FULL HISTORY of Gene Cromer's MOONLIGHTER Willys Gasser
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2021
- Gene Cromer is a TRUE LEGEND of drag racing, and his 1941 Willys named "The Moonlighter" is part of what gave him that reputation. We dig DEEP to find the history of the Moonlighter and show you every step of this car's evolution, from an original passenger car to a 1960's gasser super star. The car was updated in the late '60s and was retired in the early '70s, stashed away in Gene's barn. He kept this legendary, historic drag car for all these years, but it was disassembled and he lost hope in ever putting it back together.
Enter Quain Stott, the leader of the @SoutheastGassersAssociation, who befriended Gene and offered to help put his iconic Willys gasser back together. This lit a fire under Gene and his old racing buddy, Melvin Craft. The resurrected gasser was a team effort, and resulted in a fully functional car...not just a museum piece. In fact, the Moonlighter is quicker than it was back in its heyday. This FORD-powered 1941 Willys used mostly original parts for its restoration, aside from a few modern safety features, which are hidden from plain sight. Vintage speed parts include magneisum Torq Thrust wheels, Hilborn mechanical fuel injection, an aluminum radiator from a factory lightweight Ford Galaxie, and much more.
Take a look at its full history and see some great old clips of it racing at tracks like Starlite 25 Dragway, Shuffletown and more. This is my biggest, most comprehensive episode of Hot Rod Hoarders, so I hope you enjoy it!
UPDATE: Gene Cromer and his iconic Moonlighter Willys gasser were involved in a terrible accident. Unfortunately, Gene did not recover from his injuries and has passed away. He is greatly missed.
#hotrodhoarders #history #dragracing - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Wow, when you call and asked to use some of my pictures and videos, I never dreamed it would come out this good. You really did a great job.
Thanks again for all the help with this...definitely one of my biggest video projects yet.
Amazing story guys! So cool to see Gene blast it down the strip & how proud he is of that car.
Great job Frank!!
@@jimmypopp2695 I had a very small part in this. All the credit for this video goes to Hot Rod Hoarder, AKA Tommy Lee Byrd.
@@franktaylor6863 You had the forethought to document so many decades ago and moreover, you hung on to it for so many decades to come...
That's no small part Frank. The stars have aligned to get this story from your lens to my eyes.
I am grateful to have viewed these images and been told this story.
I was sixteen in 1968when I met Gene at an old airstrip dragway between Orange Park and Green Cove Springs Florida called Thunderbolt Dragstrip. It was a Funnycar meet with about twenty or so Funnycars. Lighting was poor so they used two World War two spotlights behind the starting line to light up the strip. Gene had his Mustang roadster there running as a Funnycar. In those days, you could just stand around the cars at the starting line and staging area. I was a budding Ford fan and I walked up to Gene and told him how I loved his car. Well Gene proceeded to tell me all about his 427 Tunnel port engine, injectors and chassis. That really impressed me as a teenager that a pro racer would take time in the staging lane to talk to me a total stranger just as if I knew all he was talking about. He just filled me in on his ride. Awesome good guy! I'll never forget that event. I built a model car after his in the following weeks. I cut the top off a 66 Mustang fastback and made a roadster out of it with a homemade chassis and 427 wedge and metalflake gold body color. I wish I still had it.
I love it man🎉
Absolutely well put together documentary on this car
Everything this kid does is Gold. He's gonna go far.
Thank you 383 Garage!
Thank you for the kind words Joshua!
I wish I was growing up back then. I love those old gassers
For sure, I would've loved to experience drag racing in the '60s.
That’s a time of scratch for every tenth you could FIND!!!
John DeHaven I did grow up back then. Yeah, it was great. But think how old you'd be now.
I learned a lot about Gene from this film. Great job. May he Rest in Peace.
Thank you so much beautiful car awesome guy forgot to do his last little thing with the car used to have I'm 70 now and I remember back when they used to run anglia's and and these little gas or cars just awesome thank you so much flashback from the past good job man and good job taking the time to do this video
Love that Ranchero too.
Oh yeah, a very cool tow vehicle.
Love the Car and the Story. I was born in 65 and my Dad Drag Raced from the late 50s into the early 70s and I Grew up around these Cars. I'm from Michigan so he Raced at Lapeer Drag way and Tri-City and one more i CAN'T spell. I lost my Pop 5 years ago and Get my Love of Hot Rods from him. I can feel and hear what a machine is Doing. That man could shift a 4 speed and come off the light like no bodys business. I'm so Glad that I got to see this Story. I always loved them willys and straight axle cars. God bless all of you that helped and made this Dream stay alive.
what an amazing story and video. i grew up watching gassers at Lion's drag strip. there my favorite class along with fuel altered. the car in its original state was super cool, restored its awesome, it certainly deserved to be resurrected.
Thank you for this one, it does my 51 year old heart good to see one of these old cars brought back to life by/for the original driver!
It was awesome to see this thing in person. Really a great car and a piece of history!
I am 77 now, thank you great show.
I've watched this I bet 8 times now! Awesome back story and what a great car! Amazing what a little history, family and saved parts can accomplish!
You have done an amazing service to the memory of this man and his family . Who could have known fate was just around the corner as you and all that contributed pieced together this beautiful tribute to a racing legend and really great guy. You have outdone yourself ! R.I.P. Gene and godspeed.....
Amazing look at the history of this Willys and Gene. I was about 14 years of age & I used to deliver newspapers and magazines for extra pocket money. One house I delivered to had a Hotrod magazine (don’t remember what it was called) on monthly subscription and I was looking through a copy & there was a feature on a red Willys gasser, it turned out to be Big John Mazmanian’s. Needless to say in early 1960’s England it wasn’t common to see cars like that, but I was hooked. From then on I made my mind up that was what I wanted to do. I’ve been involved with drag racing and hot rods ever since. Never did get to own a. ‘41 Willys but I have a steel ‘32 Ford Roadster, maybe in another life I’ll get to find one.
Thanks for sharing this amazing story & I hope Gene gets to enjoy his awesome Willys for many more years.
👏👏👏👏👏🤣🇬🇧.
Man, what a great story and fantastic video. You've out-done yourself!
Thank you Larry!
Excellent job!!!!
Great job on video! And hats off to Gene for running a great FE engine...proving once again, bbc is not the only option!
Thank you for watching!
Bet that Cammer looked good in there! Probably a little heavy though
Having grown up with Big John Mazmanian's nephew and Rich Siroonian coached a football team I played on, gassers hold a special place in my heart. Great video thanks for doing these!!
Thanks Kenny! Big John was a drag racing hero!
This was awesome how you all came together to restore this iconic hotrod. Lane did a great job so cool Gene kept it and motor parts. Love those Rancheros too.
Great job on this car and owners history. Was a garage rat as a kid. Drove a 57 chevy gasser on streets in Chicago . My reward, for going to get smoke and beer yes old day. Missed them. If your old as I am you understand. Thanks
Thanks for watching and sharing your memories Pete.
I remember those days. It was a all weekend afare. Ooo the good old days.
A few years a Mr Gene rebuilt a straight axle for me and I was watching him work. He handed me the tools and showed me what to do. Good times. Thanks for the video. It's a great way to start off my day. Has anyone checked in on Gene lately?
I haven't heard from Gene in a while...I hope he is doing well.
Some of the comments said RIP Gene
@@bryanfranks1378 Mr.Bryan
Did Mr. Gene pass away? He was a good one.
He was a great man and I am sorry to say that Gene has passed and gone to that great 1/4 Mile in the sky
Excellent video brother! I met Gene a few years back at a SEG race. He is a very humble man and loves life.
Thank you Doug! Gene is a true Southern Gentleman.
I'm lucky enough to watch him run the car again. Been following Quain and Mitch since 2014
Quain and Mitch have done so much for gasser drag racing (and drag racing in general)...really great guys.
Nice. Wonder where the 55 is now
Good old days when you read about Drag racing in the newspaper before it was considered a bad thing... Man I wanna go back
I'd love to go back to the '60s!
@@HotRodHoarder at one time we had 5 drag strips on long island. One by one they took em out. Then we had to resort to going out to new jerseys englishtown... Then they took that away. 🤦🏻♂️
I want to go back for many reasons brother.
@@HotRodHoarder Me too!! MUCH better times back then.
Awesome story, I grew up in the 60s and Willys gassers were always my favorite. Finished my own blown Willy street rod last summer!
I grew up watching these Gassers back in the 60s and fell in love with them! To this day, they remain my favorite drag racers. Thanks for bringing this story to us, you covered this extremely well!
Great episode I really enjoyed seeing the old footage and build photos. Thanks
Thanks Sam!
Every car has a story. That’s why gear heads stand around talking when they aren’t driving Some cars like this one have a legend. And now this one continues its legend after its slumber. The Moonlighter was a hero in Gene’s part of the world and is again. But now, because of technology the Moonlighter story reaches farther than it ever could have. I live near Vancouver BC Canada. Now I know Gene’s story. Nice work. To all of those who say the internet is full of meaningless content! You’re looking in the wrong places.
Thank you for this video. We so much appreciate learning more about a legend in the gasser world. Quain Stott has done a wonderful job bringing gassers BACK - SEGA is gaining traction and a big fan base. As more and more sponsors join the association SEGA - and hopefully other regions - will build an even bigger following. The day of the gasser is NOT OVER!
Thank you for watching John! I love following along with the Southeast Gassers Association. Those guys are doing it right!
Very good coverage and back story on this car. probably the best yet!
Thank you Tim!
This is one of the best TH-cam channels. Great content everytime. Look forward to fridays. Thanks
Thank you for the kind words Jamie, it means a lot!
Another great video brother, love the video of it launching with the front end high in the air ! Keep the gassers coming!
Thank you Kirtland!
Great job, your work is second to none! The countless hours and dedication it takes to make a video with great detail like this is awesome. Thank you!
Thank you for this video, you've done an outstanding job documenting this old ghost. Thanks to Gene for all the wonderful memories. God Bless you all.
Thank you for the kind words!
Worth the wait. Fantastic research and images. Sweet (re)build. Gene’s smile says it all.
Thanks Matt...this rebuild definitely lit a fire under Gene.
Wow what a great story and tribute to Gene and his family! A beautifully done car beautifully restored. one of my all-time favorite gassers, ‘41 Willys
Quain Stott is a very special man and this video illustrates this fact without question.
Great job on restoring a great piece of drag history..thats awesome you guys keep him and his legacy alive.
I'm 61 now and I still remember this car. It really is one of the great originals of all time. Thanks for sharing
Great story telling. Awesome love for the cars and passion building and racing . All those involved in this are great people. Gene must be a happy man to take this out racing once in while and tell the story. Thanks for sharing. Your great at storytelling.
This by far the best gasser documentary you've done on the channel. I enjoyed every bit of it from start to finish.
0:09 that wheelie footage was awesome!
That launch is awesome. Love how unpredictable these cars were back in the day.
Yeah ,Man...HE WAS GONE!
He has great reaction times. Great to see he got it rebuilt and he’s racing it again. These are my favorite gassers. Just cool as cool can be.
Great video and story, awesome man and car, thank you!
Thank you for watching Robert!
I have seen Gene run the car on several occasions . The old beast is fantastic and a work of art. Gene is a true drag racing hero. And he still knows how to blast down the track with authority .
Yes sir, he's a legend and so is the car. They make a great pair!
Fantastic video, fantastic character Gene, appreciate his faith and character!
God Bless You, Gene!
I’m old enough to well remember the 1960’s and Gene’s determination to race while working full time to support his family!
Great vid, really enjoyed!!!!!!!!!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you for watching!
I been knowing Mr gene corner when I was a kid he done some motor work for me when I was raceing still love that car may the good Lord be with him and all of us
OMG thank you so much for doing this! What an incredible story. Brought tears of joy to my eyes. Would love to get this to make an appearance October 30th at our home our Florida Dragstrip Riot 5.
Absolutely loved that - Thank you, I’ve wanted a willys coupe since the age of 13 - kind of an odd thing for a kid from the UK in the 1980’s, I’m 53 now and still have that itch I need to scratch- one day soon hopefully 🤞👍
Thank you for watching!
This video gave me chills. It was like reliving when I was a kid. Loved going to the drags and watching those old gassers run! Thanks for this video. ❤️
Thanks Man Great video. Best I seen on utube in a long time. Always wanted a willy's for forty years. Still chasing the dream of finding one in a Bush. Lol. Great history. Thanks again.
Thank you for the kind words!
That's my dream too. I take it you've seen the movie "Hot Rod" ? (1979 movie) It's here on TH-cam also. It's a MUST see for Willy's lovers. I saw it when I was a kid when it first came out. It just added to my Love and Desire for a Willys.
Talk about going back in time, I was at that one and only race at Donaldson and watched Gene win A/G. It was also the first time I got to see Big Daddy Don Garlits run and I was hooked. We used to race all over the area between 1964 and 1967, until I got drafted. Ware Shoals was an outlaw track meaning it wasn't sanctioned by any racing body that didn't mean they didn't have rules. They would make you throw your beer out when you got to the starting line. Sorry to hear of Gene's passing he will continue to be a legend all around the Carolina's for many years to come.
Congrats.....great video....i watched the rebuild on The Hamb back in the day......Quian's effort to keep it period correct was incrediable....set the standard for others to follow....which still stands true with the SEG Assoc....
Absolutely, Quain set the bar pretty high! His efforts to document the rebuild will go down as one of the best build threads on the HAMB.
In the mid '60s my dad had a '51 Chevrolet with a '57 Pontiac 347" engine Gene built. Hurst made the motor mounts for the swap. Dad said it was one of the faster street cars in Anderson. I remember my mom saying she hated that car. When they got married, dad sold it before I came along. He did what he had to do to start a family. Great video .
Well done. Videos keep getting better and better.
Thank you for the kind words!
Gene is the Man, I spent some quality time in the 70s at Brainerd, greer and paradise dragways as a kid, Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you.Beautiful story!
Thanks for watching Gregory!
What a great tribute ,to the man and the car. I was in my late 20s during the Gasser days and went to a lot of drag races back then that featured match races between gassers ,I really enjoyed this it brought back a lot of good memories for me thank You .
This has got to be my favourite yet, very well done.
Thank you for the kind words!
What a great story! My Dad (Don Fowler) worked on Don Noyes' US Mule a late 50's early 60's A Gas in the Glen Falls area of upstate New York . Dad and Noysie used to go to Sinair in Canada quite often in the summer. Don Noyes has passed and Dad is going to be 90. Dad was really pleased to read that someone had found the last US Mule and was going to resurrect it. Great story, Keep these old gassers alive !!
Excellent documentary on Mr. Cromer and the Moonlighter. Well done. God Bless.
What a great story. It gave me great pleasure watching that. I love that the car was kept as original as possible and is still racing.
My god that Willy's with a Cammer engine... Pure heaven!
I appreciate the things your doing young man. I LOVE DRAG RACING, I too found Drag Racing as a kid 7 to 8 years old, in 1967 or 68, family friend had 67 Impala Fastback named Plum Wild it was of course the color purple I guess took a ride didn't see crap just dashboard. I went along and was in the pits with the car and watch the race adrenaline kicking in high. These stories and cars truly bring joy to this old man's heart. Keep it up your doing a fabulous job. Thank You
I grew up in Arvada Colorado my friend drove for Jerry Roth Chevrolet.. I had a great up bringing really..
Justcwhen you think the video's can't get any better. Thisvone comes. I watch all of Southeast gassers. Your video makes my favorite car that much greater. I now have a even more respect for him, and this unbelievable 41.
What a great video. Started drag racing in the mid-sixties. My hat is off to these guys who built and drove the gassers. They were a handful. The Moonlighter is a work of art all due the genius of Gene. May Gene RIP and thanks for the memories.
Thanks for sharing the story with us. I love hearing about the heyday of dragracing, especially grassroots.
I grew up around drag racing when I was like 8 to 9 yrs old I am 61 now, and kind of got busy with life and didn't pay attention now that I have more time, I found my old heart of my youth. I am grateful you gave ue this grand history lesson and a personal touch is really nice story awesome thank You again
Thank you for sharing this valued pice of history. Very well researched and told. I thank you for posting this sir.
I was racing Super Stock back in the day in upstate South Carolina and always lived the Moonlighter.
Even had Gene do head work for me.
Loved the days of High Horsepower and High Speeds.
God Bless and keep y'all safe.
Powerful elements all around this story. Thanks for sharing it🙏😎👍
Thank you for watching Jim!
This is the best hot rod channel on TH-cam. Fantastic story telling, no hype and a lot of respect for the subject matter.
I wish we had more cars like this in Australia. Thanks again for a great video. Cheers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please keep doing what you are doing, you are bringing back so many memories.
I have lots of video ideas in the works, I love this stuff!
Thank you, thank you, thank you all!!! What a great story, great racing history and family documentary.
The greatest story you've ever done very well done. Thank you
Thank you Tony, that means a lot!
From one Hotrod to another, thank you for the memories and God Bless you your Wife and your two daughters, ♥️🇺🇸☮️
This is a GREAT story about a great car and what a story !
WOW !
When someone says " Gasser " These Willy's coupes are the first thing many people think of and this car is one reason for that !
Thank you for bringing this car to the channel.
Be Safe and Well
Thank you for watching!
Outstanding job, been following Gene, Quain and the moonlighter rebuild and racing on the HAMB since 2014. Quite the car and story.
For sure, they did a great job of documenting the rebuild...I loved watching it come together.
Fantastic story done very well . I have to admit that was what racing really is all about . To go that fast back in the day is damn impressive . I'll take a car like this any day over a high tech car . These are a lot more fun and usable .
This was the coolest! Thank you for this video!
The comments I would LIKE to make might run to several pages. So, keeping it brief, thank you once again for an incredible feature. Many of the people from my past who would love this have already departed life, I am grateful to be able to see it.
What a great story Thanks so much for sharing that with us Keep up the GREAT work !!!
Thank you Michael!
Thank you for sharing this Awesome story ! Take care , stay safe and healthy with whatever you maybe doing next ! Doing well here in Kansas .
Thanks for your continued support Steve!
@@HotRodHoarder You're welcome
Great video, thanks for sharing the history on a nice blast from the past.
Please keep Gene Cromer (Moonlighter) and his family in your prayers. Had a throttle issue while loading to go to the Anderson car show. Shot across the road at high speed off of an embankment and 100 yards into a construction site.
Awesome video ! Loved taking the step back and seeing a big part of drag racing history !
That was awesome! What a great story and video! Amazing job!
another awesome video thanks for sharing and can’t wait to see the next one
Thank you for following along Al!
I've been an old 1/24th scale model builder for quite a while now . Was born in 1967. I've built a couple different versions if this ICONIC GASSER over the years . Im soo proud to see they have brought her back and made her better than before. Gene and the rest have really outdone themselves here! And YES ...It brung me to tears to see this car fly down the track again!! Just a truly great history saving documentary . You've done Gene and the car proud and i thank u Sir.
A heartbreaking story. With tears in my eyes, thank you very much!
Thanks excellent put together video great memories and thoughts of back then you made my day catch you next time God Bless !!!!
Thank you for watching Jim!
Great video! Thank you for taking the effort and time to create this great content!
Wow!... An Awesome Machine with an Awesome Story. Thanks for Sharing
Absolutely a Labor of Love Great Job thanks for keeping gassers alive.
Excellent story and put together perfectly. Keep em coming!!!
Way to go Gene! Not to many people would hold on to a car that long. Kool Ma-kool!
Thanks for the history and how well you presented it,God bless
Awsome! Great to see these old racer willys back out and being used as they were intended to be .a very well put together informative video sir.
Wow! What a fantastic journey that Gene and this Willy's have had. You covered it very well. Thank you for sharing it really was fun to watch.
I've been watching your vids along time . This is the best I've seen out of them all . You did an amazing job !
This is the best yet! Thank you!