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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 .
UPDATE: This post has been updated with the May 1952 article on Vic Hickey’s “Mountain Goat” jeep.
Gayland spotted this unusual setup for painting tall places from a jeep. This was published on page 114 of the January 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics. Just hope it isn’t a windy day!
The is a better look at the rigging:
And a close up of the jeep:
This April 02, 1943, photo highlighted Sioux City’s North Junior School’s purchase of not one, but two jeeps as part of the “buy a jeep” bond campaign. They were the first school to buy one (and the first to buy two) jeeps. The Secretary of the United States Treasury presented the school with an award for its efforts.
April 02, 1943, Sioux City Journal
The photo is dated May 5, 1985, probably because it was placed into a newspaper on that day. In my opinion it looks like a staged photo, given all the decorations on the jeep and the way the soldiers exit the landing craft, yet still provide the photographer a great look at the jeep. No description provided.
View all the information on eBay
Looks like a good price of this Dodge Command Car Model (once known as a jeep). If I were close, I’d probably get it.
https://valdosta.craigslist.org/clt/d/moultrie-metal-army-jeep/7161132912.html
UPDATE: Jerry contacted me about a locomotive jeep he would like to restore (see near bottom). He noted that it was used at Tinkertown and found this older post while hoping to learn more. So, this post is a complete redo of an early post that focused just on photos in a January 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics.
It is probably no surprise that the Los Angeles metroplitan area was a hotbed of theme parks and carnivals following World War II. In particular, there was Beverly Park, which is claimed to be the park that stimulated Disney’s interests in theme parks.
One of those carnivals was a traveling kiddie carnival called Tinkertown. Articles show it existed at least from 1950 through 1952, operating in Monrovia, Wilmington, Los Angeles, and other LA area towns.
December 06, 1951, Wilmington Daily Press, Wilmington, California. Tinkertown Kiddie Carnival announcement.
Tinkertown appears to have owned, at one time or another, at least four unusual jeeps. One was a fire jeep made from a CJ-2A, shown below in red.
A second jeep appeared to have been a stretched (probably surplus) WWII jeep made into some kind of fire jeep used to tow a small Ferris wheel.
The article above refers to the jeep as a “fire engine”; perhaps it was modified during WWII? Here’s a better image:
A third jeep-related setup was a train possibly made from a jeep (or jeep-engine-powered at the very least). It is pictured here:
The fourth known jeep was a jeep turned into a locomotive. It’s the one Jerry now owns (along with two of the tram cars), one he’d like to restore. It’s in surprisingly complete condition. He’s hoping to learn more about the manufacturer and/or Tinkertown. Here’s a photo of his train:
Here’s how it looked in 1950:
UPDATE: Ooops. It turns out I had forgotten that I’d already posted this photo last year …
This photo can be found within the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection. It depicts a CJ-3A owned by the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Posse. There are other jeep-oriented photos as well held by the library.
https://tessa.lapl.org/cdm/search/searchterm/HCNVT_d042_f11_i9 .. Los Angeles Public Library, November 03, 1953. ….. Caption reads: “Members of Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Posse No. 11 take their jeep and mobile kitchen on trips into isolated areas to search for lost children and hunters. The men serve as volunteers in the rescue work on a 24-hour-a-day schedule. Viewing the new 1,200-watt auxiliary power plant are, left to right, Capt. R. M. Boyd, Lancaster Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, commander of the posse; Sgt. R. F. Brown, co-ordinator, and Capt. Jack Bones.”
This three-part article appeared in the August 1959 issue of Car Life magazine. The first two-page article is a general look at both vehicles. Then, there’s a long review of the Willys Wagon followed by a long review of the Land Rover. I got the sense that the reviewer Mr. Jim Whipple was more impressed with the Land Rover than the wagon. You be the judge….
Willyls Wagon review:
UPDATE **SOLD**
This might be of interest to those in the area.
The arrival of the FJ-3s made the newspapers in a variety of states. This first article appeared in the February 02, 1961, issue of the Bridgeport Post out of Connecticut:
February 02, 1961, The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, CT.
February 02, 1961, The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, CT.
This next article appeared in the October 04, 1961, issue of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Messenger and Inquirer.
October 04, 1961, The Messenger and Inquirer, Owensboro, Kentucky,
The Mitchell, South Dakota, Post Office may have only purchased one FJ, but it still made the paper:
November 11, 1961, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, SD.
Here’s an add for the followup model, the FJ-3A .It appeared in The Lawton Constitution out of Oklahoma on January 07, 1962.
This is the more common version of the FJ-3A ad published across the country:
December 20, 1961, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ.
These two Oregon Dealers landed in the news, eleven years apart.
In the first photo from July 01, 1951, Medford Mail Tribune, The Medford Corporation purchases a fleet of eight jeeps for its logging operations from William Leever of the Leever Motor company.
July 01, 1951, Medford Mail Tribune
The second photo and caption are from nine years later and 15 miles north of Roseburg in Umpqua, Oregon. The February 26, 1962, issue of The News-Review published this Umpqua Tractor ad for tractors and jeeps. You’ll note the rare site of an FJ-3A on display along side an FC.
February 26, 1962, issue of The News-Review, Roseburg, Oregon.
These club signs were on a 1967 CJ-6. The Drifters is an active California Jeep Club out of Southern California.
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This June 20, 1946, photo and caption on the Gustine Standard shows six jeeps purchased by the city of Merced for Mosquito Abatement. I didn’t realize jeeps were used so early for anti-mosquito work in California.
The first three ads appeared in Popular Mechanics during 1946, first in February, then March, then June. Note that the February ad does not include the King of Jeeps moniker, but the later two ads have it.
February 1946 Ad in Popular Mechanics, the earliest one I could find.
By June 1946 Berg was advertising Amphibious vehicles.
A November 1955 ad highlighted the use of private labeling by Berg. The hardtop looks like a Worman Jee-Cab that’s been rebranded “the Jeep King All Steel Cab”. I’m sure the “Jeep King Snow Plow” is another private labeled product.
This was the latest Ad from Berg that I found, though my searches were not extensive.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
This is priced at $39 with free shipping. It’s a neat piece, especially the first page with the Willys Overland Motors Canfield custom book wrecker model XH-205.
“great old catalog from 1952 . canfield wreckers for willys jeeps and trucks detroit michigan , illustrated , 5 pages , cover shows age but good overall . free shipping in usa and canada”
This odd item includes two ads with FCs.
View all the information on eBay
“THIS IS A 8 BY 11 INCH BOOKLET FROM LOCAL 12 UNION SUMMER CAMP WOMANS GUILD.
MANY, MANY AREA ADVERTISERS ARE LISTED IN THIS BOOKLET.
THIS IS FOR THE ST. VALENTINES DAY DANCE AND FROLIC.
LISTED ALSO ARE THE DONORS NAMES AND PHOTOS OF THE STAFF.
BOOKLET IS IN LIKE NEW CONDITION.
GREAT COLLECTIBLE.
THANKS FOR LOOKING”
Old School pencil sharpener in the form of an M-151.
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“Item is a vintage Pencil Sharpener made in Hong Kong.
Item is a WILLY’S JEEP (JEEP does have the removable Top, NO picture)
Item is approx. 1-1/2″ by 3″ by 1-1/2″.
Item shows LITE wear as pictured.
LOOK at the photos they are part of the description.”
Cool sign!
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“For your consideration a sign. The sign is made of metal. It is hand made and has a painted finish. There is some damage to the finish. I am selling it as shown. It measures 48″ in width by 24″ in height. An excellent addition to any advertising collection or if you just want to own a really neat sign. I am selling this item with no reserve.”
This August 1, 1948, brochure extolls the five lines of trucks produced by Willys-Overland. This is one of the earliest Truck brochures, if not the earliest?
The problem I have with this brochure is that it doesn’t seem very clear on what constitutes the “five” truck lines. Are the wagons and jeeps considered trucks for the purposes of this brochure? Page 3 of the brochure suggests that could be the case. On the other hand, there’s no Universal ‘Jeep’ shown within the tri-fold main portion of the brochure (though a Universal jeep lands on the back of the brochure).
Based on the brochure, I would say the 5 TRUCK lines are 1) The 2WD ‘Jeep’ Pick-Up Truck; 2) The 4WD ‘Jeep’ Pick-Up Truck; 3) The ‘Jeep’ Platform Stake Truck; 4) The ‘Jeep’ Canopy Truck; and 5) The ‘Jeep’ Van Truck. I am likely incorrect about this …
Print date:
This August 21, 1960, article in the Ogden Standard Examiner out of Utah includes a photo of a CJ-2A with a home made, odd hardtop.
This December 22, 1940, article in the Birmingham News highlights the latest arrival of “midget automobiles” at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. I would imagine these are Bantam BRC-60s.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $5000.
Never heard of the Eagle amphibious ATV. There might be a review of this in the August 1970 issue of Mechanix Illustrated.
“This is a very rare amphibious ATV. They competed for the military contract against Coot. Coot eventually won the contract so eagle went by the wayside. I have restored about 90% of this and have put in a well running Vanguard. It needs some work still to be completely finished but I have lost Interest in being the one to finish it. It would be cool to finish it and use it as a river rig or take it to the sand pits and you should be able to just drive out on the water with it, that was always my goal. One sold on eBay a few years ago it was completely restored for 7500. I have not seen one for sale since then, I see coots on there all the time but they’re much more common. Make me an offer or I’m open to trades. Motorcycles, four-door with a long box or anything that I can take to the lake. Let me know what you got.”
This October 09, 1954, article form the Longview Daily News puts the launch of the Trailerbreakers Jeep Club in April of 1954. That’s one view of Mount St. Helens that no longer exists!
There are some jeeps coming up for auction through Sotheby’s, along with a Mule. Note Lot 322 1951 M-38 that sold for $61,600!
This issue of Jeep News is packed full of items. One curious article is about the Longview Trailbreakers on the last page. The article claims the Trailbreakers were launched in April 1960, but the Tacoma Webfooters page claims the club had originated prior to mid-1958. The only thing I can think of is that the Trailerbreakers incorporated the club in April of 1960?
Also, on page 6 the Del-Monte Contest for a Jeep Surrey was something I hadn’t seen elsewhere (learn about the winning store here). Meanwhile, on page 2 the paper announced the Gotham City contest winner, one Mrs. Edwin C. Sly of Buffalo, New York.
On page one is a great photo and article about the Hong Kong exhibit at the Chicago Auto Show. And, on page one, are eight of nine mailers used in 1961 (the ninth is shown on page 2). I’ve shared eight of them on eWillys, but have yet to locate the “operation Zebra, or” brochure. Anyone have a copy of that? (Busy Bee; willing worker; To get the Lion’s Share …; You Can’t Hide…; don’t get taken for a ride!; best for all short hops; Big Family!; and need a friend?)
This three-page spread was unusual for Jeep News.
