emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
Welcome to eWillys.com, a website for vintage jeep enthusiasts. I update this website nearly every day with jeep deals, jeep history, interesting reader projects, jeep related info, and more.
These quick searches can help you find things on eBay. People list in the wrong categories all the time, so don't be surprised to see brochures in the parts area for example.
The links to posts below show jeeps grouped by models, condition, and other ways. Some of these jeeps are for sale and others have been sold. If you are unsure whether a vehicle is still for sale or not, email me at d [at] ewillys.com for more info.
There are plenty of interesting, unusual, historic and surprising stories related to Jeeps and their owners. In addition, some of these features have nothing to do with jeeps. This link will display all featured stories starting from the latest.
Looking for parts and not sure where to go? There are a variety of large and small new and used parts sellers both online and offline.
Importantly, the allure of buying a project jeep can be romantic. The reality of restoring a jeep can be quite different, expensive and overwhelming without the right tools and resources. So, tread carefully when purchasing a "project". If you have any concerns about buying a vintage jeep, or run across a scam, feel free to contact me for help, comments or concerns .
Like the April issue, this issue includes a variety FC and Surrey images.
The March 1956 Issue of Popular Science included a small story of a CJ-2A with a Gutter-Vac installed. It was used in Washington, D.C.
UPDATE: Thanks to Mark we have some background information on the Turner Manufacturing Company: https://www.statesville.com/opinion/o-c-stonestreet-a-closer-look-at-mr-c-h-turner-and-turner-manufacturing-company/article_d376cc29-de76-591c-bcad-62e719909ca6.html.
I’ve also added to the post with some wood working equipment that was also offered by the Turner Manufacturing Company of Statesville, North Carolina.
The Turner company offered a variety of other wood options as well according to the Special Equipment brochure index:
As the original post indicated, Turner produced hay balers as well.
This turner hay baler has some similar elements, but isn’t example the same:
After Willys Motors found it’s groove in 1956, the marketing department continued its Saturday Evening Post ad-a-month pace throughout 1957. The company used the same triple-pane style of ads as it had in 1956, the exception being a two-page, color, introductory ad for the FC-170. Marketing also reused some content from the previous year, but combined that older content with information about the FCs.
For example, the first triple-pane ad, in February of 1957, was very similar to the the June 1956 ad, except that it included an FC-150.
Comparison of similar “Gets there … works there … anywhere!” ads from June 16, 1956, and February 23, 1957.
Here are the next four ads for 1957 in the Post:
These ads appeared in the Saturday Evening Post March 30, April 27, May 25, and June 22 of 1957. The April 27, 1957, ad is mostly a repeat of the November 17, 1956, ad. The June 22, 1957, ad is mostly a repeat of the September 26, 1956, ad.
In July, Willys Motors, as they did for the FC-150 in December of 1956, ran a full-color two-page ad for the new FC-170:
This two page ad introducing the FC-170 appeared in the July 13, 1957, issue of the Saturday Evening Post.
The remaining four ads for 1957 are shown below:
These ads appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on August 17, September 21, October 19, and November 11 of 1957. There was no ad published in December of 1957.
After Willys Motors near-montly ads in 1957, I expected to find similar advertising the following year. Instead, I could not locate any ads in the Saturday Evening Post over the course of 1958.
No month or journal name for this ad.
View all the information on ebay
“Type: This is an original 1947 print ad, we do not sell reproductions.
Year Published: 1947
Format: Black + White
Size: 8.0″ W x 10.5″ L”
Prior to the Kaiser buyout, Willys-Overland was a regular advertiser in the Saturday evening post, with ads appearing almost monthly from late 1941 (after winning its military contract) up until 1952.
From 1952 through 1954, the focus of the advertising shifted to the new Willys Areo line of vehicles, abandoning jeep advertising in the Post almost entirely.
In February of 1954, one ad for the Willys wagon was published, the only jeep-oriented ad of the year. However, the title of the ad was “The Common-Sense Car that Leads a Double Life”. So, even that ad was as much a “car'” ad as a “jeep” ad.
February 27, 1954. The branding emphasis remained on the ‘car’ being a ‘Willys’, rather than jeep, as it had since the 1951 ‘Willys Makes Sense’ campaign.
Given how similar the above ad was to the Willys Makes Sense campaign of 1951, It’s clear that even under the early days of Kaiser’s management, the advertising for the Willys/Jeep line had yet to be changed. That probably explains why no more jeep ads appeared in the Saturday Evening Post for the remainder of 1954 (and Willys Aero ads ceased after June of 1954).
Then, on January 8, 1955, Willys Motors published a two-page splash with an ad for it’s new model: The CJ-5.
January 08, 1955, Saturday Evening Post
Subsequently, Willys Motors’ advertising in the Post waned again, absent throughout the remainder of 1955. It’s advertising in the Post remained dormant until mid-1956.
On June 16, 1956, Willys Motors published “Gets there … works there … anywhere!”. The ad also appeared to have introduced a new slogan: ‘Jeep’ VEHICLES BY WILLYS KEEP AMERICA ON THE MOVE (that was used by the company at least through the end of 1957 .. I haven’t check past that yet).
June 16, 1956, Saturday Evening Post, “Gets there … works there … anywhere!”
Once again, jeep ads started appearing on a regular basis. On August 4, 1956, the ad, “Gets there … works there … anywhere” was published:
August 04, 1956, Saturday Evening Post, “Traction … Action … Satisfaction!”
Willys Motors continued advertising monthly with the same three-pane theme. These were the next three ads:
Willys Motors ads: September 22, 1956, “Goes more places, Does more Jobs, Save more money”; October 20, 1956, “Takes the lead, On the road, Off the road”; November 17, 1956, “Thousands … Millions … Billions!”.
On December 29, 1956, the final Post issue of the year, Willys Motors interrupted its three-panel campaign to introduce readers, in a two-page color ad no less, to the new model of jeep: the Forward Control ‘Jeep’ FC-150.
December 29, 1956, Saturday Evening Post 2-page ad, “extraordinary! Now… the completely new Forward Control ‘Jeep’ FC-150”
As well see in a future post, the company continued an almost monthly advertising campaign through out the following year of 1957.
This ad, “Willys-Overland brings Farmers the advantages of 4-Wheel-Drive Power”, was published in March of 1948 most likely in a farm magazine (based on other ads the seller was selling).
View all the information on eBay
When I first completed the post on the early brochures and mailers created by the Kaiser Willys marketing team, I didn’t have a complete list of mailer examples. Below is what I believe to be the completed list:
Here’s an order form from 1955. At the bottom of the order form is a list of mailers, but the mailers lack form numbers.
These are the mailing brochures, but without identifying form numbers, I am not 100% positive these are correct …..
Farmer and Ranchers Best Investment: Whatever You Grow for Profit
Earth Moving Equipment:
Power Producing Equipment:
Jeep-A-Trench:
Service Station (Mr. Service):
They Go Through: Form W-1765
This issue of Jeep News is interesting in that the whole middle section focuses on the rise in jeep clubs. It isn’t an exhaustive list, but rather simply a list of clubs in contact with Jeep News, with a heavy emphasis on western clubs.
Note the CJ-6 hardtop on page 7. It’s a custom top built by Koenig. I don’t have it in my records, so keep a watch for it. It’s probably still out there somewhere, most likely still in Texas. Note also the scale model FC-170 giveaway and certificate with each FC-170 purchase on page 2.
This 1955 brochure form W-201-5 highlighted the CJ-3B as part of the advertising standardization push by the Kaiser Willys marketing team.
1954 Form KW-1706 Brochures, early (orange) and late (green) versions.
UPDATE: For a few years now I’ve noticed that there were two versions of the 1954 Form KW-1706 titled ‘Jeep’ FARM POWER, one having an orange theme and one have a green theme. Since I owned an orange copy, I wasn’t in a hurry to get a green copy. Still, I was curious about why the newly formed Kaiser Willys Marking Team would publish a brochure, with the same form number, in two different colors, as that wasn’t a customary practice.
A few days ago I found a good price on the green version. When it arrived, I compared the two brochures. At first, I couldn’t see any differences. But, after examining the text, I discovered the reason behind the color change.
A small section on both brochures is titled “NEBRASKA TESTED”. Apparently, when the original orange brochure was produced, the jeep had only completed a tractor test (#432) using a jeep powered with an L-head, yet the company had applied to take the test using an f-head. At some point after the brochure was published, the f-head test (#502) was completed (which did show increased horsepower).
So, the company updated the brochure’s “NEBRASKA TESTED” text and changed the brochure’s color scheme, probably to make it easier to know which old brochures should be set aside and/or destroyed. At least, that’s my theory.
So, here’s a look at the two blurbs side by side.
Comparison of early (orange) and later (green) versions of the 1954 ‘Jeep’ Farm Power brochure.
Here’s a full look at the green brochure:
UPDATE: I was finally able to get one of these off eBay at a reasonable price. It’s form W-1831 from 1955 introducing the new CJ-5. The back page (bottom pic) has some discoloration. The 3rd pic is a foldout, so it’s much bigger than it appears.
In March 1962, two different articles highlighted the introduction of the Jeep line of Tonka Toys.
1. Toys and Novelties Magazine: The article in this magazine noted that part of the reason the Tonka company had the financial and physical capacity to produce a wide variety of toy jeeps was that it had recently gone public.
View all the information on eBay
2. Playthings Magazine: Given this article is very similar to the top article, I’d guess both were written from press releases.
View all the information on eBay
You can also learn more about Tonka jeeps at the CJ-3B Page.
In the ‘sometimes it’s better to be lucky’ department, eBay blessed me with a huge win the other day: 10 Willys News issues from 1960 and 1961 for only $20 (and free shipping)! Here’s the first one. It includes a lot of DJ-3A Surrey articles, a note about future President Lyndon Johnson checking out a Willys truck for his ranch, and more. The 1/4 ton jeeps (CJ-5s and CJ-3Bs) take a back seat to the FCs, Wagons, and DJs in this issue. There’s also articles demonstrating how dealers felt TV shows were helping to drive sales, which is likely why Willys Motors moved forward with other TV show and movie tie-ins.
This March of 1962 brochure (form 62-03) includes a chart that highlights the performance claims of the engine vs. other engines of the day. It was part of a series of brochures from Willys Motors during 1962 that had ‘wing’ pages that opened horizontally. It’s hard to capture that sense using a scanner, but using a phone Madi those wings more apparent (see the second pic).
This May 17, 1961, ad that appeared in the Boston Glove for the Jeep Wagon has art that feels more like a late 1940s ad than a 1960s ad. On the same page as this ad was the photo at the bottom.
This Koenig Power Take-Off brochure/chart highlights which PTOs work with which jeep model. It seems like a handy guide.
I hadn’t heard of a parts reseller named Johnson Enterprises, a company out of Orangevale, California, until receiving this catalog. The side and corner panel skid plates are something I’ve seen on some jeeps, but never knew who made them.
The catalog is pretty small, so the company didn’t offer too many products. All the pages of the 1973 catalog are shown below:
UPDATE: View the Miss Gotham winner here. Advertisements for the summer of 1960 Miss Gotham contest also appeared in newspapers. I also have learned who won the Surrey, but I need to scan the info still.
CREDIT: August 25, 1960, Chicago Tribune
CREDIT: August 21, 1960, issue of El Paso Times
=========================
Originally posted May 13, 2020: A contest ad featuring a DJ-3A Surrey appeared in an August 1960 issue of Seventeen Magazine.
“Seventeen 8/1960.
Original magazine page.
NOTE: You are buying a magazine page, a piece of paper. Sheet size given is approximate. [10 1/2 x 13 1/2″]. 2-page ads noted. Occasional small edge splits not affecting image or type may be present.”
The Ithaca Journal printed this ad on November 10, 1960. Long’s Motor Sales out of Ithaca, New York, paid for the ad. It features an FC-150 and a CJ-5, while also promoting the tv-series Maverick.
This rare Newgren 3-point lift brochure just sold for $124.50.
The January 1958 issue of Willys News includes a rare article on the Willys Economy Delivery Truck, which was new for 1958.
UPDATE: This brochure appeared on Facebook a while back.
===========================
Originally published October 2016: The American Chain & Cable Company’s Manley Division produced these Jeep Wrecking Cranes in the late 1940s. I can’t imagine there are too many of these around. This brochure is from a 1948 Industrial Equipment book.
This issue of Willys News includes a variety of FC-related articles, but also takes a full-page look at the Truth-or-Consquences, New Mexico, 2nd Annual ‘Jeep’ Derby.
I bought this off of eBay. I imagine this pencil is from the late 1940s based on the “J” logo. The lead remains nice and snug in the pencil, so it’s still very usable. Thanks to Marty for spotting it!
