Clinton Township, Michigan, street rodder, Larry Potvin, has always loved vintage Willys gassers. A member of the Greater Detroit area's "Wooly Cruisers," Potvin actually raced a '41 Willys coupe in the altered class in the late '60s. "I've always loved these cars," a fact Larry quickly demonstrated by nailing the throttle on his supercharged 507-inch big-block-propelling us at warp speed down the East Side's famed Gratiot Avenue late last summer.
Purchased in June 1997, Larry and local street rod builder Ron Walter spent six months and a wad of cash transforming the former gasser into an award-winning street rod. In the process, the '37 was stripped down to the bare frame, without a "stone" being left unturned. When asked about the sedan delivery aspect, Potvin explains, "This car was originally a four-door sedan built in 1993 by Vassar, Michigan's, Gary Sterling. He built the chassis, and closed in the rear doors."
Obviously, the most visually striking feature on Larry's quasi-delivery is the highly-polished, Weiand 8.71-huffed, Holley-carbureted, GM Performance Parts 502-inch rat motor protruding through the '37's front sheetmetal. It flat jumps out at you! All told, this supercharged beast pumps out some 750 hp at 6,000 rpm and utilizes goodies like a Crower cam and valvetrain, Street & Performance engine pulleys and dressup kit, an MSD 6AL electronic ignition with a Blaster coil and MSD wires, a set of Performance Fab Engineering 2 1/4-inch ceramic-coated headers, and single chamber Flowmaster mufflers.
Also along for the ride is a 3,000 stall-speed, B&M-equipped GM Turbo 400 transmission, and an Auto Truck Equipment-fabricated custom driveshaft. The final application of power occurs the very minute the HAL QA-1 dampened, four-link-suspended, 8.75-inch, narrowed Chrysler rearend (with 3.90:1 Strange Engineering and Moser axles) turns those massive 31x18.50x15-inch Mickey Thompson Pro tires mounted on Weld Rodlite modular-aluminum wheels.
Potvin and Walter also updated the Willys front suspension with the addition of a Heidt's Hot Rod Shop IFS complete with Heidt's 2-inch dropped front spindles, Mustang II rack-and-pinion-steering, Monroe 50/50 shocks, and 11-inch GM front disc brakes.
Getting back to that unique Gary Sterling-modified all-steel Willys coachwork. Once bodyman Ron Walter reblocked the entire body (after all, you're bound to get a few dings and ripples over the years), painters Bob Cox and Paul Boughner sprayed the '37 in a combination of PPG Silver basecoat with a Nippon Paint crushed-glass mid-coat and PPG clear. Graphic treatments consist of raspberry pinstriping by Larry LaBove.
On the inside, you'll find the original Gary Sterling six-point rollcage surrounded by some very pleasing Ron Walter-stitched charcoal tweed upholstery, including a pair of bucket seats out of a '01 Trans Am Firebird. Rounding out the clean interior is a '78 Cadillac six-way tilt steering column, a Lecarra leather-wrapped steering wheel, Billet Specialties mirrors and door handles, VDO instrumentation, and Kenwood audio system.
One question many Willys fanciers ask Larry is why didn't he install the more visually pleasing '40-41 Willys front sheetmetal (or fiberglass) instead of using the bulbous-nosed '37 Willys front sheetmetal? "Well, after all," says Larry, "it is a '37 Willys, isn't it? And not a '40-41? My wife Connie and I both like the looks of the car. She thinks it looks cute. I think it looks unique!"
Facts & FiguresLarry & Connie PotvinClinton Township, Michigan1937 Willys Americar "Sedan Delivery"