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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.
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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.
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This December 1961 back-to-back brochure shows the parts break-downs and price lists for the early non-slot Cutlas Selective Hub model 100-2 and the Power Lock Hub. See John’s rebuild of the Cutlas Selective Hub here.
This 8.5″ x 11″ brochure from Kelly Manufacturing is from approximately 1960.
UPDATE II: This version of the Power-Lock brochure was posted to eWillys in May of 2023.
I hadn’t seen this version of the Cutlas Power-Lock brochure. Given the 1959 date, this is likely one of the earliest Power-Lock brochures. This brochure doesn’t not include a form number.
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UPDATE April 16, 2020: The bottom brochure examples show a brochure from 1958, probably Cutlas’ first one. You’ll note that the brochure (and the hub itself) was branded “Power-Lock”. However, the 1960 brochure (shown just below this text) lacks any “Power-Lock”branding. Perhaps someone else knows why, but I can find no reason why. Maybe there was some concern about whether the patent would be awarded? (It wasn’t awarded until 1962).
1960 Cutlas Hub Brochure:
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Originally posted Feb of 2019:
This Power-Lock was the first hub patented (1958), copyrighted (1958), and sold under the Cutlas brand. As I mention in my Free-Lock article, for reasons unknown, the president of Free-Lock became the president of Cutlas. Even more curious, the last two model of Free-Lock hubs were WL-57 and WL-58.
And, what was the Initial model of the first Cutlas hub you ask? That would be WL-6, shown below (1958 Cutlas Hub Brochure):
More on Dualmatic/Selectro hubs here.
As part of a discussion on hubs on Facebook, someone from Australia posted a photo of his CJ-6 that came with these unusual hubs. They are similar in external design to the Dualmatic/Selectro, have only 3 “bumps” or “tabs” rather than the standard six around the side of the hub. There’s no brand name on the hub or any other identifying characteristics. A search on Australian 4WD sites and on the Australian patent site did not reveal any information.
Anyone ever seen these?
For comparison, this is a Sears private branded Dualmatic/Selectro (sears branded) hub in the first pic and a Free-lock branded hub in the second pic.
This includes a working set of Thor Electronic Hubs (and the first pic I’ve seen of the switch to engage the hubs). These are the “Lectro-Matic” version of the hubs (there was also an automatic version). Dan documented a set of the “Lectro-Matric” hubs here.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/513933489290838/
“Anyone looking for the coolest 62 Jeep CJ5 on the planet. I got this handsome little guy up for sale. It’s beyond amazing! Everything works, every light, all gauges, the chrome winch ect…oh and there’s chrome all over the place. Original paint, Original interior.. both are in incredible condition. It’s a very unique Jeep and it’s running a Corvette engine that was installed by the original owner in the mid sixties.He was a aircraft mechanic so everything is perfect .It also has very rare Thor electronic locking front hub set . No rust anywhere and super straight. I have the those crazy off road wide white wall tires in the pics and the hubcaps. I just threw on a new set of Power King black walls to drive it around. The Jeep runs amazing! It’s got really good power and not geared that low. I have not taken it on the freeway but got it up to 60mph with no issues. This is a very special Jeep with history. Ca title & current registration in my name”
UPDATE: This post has been updated with more pics. Also, there is currently a Kelly Hub brochure on eBay.
In May of 1957, DA Ruben L. Beck filed a patent for a new hub design. Beck was a dreamer and like many dreamers, some saw him a genius while others thought him just plain crazy. Beck’s goal was to create a simple, but effective, four-wheel-drive hub.
Beck had already made an early impact in the jeep world, when he founded D.L. Beck Manfucaturing in Middleport, Ohio, a company that made hardtops (see Beck hardtop history here).
Beck sold his hardtop company to Hubert A. Kelly, in the 1950s but Beck and Kelly remained in contact. The date of the sale, thought once to be 1951, is less clear after this document hit eBay in 2014. It indicates Beck was still selling hardtops in 1954.
No matter when the sale occurred, Hubert took control. It wasn’t long after the patent filing that Mike Kelly, Hubert Kelly’s descendent, remembered seeing the hubs for the first time. He thought that was about 1958. I asked that he review the patent and Mike sent me the following notes:
“The Kelly Self Locking Hub I knew a was little different than the one pictured in the patent drawing. The housing was larger in diameter and had reliefs milled along the outside to allow clearance for the mounting bolts. The internal parts looked very similar to what I remember. I’m pretty sure the final Kelly product was a Beck design. I don’t recall anyone else working on it.
The hubs were manufactured in Charleston West Virginia. We already had an large machine shop there on Broad St. So moving production from Ohio to West Virgina was only logical. I know the assembling the hubs could be “interesting” if you weren’t watching what you were doing. Putting the internal workings together with the ball bearings being under spring pressure woke up more than one man who wasn’t paying attention.”
This early Warn manual No. WD-255 sold on eBay for $36.20. My last bid was $35.20, so someone out there outbid me.
There’s a very nice set of Kelly 10-spline hubs for sale over at the Old Willys Forum.
https://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/kelly-10-spline-locking-hubs.16970/
“Nice pair of vintage Kelly hubs . Very unique!
These are 10 spline Hubs are smooth to turn and in very nice condition.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $100.
These 10-spline hubs were called the Cutlas Selective Drive Hubs. Some has the indent through the middle like this set, others did not.
“For sale is a set of vintage Cutlas 10 spline locking hubs for Willys Jeeps. These were removed from a 1951 M38 with 20,000 original miles. The hubs were added after its Military duty so they are very low mile and in fantastic condition inside and out. Photos were taken as they came off the M38, clean as can be inside. Only reason im parting with them is because I returned the hubs to Milspec/factory configuration.
Should fit DANA 25/27 Willys MB/GPW, CJ2A, CJ3A, M38, CJ3B as well as some Willys wagons.”
These appear in good shape. You can learn more about the Selectro history here.
View all the information on ebay
“I don’t know if Selectro made these for Sears? But the Selectro ones look like these. You don’t see many with the Sears name, I believe they are 19 spline. 3″ across bottom gear. Need cleaned up and greased.”
