This 33 Willys, 1962 Oldsmobile powered A/Gas Supercharged car was built to N.H.R.A 1964 Rules and was built as a Tribute to all the drivers, owners and dedicated fans who loved these kind of cars, our love of the Gasser Cars will never end. Del Wiesner Seevers,Wiesner and Owens A/Gas Supercharged 33 Willys
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VIew from inside of car during Cacklefest and Awards ceremony at the 2010 50th Anniversary Winternationals in Pomona Ca.
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Wow, What a Ride!!!
Bakersfield, Ca California Hot Rod Reunion
2012
This old picture shows us racing K.S. Pittman in 1964 at the
U.S. nationals in Indianapolis. We won this race and went
on to face George Montgomery in the second round. George
won that round and also the 1964 U.S. Nationals.
Note the Indian in the background !! The Indian was always
present at the National Events to ward off the rain
Fontana,California 1965 The Mickey Thompson 200 M.P.H. Meet. This was a Invitational meet only. The best 200 m.p.h. Dragsters and the best A/Gas Supercharged Gasser were invited. Pappy Hart was the track manager at the time. They had closed up Lions where Pappy was the manager for many years. Pappy was pretty much the best promoter at that time and Mickey Thompson had taken over the management of the Fontana racetrack. Pappy said he would pay us gas money to come from Colorado to race in this race. We would have paid him!!!! What a race it was!! All the bad assed top fuelers were there along with the A/G/S Supercharged cars. We drew K.S.Pittman the first round, Got beat, but were allowed to Grudge Race other A/G/S the rest of the evening between rounds of top fuel and A/G/S. Our top time 146.69 and 10 flat e.t.
Gasser Tribute Car
About half a century ago, a few buddies and I built the ultimate hot rod. The 1933 Willys supercharged Oldsmobile powered gasser with its red paint job turned heads when it raced down the drag strip at nearly 150 mph. For the three Loveland Colorado High School car buffs, it was the culmination of hard work. It took all the money we single guys made to keep this thing going. As founding members of our town’s first hot rod club, The Loveland Zephyrs, we made it a point to keep racing off the streets and on the track.
Dean Seevers, Harold Owens, and I (Del Wiesner) owned the original 1933 Willys gasser car and ran the names Seever Wiesner and Owens on the car. When it was time to race the hot rod, we took it to drag strips all across the country. We lived in Loveland, Colorado at the time, and raced in the A-Gas Supercharged Class in NHRA Division 5, the west central part of the United States. The Supercharged Class was the hot class before Funny Cars became so popular in about 1967.
From 1962 to 1966, we raced many of the largest names in the sport. Names that are now famous through out drag racing. Stone Woods and Cook, Big John Mazmanian, Jr. Thompson, George Montgomery, KS Pittman , Chuck Finders and the Mallicot Brothers to name a few. Most of these guys were record holders at one time or another. That was the time of the Gasser Wars when the camshaft manufacturers were all arguing about who had the fastest and quickest cars.
We raced from Minneapolis to Dallas and from Indianapolis to the west coast with this car. We were competitive with anyone in the class at that time. We held the American Hot Rod Association national record in 1964. Our best time for the quarter mile was 146.86 in 10 seconds flat. But soon the gas coupes popularity began to fade.
In 1966 I built a super light 1923 Model T Street Roadster that went really fast – 150+ mph. I wrecked the roadster at the Erie, Colorado drag strip in 1966. The strips name was Mountain View Dragway. Only by the grace of God I wasn’t killed. Shortly after that, my wife Kay and I moved to Montrose, Colorado.
After 40-plus years of working in my own businesses, I couldn’t shake the thrill the race car had given me. Even though I had quit racing so long ago, I always loved the Willys Gassers. Once you get that in your blood, it’s hard to let go. It was the most exciting time of my life, so I decided to rebuild a part of history.
In 1998, after we sold our business, I decided to recreate the S.W.O.33 Willys. I wanted to show people what the Gasser cars were like, and I wanted to let guys like me, that really love these cars, have another look at one. The tribute car was built so we could look at it and see it runand get that rush of memories that would lead us back to those early days of drag racing.
Rebuilding the car was a challenge, mainly because all the parts needed are now considered antiques. It took five years’ time, but we were able to build an exact replica (all the way down to the painted lettering) of the hot rod I raced so long ago. In the car show and drag circuit, it’s called a nostalgia drag racer, although I refer to it as a tribute car – a tribute to everyone who drove and loved these kinds of cars. I must add that the cars that we built in the 60's would not pass the present N.H.R.A. strict safety rules and tech inspections. Back then very little safety equipment was required and today a strict physical and license are required. This car is nicer and much safer than the original car.
It has been an honor to build the Willys, especially with the help of my good friend Bobby Anderson and everyone else who helped along the way. I always look forward to visiting and “bench racing” with anyone who stops by.
See “One Hot Car” article in the Loveland Reporter Herald. http://www.jrthompson.net/swo33willys.html
2008
About half a century ago, a few buddies and I built the ultimate hot rod. The 1933 Willys supercharged Oldsmobile powered gasser with its red paint job turned heads when it raced down the drag strip at nearly 150 mph. For the three Loveland Colorado High School car buffs, it was the culmination of hard work. It took all the money we single guys made to keep this thing going. As founding members of our town’s first hot rod club, The Loveland Zephyrs, we made it a point to keep racing off the streets and on the track.
Dean Seevers, Harold Owens, and I (Del Wiesner) owned the original 1933 Willys gasser car and ran the names Seever Wiesner and Owens on the car. When it was time to race the hot rod, we took it to drag strips all across the country. We lived in Loveland, Colorado at the time, and raced in the A-Gas Supercharged Class in NHRA Division 5, the west central part of the United States. The Supercharged Class was the hot class before Funny Cars became so popular in about 1967.
From 1962 to 1966, we raced many of the largest names in the sport. Names that are now famous through out drag racing. Stone Woods and Cook, Big John Mazmanian, Jr. Thompson, George Montgomery, KS Pittman , Chuck Finders and the Mallicot Brothers to name a few. Most of these guys were record holders at one time or another. That was the time of the Gasser Wars when the camshaft manufacturers were all arguing about who had the fastest and quickest cars.
We raced from Minneapolis to Dallas and from Indianapolis to the west coast with this car. We were competitive with anyone in the class at that time. We held the American Hot Rod Association national record in 1964. Our best time for the quarter mile was 146.86 in 10 seconds flat. But soon the gas coupes popularity began to fade.
In 1966 I built a super light 1923 Model T Street Roadster that went really fast – 150+ mph. I wrecked the roadster at the Erie, Colorado drag strip in 1966. The strips name was Mountain View Dragway. Only by the grace of God I wasn’t killed. Shortly after that, my wife Kay and I moved to Montrose, Colorado.
After 40-plus years of working in my own businesses, I couldn’t shake the thrill the race car had given me. Even though I had quit racing so long ago, I always loved the Willys Gassers. Once you get that in your blood, it’s hard to let go. It was the most exciting time of my life, so I decided to rebuild a part of history.
In 1998, after we sold our business, I decided to recreate the S.W.O.33 Willys. I wanted to show people what the Gasser cars were like, and I wanted to let guys like me, that really love these cars, have another look at one. The tribute car was built so we could look at it and see it runand get that rush of memories that would lead us back to those early days of drag racing.
Rebuilding the car was a challenge, mainly because all the parts needed are now considered antiques. It took five years’ time, but we were able to build an exact replica (all the way down to the painted lettering) of the hot rod I raced so long ago. In the car show and drag circuit, it’s called a nostalgia drag racer, although I refer to it as a tribute car – a tribute to everyone who drove and loved these kinds of cars. I must add that the cars that we built in the 60's would not pass the present N.H.R.A. strict safety rules and tech inspections. Back then very little safety equipment was required and today a strict physical and license are required. This car is nicer and much safer than the original car.
It has been an honor to build the Willys, especially with the help of my good friend Bobby Anderson and everyone else who helped along the way. I always look forward to visiting and “bench racing” with anyone who stops by.
See “One Hot Car” article in the Loveland Reporter Herald. http://www.jrthompson.net/swo33willys.html
2008
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Willys logo and mural on race trailer by Bobby Anderson Photo, By Mike Bieke Tuscon Az 2013
Del Wiesner, Harold Owens, and Dean Seevers. Car finished 1-2008. 46 years later!
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Photo opp. What a cool picture!!! 2008. Note: Scott Slot fuel injector.
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Del Wiesner, Harold Owens, and Dean Seevers. December 1962.
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Wiesner and Owens, 1965 at C.D.R. in Castle Rock, CO. Dean Seevers went on to build a AA-Gas Mark Williams dragster with Oldsmobile power. Note: Homemade Fuel Injector on car at this time.
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