1949 Willys Jeepster (My eWillys Rig)

Ken shared his Jeepster with us, while I’ve never met him in person we have interacted on OWF and he is a great contributor over there and has a couple neat long time Willys.

Thanks, for sharing you Jeepster.

If you would like to share your rig with us please follow this link and consider sharing a small story and a few memories or pictures, could be an older Willys from your past as well:

My eWillys Rig

Here are the details and back story on Ken’s Jeepster.

1949 VJ/Jeepster

Options

• Chev 283 V-8 Bored .030
• Dana 44 Front and Rear 3:54
• Auburn Posi-traction rear
• Disk Brakes Front
• T90 Transmission Rebuilt
• D18 Transfer Case Rbuilt
• 25% Overdrive
• Reese Trailer Hitch
• S. Mag Aluminum slotted mag wheels
• Holley Sniper 4 Bbl Electronic Fuel Injection
• Power Brakes
• Power Steering
• GM Steering Column
• 1957 Willys Front End and Dash
• Seats by Mckims (Laramie)
• Interior and Carpet by Owner
• Boss Marine Stereo
• Delay Wipers
• Electric Vintage Air heat valve
• 22 Circuit wiring Harness
• Paint, Undercoating, Linex by Ozzies
• Rollbar, Sound Deadening, by Owner

How Long Have You Owned Your Rig?

Dad owned at least since 1958, I owned since 1970

Please add some details or a story about your rig, any special places visited or memories with your rig?

Dad’s 49 Jeepster was red in color with the upper in black. The body was remounted onto a Willys pickup chassis that was shortened 14 inches and retained all the original drive train with a Timken 4.88 rear end, T90 with D18 transfer case, a 265 Chevy small block with power brake booster, a PTO driven winch and spare gas tank from 1955-58 truck. It was not the purest of conversions.

This was one of the main vehicles in the family and we used it at the mountain place, in Laramie, and hunting. Dad would go up to various mining claims in the mountains and salvage ore carts, horse drawn winches, ball mill, and other apparatus from the abandoned mines. He would tell me that he was usually in the lead with various 4WD excursions with his buddies and that they were too scared to drive their universal jeeps as fast as he would go in the Jeepster and especially with side hills.

It had bucket seats out of a Corvair I believe. Another anomaly was the hanging pedals out of a 50’s mercury. Even had a hydraulic clutch with a ford slave cylinder and I believe a master cylinder from a Ford.

We rarely had the top down living in Wyoming and the dust and brass zippers, never got along well.

Notes

I partially rebuilt from 73-81, Sold it to my step-daughter in about 1986, then bought it back in about in 2007 I did a full restoration at that time.

Thanks again for sharing this great back story and history on this one!