William Robert Gillelan III was born May 1, 1928 in Carlisle, PA. His father
moved their family to the Detroit area where Bob began his long, successful
Michigan motor sports racing career as a driver, engine builder, and
manufacturer.
In the 1950’s “Bill” Gillelan spread
racing roots hurling his No.299 modified around Michigan tracks such as
Motor City Speedway competing in Michigan Modified Stock Racing Association
events. His success as a driver was admittedly, limited, because he “crashed
too much”. His MCS payout stubs attest to having competed in many events
with each winnings ranging about $20 to $200. Another stub records a
whopping $29 payout to win the pursuit and finish 7th in a 1955 NASCAR
Daytona Beach feature event.
While working at Moldex Tool Co. in
Dearborn Heights, MI. Bob emerged as a premier high performance engine
builder. He put himself on the racing map with a prototype 500 h.p. 4-cam
Chrysler engine that landed on the cover of Motor Trend magazine in August,
1957. Chrysler at the time had just increased their 300C HEMI engine to 392
c.i.d. and 375 h.p.
Bob’s racing involvement made him
aware of needed crankshaft technology improvements. As a result the first
Moldex billet crankshaft was manufactured in 1962. He became proprietor in
1965 and transformed Moldex Tool Co., alternately known as “Dearborn
Crankshaft”, into a nationally renowned crankshaft producer. ‘Moldex cranks’
are consistently in the winning cars of major racing events and customers
include many of the “who’s who” in racing but also include racing’s ‘little
guy’.
In the mid-1960’s “Gilley” teamed up
with Joy Fair to run a light blue Ford Falcon late model. Subsequently, with
Gilley building engines, Fair driving, and Russell Wainscott chipping in
they became the team to beat. The Dearborn Crankshaft school bus yellow
cars, flying the No.1 cartooned with Gilley chiseling out a crankshaft, were
nearly unbeatable. They won numerous ARCA season championships on their home
tracks of Flat Rock and Toledo Speedways during the 1960’s and 1970’s. They
succeeded with a diverse suite of cars, running the usual Fords and
Chevrolets, but uniquely others such as a Cavalier, an Oldsmobile and a
four-door Maverick. Over 30 years of dominance led ARCA to retire their
famed No.1 from competition in 1999.
In 2008 Gilley celebrates his 80th
birthday. He currently lives in Dearborn Heights, MI. with wife Nancy and
has a daughter, Linda. He soldiers on with Moldex Tool, turning out
world-class crankshafts now for over 45 years. His passion for racing, quick
wit, and hard work ethic have led to significant contributions in Michigan
motor sports for well over 50 years now, as a driver, an engine builder, and
a manufacturer.
