'41 Willys Coupe Body & Chassis manufacturers

[mlzink]

Hi Everyone,
I'm brand new to the hotrod building process but I'm wanting to build a '41 Willys Coupe and was interested in finding out if anyone had anything to say about the body and chassis manufacturers. This will be my first build and I'm not a professional body or mechanic man, just a novice who has a dream. I realize this will be a very major project and will require alot of dedication, patience and time, but I'm willing and have thought about doing this for a few years. Not getting any younger - gotta do it now... Any insight about the different "41 Willys body manufacturers as far a fit, finish, aliginment, chassis strength and body thickness would be greatly appreciated.
I have looked at alot of different companies that produce the '41 Willys Coupe package and I keep coming back to favor "Dennis Taylor" or "Outlaw Performance". I think both produce a good package...trade offs with both. From what I can gather "Outlaw" seems to be a real favorite among builders of these cars because the bodies are so close to paint when you receive it. On the other hand Dennis Taylor seems to offer more on the suspension side as standard equipment on the package, along with a quality body. Not to say you can't have the same thing with the "Outlaw" but at a considerable amount of money more...
Any info would greatly be appreciated as I'm stuck trying to decide which package I want to build.

[Matt167]

Just stay away from anything street beasts

[Bob Parmenter]

Both are good choices and have very good reputations. I've been around Outlaw bodies and know them to be very nice indeed. Maybe kennyd will see your thread and give you some first hand commentary on Taylor as he is both a body guy and has built a Taylor car recently.

If you're not proficient at body work yourself, it would be prudent to be realistic about calculating how much can be spent on a body that, even in the raw, looks better than it really is. Even if it's pretty nice to start with and only needs 20-30 hours of "fine tuning", at, say $50/hr, that would add up to $1500 to the comparable prices. And it doesn't take much to accumulate that much time on a glass body.

[kennyd]

go with outlaw , WE WONT GO THERE WITH THE OTHER COMPANY .

[bentwings]

MIZINK'
I'm still working on my 41 Willys. I got a body and bare prostreet frame from Antique and Collectable
www.acrods.com
It's nearly perfect right out of the box. A good buff and you could pass it off for paint. The fit of everything was pretty good with exception of one door. I've reworked it my self and it is ok. It only took 8 hours to mount the body and fenders including making some special brackets. The body is well made and very smooth. The frame is well made also. I have tube mustange front end and 9 inch Ford rear end. I added a 4 link and panhard bar to complete the suspension.
SBC and Turbo 350
I went through the same thing you are doing before getting this one. Some mfg are ok but many make bodies the make rebuilding a steel one seem easy. I've seen a couple that look like they are original made in 1941.
A&C delivered mine almost to the hour promised and are very easy to get along with.
give them a call.
PM me is you want more info

bentwings

[fmj]

mlzink, both Taylor and Outlaw are top of the line. You need to do some homework though no matter what way you go. There are also other companies out there that make fiberglass bodies, like Classic Fab USA (www.cfabusa), Active Power (www.activepower.com) are some of the newer ones. I don't know much about them though. You might also look at joining MidAmerica Willys Club (email K. McIntyre at klmcintyre@cox.net for info) or subscribe to Gasser Wars Mag(www.gasserwarsmag.com)
as they have projects that have been started and are for sale. This can sometimes be a cheaper way to go. Figure out what you have for a budget and look around. Don't get in a rush and gather as much info as you can. Talk to guys at shows, or drags as they are usually willing to give lots of info (some BS too ). Just a few thoughts, hope they help.