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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 .
This was shared yesterday on Facebook by a woman visiting Cartagena, Colombia. Now I want some coffee.
UPDATE: Tomorrow is Camp Plymouth. They’ve got over 260 sites booked, so it should be good for parts.
This year’s Camp Plymouth-Military Vehicle Collectors of California event April 16-21 will include a Friday jeep showcase that will include pre-1987 military and civilian vehicles.
Learn more here: http://mvccnews.net/plymouth_spring.html
Given it’s framed, it seems like a good price for someone.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2302910539997101/
“vintage car ad, Willys Statin Wagon,”
UPDATE: Fred provided information indicating the photo was taken around 1945 at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Roger Martin shared this photo from Facebook.
Here’s a better look at the Introduction to new ‘Jeep’ Universals with Perkins Diesel Power brochure.
UPDATE: Here’s the scanned version of this January 1961 military vehicles brochure, It highlights the M-38A1 and M-170.
Bob Christy let me know that the 2019 Spring Willys Jeep Reunion will be holding TWO raffles: One raffle for a transmission rebuild and one raffle for a rebuilt T-90. Learn more here: http://www.willysreunion.com/Raffle.htm
“You can buy a ticket to bring your transmission to the show (friday) and tear it down alongside Joe Deyoung, then rebuild it Saturday with parts supplied by Novak. A local transmission shop is going to hot tank it for us friday afternoon. We even have a selection of gears on hand in case new ones are needed.
Alternatively, you can buy a ticket to win the T90 joe is building. Winner need not be present for that, we can ship on the winner’s dime.”
This photo was published in the October 21, 1944, issue of the Saturday Evening Post.
This brochure came from eBay. I’m guessing it was published sometime in 1956, given it describes both the DJ-3A and the CJ-6 as new models. The brochure folds out horizontally.
Harvey Rust submitted this patent for an adjustable scraper blade mount on April 1, 1949.
“This invention relates to scraper blades of the bulldozer type such as used in leveling or pushing snow, dirt and the like, and in particular a blade mounting for removably attaching a blade to the front of a Jeep or the like wherein the elevation of the blade is readily adjustable and in which the blade is hinged and resiliently held to provide tilting movement when the lower edge of the blade engages a fixed obstruction.”
NOTE: Though this is PART II of Maury and my research into the “J” logo, it mostly predates that article. This should be considered a working draft, as I’m sure we’ll learn new things and make editorial improvements to it. If you spot something in error, email me or comment below.
When Maury Hurt and I were researching the short-lived “J” logo, we found ourselves looking back into Willys-Overland advertising during WWII. That, in turn, led to the development of the large Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s Magazine images showing all the ads Willys-Overland took out during the war so we could more easily compare how Willys-Overland marketing evolved. That work proved quite useful, showing us visually how the pre-war Willys-Overland company became, for all practical purposes, the post-war Willys ‘Jeep’ company.
FRED COLDWELL’S “SELLING THE ALL-AMERICAN WONDER”:
Anyone who has read Fred Coldwell’s excellent book “Selling The All-American Wonder” knows that studying the WWII ads that Willys-Overland published during the war isn’t ground breaking. However, Fred focused his book on the legal challenges Willys-Overland faced when trying to secure the rights to trademark the name JEEP so the company could sell jeeps to the post-war public.
As Fred explained in his book, Willys-Overland faced a huge hurdle to transform the generic word jeep into a Trademark. Prior to the introduction of the Bantam BRC in September of 1940, the term JEEP had been applied to a magical cartoon character in Popeye, to Army grunts, to a type of train, to another category of military vehicle(Dodge Command Car), the MM Tractor, and to a category of planes, as this 1939 Boy’s Life Magazine highlighted (the term would continue to be used for that category of planes in magazine articles and ads throughout WWII.)
Partial look at the 1939 article from Boy’s Life Magazine about the Jeep plane.
By mid-November of 1940, which was after the Bantam BRC and Willys Quad were introduced, both vehicles were already being referred to as jeeps. However, this was prior to the introduction of the Ford Pygmy in late November (which wasn’t being called a FORD GP at that point, nor even by early 1941).
Because of these complexities, Willys-Overland pushed to advertise in major publications during WWII to reinforce to the public the idea that the Jeep was a Willys product. To that end, Fred’s book highlights the type of WWII advertisements used to achieve that trademark goal (and Fred’s full-size reproductions of the ads are excellent and a much cheaper way of finding the ads then by purchasing magazines). Willys-Overland eventually secured the trademark JEEP in 1950.
HOW OUR APPROACH DIFFERED FROM FRED’S WORK:
Our review of the material differed in that we were trying to document how Willys-Overland arrived at the final the logo and text choices the company made.
Let’s not forget the state of the company prior to the war. In 1937, Willys-Overland produced 63,000 vehicles, but a recession wiped out sales the following year and Willys sales declined to a terrible 17,000 cars and trucks. Things were so bad that by 1940 earnings were a negative -$800,000 (read more here). In other words, Willys-Overland, as a car and truck company, wasn’t succeeding. And, like Bantam, Willys-Overland hoped a military contract would rescue the company.
Though Bantam lost out, Willys-Overland’s securing of the military contract for ‘scout cars’ in 1941 led to a significant financial turn-around. That year earnings bounced back, totaling $800,000 in the black. Things were looking up for the company.
With the new military contract and cash, coupled with an exciting new vehicle (the jeep), Willys started advertising more aggressively. Fred Coldwell notes that the earliest major advertisement, published in the December 13, 1941, issue of the Saturday Evening Post was titled The Jeep in Civvies. This ad promoted both the new army jeep and its connection to the 1942 Americar, Willys-Overland’s new creation led by former Chrysler Executive Joe Frazer.
Saturday Evening Post December 13, 1941, page 117.
Subsequent magazine ads from Willys-Overland in early 1942 also harnessed the Jeep in Civvies slogan, but added to the advertisements were illustrations of a Willys Americar and a Willys slat grille jeep; in-between the two illustrations was the WILLYS logo in bold and an image of the Go-Devil engine. Underneath the large WILLYS logo was the sub-line: MOTOR CARS [Engine Image] TRUCKS AND JEEPS.
The ad, HELL BENT FOR VICTORY, was published in the June 27, 1942, issue of the Saturday Evening Post. The WILLYS brand is prominent. JEEP is mentioned, but it’s after MOTOR CARS, an engine, TRUCKS.
Allan shared the news that Jake Skoric, a photographer with who took photos before during (in the South Pacific) and after WWII will have his photos being sold over the next three days. As you can see in the preview photos here, there are thousands of photos being sold.
Read the story here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2019/04/05/estate-sale-features-unusual-gallery-6-000-black-and-white-photos/3368768002/
View the estate sale info here: https://www.estatesales.net/WI/Milwaukee/53220/2166789
C.W. Musser filed a patent for a “Gun Aiming Mechanism with associate trigger release mechanism and supporting mount” on February 24, 1953. This illustration with the gun on a jeep accompanied the patent.
“Fig. 1 is a side view of my gun aiming mechanism and associated trigger release mechanism with supporting mount shown in heavy solid line. For purposes of illustration the aiming and trigger release mechanisms are applied to a typical, large caliber recoilless rifle and its attached spotting rifle (both shown in light solid line), and the supporting mount is secured to a representative motor vehicle which takes the form of the jeep (also shown in light solid line). For simplicity of drawing the customary sighting system for the guns has not been shown.”
This MB has been lengthened.
View all the information on eBay
“Offered is an original WWII time period photograph. The picture measures approximately 2″ x 2.25″. It belonged to a GI who served as a medic with the 1st BN Aid Station attached to the 1306th Engineer General Service Regiment under the 3rd Army.”
Apparently, this is located in Bavaria … Photos of this vehicle were posted to the G503 Facebook page. Some folks saw this as a bubbafied vehicle, and there may be elements of that. However, the bends of the frame and other nuances have me wondering if it was some type of airborne prototype. It’s actually a pretty clean frame for a bubba project. In a couple pics you can see how clean the spring hangers have been mounted.
Thoughts?
Check out the grille. You can see that it has equidistant slats up until the right side. I don’t see Bubba doing something like that so cleanly. 
I’m not sure how a jeep is supposed to help sell underwear, but maybe they have extra padding?
View all the information on eBay
“This is an original 1953 print ad
size : 6.7″ x 5.1″
condition : Excellent”
There’s something about these two photos I find simultaneously hypnotic and eerie (maybe ghostly?). I can’t quite figure out why that is. I can feel the wind blowing in them.
View all the information on eBay
“*1940’s – 50’s
(2) 2 1/4″ B&W Negatives
** Jeep Willys Wagon **
*** Medium Format Film ***
See Photos”
With all those people around, why not try to pick it up and out of the hole? These may have been taken on the Oregon Coast.
View all the information on eBay
“Three original photos of a flat fender Willys Jeep getting stuck in the sand. The bottom photo measures 2-3/4″ x 3-3/4″, The top two photos measures 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″. Great condition.”
This photo was published in the February 09, 1945, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, page 12. It shows a Weasel getting a muddy test with a jeep next to it.
UPDATE IV: Branden found this 1945 Parts List booklet that includes a prominent “J” logo. This is the most prominent use of the logo that I’ve seen. It’s not clear to me whether this booklet was introduced with the jeep in August of ’45 or a little later in ’45.
==============================
UPDATE III (04/07/2019): Maury spotted the a “J” dealership sign example on this Miller Tools brochure:
UPDATE II: I’ve added two examples of ‘dark’ “J”s, dark (blue or black) background with white letters. Now that I think about it, I guess this is similar to the black and white newspaper versions.
CREDIT: Douglass, Neal. Harry Payne Motors, photograph, June 3, 1942; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth34338/m1/1/: accessed April 7, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. … MY NOTES: The photo year is more likely late 1947 or 1948.
From Willys World March-April 1991 issue.
UPDATE: This is best described as a working draft that Maury Hurt and I have constructed in the hopes of understanding Willys-Overland’s “J” logo better …. If you have input, please email me or add it in a comment at the bottom of the post.
In January of this year, Maury emailed me about a Willys/Cars•Trucks/Jeep logo that he was hoping to reproduce, wondering if I had any better examples of it. That simple email turned into a mission: Find out the history behind the logo.
I have one of these patches. Not sure who created them or when.
It turned out that we could find no articles or discussion about the evolution of the logo. So, we spent a month looking through old brochures and advertisements to develop a theory of what it should look like, when it was used, and why.
What’s the logo supposed to look like?
Our first challenge was to determine what the logo was supposed to look like. As these examples show, different fonts and slightly different looks were used in the printing of the logo.
Another patch example.
This was from a January 1946 magazine ad.
or even this one …
Our suspicion is that this is from overseas, possibly Australia? We don’t have a time frame on this one.
And, the list would not be complete without some matchbook covers:
How should the “J” look?
This photo was published in the November 20, 1943, issue of the Saturday Evening Post.
This no reserve brochure is only $.99 (plus shipping) right now. It’s a good price on a nice brochure that folds out pretty large.
View all the information on ebay
“1954 Willy’s Jeep Station Wagon Original Sales Brochure. Condition is Used. Great condition! Shipped with USPS First Class Package.”
Paul Barry is at this year’s Portland Swap Meet in Oregon. He spotted several jeeps for sale.
Looks like a Parkway, but isn’t:
A couple Jeepsters for $7000:
March was a complete blur. Last I remember there was still snow on the ground here in Pasco. Now, the snow is long gone, the trees are budding, and the temperatures have warmed. I’m amazed I got any eWillys updates completed last month.
Speaking of updates, here are a few ….
The Funeral:
I wanted to say a final thanks to everyone who sent us well-wishes on dad’s passing. Anyone who has followed his story on here probably understands that, ever since his close call with death in 2011, all the years and time together since then have been a bonus. So, we were fortunate to have the extra time with him.
Thanks to perfect weather, my oldest son Karson and I drove Patterson to the funeral. The fact it was all back roads made it possible. I hadn’t driven the jeep that far since the Alaska Highway, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Still, we all agreed it was proper to have a jeep there, so we ignored the chance for a breakdown and drove anyway (but carried tow equipment just in case). The engine water temp gauge acted hot right away, so that made me a bit nervous on the drive, but there were no overheating signs, fortunately.
Just to make things interesting, the brakes were pulling to one side, so that made stopping all that more ‘fun’. And, the steering box was a little looser than I’d like, as I’d back off the ross box screw for towing it (but had forgotten about that), so we wandered a little. Still, the drive and purpose were worth any of those inconveniences.
I gave a short eulogy at the funeral (a little longer than the piece I published here) and managed not to crack with emotion as I read it. That was a win. Then, Karson and I managed to make it all the way back home without breaking down. Another win.
All-in-all it was a relatively happy event. We all understood where Dad was at in life, so there were more smiles than tears.
The Memorial:
I know some of you will be joining us at Dad’s Memorial. It is tentatively set for May 11th (a Saturday). The location has not been determined just yet.
Travels:
The only travel plan we have marked in our calendars is a visit to Utah in early May. My daughter Kasia is graduating from college with a Chemical Engineering degree. She already has a great job in California lined up working for a long-established industrial insurance company (so we’ll be in the bay area at least a couple times over the next two years).
Kasia’s birthday just happened to be the same day as Dad’s funeral.
After that, we do not have any large trip planned (other than the White Rim trip below), though we are considering a September trip to Iowa to attend Dan’s FC Jamboree in Iowa. We haven’t traveled east that late in the year, so we thought it might be a nice change.
Canyonlands White Rim Trail:
My son Karson has invited me to join him on an exploration of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in early May, so after Kasia’s graduation, we’ll head down there.
He’s biked the length of the trail, but he thought I’d like to jeep it. So he offered, as an early birthday present, to rent a jeep in Moab and have us drive the trail’s 100 miles together. It was a very thoughtful present and I jumped at the chance.
I guess that’s all for now. I hope everyone is close to putting winter behind them and looking forward to some Spring weather!
As I read it, this photo of Jimmy Stewart and other service members from WW2 was taken in 1944 and reproduced on January 15, 1954 (or maybe just used on that date?).
View all the information on eBay
“Well-preserved 1944 Associated Press 8×11 glossy photo of Jimmy Stewart, an Army major, driving fliers to their planes in Britain less than two months before D-Day. A pencil mark appears above Stewart’s head. On the back is an “Associated Press Wirephoto” stamp.”
