Wntd Speed equip for Willys 6 motor in my 1952 Woodill Wildfire

[georgealbrightg]

Wanted: Late 1940s to mid 1950s Willys overhead valve six cylinder stock head,and/or speed equipment,including multi carb or high compression head,carb,distributor,headers,supercharger,etc. Need above for my 1952 Woodill Wildfire Type One car. See photos of it under my name at www.woodillwildfire.com Leads appreciated! George Albright 209 S.E. 15th Ave. Ocala,Fla. 34471 cell 352 843 1624 Email: gnalbright@gmail.com

[Pontiac59]

I think you posted on this before, and there were answers posted then too. I would suggest you research the engine in your car and understand what it is. The Willys Aero six is an F-head and the head and block are all one piece. It was only used in Willys Aero and one model of Jeep in the US, and in Aeros produced in Brazil through 1969; Ford took over Willys of Brazil and used the engine through 1973 in some cars.

The only speed equipment for this motor I am aware of is the Brazilian dual-carb intake - you'll need to import one from there. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an Edmunds or similar intake or manifold back in the day, but hopping up this engine - assuming it can handle much hopping up - is just as much of a fabrication and scratchbuilding job today, as it was in 1953. When Kaiser took over Willys, their answer to putting a higher performance engine in the Aero was to use the Kaiser flathead six. Even the Willys cars are fairly rare today.

If I were going to mess with this motor, the most likely period correct adaptation would be the supercharger used on the '51-'55 Kaisers. Figuring out where to mount it, etc. will be all up to you. A multi-carb intake would not be difficult to fabricate for an inline engine - perhaps using motorcycle carbs so as not to overcarb this engine. A header would also have to be fabricated, or split a stock unit.

Because your car has a Jeepster frame, any motor that will fit in the Jeepster and clear your hoodline would work, if you desire more performance out of the car it may be easier to bolt-in the flathead six, a Hudson or Kaiser six, or even the ubiquitous Chevy small-block V8 - there should be a combination of existing factory or aftermarket mounts to allow a conversion of that type without alteration to your car.

I own a '53 Aero I picked up cheap a while back. The motor even turns, but I haven't messed with it. I did research all this when I considered putting it back together again, including a nice article in an older issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.

FWIW, your taillights look like Aero too. Those lenses go for about $250 a set on eBay if they're nice. Be careful with them.

[Rusty_OToole]

About the time your car was built designer Brooks Stevens made his own sports car based on a Willys frame with the same engine. He called his the Excalibur.

I don't know what he did to the engine but he got 7000 RPMs out of it. Willys engineers said "It will come right thru the hood!" but it never did.

If you wanted to do a "period" hop up there are lots of things you can do with the stock parts. There are guys who can make a 3 carb manifold out of your old manifold by welding on 2 new flanges. If you only want 2 carbs you use the outer 2 and block off the original.

Similarly, they can split your exhaust manifold to install dual exhaust. Camshaft specialists can regrind your stock cam. Any auto machine shop can lighten the flywheel. These are all classic hot rod tricks that could have been applied to your car when it was new.

There are a couple of guys I know of doing the manifolds for Plymouth, Dodge and Chevy sixes of the early 50s. Possibly one of them could weld up your manifolds.

[georgealbrightg]

Thank you to both of you guys for your suggestions. Yes I have posted this question before.I have gone on South America Ebay and do see some Willys Aero cars with dual carb heads.However you never see just the heads or motors for sale. Big Daddy Don Garlits is a friend and I have access to his machine shop,so we will open up the side of a head for dual carbs. Willys speed equip. is hard to find. Thanks again for the suggestions! George

[Guest Straightaxle]

Head & block are one piece? I don't think so! The f-head designed by Willys was basically a conversion of a flathead design. Essentially the same block, but had pushrods where the intake valves had been. Head carries the intake valves, exhaust valves still in block. (Stude did the same thing in about 1961).

[Pontiac59]

Sorry, I'll have to pull out the reference on that data again (or go look over the one I own again), but if one looks at the photos you can pretty clearly see the exhaust manifold bolts to the block about halfway down the side. This motor is not related to the other motors used by Willys, that's why the tooling for it too went to Brazil.

[Guest Straightaxle]

Hi:

Sorry I was out of town or would have continued conversation in a more timely manner. Regarding the Studebaker, I mis-spoke, it is a full overhead valve engine, which I am quite sure was derived from their flathead design.

Regarding the Willys, I checked my Motor's Repair Manual 1953-61. It has cutaway drawings showing the flat head and f-head sixes. Intake manifold clearly on right side of head, exhaust manifold on left side of block.

Interestingly, although the 161 cu in. sixes both had the same bore & stroke, the f-head shows a different headbolt pattern.

Actually, my original point was that the head and block were separate, not one piece like the Crosley. (Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things!)