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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 .
Ed reports that a few local Willys enthusiasts in Kelowna BC were treated to a local collector’s personal collection this past weekend. He has about a dozen running jeeps and another on the way. A few are missing from the photo and there are 10 or so unrestored on the property. A super afternoon hosted by a great guy…
Roger Martin reported on hi Southwest Ohio FC Gathering last weekend.
He wrote, “Over 30 FC’ers and friends spent part of their weekend at the Third Annual FC Gathering, July 14-16. The weather was hot but dry. There were 6 visiting FC trucks, one of which was a military M677 and one had a trencher. There was an early jeep pick-up (and even a 1936 MG Police Car…the only one in the US and one of two in existence. The owner was in Ohio for a show and stopped by to see the FC’s. He has an FC170 but did not have it with him.) There were 11 other FC’s on site for a total of 17 FC trucks in all. A few parts were traded.”
UPDATE: The world can be such an amazing place sometimes. Last night we got to spend time with Hugo Vidal and his son Fernando. Hugo’s memories of his 1955 trip are very clear, enough so that he’s writing a book about the adventure. His book begins with Operation Pineapple and will end with Alaska Or Rust.
Hugo was enjoying looking through the Willys News periodicals from the mid 1950s. He recognized some of people in them.
Originally posted June 23, 2015: The CJ-3B page does a good job covering the history of Operation Pineapple, a 1955 trip by three Sao Paulo Boy Scouts: Hugo Vidal, Charles Downey, and Jan Stekly. You can read everything about it here: http://cj3b.info/Finds/FindsPineapple.html. The Allpar site has additional information and a later photo of Hugo: http://www.allpar.com/racing/road-rally/operation-pineapple.html
Adding to those links, I have found a couple additional photos and more information about the trip. The first photo was published in the September 1955 issue of Willys News:
Note the missing tire on the spare rim. Hugo says they went through eleven tires. During their trip they had no mechanical issues.
California’s Lodi News-Sentinel published a story about the last leg of their trip on January 18, 1956.
<– Day 1: July 21, Alaska Or Rust Has Begun | Day 3: July 23, Alaska Updates –>
UPDATE: To clarify this post, I’d been spending several weeks getting Patterson ready for the trip. Like everyone else, I had to deal with last minute issues, like my front hubs getting too warm. Here’s my efforts to pull our 1956 DJ-3A from Seattle to Pasco, Washington, where we would officially start our leg of the trip with Brazilians Hugo and Fernando Vidal.
Original Post July 22, 2017: Well, folks, we are one step closer to Alaska; I successfully pulled Patterson over to Pasco yesterday. Normally, the drive takes just over three hours. However, I took the scenic, slow route, with some stops along the way to adjust my front wheel bearings. Apparently, I tightened them too tight (I thought I had left some play, but I guess not enough). I suspected this when I finished installing them on Friday, which is why I made a decision to bring along my hub puller.
About 10 minutes into my journey I pulled over and felt both front hubs. They didn’t feel hot. Then, I got stuck in stop-and-go traffic for about an hour heading eastbound on I90 (for those that know the area … from Tiger Mountain on Highway 18 all the way to the first big curve on I90 east of North Bend).
Traffic was awful!
I climbed the pass on Interstate 90, then pulled off at Snoqualmie and felt the hubs. They were hot to the touch. So, I loosened the bolts, let them cool, and had some delicious BBQ at Webbs. We’ve eaten there twice and everything that we’ve tried — pulled pork, brisket, sausage, potatoes, coleslaw and corner bread — have been excellent and surprisingly affordable!
There are worse places to hangout and eat.
Everything was delicious!
The hubs were still feeling hot by the time I reached Indian John Hill east of Cle Elum. So, I readjusted them again. About that time, a father and his sons walked up and asked about the jeep, so I had them sign the right fender.
After Ellensburg, I took the Ellensburg-Selah Canyon Road (not sure what the name is offhand) and stopped to feel the hubs again. Loosening the bolt wasn’t working, so I retrieved my tools and worked on the driver’s hub.
Nice evening and view for working on the hubs. This passenger side hub was particularly difficult.
It wasn’t easy, but I finally got one stubborn hub to give. The second hub (passenger side) was more difficult and, after breaking an older torque wrench (it was already in bad shape) I decided to leave the nut a little loose AND try some rougher back roads. It took several hours at 30-40 mph, but finally the bearing was pushed out a little. After that, I was able to up my speed to 60 mph without any heat buildup.
I made it back to Pasco about midnight feeling victorious!
<– Day 1: July 21, Alaska Or Rust Has Begun | Day 3: July 23, Alaska Updates –>
Day 2: July 22, Patterson Arrives in Pasco –>
UPDATE: The following series of posts details the Alaska Or Rust crew’s adventures (view crew and jeeps here), starting with our separate trips to Dawson Creek, BC, Canada, the official start of the Alaska Or Rust adventure (see overview and why we did the trip here).
There were 11 jeeps and 25 people that headed to the starting line. Our goal was for everyone to meet in Dawson Creek on July 27th, 2017.
After centuries of planning, or maybe it just feels that way, the first intrepid jeepers are on their way. Scott Gilbert, Rick Pacholski, and Bob Christy are leaving Cincinnati, Ohio, in Scott’s wagon, bound for Paris, Illinois.
Meanwhile, Bill Reiss is about ready to leave Pennsylvania in his updated former Dually Trencher CJ-5 and custom trailer.:
Merlin and Britt will be leaving soon in their WWII Willys MB, now that his tow rig has a new tranny (these things have to come at the worst time!), along with Joe and Emily in their CJ-3B.
Hugo and Fernando Vidal are flying out late tonight and will be arriving in Portland early Saturday morning. They’ll be driving up to Seattle to pick up their Wrangler (thanks to Jeep’s parent company FCA) and then driving to meet us in Pasco. We plan to leave on the 24th. However, the western fires in British Columbia have led to change our route north slightly.
Ron and Valerie Patton’s FJ-3 will appear on the Fantomworks reality tv show next Tuesday on Velocity. Read more here: http://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lawrence-county-native-hits-reality-tv-with-jeep-restoration/article_b9f30e1a-6c02-11e7-a70b-f313d391a204.html
Steve passed along this interesting photo of Willys wagon printed in a Summer 2017 periodical. The text seems to be unrelated to the photo and offers not information about it.
I spent a long time in the garage and now it’s the wee hours of the morning, so just a few posts today. This isn’t much of a post, but you get the idea …
I pulled the brakes and wheel cylinders off the front. The front wheel cylinders were full of crud, but the cylinders themselves, along with the rubber, were still in good shape, so I honed the cylinders, cleaned the parts, and reassembled them.
Since I have everything apart, I decided to installed a different axle. It’s clean and I’m not sure it’s every been used.
Jack’s son-in-law David Watson shared this photo of Jack when he was Staff Sergeant Jack L. Moore, USAF, pulling guard duty with his M-38 jeep, M-1 carbine and .45 pistol. The photo was taken at Aviano Air Base, Italy, circa 1956. Jack was a member of the 614th Fighter Squadron, a F-84 unit, at the time. Jack’s not 85 and doing well!
Paul assures me that this would be perfect for the person who has everything. I guess I’m a LONG ways from getting this.
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/d/brand-new-custom-jeep/6223262941.html
Patterson looks ready for the big tow to Eastern Washington.
Claiming that Sunday was “Tow Hell” day might be a slight exaggeration, but I wouldn’t call it a winning day either. Let’s recap the last couple days as I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to photograph some of it.
I finally got the jeep running well on Friday after determining there was an air leak in a short piece of hose (let air in, but did not let gas out). I then timed it by ear and feel, rather than diagnostics, and that seemed to do the trick. On Saturday, I built a tow setup that utilized existing holes in the front bumper. I wanted some thing strong, but didn’t want to drill into the bumper.
Once the tow setup was ready, I turned to the exhaust. I’d already had Ann go to a muffler shop to replicate the 1.5″, 7′ section of tailpipe I needed (thankfully I had an original end section leftover from one of the DJs to use as a template). I combined the tail pipe with a Walker muffler I bought off Amazon and some Oreilly’s clamps and assembled the exhaust with relative ease.
I thought we were ready to head for Pasco on Sunday morning.
The early DJ-3As has an exhaust that pretty much was straight. The only bends needed were 1) the bend on the front piece from the manifold down to the cross member, 2) the exhaust piece has to bend over the rear axle, and 3) the exhaust bends to the outside past the gas tank (not pictured). (1955 DJ-3A manual). Good luck finding a shop that had this series of bends in their shop manuals or computer!
For comparison, this is the more likely setup that you’ll find at a muffler shop (if they have anything this old). It’s a more typical setup for 2As, 3As, 3Bs, etc. This doesn’t work for the DJ, because the muffler is positioned where the rear gas tank is installed.
We spent the first part of Sunday morning cleaning up the garage. It was a bit of a mess! Once that was done, we hooked up Patterson and began slowly towing him. We didn’t make it through the first intersection of my parent’s quiet neighborhood before I realized that the jeep wasn’t tracking around the corner. When I turned slowly right, it began to turn slowly left, forcing me to hit the brakes.
What the hell? I’ve towed a number of vehicles and never, ever run into this type of trouble.
We carefully tried a couple more corners and each was the same. The jeep began to turn the opposite way. I’d have to hop out and correct Patterson’s direction. After a trip around the block, we arrived at my parent’s house once more.
Testing the tracking at a very slow pace.
I pulled out my googler, but couldn’t find anyone having a similar problem. I concluded the drag link/ross box was somehow interfering with the jeep from tracking properly. I did read were “Dr. Verne” (aka Verne Simmons) would remove his drag link to tow it, but my custom radiator made that strategy near impossible without disassembly of multiple items. I was just about ready to remove the drag link when I decided, on a lark, to unscrew the control screw(could be the wrong name for this) on the Ross box. My assumption was that this would loosen the Ross mechanism, freeing the drag link to spin the steering wheel more easily.
Me trying to work through the steering problem.
This June 1946 photo depicts two soldiers looking to buy a surplus jeeps.
“Original press photo from June 1946 depicts veterans waiting in line at the war assets administration building to purchase one of the 1500 used jeeps that went on sale.”
View all the information on eBay
Inspiration is a funny thing. You just never know what will inspire you. Unfortunately, sometimes its timing is terrible.
Case in point: A few days ago Patterson wouldn’t start. I checked all the usual suspects and finally decided it was the fuel pump. I shall not bore you with the machinations I went through testing the original fuel pump and two others I have. I hand tested them, then installed them and they’d fail. Then I’d remove them, manually test them, and they’d work again. It was bizarre.
I concluded that somehow it was the cam on the inside of the engine; that wasn’t an easy fix. With time working against me, Craig Brockhaus of theFCConnection.com recommended I get the same electric pump he has on his Tour Jeep. It was a good price and available on Amazon and I’d get 2 day delivery for free. Done deal.
For two days I worked on other things, waiting for that fuel pump to arrive. When it finally did, I took it out of the box, climbed under the jeep, and sized up possible installation options. I decided that since the gas filter had to precede the electric pump, I needed to bring that under the jeep with me. I got up and found the gas filter. Attached to it I’d left a 4″ piece of connector hose that originally connected the filter to the pump. As I looked more closely at the hose on the pump I realized that it looked roughed up by the clamp.
And then it dawned on me. Inspiration struck! What if there’s a small hole in that short piece of hose. When I had hand tested the fuel pump, I didn’t have the filter or 4″ hose attached. So, I held up the hose to my mouth, plugged the rear hole, and blew. I could feel the air rushing out a hole on the tube.
I quickly reinstalled the original pump, Then, installed a new short piece of hose. With everything tight, I turned the key a few times and before I knew it Patterson fired right up! It was a hole in the hose the hole time.
The question I have is, why couldn’t I have been inspired before I bought the electric pump? Life is a mystery!
As of this evening the engine is running smoothly and feeling peppy! I also had time to find a solution for installing a CB Radio. I didn’t want to drill new holes if possible and I wanted it easy to remove. So, I decided to build a small pedestal on top of the transfer case lever plate. It is something I can easily swap out for whatever reason.
You can see the square tube welded to the transfer case lever plate. The tube is cut at an angle and a plate is welded atop that. A CB holder bracket is bolted to the plate.
This shows the radio installed. You’ll note that just above the radio there is now a cigarette lighter for phone charging.
Tomorrow I install a tow bumper:
Matt shared a short note and some pics from his Willys America adventure this past week.
He wrote, “We drove out there in my 3A and yeah, it was pretty cool. BBQ burgers for lunch, got a Willy’s America T-shirt and got to check out all kinds of cool rigs. I was in a caravan with 3 MB’s on the way out there. (Been there, done that, AND got the T-shirt. literally)”
Who can name all the hubs? Number them like innings, so the top left is “1” and the bottom left “2” etc up to “7”.
Thanks go to Jason King for documenting his family’s jeeping adventure from last weekend!
Jason writes, “This past Saturday the King family held our 7th Annual Sweetwater Run Jeep Rally in beautiful Parke County, Indiana (Covered Bridge Capital of the World). Family members came from as far away as Minnesota and Missouri to enjoy this yearly event.
Some of the older jeeps attending this year . . .
. . . . and some of the newer jeeps.
The morning started off with a timed run on a pre-determined 10-mile route planned out by the hosts of the rally in their 46’ CJ2A some weeks earlier. The plan was for each of the 8 Jeeps to leave 5 minutes apart with at least a driver and navigator. Each navigator had a copy of the mapped route and was responsible for keeping the time clock for their respective vehicle. The the Jeep closest to the official time clocked by the hosts of the rally received a first place prize box full of moon pies. The timed event was enjoyed by all and should continue for years to come.
The timed event was followed by a wonderful cookout on a new Jeep fire pit made by my brother-in-law (he takes orders if anyone is interested). Shortly after the cookout we travelled east through Rockville to Bridgeton passing a few covered bridges along the way, stopped for ice cream and proceeded on to Mansfield Covered Bridge before returning home. Continue reading
UPDATE: The original press photo that appeared in the newspaper at the bottom of this post is now on eBay.
“1941- Edsel Ford, in rear seat, and Brig. Gen. Charles Bonesteel go for a ride in the first Ford GP prototype jeep delivered to the U.S. Army after it rolled off the assembly line at the Ford River Rouge factory in Dearborn, Michigan. Photo measures approx. 7″ x 9″”
View all the information on eBay
Original posted 06/30/2016:
This photo and caption were published in the March 7, 1941, issue of the Owosso Argus Press. No article accompanied it.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts! I didn’t make it out to the garage yesterday, but I felt good enough to do eWillys. As least the wild swings between fever and chills have subsided. I expect to be back in the garage today after running a few errands.
I think these are from Korea?
Just a couple updates today.
Patterson got some new tires today. We purchased some inexpensive Cooper Trendsetter 235/75/15 tires that have a bit of a vintage feel. We then moved Patterson’s old tires to Rusty’s wheels, so Rusty has some better shoes also.
Meanwhile, Ann added her touch to Patterson by painting the air cleaner lid (which is actually a cake pan mounted upside down) blue (you can see it sitting on the fender in the pic below).
Yesterday, I spent a good amount of time fixing items that I thought were fixed, but weren’t. For example, the brake pedal was hitting the column shifter rod (between the column paddle and the transmission). I thought maybe I had installed the rods incorrectly, but after removing the rods and puzzling through the situation, I figured out that the column itself needed to rotate clockwise several degrees. When I started undoing the bolts to make that happen, I found they were loose. That was a surprise, as I hadn’t worked on the steering column itself (though I had rebuilt Rusty’s column, which proved vital to deducing the fact that the column needed to rotate). Long story short, I rotated the column, tighten it up, reattached the rods, and the brake arm now clears the rods.
I also re-routed the vacuum lines that go down to the reservoir and back. Now they are more protected from the moved of the column shifting and away from the exhaust manifold.
I purchased a newer condenser yesterday and installed it, but I wasn’t really happy with the performance. I am going to get an NOS one from Old Car Parts (see the post below) and see if that works better.
I age a few years every time I enter an auto parts store these days. I ask about parts and the clerks stare blankly back at me. I was shocked at how many didn’t know what a center pin was or have any idea what a condenser for a distributor does. They (Oreilly’s in this case) don’t even stock fuel filters in the general area of the store … you have to explain what vehicle you have (of course, I’m preaching to the choir, but still, it is frustrating).
That’s one reason why on Friday Ann and I drove down the hill from my parents to visit a store called Old Car Parts Northwest. Several months ago I discovered it on Craigslist, then emailed, asking if they had Willys parts. The answer was that they had some NOS parts. I hadn’t had time to get there until Friday, so off we went. It’s hidden in an industrial section of Southwest Renton and there’s no sign hanging over the shop indicating it’s there. I could see through the glass on the outside that a few lights were on, so I wasn’t sure the place was even open. But, the door was unlocked, so I stepped in the door.
There wasn’t anyone to greet me, so I looked around at all the parts … carbs on tables, parts hanging from a wall, parts everywhere! It looks much bigger on the inside than I expected. After about a minute, someone finally came to say hello. I have since forgotten his name (I’m so bad with names), and he seemed more curious about why I was there than asking if I was looking for a part.
After explaining that I was just seeing what he had, he took me on a short tour. He explained most of the stuff was all NOS parts or rebuilt parts such as water pumps using original equipment. The owner of the place buys parts for a hobby and has amassed a large amount. The age of parts ranged from 1920s to modern day stuff. He told me the place had been opened for about eight months and they were still unloading and organizing parts. He took me to one location where there was a row of 1930s Willys Overland parts. While there, he pointed out some NOS water pump rebuilt kits for a jeep. I took a close look and explained that the pumps weren’t just for any jeep, they were 1941 Willys MA water pump rebuild kits!!
There were NOS carbs in their original box, such as a YF 951. There were 6 volt and 12 volt generators, regulators, and distributor parts. They also have original Timken bearings. He explained that a friend of his used to work at Timken and that you can tell the difference between made in the US Timken bearings by the stamp. If it says “Timken USA” it’s likely out of China, while “Made in the USA” stamped bearings are made in the US.
After exploring the place, I said I’d let readers know about it. I figured there just might be some hard t find jeep parts there. When i returned home I got online to check out their website. I learned that their online database is not very organized yet, but after playing around, I found the following NOS items for an FC-150:
It was definitely a cool place and there wasn’t a computer in sight!
My wife has been having a wonderful time making videos of things not quite going as planned. Yesterday, we only had to be pushed by the neighbors twice into the driveway. I figure either there’s something in the gas, something wrong with the fuel pump, or the pressure is off on the fuel line. Outside of that, I followed Rick’s Old Jeep Carb method for timing the engine and it worked well. When gas isn’t an issue, the jeep starts up on the first turn of the key and just hums.
Here is the second time we needed a push (great way to reconnect with old neighbors!):
Nice press photo of a BRC-40 climbing a hill.
“Original 8″ x 10″ glossy press photo. Hand written on back : ARMY ARMORED SCOUT COMMAND CAR PEEPS. Dated May 4, ’41. Good condition for its age.”
View all the information on eBay
Lots of great details about the build included within the description.
View all the information on eBay
” This is an Arizona titled (clean and clear) 1949 Willys Pickup built on a stretched 1997 Jeep Wrangler frame with a three-link front, 4-link rear, one-ton axles, manual transmission, 505 cubic inch Dodge/Chrysler RB Big Block engine. There are many many details that went into this build and I will try to list them here, but may miss some or forget some. Any really interested parties need to come see this truck first hand and ask questions. I reserve the right to cancel the auction any time in case of local sale, or if I decide to keep the truck. The truck drives great on-road and is extremely capable off-road. It has plenty of power, and turns heads everywhere it goes. Everyone loves it from Rednecks, to Hippies, and everyone in between.
Built as a Jp Magazine project Vehicle there are 8 or 9 3-4 page articles on the build. To see them Google: “Jp Magazine Wicked Willys”
You can also Google “Wicked Willys Ultimate Adventure” for more info on the truck and the UA trip
The truck, since I finished it in june of last year, has been on Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road Ultimate Adventure for 2016 (that included about 2000 miles of on road and trail driving) Over the Rubicon, Isham trail near Trona, CA, and part of Fordyce. Its also been on a few trails in AZ and all over Moab during Easter Jeep Safari 2017. It drives over almost anything the driver aims it at and is very stable off-road. I’d love to keep it, but I like to build 4x4s and can’t keep them all.
Continue reading
After fixing some wiring and correcting the clutch cable length, I was able to take Patterson down the street and back. Brakes worked, clutch worked, and it felt like there was plenty of power. However, it’s definitely running rich, so we’ll tackle that tomorrow, along with improving the timing.
