Features 1937 to 1942 Willys Picture Thread

Fixed it.

 

KS Pittman




Mind Bender




Nez & Dillion early



Shaker

 

Chuck Tiller

 

Jack Kulp '59

 

Vacaville, CA '70

 

Ollie Olsen
Brantley

 

I think this is the same car as above minus the nose.
Chuck Tiller against Larry Kalsch at PIR (Portland).
Photo thanks to @Marty Strode

 

Airoso Bros vs Panella Bros



Carroll & Taylor




Chuck Speacht III The Disturber



Dennis Furmanchik

 

Dan Fink, Denver Colorado (he was a friend of my dads )

 

Peanut Moore

 

I would like to hear more about the Coupe that you bought in 1961. Where did you find it, how much did you pay for it, what shape was it in and where is it now? Also did you build it ? Sometimes it's nice to hear some of the stories that go with the pictures.

 

elgringo 71
Here is the history on that car. I lived in Superior Wisconsin at that time, and saw the car for sale. It was on a farm about 10 miles south of town...the guy was using it for his hens that were laying eggs...full of chicken poop, and feathers, etc. We put gas in it, and towed it, as those 6 volt batteries hardly turned those old cars over. It started, with a few puffs of smoke, but seemed to run good (hadn't been fired in a couple of years). It had blue house paint all over it, even the windows (we had to scrape paint from the windows to drive it.) Eventually stripped all the paint off, and shot red primer (of the day) on it. I drove it as a daily driver for 2 years (I was in college). It was good in the winter, and they didn't use salt back then. It had a rubber blade fan for a defroster, that barely cleared a streak on the windschield , to drive it.
Should have left it as a stocker...after making a race care out of it, we had nothing but trouble...never ran very well.
No fiberglass parts on it, so we could run in D & E gas, by putting weight in the tube bumper. Ran it from late 1963 to 1965 at Minnesota Dragways...but we couldn't get the hillborn to run correctly. I got out of it in 1965, and my race partner put the motor in a 37 chev. Stored the car until 1969, then sold it (thru my partner) for $295...I had paid $250 for it and drove it home after we got it started in 1961. Didn't find out where it went until the early 1980's
It still exists, and I'll continue the story from there. We didn't take many pictures in those days, but I'll include the ones I have when we raced. The picture you have seen was with the motor out, and getting ready to store it[/ATTACH]

 

These are the kinds of stories that I love to hear. Thanks for the updates and the pictures it really brings things to life.

 

Burt Looney

 

elgringo 71
Now comes round two...the guy that bought my coupe was a Minneapolis car builder ( didn't know any of this until the early 80's), who specialized in building blower motors (his business was called Magnum Supercharger). He told me that a lady pulled out in front of him in the early 70's and he T-boned her, and had to find another '40 front end, which he did (That would be another odd story). I wasn't around when he decided to sell it, but I heard that he had let it go.
The 2nd owner made a tube chassis for it, and put a 426 Hemi in it. The price was then out of my reach. He never finished it.
The 3rd owner was someone I knew, but he didn't know that he had bought my old Willys. When I found out, l thought, now it will get done, because he and his son owned a body shop in St Paul. Well......in the more than 20 years they had the car it was also never finished. Before dad past away, they decided to sell it to the 4th owner for a chunk of money. This guy complete re-did the whole car, putting in even more money, and made a streetrod show car out of my old chicken coup stocker. Unfortunately guy number 4 passed away before his time, and his wife now has the car for sale...it is advertised for over 150K. Picture is below...my 1st coupe. I have owned 6 coupes over time...(my first one ...the one in this story,) and my last one (the white '39 in my avitar). The other four(Coupes) I sold, to build my other cars (all Willys) a '38 stocker...my 41 Pickup, and a 1936 sedan I just finish, and the white coupe. Had lots of other bodies, and parts, but they are all but gone. Over 20 Willys bodies in all...IT HAS BEEN FUN ! g-willys
I had put a Sun Tac. on the dash as can be seen in the interior when it was my race car. Those holes on the dash were still there, until owner #4 had them welded over!!!

 

MY OTHER TWO g-willys

 

@g-willys Your first coupe has lived a charmed life from a chicken coupe to what it is today. Sounds like you have had a good run with Willys cars and still have 2 beauties today. I especially like the 39s and you don't see them much. Thanks for the updates. Pictures are great but the stories to go with them are the icing on the cake.

 

Panella Bros Pickup



S & S Parts




Stickel Riffle & Early



Syndicate Scuderia




Tony Ziemba

 

The S&S is Dave Hales.

 

I am digging all of this history. I hope that Revell reissues their new tool Willys kit soon. I don't have nearly enough stockpiled to build half of the inspiration I have gotten from this thread.

Thank you guys for putting this stuff up.

 

The Tony Ziemba picture is interesting in that it's a full fendered Willys running D/A, so I look in the background and notice the cars are 70's. NHRA got rid of M/SP and put us in /G or /A with the MG around 66/67. I don't exactly know when /G was discontinued, I was out of the country around that time. Also the lettering on the car was written as D/A and he has a parachute, track is Maple Grove and car is from PA. I can't make out much on the other car looks like a Chrysler product coupe. Nice picture though showing a changing time in drag racing.

Pat

 

Don's Hot Rod Shop




Fools Gold





Foothill Speed Center




Hall Chevrolet