1940 Willys Pickup Truck

1940 Willys Pickup Truck — Pro-Built Street Rod with Chevy 350 V8, Scott Rods Body, and TCI Custom Frame


Why This Car Is Special

The 1940 Willys Pickup is one of the most recognized shapes in American street rod culture, and for good reason. Willys-Overland built a compact, upright pickup in 1940 that was already unusual for its time — narrow, tall, and visually dense in a way that most pre-war trucks were not. The company was fighting for survival in the low-priced vehicle market, competing against Ford and Chevrolet with a smaller footprint and a distinctive look that factory designers gave real character. The egg-shaped grille surround, rounded fenders, and stubby proportions made the 1940 Willys Pickup stand out on the street when it was new, and that same visual weight is exactly why the body has remained a favorite platform for street rod builders for decades.

What you're looking at here is not a restoration. It's a ground-up pro street build assembled from name-brand components, designed to be driven regularly rather than trailered to shows and stored in a garage. The foundation is a TCI custom frame — a chassis specifically engineered for this kind of build — combined with a Scott Rods fiberglass body. Scott Rods is one of the most respected names in the pre-war reproduction body business, known for accurate proportions and quality that holds paint well. The result is a 1940 Willys Pickup that carries the shape people recognize while shedding the weight and corrosion concerns of an 84-year-old steel body.

The drivetrain, suspension, steering, and braking systems are all sourced from recognized aftermarket manufacturers. This is not a parts-bin special assembled over a long weekend. Every major system has a name behind it, which matters both for reliability and for future serviceability.


Features List

- Chevy 350 V8 Crate Engine
- Automatic Transmission with Floor Shifter
- Scott Rods Fiberglass Body
- TCI Custom Frame
- Mustang I Front Suspension
- Rack-and-Pinion Steering
- Wilwood Front Disc Brakes
- Narrowed Rear End
- Weld Racing Wheels
- Mickey Thompson Tires
- Dual Exhaust with Quad Rear Outlets
- Classic Instruments Gauge Cluster with Tachometer
- Custom Billet Grille
- Purple Flame Pinstripe Detail
- Two-Tone PPG Paint — Silver Lower / Black Upper
- Gray Leather Bucket Seats
- Custom Center Console
- Billet Steering Wheel
- Tilt Steering Column
- Vintage Air Conditioning
- Power Windows
- Aftermarket Stereo
- Carpeted Bed Interior
- Custom Door Panels with Billet Armrests
- Moroso Hidden Kill Switch
- Street Rod Custom Build


Mechanical

Power comes from a Chevrolet 350 cubic inch small block V8 crate engine. The 350 small block is the most proven V8 in street rod applications — parts availability is universal, tuning knowledge is widespread, and the architecture has been refined over decades to be both durable and adaptable. The engine sits in a TCI custom frame, which was purpose-built for this application rather than adapted from something else. TCI Engineering has been a recognized name in street rod and racing chassis components for many years, and their frames are designed with correct geometry for the suspension and drivetrain components being used.

Up front, the truck runs Mustang I independent front suspension — a system that has been used on street rods since the 1970s and remains a standard choice for builders who want predictable handling and good parts availability. Rack-and-pinion steering connects directly to this setup, replacing the vague, slow steering that any pre-war truck came with from the factory. The combination of IFS and rack-and-pinion steering transforms the driving experience of a 1940 Willys Pickup from a pre-war farm vehicle into something you can actually enjoy on modern roads.

Braking is handled by Wilwood front disc brakes. Wilwood is a California-based manufacturer that supplies braking systems to professional racing teams as well as the street rod and