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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 .
How about this great ad from the August 9, 1943, issue of Newsweek. I’ll be posting a different one from Newsweek tomorrow. This is pieced together from two different pages.
I spotted and purchased it on eBay today. There were three other issues, but I got outbid with a few seconds to go on the rest.
UPDATE: Alex makes a good argument that these images are more likely on the Mediterranean rather than in the Arromanches, which is an area in Northwestern France.
Here’s another round of images from the Library and Archives of Canada.
Here’s a shot of a MB Slat Grille, however no description information was available:
Here’s another image with no description. I thought the blacked out numbers were interesting.
Canadian war correspondents in a jeep, Modica, Italy, 13 July 1943.
I stumbled upon the National Archives of Canada the other day, discovering a variety of WWII Jeep images related to Canadian forces. Here are a few ambulance shots:
1945 in Germany: Personnel of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.) loading a casualty into a Willys MB ambulance jeep, Sonsbeck, Germany, 6 March 1945.
1945 in Germany: Private F.J. Dunn resting on his ambulance jeep while evacuating casualties south of Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, 29 April 1945.
1945 in France: An ambulance jeep of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.), Vaucelles, France, 20 July 1944.
UPDATE: This was originally posted 11/14/2010
Started at age 14, Nate completed his beautiful build this past Easter. There are a variety of young mechanics working on builds who ping me with questions and comments, so I think it will be a great motivation to them that Nate completed his build. He sets a good example of what hard work can achieve no matter the age. Congrats Nate!
Nate writes, “I’ve been reading ewillys for about 1 1/2 to 2 years now …. I fell in love with this jeep when my dad brought it home when I was 8. It was the first first vehicle I learned to drive. I started restoring it when I was 14 in Sept. 2007 (now 17) and the actual jeep was finished on Easter Sunday this past April, 2010. I got the jeep the way I like it last week with the original style soft top. It was a father-son (mostly son) project. I sandblasted the whole frame, and probably spent a week block sanding the body. We made a few modifications: 10” drums, 12v electrical system, overdrive and Cutlas hubs. I got the top from New Life Canvas. I didn’t skimp on anything. I put stainless steel brake lines in, a new harness from Walcks and a lot of original parts from my donor jeeps.. The jeep sports a reproduction body tub (which I made look original), fenders and hood.”
Here’s an image of the pre-restored Jeep:
And post restoration pics:
UPDATE: This was first published Jan 23, 2011.
About a year and a half ago I posted a story about Ben Carlin and his famous SEEP “Half Safe”. What I didn’t realize at the time was there were a few other nuts crazy enough to modifiy a GPA and travel the world. One of those explorers was a Canadian named Lionel Forge.
I learned about Lionel’s adventure through a website operated by Colin Stevens, who eventually purchased Lionel’s GPA and began the restoration back to its original condition (he then sold the GPA to a USA collector in 2004). Thanks to Colin, we have a record of both Lionel’s transformation of the surplus GPA #4545 into “Amphib” and along with a summary of his story.
On his site, Colin writes, “[Lionel] had the book HALF SAFE which is about a GPA that was modified for world travel and which was travelling around the world. Lionel decided to modify his GPA and travel as well. One key difference is that he did not plan to sail across oceans with his.”
According to this newspaper article, Lionel planned to drive down through Central and South America, ship the car to Africa and then travel through Eastern Europe. One of the places he really wanted to visit was Montevideo, Uruguay, a country about which I posted yesterday.
According to Colin, Lionel made it to Central America, but then discovered the cargo ship he planned to use to make it to Africa was longer in service. So, he shipped ‘Amphib’ to a friend’s house in Florida and continued some additional traveling, though whether he made it to Montevideo is unclear.
Lionel eventually brought Amphib back to Canada, where it sat for at least 11 years on blocks (most likely much more) until Lionel’s death in 2001. Lionel’s family later sold the GPA to Colin, who photographed it extensively, recording all kinds of information about it. Colin then sold it in 2004 to an American collector.
You can read the entire story here at Colin’s website
Colin also wrote a 2 part article in Convoy Magazine in 2002 about the entire adventure, which he pieced together from Lionel’s images, passports and other information. Unfortunately, the magazine is no longer published and I can’t locate any back issues online.
Here are a few images from Colin’s website:
This is GPA#4545 at the salvage yard:
This shows Amphib after the 1949 Dodge Station Wagon top was added:
This is a newspaper article about his upcoming trip:
Amphib with the tent on top:
Lionel in Guatemala (Pyramid #1 at Tikal) in 1967
I also thought it appropriate to include an image of Colin Stevens with his 1944 MB. The photo was taken in 2000. You can see more images here.
This was first published July 2, 2010.
A reader named Sam called me today. He told me he had a great story to share. Hopefully, I’ve remembered most of it correctly.
For a little background, Sam is retired after a lifetime of building hotrods, drag racing and owning a shop in Sacramento, but now operates a small flattie-oriented shop in Arvada, Colorado, where he fixes, modifies and maintains Willys (and probably a few other vehicles) for fun. I’ll be explaining more about Sam (and some of his great suggestions) in a future post, but for now you have enough information to understand why a Jeep owner, in some distress, had his Jeep towed to Sam’s shop to investigate a problem.
And now to Sam’s story … The owner of this willys had tried to drive his jeep to work, but the jeep stopped working while driving down the road. So, the owner pulled to the side of the road, waited a moment, and started it up again. Sure enough, it fired up and the owner drove onwards.
Another few miles down the road the jeep shutoff again. So, the owner repeated the process: pull over, restart, and continue onwards.
At some point, this re-occuring process became too much for the owner to bare, so he called a towing company and had his jeep towed to Sam’s.
So, Sam looks the jeep over. He starts it up and, sure enough, after a little while it shuts down. He knows it has an electric fuel pump and suspects that could be causing a problem, so he unhooks the hose from the carb and points it into a gas can. Then, he turns on the fuel pump. Sure enough, after a little while, the fuel dribbles to a stop, yet he can hear pump still pumping ….. hmmmm, Sam thinks to himself.
He decides to try an experiment. He knows the owner only fills the tank to half full, because if the tank gets too full gas leaches out of somewhere (I can’t remember where Sam said it leaked).
Sam decides to fill up the tank all the way, because he suspects there might be something in the tank. Sure enough, he fills up the tank and out pops not one, not two, but three ping pong balls.
As Sam explains it, the sucking power of the fuel pump was pulling the ping pong balls to the outlet area of the tank(where the fuel line connects), stopping the fuel from exiting the tank, which shut down the jeep.
How’d the ping pong balls get there? Well, that still remains a mystery ….
So, the moral of this story is that even the mightiest jeep can be humbled by an even mightier ping pong ball. And, a side moral, is that buying a locking gas cap is a pretty good idea.
This is an older post first published April 13, 2010:
I was surfing the net looking for a jeep drawing and, instead, came across an interesting 1963 hunting wagon on a blog hosted by Local Motors. I had not heard of Local Motors, but this company describes itself (in the about section) as a ‘New American Car’ company that builds cars in regional Micro-Factories.
The blog contained both a video about 1963 Willys Wagon and a still picture (see the video below). If you like those Texas hunting vehicles, go to this link and check out some of the crazy non-jeep hunters down the right side of the page, such as the suburban hunter.
Ann spotted this funny image. She thought we could relate to it. I don’t know where it originated.
I don’t know what it’s worth, but this model of the Russian Gaz is pretty cool. You can learn more about Team America here.
“This is the actual prop Jeep used in the cult classic comedy Team America: World Police (2004) by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the creators of South Park and Book of Mormon). The vehicle is made mainly of metal, has a wood floorboard, and rubber tires. It measures approx 54″ long x 24″ wide x 18″ high and weighs about 90 lbs. The bloody windshield has a crack on the driver’s side (presumably from filming). This great conversation piece comes with a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) from Premiere Props.”
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/clt/3632760028.html
Mr. Nabholtz passed away in Dec. 2005. This book has been out of print since 1996. One of these went for $88 last summer. I’m reusing the pic below from a previous post.
“The Military Jeep Model MB – GPW by Lawrence Nabholtz.
This is number 555 of 1000 of the original classic by Mr. Nabholtz, first edition.
The book is in new condition and has been sitting in a warehouse since it was originally published in 1996.”
View all the information on eBay
John told me that his dog Blitz loves riding on his CJ-3A.
He writes, “I take my dog for a ride almost every day. He likes to ride on the hood. It’s the funniest thing. People wave,point and smile. I even had one lady follow me and stop me to take a pic. I think that dam dog likes willys more then me.”
Buz spotted this image on Flickr from the North Carolina State archives. You can just make out the tools indents and the front bow holder.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/3115325113/
Mark forwarded this comic of BEWITCHED with a jeep on the cover. I found one for sale on eBay, too.
View all the information on eBay
Check out Brendan’s “Hardtops and the Civlization of the Jeep, Part I“. It’s a great early synopsis of attempts at topping the early jeeps.
We’d like to welcome a new addition to our family: a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee from Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Tricities in Kennewick.
After much discussion and the knowledge we’ll driving over 8,000 miles in the next four months, Ann and I decided we needed a different vehicle. Both my 15 year old BMW 540i and her 2008 Ford Mustang stretch at the seems when packed with camping equipment. Both fear the snow, quivering at the mere sight of slush. Both have V8s that cherish frequent stops at gas stations. And neither vehicle cares to leave the pavement for terra firma when nature heralds us.
To overcome those issues, we began shopping two weeks ago for a different vehicle, preferably an SUV. Ann took the lead, plowing through consumer reports, dissecting cargo space, comparing engines, and analyzing gas mileage. Satisfied with her research, late last week she selected several models for us to test drive, including the Jeep. Of course, it would be natural for me to want a jeep, but I tried very hard to be neutral about it, to decide on the merits and not the brand.
We started with a 2012 Ford Explorer. It looked good. Smelled fine. Was a nice color. However, thirty seconds into the test drive, I flicked the blinker, only to have it flick back at me. The blinker acted strange. After failing to understand what I was doing wrong, the sales guy told me it was the new style. All you had to do was press down on it (or pull up) to turn it on and press down on it (or pull on it) to turn it off. He said all the Mercedes had them. I responded, “no offense, but if I wanted my blinkers to act differently, I’d buy a Mercedes”.
Normally a patient and semi-sane person, this trivial little detail instantly turned me off the vehicle. I didn’t want to out think my blinker. I have other important things to think about, such as staying in between the lines while driving, what to post on eWillys, and how to keep my wife happy while continuing this quixotic jeep adventure of ours. Believe me, that keeps my mind plenty busy!
We moved on to test drive several other vehicles, including the Toyota Highlander, the Chevrolet Traverse, the Dodge Durango, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Rather than bore you with trivial details of each drive, I will tell you why we chose the JGC. 1) We got the most for the best price (off road capabilities, tow package and low mileage), 2) Our consumer report research showed jeep owners were extremely happy with their JGCs, and 3) It was a jeep and since our lives are tied up with jeeps, it just made sense.
So, special thanks to Stephen Huang, Travis Solso and the rest of the folks at Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Tricities, who not only patiently endured our questions and concerns, but also bought some of my books. Because of the great interest rate and the trade in on Ann’s Mustang — they didn’t want my old car 🙁 — our monthly payments dropped $100, which means we are actually saving money monthly by doing the deal. Even better, our insurance is less. So it’s a multiple win for us!
So, this car ought to get us across the country and back safely. In addition, If the timing works out, we’ll also be participating in Lithia’s upcoming Jeep Days this summer.
(BTW . . . don’t tell Biscuit!)
It’s the man in the photo that makes it most interesting. This seller has more jeep photos he is selling.
“This is an “ORIGINAL PERIOD GLOSSY PHOTO BY U.S. AIR FORCE” of JEEP INSPECTOR SGT. ELMER BANKE WHO WAS THE FIRST MAN TO BE SELECTED FOR THE PEACE-TIME DRAFT IN 1940, photo date -1947. The condition is very good and measures 8″ x 10″. I will be listing more Military Vehicle photos in the weeks to come if you are interested.”
View all the information on eBay
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
These fuel tanks could be pulled by jeeps and other vehicles.
“This is an original vintage 1943 magazine advertisement by Fletcher Aviation Corp. (Pasadena, California) titled
“New Fletcher Jeep Tanks … give gasoline service on the double!”
with 2 WWII era photos.
The ad measures approximately 7 3/4″ x 11 1/4″, is in excellent condition, and can easily be matted & framed.”
This RPPC or Real Photo Postcard was taken near Atlanta, Idaho. Though I wanted to check out Atlanta, I never made it while I lived in Idaho. It’s lodged in the remote hills north east of Boise. Founded in 1855, it still has a post office. It seems it had some other claim to fame, but that bit of trivia escapes me at the moment. You can learn more here.
Here are some neat photos of buildings in the tiny town from Flickr
View all the information on eBay
As it happens on the web, Art found a picture posted at the Jeep Wrangler Facebook Page and posted it on the Jeep Thing page. I saw the picture and wondered where it was taken, so I reposted it. Roberto had the answer, which leads us to a post about Jeep Village.
Opened in 1947, Jeep Village operates a shop just south of Paris in Chevilly Larue and another in the South of France at Aix en Provence. The sell vintage flatties and manufacture and sell parts. The resell MD Juan tubs as well.
You can read about them on Facebook Or visit their website
Here’s a picture floating around Facebook:
Here’s a picture from the Jeep Village’s Paris site:
This is the shop in Southern France:
Guy shared a video of someone who build a FJ-3A model using what you see below.
He turned this:
Into this:
Sarge Mark spotted a variety of stretched MBs/GPWs on a 2009 post from Jeep-jitsu. You can see all the photos here:
http://jeep-jitsu.blogspot.com/2009/12/blasts-from-past-pre-cj-6-jeeps.html
You can view other stretched jeeps that I have found for sale or around the web here, some in odd ways.
