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Some of Dads Cars from the past and todayS
My Name is Kevin Masters and this is the hobby I love. Part 1


So a little history. My Dad Robert (Bob) Masters is an old time drag racer .He raced a 64 Catalina in j stock and beat the likes of Royal Pontiac on a weekly basis.. Just to piss dad off they would put a claimer on dad and he would have to tear down his engine to prove it was legal every week .they knew he drove his car the hour drive to the track and knew he would have to put it back together to get home.
Dad had a deal with the banks around here in the day .People would buy new Hemi cars run the shit out of them and blow them up .the bank would end up repoing a blown hemi car .Dad would change them to reg motors and get the hemis as part of the deal .He made the engines available to other racers on good deals .

Dad had seen Ohio George run his stock bodied 33 willys coupe in the late fifties and fell in love . He had to have one .His Grandpa found him one in 1957-8 . they brought it home in parts in the back of a pickup. Dad ran this coupe with a hemi in the late sixties. After that dad quite racing and started his family .His love for willys never stopped .Buying 33-36 willys when he found them . His 33 delivery the OVERLAND EXPRESS made all the mags in the day so did his 33 Willys pickup.In the late 70s Dad had a chance to buy the car that started it all 
The 33 Willys MALCO GASSER .The car had been stripped of all its goodies .Dad put the 1933 Willys back 
together .He did such a great job returning the car back to as last raced that George wanted it 
back. Dad sold it back to Ohio George needing only to be detailed.
Dads love of Willys took him down under where he brought back 33-36 Willys by the shipping crate.
Dads collection has more then a dozen 1933-36 Willys.
Around 10 years ago Dad got brain cancer followed by Alzheimer's. Dad is now living with Alzheimer's. This 
year I took over as caretaker his car collection .

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This is my old car We found in the basement of cates speed shop .I put another engine in and raced it in the late 80s .This is a great car that I do miss. Now in the collection of Ron M .

 

I spent a day after virgles death going though buildings.Like an old store with the roof partly caved in .it was filled with ford Edsals camaros and stacks of small block chevys .virgle though with the gas crunch they would quite making them and they would sky rocket in value .

went though his work shop with his opel and dads willys still no 33 willys cates world champ car .dug all though the old speed shop still no willys .finely i asked "ok where is it?" they said "you walked by it a bunch of times today."they took me to a door in the wall and there she sat.

 

Virgil Cates 1965 World Champion 1933 Willys after 37 years of being in climate controlled storage. This beautifully preserved car is the only known unrestored, all original World Champion Willys in existence and is as it was last run in 1970.

This 33 Willys is the only drag car to ever set national records in 2 different NHRA classes in one day. Virgil Cates was solely responsible for causing the NHRA to change the rules, limiting cars to competing in a single class at any given event. The history of the "Flying Junkman" Virgil Cates and his '33 Willys is legendary.

This car is recognized by the NHRA as being one of the most significant, historical drag cars in the world. The car was displayed at the 40th U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where the owners received the coveted "Wally Award" for the preservation of drag racing history. The award was presented by Wally Parks himself. Then in the year 2004 the car was displayed at the 50th running of the U.S. Nationals as one of the "Golden 50" most historical drag cars of all time.

This legendary '33 Willys was also presented on "Inside Drag Racing" on ESPN, by Big Daddy Don Garlits, who stated "This is big time, big name, this is what drag racing history is all about." Big Daddy was amazed at the preservation of the car and described it as, "unbelievable".

Dad built this delivery panel back in 69-70 .Made many mags and one many awards. We still have it .

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Click on pictures for more and bigger pictures.

When dad received the 33 Willys the Malco Gasser and started the replacing of all the org parts . The car had been stripped by George at the urging of Ford .The Willys was to loved by the people and had to be removed from the equation to make sure the Mustang was the center of attention. The Willys was parted all over the country as not to be EVER put back as it once was. Dad found all the org pieces as last run before selling it back to George. George who could not believe that dad had put it back together.Dad ended up with alot of extra parts from the Malco Gasser .these pigs are from that car.

 

Did you know that Ohio George Montgomery is the father of the modern gas shock and pioneered the adjustable shock too. His "REAL JOB" was a shock designer for I think it was Delco

He even ran this crazy coil over set up on the Willys in the early sixties

 

Dads grandpa found this coupe for dad after dad seen OG run that light blue willys in the late fifties .this is dad with his hemi gasser mid late sixties .Front car shown is same car we still have today

 

 dad ran it with a hemi .the car sat untouched from 1971-2 till early eighties .Virg farmed all the work out to make it a 9.90 car with the best stuff he could. T he night he was killed he was working on this car.Dad bought back after Virgle untimly death.

 

we think of it like this. dad bought the in 58 his grandpap found it for him in pieces in the ozarks .dad took it home in the back of a pickup truck.Dad built it .sat for a wile .we then let Virgle build it for us a we got it back..sorry Virgle was killed before Virgle could really enjoy the car

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