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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 .
Limited updates for Sunday. We are having our annual Oolie Christmas gathering, which means lots of mayhem. In the meantime, here’s a story that Alaska Paul spotted about a family who traveled around in a custom motorhome towing a CJ-2A
http://bundlings.com/galesvillelimited.htm
These posthole diggers were built by Federal Machine and Welder out of Warren, Ohio.
There were several mowers developed for the early jeep. Some mounted on the side and some in the rear. Here are the ones I have so far:
1. NEWTON MOWER: Built by H. G. & S. Manufacturing out of Wisconsin, this mower relied on the Monroe Lift for mounting. Skilled users could attach this mower in only one minute, according the brochure.
2. NEWGREN POWER MOWER: Made by Newgren Company out of Butler, Pennsylvania. It mounted on the rear. (Later, this was marketed as the ‘Jeep” Farm Mower)
Continue reading
This June 14, 1945 photo shares the news that some kids in Florida received toy jeeps in exchange for selling the most war bonds.
1. This one was on eBay. It also appeared in the March 27, 1944, issue of the News-Journal out of Mansfield, Ohio.
“1944- U.S. Coast Guardsmen demonstrate new “Invader” jeep, which can carry 10 men and travel up to 60 miles an hour. The Invader is made by sawing a standard Jeep in half and adding three feet to the middle. Photo measures approx. 7″ x 9″”
2. UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay. This photo sold in early 2015. It was taken 3/17/44
Here’s a great shot of the Coast Guard of Invader Jeep. It was stretched three feet to accommodate more people. The text “The Coast Guard Invader” is just visible along the side. Here’s an example of one at a museum in New Jersey.
“944- At a Coastguard Station on the Atlantic Coast, U.S. Coast Guardsmen demonstrate new “Invader” jeep, carrying 10 men and traveling up to 60 miles an hour over sand.”
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Below is more info about the Coast Guard Invader.
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The photo of the stuck jeep shown below is meant to demonstrate why the Coast Guard created the “Invader Jeep”. Designed to carry 10 people, the caption explains why it will navigate sand better.
Here’s an example of the “Invader Jeep” from the G503 page (see more here). Compare the below pic to the restored “Invader” at the New Jersey Museum.
UPDATE: This is form W-991-5. You can download a pdf version here.
(first published 12/7/2010) Gerald scanned and forwarded these images from the Jeep Family of 4-Wheel-Drive Vehicles in Public Service. There are 25 images. Thanks Gerald!
No updates tonight other than this one.
We made it to Seattle a couple days ago. I made some more progress blasting some smaller parts yesterday. In order to blast the t-handle parking brake, I had to disassemble it. The last thing to remove was a screw/pin so I could remove the brake lever from its housing. I didn’t know whether to unscrew or press out the screw/pin, but as I examined iI felt pretty sure it should press out. Still, I thought it best to text a friend: Chris McKay. He said he thought it was pressed out, too. So, I set out to remove the pin.
Here is what the brake looks like assembled.
Here’s the top of the pin:
This shows the back side. I had to line up the hole in the housing with the back of the pin:
I grabbed a small socket to catch the pin and an object that could press through the hole:
Here’s the second half to the Universal Jeep Booklet. The pages I shared yesterday are underneath these. I’ll get them reordered at some future point.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $15,000.
You can learn more about them on the CJ-3B Page: https://cj3b.info/Siblings/SurreyPepsi.html
Paul spotted this photo of a CJ-5 used to navigate the length of the 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct in 1957, still the longest tunnel in the world (construction photos). This was the last time the tunnel was navigate in its entirety. Because of the knowledge gained during their survey, the last living member of this party, Victor Feigelman, was consulted on the state of the tunnel up until his death in 2016.
If you zoom into the area just above gas inlet you’ll note the warning: USE WHITE GAS –ONLY–. The need to limit effluents inside the tunnel also explains the odd exhaust setup.
From Wikipedia, the Delaware Aqueduct … takes water from the Rondout Reservoir through the Chelsea Pump Station, the West Branch Reservoir, and the Kensico Reservoir, ending at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, New York. The aqueduct was constructed between 1939 and 1945, and carries approximately half of the New York City water supply of 1.3 billion US gallons (4,900,000 m3) per day. At 85 miles (137 km) long and 13.5 feet (4.1 m) wide, the Delaware Aqueduct is the world’s longest tunnel.
The weekend of March 25 & 26 is the Southwest Military Show in Mesa, Arizona. If you like plans and jeeps, this is a great place to be. As Joe points out below there will be more than a dozen jeeps and jeep-like vehicles.
Jerry forwarded this article from Massachusetts on a Jeep Wagoneer that’s been stuck in a collapsing shed by an unstable dune for forty years. Now, the property owners can finally remove it. I’m sure it’s in perfect shape, lol!
http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170219/jeep-buried-in-truro-dune-for-40-years-to-be-removed (if that link blocks you from reading the article, try this article.
PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE HEASLIP. Hard to see the jeep within the shed.
Seth found this one. Not a jeep, but looks fun to me. Maybe it could pull a jeep? And, for you Bonanza fans out there, at one time this reportedly transported actors. You can see some other cars from the collection for sale here: http://www.papastoyscarcollection.com/–available-vehicles-for-sale.html. I looked through a number of photos on the site, but didn’t spot any jeeps.
“Small Block V8/ Powr Steering and Breaks/ Manual Transmission/ 6 cylinder
This car was used on the set of Bonanza to transport the actors. Great condition and a fun ride! Contact me for more information and additional pictures! We are selling it to downsize a private collection in Cornelius, Oregon. This would be incredible for winery tours in the area!
A little about the family collection:
This car is a part of the Papa’s Toys Car Collection located in Cornelius, Oregon. Started by John and Susan Davis in the 1980s, it was once of the largest collections in the Pacific Northwest of 180 street rods, classics, customs, race cars, and special interest vehicles ranging from the years 1922-1982. The collection is open to the public once a year where 100% proceeds go to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Our last show in May of 2016 raised $22,000 in a single day and over 700 other hot rods showed up to enjoy the day. Not a single car has ever been sold from the collection until March 2016 when Susan decided it was time to downsize the collection and to a more manageable number and let other people enjoy the cars. We decided to sell 124 cars from the collection and have sold 77 of that already to excited locals in the Portland area and around the United States. We are keeping about 50 cars and though we won’t have our large show once a year, we are discussing having a few smaller shows throughout the summer.”
https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/5988305680.html
A December 1944 article in Popular Science highlights tandem towing:
I sure hope they’ve updated this bridge!
“You are bidding on an original press photo of Truck & Jeep Cross Pontoon Bridge Alaska Highway Construction. Photo has some waving due to too much glue being used to attach the information sheet onto the back of the photo. If the photo in the listing shows any thin green, red, yellow and/or blue lines, they are the result of a bad scan & the lines are NOT on the actual photo. Photo measures 7 x 8 inches and is dated 9/3/1942.”
A July 1943 Popular Mechanics article looks at young men training for war and, in part, how the jeep plays a useful role.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
I bet there is still a bunch of WWII raw footage buried in archives.
“This original WWII photo is identified as – CBI – 44-60780. Sgt. Nicholas A. Ackerman, Beverly Hills, Calif. Signal Corps cameraman shooting a movie story on yhr Burma Road from back of a Jeep. 30 Sept 1944 – Photog: T/ sgt Greenburg.
A great an clear photo with natives in the shot. This US Army Signal Corps photo is in good condition and measures 8″ X 10″. A nice World War Two photograph.”
A local northwest community magazine shared this story by truck owner Tom Berg:
http://www.nwnews.com/index.php/feature/auto/14315-classic-car-corner-another-willys
PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Berg
How many of us bought that first project flat fender knowing it would be an easy restoration. After all, they are such simple vehicles, right? Well, David Tracy got an introduction into the hazards of purchasing a “fixer-upper”. He documents some of his trials and tribulations on Jalopnick. It’s a reminder that when picking your first jeep, choose wisely!
http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/my-1948-jeep-off-road-project-is-ruining-me-1792102804
This appears to be a collection of service manuals and more.
“Purchased from an estate sale of a Vietnam veteran that was a mechanic there…as the story goes. This binder is in very good condition for it’s age. No breaks or signs of visual wear. It is packed full, as seen in the last picture, of all different types of service type manuals from the mid 60’s to early 70’s as best as I can tell. There are some Willys, Chrysler, Ford, Jeep, Renault, Chevrolet, tons of other service information. So much information that would be impossible to list it all. All pages are also in very good condition. Very interesting piece of history!”
View all the information on eBay
This is the earliest use of jeep hubs as winches that I can remember documenting. It was publishing in the July 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics. The McCain hub was a similar, much later idea.
UPDATE: I’ve added some photos of an actual Portarator.
Merton Day obtained this brochure years ago. It’s not a jeep specific item, but it is easy to see how one of these generators hooked to a jeep could prove useful. The Portarator was installed in the engine compartment for power tools or other electric devices (such as a margarita blender, should the mood strike).
B&B manufacturing produced other Portarator products, as this brochure demonstrates, but I couldn’t find any Portarator’s for sale. Here’s the brochure Merton saved:
Thanks to Pascal for spotting this one.
“You are bidding on a rare original maintenance manual for the Willys MA prototype jeep. It’s a little dirty buy all pages are present. And in good shape. Will consider trading for other prototype parts or manuals for GP or bantam brc. Good luck and happy bidding!”
View all the information on eBay
UPDATE: Here’s a split ventilating windshield that’s on Christiaan’s South African jeep (mentioned in the comments).
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Originally post February 12, 2017: Jim and I were discussing ventilating windshields the other day, but we lacked some overall stats. So, I’m hoping to gather such information under one post. It seems that ventilating windshields were offered in the following variations on the following models:
Can anyone add to part 1 or 2?
Some Examples:
Ventilating Windshield Links:
We know a couple of these exist. One sold back in 2014.The fire truck has “Blitz Wagon” on it, while the company marketed it as a “Blitz Buggy” The company that produced these was the Hi Pressure Fog Equipment Company.
“This is an original advertisement,NOT a reproduction, no rips or tears. Size of ad is app 5 X 5.”
View all the information on eBay
The same company also made this alternative version. Anyone recognize the vehicle? This ad also appeared in a 1951 magazine accord to the seller.
View all the information on eBay
