Ready for a car show or mud hole near you, this 1941 Ford coupe runs and drives including a functional vintage Willys 4×4 system. The eBay listing from Clinton Corners, New York offers two options: $8,100 via “Buy-It-Now” or “Best Offer.”
The typical DIY 4×4 sedan looks like, well, where’s that Poo Emoji? This car’s surprisingly normal-looking stance, front track, and wheel position in the front fenders suggest planning and execution far beyond the typical Six Pack School of Engineering.
Holy leaf springs, Batman! This nine-leaf solid-axle setup surely absorbs more punishment than the car’s original transverse leaf arrangement, and probably punishes your backside more as well.
Not to be confused with the WWII fighter planes the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, this 226 cid Willys Super Hurricane inline 6 makes 105 horsepower, more than Ford’s offerings for ’41 which included a first-since-1906 inline six making 90 horsepower and also displacing 226 cubic inches. Check it out; power brakes!
Uh, yeah, that extra stick is the High or Low range selector for the transfer case. Aftermarket gauges on the dash date from sometime after the war. This Ford body was newly redesigned and wider for 1941, showing only the mere suggestion of the full running boards on the famous ’40 Ford. Due to the war, production of this body halted after ’42 and resumed in ’46. And, yes, that is non-original wood paneling serving as the door card. If it wears out you can easily source a replacement from your neighbor’s basement.
This business coupe accommodates one passenger for each drive wheel. I can hear the kids singing now: “Over the river and through the woods…” The ideal buyer may be a Ford *and* Willys fan, or someone who simply doesn’t like discovering their vehicular twin at the K-Mart car show. Sadly the listing provides no back-story to answer the question, “why?”. This vehicle’s value evades traditional measures and will be determined by the market. What do you think of this curious classic?
looks well thought out and put together, to bad it does not have that V8 ford though…
I saw the headline but this is not what I expected (a jacked up trailer park special). Wonder if a rum runner concocted this to evade the revenuers. Pretty sure this would do the job (my ’51 Kaiser had that same six, it’s a torque monster).
This is awesome! Old school ingenuity and not hacked together.
Listing updated to $5995 BIN with no Make an Offer.
Personally, to do up a ’41 Ford coupe as anything but a flathead V-8 powered ’41 Ford coupe, complete with cross springs and vapor lock is blasphemy. However, I must give credit where credit is due. The builder of this did a good job. He took his time and measured everything up before welding it all together. Too bad the job wasn’t finished off and painted up to look like a real sleeper.
“Hey Joe,hold my moonshine, i’m
gonna lose these feds up this mountainside”!!
What a cool machine,Too bad those tail lights
are so ugly,–this would be cool at a 4×4 event!
Another car I’d consider buying if it was nearby. Usually a home made 4×4 sedan looks like the byproduct of some out-of-work yokels and a case of Milwaukee’s Best. Imagine this car, pretty much as it sits with four old-school snow tires, powering gracefully through 8″ of snow. Love it.
“Fourd X Fourd”
Willys FordXFord. Okay, so it’s a Willys drivetrain under a Ford, But it flow so well that way.
I think it’s cool it would be fun at the local mud park I have a neighbor that bought my son’s 280ZX and mounted it on a Nissan Four wheel drive chassis
I live near where this is located. Should anyone want me to check out this car for them. Please let me know. Thanks.
beyond cool, perfect for Rochester New York Winters
This is awesome.. and a steal.. how is this not sold??
If I had disposable income, I’d be interested. Not exactly a hotrod as claimed in his ad, but it’s still very unique and could be fun. Although it could probably benefit from more power.
hmm, looking at the set up with the leaf springs (you could haul a lot of stuff without any sag in the rear), the fact they opted for the Super Hurricane motor over a flathead 8 – and the 4×4 system, one might think ole’ Farmer Joe set this baby up to run shine over the hills and to take trails the revenuers could only dream of…41 Ford Coupes were a favorite of the shinners for it’s competent handling..
The picture shown above is the front suspension. Rear shown here, looks like a stock? 4 leaf setup. Now I’m wondering if that setup with 3 U-bolts is a poor man’s cracked axle repair.
Makes you wonder what they got those front springs off of? There has to be at least twice the load capacity up front vs the rear from what I could see. That surely would give the shoulders a workout.
86 Vette – I’m assuming the whole 4×4 setup including the front suspension and springs is Willys. I found a bunch of 9 (and even 10) leaf Willys springs from ’50s to ’64 or so. Pretty tidy conversion.
This seems to be a lateral movement limiter as opposed to a torque limiter or an axle repair.
Does that arm attached to that axle tube look like a tie rod end? I think that may be a home version of a panhard rod?
Ok, the “extra” stick is the high/low range selector. What is the 3rd stick for?
Good eye, grant. After looking at some pages it seems the Willys have this setup pictured. However some had PTO and as many as five levers.
Add a set of non directional military tires ! Wow I want this.
I think I would play up the 4×4 look by lifting it a bit and adding some vintage offroad tires. I’d also try to downplay the home built touches in the interior and try to keep it factory-ish looking. Sort of make it look like some type of factory prototype test mule.
I quite like it. Would come into it’s own here in the UK with the muddy display fields we get that have anything without 4×4 floundering :)
My preference would be to get it looking as close to the original Ford as possible to casual observers leaving the 4WD to amaze them.
The three ubolt job on the front axle is worrying though.
It’s on the rear axle and I believe it’s an add-on to limit torque twist in the rear assembly and breaking the spring main leaf. But I’m just guessing since the Jeep I had of the same vintage didn’t have such a device.
Hands down the best 4X4 conversion I’ve ever seen!
The rear axle device held on with 3 u bolts is a rudimentary ‘panhard bar’ that is intended to keep the axle laterally located in relation to the chassis. It has no utility for ‘torque’ control.
Looks to be a Willys wagon frame, as the trucks rear axle had more leafs for loads. The muffler clamps and tie rod combo on the rear axle is to aid the worn springs on twist. The wagons didn’t have the spring packs to match the front like the trucks did. Doesn’t really show body mounts. Trunk floor pic shows a lone washered bolt with metal shavings around it, so assume its drilled and bolted right to the frame where it was close. Might be a rolling death trap. Rear shackles are right behind roll pan. It is cool but more I look I see alot of work to make it safe. Power brakes into the Willys timkin drummed axle. Must stop looking ….
This vehicle was built by Mr Hitsman at his garage in Verbank NY on rt 82. He was a incredibly talented mechanic and fabricator. Glad I got to know him. He was also a Jeep guy, hence the Ford to Willys conversion on this car. This car must have just recently seen the light of day. I remember it was stashed in the far right hand bay of his garage since at least the mid 80’s when I was in my mid teens (and it was supposedly there a longtime before that). No idea why he didn’t finish it. Conversion looked very well done and people had seen it yard drive. He died several years ago ( probably 10) but the garage is still standing. The seller is a flipper, but a real car guy and very decent to deal with. Wish I could add it to the fleet.
Wow, small world. That garage was just up the road from me. Looks like they have cleared it all out in the past year. I was in my teens back in the 80’s as well. Did you attend AHS. I graduated in 86. I know Mr. Hitsman’s cousin John who still runs the family farm three miles from me and his two sons and daughter. Good people.
Guess it is a small world! I used to pal around with Jerry from the garage and Mr. Hitsman. As a car obsessed teen with a bunch of old cars, they seemed to like the fact I was “carrying the torch” so to speak. Very good people for sure. Yes, I was at AHS until I left early. Would have been class of 91 I think. I take it you’re still in the Verbank area? I’m up in Gallatin, but grew up in Lagrange.
I still live in LaGrange. I have a small collection/hoard of classics and soon to be classics at my place. Good to meet you.
It’s back on eBay if anyone wants to throw in a bid. http://www.ebay.com/itm/263158124014