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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 .
Ted included his farm jeep in his outdoor Halloween display. Meanwhile, his daughter bought a tandem bike and attached a skeleton to the back for Halloween.
Ted assembled these photos to highlight the differences between three different adapters: the Welliver, Floy Fox, and Rapport. You can learn more about adapters here: http://www.ewillys.com/2017/04/05/dual-wheel-adapters/
Ted’s also got a variety of parts for sale. You can see them all here:
View all of Ted’s parts on eBay (if for some reason that link doesn’t work, then use this one: https://www.ebay.com/usr/careyj103)
Ted writes, “I changed over from a set of Wellivers on my rear of the 2a to a set of Rappaport’s. The Welliver’s are very rare and nice in the fact that they fit on front or rear of Jeep. The third type I have are exact copies from an original set of Floy Foxs that I found on an old Willy’s Truck many years ago. A good jeep buddy of mine, who’s a really great machinist, makes them for me when he’s not booming with his other work. All three of these types bolt right up to original Willy’s rims and, importantly, do not require the second wheel to be mounted backwards like on the Hickey type and shorter versions like the pair that have been on ebay forever. I think the Willys’ guys are smart enough to see there too short .”
Welliver adapters:
This article appeared in the February 1955 issue of Kaiser Willys News.
UPDATE: It appears this endeavor didn’t work out.
Merlin reported on a NEW CJ-5 that will go into production (approx 5,000 jeeps per year) soon. One question that many folks have asked is how the new jeep can meet the current safety specs for new cars. According to Merlin, the short answer is it can’t, but it doesn’t have to meet them. In 2014 the feds passed regulations that allow low production auto manufacturers to only have to meet the specs for 1967.
“With Sema going on I am excited to finally announce the return of an old favorite, the Cj5. Universal Motors Corp (makers of the Allied Jeep L head blocks) has the new Mopar licensed Cj5 on display in booth 32326 at Sema. These sport the current Jeep engine, and there will be a diesel option as well. Bodies and parts will be manufactured by UMC, not bought from current parts and panel manufacturers other than Jeep. A kit version will be available as well. Assembly is done in Detroit. More info and pics will be posted as I receive more. http://universalmotorscorp.com/”
I can say the place looks a little nicer than it did back in ’42.
“1942 Press Photo Army Jeep passes the Dawson Creek muddy street.
This is an original press photo. Dawson Creek, BC. There are fewer spots these days than Dawson Creek BC. U.S. Army Troops and engineers are gathered there to lay out preliminary plans for building the highway to Alaska. Rain and mud are a set back but Army engineers say they will push her through”. An Army jeep is shown on the muddy main street of Dawson Creek. Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 3-15-1942.”
View all the information on eBay
UPDATE II: There’s a newer, updated Dualmatic hub post with comments about the Watson hub here.
These hubs were created about the same time as the dual lever Dualmatic hubs. Moreover, we can state for sure now that there was a specific relationship between the Watson hub and the Dualmatic company.
How do we know this? Because both hubs share the same patent number 2854111:
You’ll note that the patent number 2854111 is the same in both the above items, with both connected to this single lever design: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2854111.
UPDATE: A 1967 Sears Jeep Parts Catalog had a set of hubs for sale that look suspiciously like the Watson hubs. One thing we’ve noticed is that some Watson hubs have “WATSON” imprinted on the hub, while other identical hubs don’t.
So, were these WATSON hubs that were private labeled, or had Dualmatic been making WATSON hubs all along, but now offered them for private labeling? It’s easy to think that Dualmatic might want to separate their Dualmatic branded hubs from private labeled ones. Changing the private-labeled version to this look would help that.
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Original Post: October 30, 2017:
Alaska Paul discovered this Watson Hub article in the 1958 issue of Science and Mechanics magazine. This suggests that the Watson hub was developed in 1956 or 1957, making the company a very early hub manufacturer.
The mechanism looks similar to the early Dualmatic hubs. In fact, the first Dualmatic hub patent filing was in 1956, for a single lever model. Whether that inspired the dual lever model by the California-based H. S. Watson company remains unclear. I have no evidence to suggest Watson ever patented its hub nor how long they sold their hub.
2 Examples of Watson hubs:
Another example from a truck listed for sale on Craigslist out of Redding, California:
This article highlights how optimistic Willys was going into 1955.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Having the box makes this one unique. But, it appears the bumper has been broken.
“Made by Comet for retirement gift for WILLYS OVERLAND EXECUTIVES. This toy is in excellent condition, tires show very little play wear. Hard to find with steering wheel intact. JEEP embossed in tailgate is crisp and clear. “Gold plating” is in great shape with some tarnish that I will leave to the buyer to clean. Only blemish is right front bumper is typically broken. Box is in equally excellent condition. Both have been kept under glass as long as I’ve owned it.”
This is a unique vehicle.
“1953 Willys Overland. Factory prototype. F head six cylinder. Right hand drive. This is the only one.”
https://sarasota.craigslist.org/cto/d/willys-one-of-kind-prototype/6361551832.html
This photo from the October 1954 issue of Kaiser Willys News got me thinking. Anyone know when the first jeep trenchers were manufactured?
Ann says they tilted the camera for this shot. I can’t tell for sure. This photo was featured in the March 1955 issue of the Willys News and shows Vice President Hickman Price descending a steep gradel in a CJ-5.
Here’s an unusual piece.
“Vintage Colorful Japanese Jeep Envelope or Sleeve — New Old Stock… Newspaper like paper has colorful illustration on one side and line drawing on the other… Colorful illustration of a woman officer driving a jeep, a small doll dangling in the wind shield and a rose… Back side has line drawing of a little girl riding a donkey… There is also Japanese character writing… Good condition, new old stock, both top and bottom open… Piece measures about 5 1/8″ x 7 3/8″… ”
View all the information on eBay
This CJ-2A has the spare tire on the side and sports a Beck “ECONO” Model F3B-100 hardtop.
The CJ-2A has the same hardtop, but for some reason it no longer has a side mount tire.
Frazier spotted a wonderful color video from 1949. Credit for the one-hour length film goes to Ray and Virginia Garner. As I watched it the first time I was struck by the quality of the cuts, the closeups and faraway shots, and the overall sense of a narrative, despite the lack of sound. A little research proved that this wasn’t Ray’s first video. He’s got a long resume that stretched back to pre-WWII. He and his wife Virginia continued filming for years, traveling around the world, and made films for NBC and ABC News.
LINK FOR VIDEO==> Check out the one hour video that starts near Moab and ends within Canyonlands National Park. The jeep section begins at the 15:30 mark and lasts the rest of the film. You’ll eventually realize that there are two green CJ-2As, though I didn’t see a scene that ever showed both together. If you know southern Utah at all you will really appreciate this gem.
Here’s the archived description:
Movie (color, no sound, 57 minutes, 33 seconds): a home movie by Ray Garner shows various scenes in the deserts of the American Southwest. Ray and Virginia Garner take a road trip in a wood-frame station wagon, camping in the desert of Utah and Arizona. Scenes include Arches National Monument, sand dunes, the La Sal Mountains from Arches, cactus and other vegetation, Monument Valley, wildlife (caterpillar, lizard, insects, scorpion, “Hassayampa legend” sign; car travel in the desert; camping; a windmill pumping water; men climb El Capitan (Agathla Peak) in northern Arizona; the couple in a motorboat on the Colorado River. jeep ride at Dugout Ranch and Canyonlands, San Juan County; petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock; dynamiting a boulder to clear a path for the Jeep; Chesler Park and the Needles area; Indian ruins (Beef Basin?); small planes land and take off at Chesler Park; installing climbing ropes on rocks in Canyonlands to access Indian ruins; Wedding Ring Arch in Salt Creek Canyon; Indian ruins and petroglyph (“All-American Man”) in Salt Creek area. Final sequence shows more natural arches.
I feel like I have seen these two jeeps somewhere recently ….
Thanks to Gray and Dave for sharing photos form the 2017 Mason-Dixon Willys Jeep Gathering on Sunday. The weather was perfect and both reported they had a good time.
Dave noted, “Great show on a beautiful day, though a bit warm for the end of October in these parts. I didn’t do any counting but, I’m estimating around 10-12 used parts vendors with everything imaginable related to cjs, trucks, and wagons, and around 40-50 jeep vehicles including civilian cjs, the trucks, wagons, FC, Jeepster guys and, the military vehicle group that included a military wrecker, a WWII deuce and several jeeps. All in all, this is a great show that gets better each year. Thanks to the Union Mills Homestead site for having us and to Mike for organizing it.”
Gray added, “Such a great show . Lots of parts for sale and everybody was so nice!”
Below are a mix of Dave and Gray’s photos. The first one shows this year’s award winners:
A reader from South Africa sent the serial number of his jeep to me, asking when it was built. I concluded that the serial number indicated he has a 1966 CJ-5. The curious part is that he has AA’s stamped on the end of the serial number.Here’s an approximate example of his serial number: 8305 211XXX AA …. It turns out, he’s not alone.
Here’s an example (again from South Africa) of a CJ-6 with the AA’s stamped into the serial number: http://www.4-the-love-of-jeeps.com/cj6-big-red-comes-to-papa.html
The internet also has a few references to others with the double AAs. What I think is going on is that as a part of converting left handed jeeps to right handed ones, the company that did it was also adding a set of AA’s to the serial number. Does anyone know of this to be the case?
CJ-6 serial number with AA’s stamped in it.
I snagged this early 1950s Jeep Utility Wagon brochure off eBay. It took some time to find an inexpensive one. It came with a small bundle of other brochures.
A little something to read from five years ago …
Originally published October 31, 2012: I stumbled across some Flickr Images of the Clark County, Nevada, Sheriff’s Office Jeep Posse. I searched for a website for the group, but could only find a Sheriff site.
Here are a few images from Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh7cz/4011171143/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh7cz/4011171121/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kh7cz/4011171165/in/photostream/
In February, 1952, Popular Science published a short article about this Jeep Posse. Note the Slat Grille MB.
This October 1954 photo and caption from Kaiser Willys News highlights Chuck Yeager’s recent purchase of a Willys Wagon (or maybe he was given it).
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Interesting photo. It appears this has a bed extender on it. I don’t think I’ve seen that on a fire jeep previously?
“1953 Press Photo McCloskey & Burke inspect donated jeep with fireman Pizzatola. This is an original press photo. This Jeep, equipped with two-way radio, was donated by the New Orleans Fire Department to the Fort Pike Volunteer Fire Department for communication between the two departments for fires along Cef Menteur. Highway Safety Commissioner McCloskey and Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Burke inspect the jeep. The fireman is Sam Pizzatola. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 09-22-1953.”
UPDATE: Barry noticed that this may very well be a photo with FDR in the passenger side of the jeep. 1) He spent extended periods of time in Georgia, 2) the side would have been cut to make it easier for him to get in the jeep, and 3) it looks quite a bit like FDR.
No date on the photo. The jeep to the left has had some modifications done to the entry area.
“Press Photo The Army jeeps shown in a field –
This is an original press photo. The Army jeeps shown in a field Photo measures 11 x 7 inches. Photo is dated –none.”
View all the information on eBay
I don’t think I’ve seen this photo. That looks to be an early GPA to me.
“1942 Press Photo U.S Army Amphibious Jeep Proceeds into swollen Ohio River. This is an original press photo. Turning off the highway it proceeds into the swollen Ohio River between Fort Knox and Louisville. The Propeller is put in motion and its Ship Ahoy. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 04-10-1942.”
View all the information on eBay
It’s different.
“I built this bar about 8 months ago out of an unrestorable 50s Jeep Willys Wagon. Thought that it would be a great center piece for the man cave I was going to build. It has working Edison Light Bulbs. My wife informed me after building it that my young children would not be allowed near it because it has rust on it. Oh well. It is up for sell. $1000 boo.”
https://littlerock.craigslist.org/fuo/d/jeep-willys-bar/6351976638.html
This October 1954 photo and caption from Kaiser Willys News underscores how confident Willys Motors was about the coming year and their new CJ-5 model. About this time there was an explosion of new brochures and mailers, so Willys Motors did what it could to generate excitement about the commercial and utility market.
This is a neat piece.
“1960s Jeep original dealership showroom two sided paper sign, size 15 by 17 inches, condition is good, any questions please send an e-mail, USA shipping will be $8.00, overseas at extra cost.”
View all the information on eBay
That’s a stark photo, but also a very thoughtful one if the photographer is correct.
“1946 Press Photo Jeeps and Studebaker Trucks That Helped Russia Win the War. This is an original press photo. This is typical of the destruction of Stalingrad, where workers and farmers pitched in to help the Red Army hold. These two Russian Chauffeurs say jeeps and studebaker trucks helped Russia win the war. They suggested Strohm take this picture so he could tell the American people they appreciated the things we sent them in lend-lease. Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 10-04-1946.”
View all the information on eBay
