Dave Willis' 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe

A construction photo of the coupe that Gary Stermer took in 1959. Later owner Dave Willis went to visit Gary. They became good friends, and Gary gave Dave all his car pictures, dating back to 1951. Photo courtesy of Gary Stermer, from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Gary installed a 1956 Oldsmobile crate motor, a 1937 LaSalle transmission, and a 1934 Ford rear end before he sold the coupe to Neil. Photo courtesy of Gary Stermer, from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

A photo of the coupe taken right after Dave bought it and blew it apart to make his changes and repaint it. "Gary Stermer, who built it, was a tile layer and had come to town to tile a brand new bank being built here. It was the most beautiful hot rod I had ever seen, and I'd seen a lot," Willis told Kustomrama. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Gary sold the coupe to Neil Mandryk in the late 1950s. Willis never got to meet Gary back then, as he wasn't in town long, "but the car showed up in Parksville, a small town 30 miles from Port, and now belonged to a friend of mine. He drag-raced the car a few times and ended up in jail several times for his driving stunts and was told to sell the car before he became a long-time resident. I paid $1,600 for it, which wasn't cheap in those days, but I was a very happy man. Unfortunately, I was still trying to finish my '50 Chevy but let it go in favor of the '33." Dave was a founding member of the Alberni Valley Rod and Custom Association in 1955. As the association was leaning more toward stock car racing and sports cars, Dave broke out with some friends and founded the Cut-Outs of Port Alberni car club. This photo shows Dave running his Cut-Outs plaque on the rear nerf bar. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

A photo of the Coupe taken in 1961. "When I bought it, the car had not been run down," Willis told Kustomrama. "It was a beautiful car and a pleasure to drive, and drive it I did. I added new tires and wheels and repainted it in a 1958 Ford Burgundy color." Dave spent two years of spare time getting the car to show standard. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Several changes made to the '33 were so subtle that Willis had to point them out to the judges at the shows he entered the car in. "The obvious one was the filled, hammer-welded top; no lead there, but the rounded corners on the rumble seat lid and at the bottom back corner of the doors were not obvious. I have never seen that on any other '33 or '34 since, ever." Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

The cowl vent was filled in, and a new firewall was built, but the other subtlety was the hood. "Gary did not like the curved louvers of the 33's but preferred the straight ones of the 34's, so it was a lot of work altering the front of the hood tops and sides," Willis explained in 2023. Ross Long, who was a master bodyman, did all that work for Gary. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

The engine was built for both show and GO! Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

The coupe as it appeared when Peter Sukalac photographed it for Car Craft Magazine at the 1963 Vancouver Pacific International Motorama. Dave usually drove it with the hood on, but he had it off for the show when Pete took the pictures. The photos and a featured story on the coupe appeared in Car Craft September 1963. Photo by Peter Sukalac, courtesy of Dave Willis.

Photo by Peter Sukalac, courtesy of Dave Willis.

Photo by Peter Sukalac, courtesy of Dave Willis.

Dave and his girlfriend Sandra McLean with the coupe. Photo by Peter Sukalac, courtesy of Dave Willis.

In 2015 Dave told Kustomrama that the door panels in the coupe were not upholstered very well, as they were done in a hurry before a Victoria car show, just before the Vancouver show. Photo by Peter Sukalac, courtesy of Dave Willis.

After the 1963 Vancouver Pacific International Motorama, Dave re-installed a rear nerf bar that Gary Stermer had originally built, and added a stock bumper that he had re-chromed along with the bumper irons. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

The featured story on Dave's coupe from Car Craft September 1963.

The old Canadian hot rod eventually wound up in Atlanta, Georgia, in the possession of Dutch Young. Young traced Willis down, and he told him he liked to chop all his cars. The '33 was no exception, and Young told him that in addition to chopping it, he had also installed a modern front end and a Jaguar rear end. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photos shows that when Young owned the coupe, it ran black fenders dressed up with licking flames. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Young's version of the coupe was featured on the cover of Streetscene July 1978. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Young still owned the old hot rod in 2012, and when this photo was taken, he was working on it. Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

Photo from The Dave Willis Photo Collection.

1933 Ford 3-Window coupe originally owned and built by Gary Stermer of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. "Gary Stermer, who built it, was a tile layer and had come to town to tile a brand new bank being built here," later owner Dave Willis told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in November of 2023. "It was the most beautiful hot rod I had ever seen, and I'd seen a lot," Willis recalled.

Sold to Local Street Racer Neil Mandryk

Gary sold the coupe to Neil Mandryk in the late 1950s. Willis never got to meet Gary, as he wasn't in town long, "but the car showed up in Parksville, a small town 30 miles from Port, and now belonged to a friend of mine. He drag-raced the car a few times and ended up in jail several times for his driving stunts and was told to sell the car before he became a long-time resident. I paid $1,600 for it, which wasn't cheap in those days, but I was a very happy man. Unfortunately, I was still trying to finish my '50 Chevy but let it go in favor of the '33."

Dave Willis Turns it Into a Show Car

Dave Willis of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada purchased the coupe from Neil circa 1960. Dave was a founding member of the Alberni Valley Rod and Custom Association in 1955. As the association was leaning more toward stock car racing and sports cars, Dave broke out with some friends and founded the Cut-Outs of Port Alberni car club.

In 2015, Dave told Kustomrama that Gary had installed a 1956 Oldsmobile crate motor, a 1937 LaSalle transmission, and a 1934 Ford rear end before he sold it to Neil; " When I bought it, the car had not been run down. It was a beautiful car and a pleasure to drive, and drive it I did. I added new tires and wheels and repainted it in a 1958 Ford Burgundy color." Dave spent two years of spare time getting the car to show standard; "Several changes made to the '33 were so subtle that I had to point them out to the judges at the shows I entered it in. The obvious one was the filled, hammer-welded top; no lead there, but the rounded corners on the rumble seat lid and at the bottom back corner of the doors were not obvious. I have never seen that on any other '33 or '34 since, ever. The cowl vent was filled in, and a new firewall was built, but the other subtlety was the hood. Gary did not like the curved louvers of the 33's but preferred the straight ones of the 34's, so it was a lot of work altering the front of the hood tops and sides. Ross Long, who was a master bodyman, did all that work." The tires were 5.25 x 15" and 8.90 x 15"." Chromed and reversed wheels with hubcaps were installed. The front wheels came from a 1948 Mercury, while the rear wheels were Lincoln. According to a featured story in Car Craft September 1963, building the metal-filled top was the biggest hassle. Many hours were spent working it to perfection. It was all hammer-welded, and no lead was used in the installation. A 2 1/2 inch dropped axle was installed up front, while the spring eyes were reversed in the rear. The headlights were from a Willys Jeep.

In 1962, Dave showed the coupe at the Vancouver Autorama. At the show, he came 1st in the "Pre-War Coupe and Sedan" class. In 1963, he showed it at the Vancouver Pacific International Motorama, the same show but a new name. At the 1963 show, he came first in the "Street Rod Coupe" class. Peter Sukalac photographed the car at the show. The photos were used in a featured story in Car Craft September 1963; " I usually drove the car with the hood on, but had it off for the show when Pete took the pictures. As you can see in the picture of the car's interior, the door panels were not upholstered very well by the person who did them for me in a hurry before a Victoria car show, just before the Vancouver show, and I had to have them redone properly. Also, the car had a rumble seat and area that were never done before I traded the car off." When the coupe was featured in Car Craft September 1963, the engine was basically stock, but it ran an Edelbrock manifold with three carburetors. "After the show, I re-installed a rear nerf bar that Gary Stermer had originally built, and added a stock bumper that I had re-chromed along with the bumper irons."

Traded Off on a New Chevelle

In July of 1964, Dave married his girlfriend Sandra, and he sold his daily driver, a lowered, one owner 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air, to purchase an engagement ring; "The '33 was not a practical car for daily driving so I tried to sell it without any success because hot rods were not getting much attention or dollars back then. I traded the car off on a new '64 Chevelle Malibu SS that I ordered with a Power Pack 283, 4-speed and Positraction, and got a $2000 trade-in allowance. The Chevy owner's son, who was a good friend of mine, bought the car and joined our car club."

Sold to the US

By 1978, the old Canadian hot rod had found its way to Atlanta, Georgia, and it was in the possession of Dutch Young. Young traced Willis down, and he told him he liked to chop all his cars. The '33 was no exception, and Young told him that in addition to chopping it, he had also installed a modern front end and a Jaguar rear end. When Young owned the car, it also ran black fenders dressed up with flames. In November of 2023, the coupe was still in the possession of the Young family, but it was in pieces.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Car Craft September 1963
Car Craft November 1963
Streetscene July 1978