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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 .
On November 18, 1951, the Times (Shreveport, LA) welcomed the new Hy-Rail Jeep Wagon to the Kansas City Souther-Louisiana and Arkansas railroad. The article provides quite a few details on the vehicle and how it operates.
As this September 26, 1952, article in the Courier Journal (Louisville, KY) points out, by the autumn of 1952 there were 35 Hy-Rail jeeps operating on 21 railroads throughout the US.
UPDATE: In late September and early October of 1952, the press photo at bottom, along with the caption seen in the newspaper clipping below, appeared in newspapers across the country. However, I could not locate any associated story. There’s no mention of it being a Hy-Rail.
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Originally Posted November 30, 2017: Given the article above, the date of the photo below was either misread as 1953 or was a reprinted photo for 1953. The original photo was taken at least by September of 1952.
“1953 Press Photo L&N Railroad Vintage Jeep Rail & Road Vehicle. You are bidding on an original press photo of L&N Railroad Vintage Jeep Rail & Road Vehicle. Photo measures 8 x 10 inches and is dated 5/4/1953.”
View all the information on eBay
This same photo of a Hy-Rail also appeared in Mechanix Illustrated, February 1953, p.93.
Here’s an article introducing the rail FC Jeep to the Green Bay, Wisconsin, community. This November 17, 1962, article appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
UPDATE: This was up for auction last year in 2018 and 2019. Starting price dropped to $1600 with the auction scheduled for Friday, June 18th (Today).
I’m surprised to see no bow holders. Looks like the dash plate in a long, single one, and I see no column shift. I’d say this was a mid 1946 or later photo.
https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/lot_0E841DDA64
“Description: Hugo Brehme (German/Mexican, 1882 – 1954). “Willys Jeep”. Super grand mammoth vintage silver gelatin print. c1945. Printed c1945. Photographer credit on verso. Two photographic sheets joined together and mounted. Fair to good condition; some staining and surface scuffs and scratches, most of which can be mitigated or eliminated with conservation. Frame size: 64 x 86 in. (1626 x 2184 mm). Image size: 60 1/2 x 81 1/2 in. (1537 x 2070 mm). A huge photograph, approximaely 5 feet high by 7 feet wide. An advertisement for Willys Jeep in Mexico. The sign next to the Jeep reads New or old you can always rely on your Willys Jeep [Nuevo o viejo ud. siempre puede confiar en su jeep Willys]. PLEASE NOTE this photograph is mounted on board and is very heavy”
Maury pointed me to this Four Wheeler article on a stock CJ-6 with some neat options. One of those options was a “factory-installed AM radio option”. It’s not the cleanest factory install, but does the job. Anyone know whether 1) this was a factory install or a dealer install and 2) what years the optional radio was offered?
The 2021 Epic Willys Adventure will be hitting the road .. or better put … the Oregon Trail, starting August 13th. Their goal is to follow the Oregon Trail, if I’m not mistaken, from Missouri to Oregon.
Word on the street is that the intrepid crew may seek some refuge near the end of their journey at the new World Headquarters of eWillys for a night. Let’s hope they make it!
More on this adventure as it unfolds. If you are interested in sponsoring the journey, feel free to contact them through the website: https://www.epicwillysadventure.com/about-us
I’ve been spending the last couple weeks stalking Craigslist, trying to find a good price on a drill press. A couple days ago I found a Jet in great condition for $250, but I called to late on that one. After searching some more, I finally found a 16 speed drill press for only $100. So, I drove up to Ellensburg (about an hour and a half north) and picked it up today.
It turned out the seller was a long time farmer who used to own a machine shop (along with a 3000 acre farm) outside of Hermiston, but he downsized to a hundred acre place in Ellensburg. Because of that, he didn’t need the drill press. He said it worked great, but sometimes one of the chuck teeth would stick when changing drill bits. One thing that made the deal worthwhile to me was that he included the drill press vice and a notcher, two tools that together, when new, are about the value what I paid for the whole package.
Add into that, $50 for a never-used 40″ John Deere Aerator (Piece at $489 and Home Depot) and I’d say I had a good day shopping!
The funny thing about the visit was that the guy had grown up in Prosser (where we now live) and owned several Willys Jeeps (a 1956 CJ-5 was his high school vehicle). Small world.
UPDATE II: I received this small booklet. There are thirteen pages (with lots of pics) written by Joe Brown and eleven pages about donuts, including a quiz and recipes (as in, you can use donuts in a variety of ways). So, if you want jeeps, don’t buy this booklet; but, if you like donuts, then this might be a winner. Below are a few sample pages …
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UPDATE: Curiously, after I purchased a copy on Amazon, the price went up a dollar.
In early 1944, Actor and Comedian Joe E. Brown published “You Said A Mouthful”, a book about his adventures entertain troops. The cover includes an illustration on the cover of him on a jeep. If interested, here are various copies for sale on eBay.
“A rip roaring; Illustrated; funny story of Joe E. Brown’s adventures in entertaining millions of doughboys all over the world.”
PHOTO CREDIT: University of South Carolina … https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/jmetz/id/1197
The book was published by the Doughnut Corporation of American and Bond Bread. Thus, this explains why he’s holding a donut. An advertisement for Bond Bread is included on the back of the book:
There’s only a brief shot of a jeep, but I found the footage of the gliders compelling.
Various shots of aeroplanes all marked with D-day signs standing in an airfield. A motorcycle and jeep drive up a ramp into the planes. Various shots of the paratroops as they prepare on the ground.
The aeroplanes taxi and take off for Holland, planes include Halifaxes, Stirlings and Albermarles, as well as Horsa gliders and Wacos. Air to air of the planes getting airborne and flying in formation out across the Channel. Ground to air formation of Dakotas passing over Belgian town, people look up at the aircraft. M/S Dakota plane that has crashed into a panzer tank burning in a field.
Aerial shot of the gliders casting free and heading to ground, they land. Various shots of paratroops parachuting to the ground in Holland. Various shots of planes in the fields.
These original 8×10 photos were taken, I imagine, during an interview of President Ronald Reagan by Walters.
