Thread: 41 Willys Gasser project

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Steve,
Love to watch your fab process and welding skills. What's the function of the round projection from the ends of the square tube crossmember at the rear?

On the stance, I always thought Mazmanian's gasser looked tough with the extra couple of inches of height in the front, but the SWC coupe would offer a bit better aerodynamics for cruising and one can't criticize their stance, either. Your Willys is going to be very cool!

Steve, that makes a lot of sense on why you put the front springs solidly mounted at the back. That would provide a little more lateral resistance to movement from the forces of the steering action. Smart move.

That frame shape is really ideal for building a car on. Nice to see you guys on the other side of the pond have some different vehicles to draw from, like that taxi. Some cab restorer is probably going to hate you though.

Don

Wow just tuned in to this thread. Great body! Maybe my favorite, and inspired as a kid from watching Hotrod, which I have a poorly made dvd of. I just love the car in the movie, and searched until I found a guy selling the dvd. I guess it was a made for tv movie. The frame looks great. And seeing how your marrying all of the different parts together is great for those of us, who haven't the nerve to try something like that, you make it look easy and simple!

Originally Posted by stovens

Wow just tuned in to this thread. Great body! Maybe my favorite, and inspired as a kid from watching Hotrod, which I have a poorly made dvd of. I just love the car in the movie, and searched until I found a guy selling the dvd. I guess it was a made for tv movie. The frame looks great. And seeing how your marrying all of the different parts together is great for those of us, who haven't the nerve to try something like that, you make it look easy and simple!

We have that same DVD, Steve. The plot is dumb, the acting is horrible, but MAN do we love watching it! It's a lot like Two Lane Blacktop in that regard, but the cars were the real stars of both movies. If I were to build a Willys gasser it would be just like the one in Hot Rod.........crude, primered, and bad***!! Same with the 55 from Two Lane.

Don

Thanks Steve, I guess experience counts for quite a lot of what i do, someone asked me today how i decide what to do first and where to start, I told him i make it up as i go along, pretty true really !!!

Originally Posted by stovens

Wow just tuned in to this thread. Great body! Maybe my favorite, and inspired as a kid from watching Hotrod, which I have a poorly made dvd of. I just love the car in the movie, and searched until I found a guy selling the dvd. I guess it was a made for tv movie. The frame looks great. And seeing how your marrying all of the different parts together is great for those of us, who haven't the nerve to try something like that, you make it look easy and simple!

Found a bit of time last night to start making the ladder bars, I had some stainless tube lined up for the job but the more i thought about it i really liked the idea of doing it the way they did in the old days with square tube.



I had some 1" x 1/8" wall on the rack so cut it to the lengths required and then drilled some 3/4" square bar to use as slugs in the end of the square tube, these were welded into the tube and tapped to accept rose joints in the front and clevis's in the rear.



Hopefully get to fit them tonight. They won't be fitted parallel like the old days though, that may well be fine on a strip car but this one will be street driven so they will be triangulated, Havn't made my mind up yet but the axle will be located by a watts linkage or a Panhard bar, it all depends whats laying about really.

Yes Don the Taxi owners club have already registered their disapproval.
Yes the frame is a nice shape and not that different to a Willys really.

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Steve, that makes a lot of sense on why you put the front springs solidly mounted at the back. That would provide a little more lateral resistance to movement from the forces of the steering action. Smart move.

That frame shape is really ideal for building a car on. Nice to see you guys on the other side of the pond have some different vehicles to draw from, like that taxi. Some cab restorer is probably going to hate you though.

Don

I think they may of been shock mounts, I left them as they may come in handy for something but i don't know what yet !!!

Originally Posted by rspears

Steve,
Love to watch your fab process and welding skills. What's the function of the round projection from the ends of the square tube crossmember at the rear?

On the stance, I always thought Mazmanian's gasser looked tough with the extra couple of inches of height in the front, but the SWC coupe would offer a bit better aerodynamics for cruising and one can't criticize their stance, either. Your Willys is going to be very cool!