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Peter Debella shared these two images from an old Sears Catalog he has. Not everyone remembers that Sears and Montomery Ward used to have Jeep-specific parts catalogs. These old catalogs are pretty interesting to look through. I’ve got both Sears and Montomery Ward Jeep parts catalogs and have added a couple more pics. Here are a few pages from our collections.
My Dad worked for Sears in the years I was growing up. I loved these catalogs. Would flip through them for hours just to see the drawings of Jeeps and study all the parts offered. I had Jeep derangement at an early age and it never left.
I ordered a few parts from one of Sears Jeep parts catalogs in 1979 or 1980. My Jeep was an incomplete basketcase when I got it ,so the pictures in the catalog along with the discriptions on how to I.D. your Jeep actually got me looking closer at my Jeep and in the end realized that it was not a 1953 Willys,but a Ford GPW.
Back in those early days of the catalogs, I was always fascinated by them, which brings me to this question; Why did these catalogs feature Willys Jeep parts and not other name brand vehicles? Did Willys, Kaiser work out a special marketing deal with Sears and Montgomery Ward to sell parts through the catalogs just to enhance sales? What was the marketing behind this both for Jeep and Sears Montgomery Ward?
Mike,
That’s a good point!
It may have been a part of the relationship between Henry J. Kaiser developed with Sears in regards to the Allstate vehicle?? This link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allstate_(automobile) hints that the agreement took a while to develop. This is pure conjecture, but perhaps Willys Motors actually helped develop or produce the Jeep parts catalog with Sears just slapping its name on it? … It might be useful to read one of his biographies. Maybe that will yield a clue.
I found two full biographies, one from 1991 and one from 2012. For some reason the latter one is priced at $35 and up. So, I went for the 1991, which was less than $10: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-J-Kaiser-Western-Colossus/dp/0962287431
Another aspect of both the Sears and Wards catalogs is that a lot of Jeeps were sold around the country in areas where Jeep dealers were few and far between, to ranchers, farmers and other rural businesses and they could order Jeep parts through the catalogs and have them mailed to them where ever they were. There were so many authorized aftermarket items made for Jeeps that it made sense to cater to that market. J.C. Whitney had special areas in their catalogs for not only Jeep parts but parts for Model A Fords.
Yes Dave, I’d like to order FM LM 1000V part # 196715 – CJ5 (V6) water pump total rebuild kit on page #9. Please send via US Airmail. Dang, Alabama’s sales tax was the same as Washington’s and New York’s! Thanks because our catalogs were used up in the outhouse. A lot of green apple quick steps in the fall of 64. The West Family. Merry Christmas and a Half Happy New Year!
Dave, I think we may have stumbled on to something here, I had forgotten about Sears marketing the Allstate version of a Henry J. Now that I think of it, the Sears store in Passaic NJ had a Allstate on display in their auto dept. I will check out that book you mentioned. THANKS Mike
Between all of us we might just know a thing or two 🙂
Mike … after doing more research, I ended up ordering the more expensive bio also as a christmas present to myself. The author was a professor emeritus of history out of Denver, Colorado, who wrote several well regarded biographical books on several obscure folks. I was considering sending him a copy of my SLAG book, figuring he’d enjoy the Colorado history, but then I learned he died in 2016.
I forgot the link: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-J-Kaiser-Builder-American/dp/0292742266
At least some of those catalogs also covered the ih scout also.
I too ordered parts from the Sears “specialty” catalog for Jeep. Years after, I watched the Sears catalog distribution warehouse in Philadelphia get imploded.
I agree with Colin, mail order was big business back in the day, and the only connection some had to get things where they lived.