any advice in terms of approach. I’m thinking of running the low mount alternator and from what I can see it appears I have to set the motor fairly low to get the clearance. Thanks!

 

My '36 had to have firewall removed to fit the hemi. On my friend's '39 pickup, we inserted a portion of a wheelbarrow for room for his SBC but leaving enuf stock firewall room for feet.

 

Thanks I’ve heard of the wheel barrow option and might employ it as you did on your friends. I’m using the stock 40 Willy’s frame boxed and after playing around today I got it to fit but my harmonic balancer might be the issue on the crossmember.

 

Awesome ride BTW

 

nothings sacred in racing, cut it up

 

Does this guy and Willys look familiar?
I swear I saw it on the HAMB.


Found this Hemmings article.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/01/28/just-a-kid-and-his-hemi

 

Hint
Is this car yellow now?