Just wanted to toss up an introduction post to folks so that things don’t linger too much. My name is Tim Driscoll (Timd32 on OWF) and between myself and a small team of folks helping on the back end sorting out the hosting and domain work will be working to maintain eWillys.
First and foremost I would like to thank Dave for trusting in me to do the right thing and take eWillys into it’s next adventure. I’ve been in this position before with a very prominent Willys project, it’s not always easy to step into such a great personal project like eWillys and maintain the high level of work performed prior. I often wondered if eWillys was Dave and with no Dave is there an eWillys? But after discussing the project and my history and views on Willys I think we are very well aligned with what eWillys is and what it should never be. No one can replace Dave and build another eWillys, but with so much knowledge and history a lot of us thought it important to take a step to move eWillys forward and continue it’s journey.
Thanks Dave for all the past years of eWillys and the support to move forward with this project!
I’ve been involved with Willys since 1995 when I bought my first Truck. The truck was/is an early 2WD Willys Salad was priced at $500, did not run, had a really rotted wood bed, I-beam front end and an 8 lug dana rear differential. We pulled it home with a chain which is always a good time, with limited brakes it was a completely unknown vehicle and unknown mfg to my 18 year old self, and so began My Willys Adventures. Over the last 29 years I’ve enjoyed learning and working on Willys of all sorts. For me it’s more about the people then the parts. The stories and hearing others adventures, hearing the history of their families and the joy Willys have brought them.
Since that time I’ve had several Willys and the current fleet includes a few Wagons and Trucks, a large collection of 230 Tornado Engines (mostly cores, “Save the Tornados”). Along with at least one each of the other more common engines L134, F134, 226, everything except anything related to the 161’s.
The nice Willys in my fleet were bought not built I’m the current caretaker of Willa Dean who is a 1948 4T Truck that every single part was lovingly restored over a 3 year period by Vintage Don. Then this year I picked up a super nice 1963 Wagon with the 230 Tornado that was rebuilt and painted in 1994, it’s was also a well loved Willys throughout it’s 30+ years with the last owner, the back story and ownership history are really impressive and the Wagon is a joy to drive.
Our initial goals with eWillys is to maintain the site as it is, I don’t have any major changes to the site to start off. The hosting needs to be sorted out and then any updates required will be performed, we may not have daily posts till we get it all sorted out. Overall I’m a big supporter of (semi) accurate history, I say semi because basically if there is one thing I’ve learned about Willys is you will be surprised at the twists and turns the brand took and what appears to a fact can easily be disproven by one of the many Willys experts in the field.
As I gain the knowledge needed to run the site and navigate the path which it will naturally take, others may join in and assist from time to time. I’ve had alot of help and there are many mentors that have helped me with my Willys over the years. So it’s just natural that this will likely be a team effort. There will be mistakes along the way, things that should have or could have went this way or that way, so bear with us at times. If it’s wrong we will correct it, if it’s broke we will fix it. Every Willys leaks a little something (or its empty) rarely will you find a trailer queen, Willys are meant to be driven, maintained, fixed, and others constantly worked on at times, which I fully expect a website like eWillys will need the same from time to time. But like a well sorted Willys, eWillys should be an enjoyable experience, with just a touch of frustration from time to time!
Thanks for hanging in there, with the holidays it may result in longer then normal reply times and as the work continues there may be some downtime, so don’t give up on us quite yet.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all the folks who have supported eWillys over the years. Especially to Dave and his family who have brought so much to the Willys community over the years.
Thanks, Tim
1948 Willa Dean 4T Truck and 1963 230 OHC Wagon
Outstanding news. Thanks Tim, for guiding eWillys on to its next stage. Very much appreciated.
Merry Christmas.
Tim,
Very nice to read your update. Thank you, and Dave, for keeping eWillys going.
Nice Tim. Look forward to the new effort.
Let me know if any help I can offer
Jim Bitz
Tom thanks for stepping in and keeping the ewillys tradition going. It’s something that I enjoy reading every day. I will have to admit, it has cost me a little money. I have a collection of about 10 rigs now and over half have been found on ewillys.
Jim
Danke Dir Tim !!!! perfect…
Frank,M38A1 1960, Germany
Great news. Thank you!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all
Tim and team,
Looking forward to ewillys being active again.
Tim…..thank you. Was great to see some good news today for eWillys. Hopefully we can all look forward to some great reads with our morning coffee. And…..we will probably continue to add things to our eclectic Willys stash based on all the good stuff that pops up on this site.
Tim, thanks so much for stepping up! You are what personifies the great folks I meet in the Willys community at large.
Happy Christmas to you and your family!
Tralehead
Tim-
Thanks for taking the reins. I am sure we will all be delighted with your efforts.
Tim, thanks for the kind words. I’m extremely happy that you’ve decided to continue onward with this crazy idea for a website I had so long ago. I am quite sure you will find your feel and voice for the site in no time. And, I’ll be around to help anyway I can.
In other news, we traded our breeder cows yesterday to a nice couple in exchange for a future summer steer and some future hog meat (butchered and wrapped) over the next few years (they got a good deal and we got finished meat scheduled for the next three years), so operation “free Dave’s time up” continues forward. I’m going through my jeep parts and plan to list some items along with, finally, more seriously, the DJ-3A; we just don’t drive it.
Best wishes and Merry Christmas everyone!
Dave @ deilers.com
Tim
Nice to virtually “meet” you.
I was attracted to ewillys because of its blend of technical information and history.
With all due respects to Corvettes and Mustangs, there isn’t an American vehicle that surpasses the Jeep not only in in overall history but also as a “lifestyle” item.
So, it’s neat to learn and share information on that aspect of Jeeps in addition to the tech stuff.
I wish you the best of luck at the helm of ewillys, and wish Dave a happy semi-retirement.
Oh, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.
Tim, thanks for taking this over. I think it’s a great thing and everyone needs to contribute to the willys jeep hobby to keep it alive.
You probably know my wife and I run the Spring Willys Reunion, which keeps us quite busy. That being said, if there is any way the show can help, please let me know.
Thank you for stepping up and taking on the task of keeping this great resource alive and well. And, as you said, thanks to Dave for entrusting what may in some ways be considered his life’s work to you.
Great News Tim!
I appreciate the dedication from you, Dave and Ann, and all of the contributors to eWillys. I look forward to 2025 with my morning coffee with eWillys folks and topics.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to ALL, and May 2025 be SAFE, HEALTHY, and ENJOYABLE for ALL!
SteveK from Sunny South Florida. (’62 DJ3A)
Tim,
Thank you for taking on this on. My morning routine – coffee and eWillys – will continue and I thank you for that.
I show our 1949 CJ3a equipped as a Farm Jeep at antique tractor shows each summer. I speak to hundreds of visitors who want to know where to find information about Willys vehicles and they want to know how much they cost. I send them to eWillys as the best starting point on the internet. When I had to think of a replacement site, I couldn’t. eWillys is unique and the Willys community is better off for its existence.
Please let us know if we can help you in any way.
Merry Christmas & Happy eWillys New Year!
This is great news.
I haven’t known what to look at while I drink my coffee in the morning for the last weeks.
I’d like to thank Dave for keeping the site at such a good quality for so long, and I look forward to Tim’s stewardship.
I can’t imagine how I could assist with the site, but if there is something, let us know.
Best of luck to you, Tim!
Nice to meet you! Thanks for keeping this alive! If we can ever be of assistance, do not hesitate to reach out. – Barney Goodwin, Barney’s Jeep Parts LLC
This is good news! I followed Dave and Ann for a number of years and advertised for several of those years. Their positive stewardship of eWillys has been interesting to watch. Catching up every morning was indeed part of my morning routine. I’m grateful to you, Tim, for taking on the mantle of this fine site. I wish you many years of keeping us so well informed. Rick (Scoutpilot) Pacholski, Old Jeep Carbs LLC.
Tim THANK YOU for taking the reins from Dave who has put his heart and soul into e-willys. I can tell from your introduction that your heart is in the right place as well. You keeping e-willys going is a great Christmas present for all of us!
-Barry
welcome Tim! thanks for taking the huge leap with taking over EWilly’s. I too have always looked forward to seeing what new stuff Dave had found along with all the stuff us long time reader’s have sent him over the years. As you get settled in remember there are lots of us out here that always send info to Dave to post up.
YES!