Putting any kind of v8 in a 41 willys makes finding a place for a steering column and pedals a chore. The trans tunnel gets alot bigger than stock, while the firewall gets moved back a bunch.
You wind up putting the column through the firewall at a point much lower than stock. At the fiberglass body manufacturer where I worked for 13 years, the firewall in our 34 coupe was recessed 4" and the toeboards were retained. The stock pedals were able to be used. The columns still needed to be angled down more to clear larger engines than stock. (41 willys came with a 4 cylinder)
The willys is already a small car, the rear of the front wheelwells intrude into the passenger compartment as well. There just is not alot of room for pedals .Toe kicks are nice for comfort, but in the case of a 41 willys, they don't dictate the position of the column.
Swinging pedals can help if you can stand seeing the MC on the firewall. Raising the column in the 2 ways that I described will help no matter where you put your pedals.
Just not having a column there to get in the way of your foot is a huge help. I have driven cars with the pedal on the left side of the column and had to use 2 feet to drive. It was uncomfortable and IMO unsafe.
Later,
Mikey