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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 .
The extension on this Scrambler allows it to hold 10 people. It’s likely an ex tour-jeep of some type.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2786143908295595
“Will hold 10 people. Has original engine. Great for trails or rock climbing”
UPDATE: The jeep and tram are now priced at $5000.
Bill shared this unique jeep. It is a rare opportunity to own a former tour jeep and its associated tram. The owner is selling the building, so this does need to go.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3710839235622179
“Jeep cj5 stick with 4 wheel drive Trailer seats 22 Needs battery As is”
This August 10, 1960, article in the Daily Sentinal out of Grand Junction highlights Ouray and briefly mentions the jeep tours available. You’ll note the tour-jeep in the pic in the upper left photo.
An October 11, 1960, article in Grand Junction’s ‘The Daily Sentinel’ introduced many readers to Colorado’s newest industry: Jeep Tourism.
From the article, “Now, for the first time in history, the ordinary tourist and visitor can within a day’s time see some of the nation’s real back country.”
Cool photo and a nice shot showing Scenic Tours on the back. I imagine this the Ouray area?
View all the information on eBay
“This is an original press photo. Colorado’s high mountain country is custom made for the rugged individualist who likes to get off the beaten path into areas where man is seldom seen. Many communities rent jeeps, and some schedule jeep cavalcades that take you into areas of breathtaking beauty that have been hidden from the eyes of man since the beginning of time.Photo measures 8 x 10.25inches. Photo is dated 12-30-1966.”
UPDATE: As best as I can tell, it looks like 1963 was when Don Pratt’s Jeep Tours began working with the Kachina Cab company. The article appeared in the August 13, 1963, issue of the Arizona Republic:
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Originally posted June 2019: According to this Pink Jeep Tour site, Pink Jeep Tours is the oldest continuously operating Jeep Tour Company in the United States. It was started in 1958 by a Sedona Realtor named Don Pratt, who would drive clients to see homes at Broken Arrow Estates. The Broken Arrow tour is the original Jeep tour and is still today the most popular tour in Sedona.Why did he make the jeeps pink? Mr. Pratt got the idea while visiting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach, where everything was pink.
But, that’s only part of the story. In her book Echoes of Sedona Past, Mary Lou Keller explains how her and her husband cleared the first trail and how, when Glenn Keller decided not to open a jeep tour business, their friend Don Pratt asked if he could do it instead. Mrs. Keller covers the story in five pages of her book available to read on Google.The book also includes the image below of Mary Lou Keller with her do Pico in her (probably) 1946 CJ-2A:
UPDATE: Started as a private endeavor, Chimney Rock was a tourist attraction for most of the 20th Century (more history here). In 1963 a Jeep Trail was added to the Chimney Rock and a tour jeep began ferrying tour groups up the mountain. The tour company had three modified CJ-6 tour jeeps. This photo was likely taken between 1963 and 1977, when the jeep trail became a walking trail. In 2006 Chimney Rock became a North Carolina State Park.
The photo below was taken from the website, but no longer appears on the history page itself.
This same photo is available on eBay
“You are bidding on an original press photo of Forest Jeep Trail Chimney Rock Park North Carolina. Photo measures 8 x 10 inches and is not dated.”
There’s another press photo that is also available on eBay which shows a tour jeep at Hickory Nut Falls, a stop on the way to Chimney Rock:
View all the information on ebay
“You are bidding on an original press photo of Hickory Nut Falls Tourist Jeep Chimney Rock Prk North Carolina. Photo has creases right corners & slight waving top edge due to too much glue being used to attach the information sheet onto the back of the photo. Photo measures 8 x 10 inches and is dated 8/5/1969.”
Hell’s Half Acre Marker, Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming … this photo was posted to the Historical Market Database, which I didn’t know existed.
The following two Polaroid photos show a CJ-6 available for a jeep tour of Hell’s Half Acre in Wyoming. The tour was located at Hell’s Half Acre’s post office, which opened in 1940. This page contains a photo of the post office from 1947; souvenirs were available, but no jeep tours at that time. The post office appears to have been leveled sometime in the 1990s or later.
View all the information on eBay
“2 Original Vintage Snapshot Photos Hell’s Half Acre Post Office & Hamburgers “
There is also this partial, color slide from 1960 that was likely taken about the same time:
View all the information on eBay
No pic of the backside of this postcard from the Bahamas, presumably the pink sands area. I had no luck searching for more info on the web.
View all the information on eBay
“Jeep called the Pink Sands Paddy Wagon. Card in very good condition. Free shipping.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $4500.
“Willys Jeep. I don’t have the time or money to fix it up like I want. It runs and it drives just needs a face lift.”
I wonder if all the Yellow Fleet rental jeeps were painted light yellow like this one? I’m guessing the color of the photo might be off a little, which gives the CJ-6 a bit of a green tint. This was taken by Bob Petley.
View all the information on eBay
“Colorado Jeep Trail Telluride Ouray CO Tomboy Road Jeep Rentals Advertising Black Bear Jeep Road Vintage Postcard”
UPDATE: Glenn spotted a postcard of Tommy Barlett’s Deer Ranch on eBay.
View all the information on eBay
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Original Post from January of 2014: From the Lost Parks website I learned that Tommy Bartlett’s international Deer Ranch in Silver Springs, Florida, was a petting zoo “in the early 1960’s. The land was only rented from the Springs, and there was at least one lawsuit between Bartlett and Silver Springs over the terms of his lease. Eventually the land was reabsorbed into the Silver Springs attraction and Bartlett left to concentrate on his Wisconsin busineses. He died in September, 1998.”
The pic below shows a CJ-5 wrapped by advertising and reindeer. http://www.postcardroundup.com/tommy-bartletts-deer-ranch
Here’s a business card from the ranch that I found on eBay:
Derek Redmond shared some more jeep-train and tour jeep photos he’s uncovered on various sites. Cool stuff!
Derek Redmond of the CJ-3B page shared these images from postcards on some European auction sites. It appears there are still 4×4 trips related to Canigou, which appears to be in the Pyrenean Mountains.
This Beaver Lake Lodge CJ-5 in Marble, Colorado, was setup for tours. I wished there was a better photo of the jeep.
View all the information on eBay
“This is a Vintage Original Postcard, all the cards we sell are in VG or better condition, there are no tears or creases, unless otherwise noted in the item description. The MATCHSETS mark on the listing image is an online watermark only, never on the original item you will receive . All the postcards listed are STANDARD SIZE CARDS 5 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ unless otherwise noted”
UPDATE: I’ve been looking for one of these since I first saw one on eBay in 2013. I scored one earlier this month on eBay. Along with it came the post card below.
I just bought this for a few buck on eBay. How about this crazy contraption for running dunes? The postcard is a jumbo 6.5″ x 9″. I looked for more information about it, but all I could find was a reference in a book by J. Conrad and Kathyln Dunagan about a Jeep developed in the sand dunes (see bottom pic).
“Jumbo Antique Postcard 1970’s Chrome Famous Sand Hills Jeep Texas Sand Dunes”
Google result that shows a reference to a “jeep ride”
UPDATE: **SOLD**
This CJ-3A has been extended in the rear to accommodate passengers. It looks pretty comfy!
“A new color advertising postcard probably of SAN JUAN SCENIC JEEP TOURS of their early 1950’s Jeep CJ-5 with a lunch and coffee box mounted off the tailgate, very lightly bumped corners, no creases, no postmark. Crisp and clear. Nothing written on the back. About 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″. Any glare or distortion is from my digital camera.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $800.
Ex hunting or tour jeep? Could make an amusing rebuild.
“Been sitting in shed for years…it’s all there. No title. Motor does turn over”
The February 1956 issue of Globetrotter featured a short article about using jeeps to take tourists to Harney Peak in South Dakota. You can see more pics and information about Harney Peak jeeps on a couple other posts.
I ran across this ad for a jeep tour in eastern San Diego County, California.
“Hello there! I am here to tell you theres a new adventure in eastern San Diego. It takes place on a very private ranch on the outskirts of Julian. We are offering private weekend jeep tours, to discover an unseen landscape not before explored. This is the first year it is ever being done. We will travel through select areas of julian, to wine taste, have a delicious lunch, or even to the local brewery. We will then travel through the oldest apple/pear orchard in Julian. Then the last stop to view old growth trees and views of the ocean from the mountain with which most the wildlife will be seen. There will be a daytime tour and an evening tour in your choice of Jeeps! Give us a call/email or text for more information, we look forward to hearing from you!”
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/for/5217399750.html
Paul Berry uploaded photos from his visit to the FC Roundup on Facebook. You can visit the Willys America’s page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Willys-America/172564566099537?fref=photo
Jesse Ybarra’s FC Tour Jeep. Looks great Jesse!
The 1966 Volume 12, No. 5, issue of Jeep News featured these photos from Don Pratt’s Pink Jeep Tours from Sedona, Arizona. The company now offers tours in four Arizona locations.
According to this site, Pink Jeep Tours is the oldest continuously operating Jeep Tour Company in the United States. It was started in 1958 by a Sedona Realtor named Don Pratt, who would drive clients to see homes at Broken Arrow Estates. The Broken Arrow tour is the original Jeep tour and is still today the most popular tour in Sedona.Why did he make the jeeps pink? Mr. Pratt got the idea while visiting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach, where everything was pink.
UPDATE: Price dropped to $4500
(12/17/2104) Brake lights need rewiring.
“This jeep is my daily driver. Runs perfect. It is a rare 1975 Jeep CJ6. Made from 1955 to 1975 most were sent to Swedish and South American militaries. Body is in good shape with one patch below driver door and few holes behind passenger seat. Engine is a 4.2 6 cylinder stock. Have soft top and doors also. Don’t know the mileage as it has a new speedometer. Manual 3 speed tranny. Jeep is my daily driver and runs perfectly. Rebuilt motor few thousand miles ago. Beefy front and rear bumper, with hitch receivers on both ends. Top rack and fold down bench seats. Also have removable seat for rear with seat belts. Back of the tub has a welded in diamond plate. Only things wrong are it needs a parking brake cable and handle, and rewire brake lights. Also, the new speedometer doesn’t have the temperature gauge or fuel gauge hooked up. Body is in good shape with one patch below driver door and few holes behind passenger seat. Bedliner sprayed inside and out. New windshield, starter and alternator.”
http://columbusga.craigslist.org/cto/4949780387.html
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $20,000
This fun looking VW bus popped up on my searches because it is belng sold by Willy. So, I figured I’d share it. It reminded me of a tour-jeep.
“1973 VW Beach Bus! Fully restored, Lots of fun to drive, beefed up new engine. A true head turner. Clean Blue TX Title. Serious inquiries only.”
