emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
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 .
This four-page issue of the January 1963 Jeep Service and Parts News focuses on the J-Series vehicles.
This eight-page issue of the 1965 Jeep News volume 11 Number 4 begins with the Vigilante engine billboards, along with a strange story of a hardware merchant using pennies and dollars to buy a jeep only for the jeep dealer to return the favor and buy a washer and dryer from said merchant using pennies, but this time ones bathed in syrup and oil!
Page two contains various pics, while page three includes the story of a Jeepster that looked like new despite having been driven 332,800 miles! His rigorous attention to maintenance was key to his Jeepster’s great condition; it may not surprise you to learn that he worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I wonder what happened to that Kentucky-based jeep.
Page four showcases some international stories, while page five contains another story about Kent Frost and his southern Utah tours out of Monticello, Utah. Page six includes an article about the use of f-head engines in Miller’s Trailblazer welders, while page seven highlights Allen and Phyllis Ellis, who travelled extensively in Mexico in their 1959 CJ-5 (which may have been nicknamed El Osito, which apparently translates to ‘the bear’). Page eight highlights the use of Wagoneers at the 1964-1965 New York City World’s Fair.
This year ending December 1962 Jeep Service and Parts News includes an index page of 1962 topics. A short blurb on page two highlights the desire of some folks to switch their column shift DJ-3A to cane shift. The column shift as a novelty is neat, but it’s not something to be forced. It feels delicate (to me) when shifting. If I were driving the DJ on a regular basis, I would change it a cane shifter.
This December 20, 1954, Commercial and Jeep Sales Bulletin introduced the Auburn Jeep-A-Trench to the Willys Special Equipment Line. No brochure was included with this document (unless it was removed).
This issue May 1949 Salesbuilder has seen some better days, but the info matters more to me than the condition. The cover boasts about “smooth” the new Jeepster is, but I never discovered what was so “smooth” about it, unless the company was referring to the new fabric top?
Most interesting to me was the pic on the last page, lower right. It shows the Palmer Dealership sitting right next to a Koenig sign, leading me to wonder if somehow the two businesses were related at some point? I knew both were out of Houston, but it never occurred to me that they might be connected.
UPDATE III: This is a merge post, adding a nicer scan of the Commercial and Jeep Sales Bulletin, this one dated October 29, 1954, to the original Gran Hydraulic Lifter history post. This doc welcomes the Gran Hydraulic Lifter to the Willys Special Equipment list.
This 34-page May 1951 Form No. SWC1-10M-551 wagon comparison brochure is one I’d never seen before it hit eBay. The size is about 5.5″ by 11″. It’s not in the best of shape, but it’s there and readable. The front page has a rectangle cut out so that the table of contents on page three shows through cover.
I wonder if an equivalent brochure was made for the truck? I doubt anything was made for the universal jeep, as there wasn’t much to compare to it by 1951.
I wasn’t aware that Kaiser Willys put out a series of Commercial and Jeep Sales Bulletins, but I now have examples of at least four of these that I will publish over the next week or so. It’s unclear how many were published or how long this lasted.
This particular example, dated October 08, 1954, welcomed Warn Locking and Automatic hubs to the Willys Special Equipment Line. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time Willys included hubs in its Special Equipment line. As of 1954, Warn was likely the largest producers of hubs. Free-Lock quickly became the second largest producer of hubs, but that wouldn’t be until 1956 (See Free-Lock Hubs history for more info). To the best of my knowledge, Free-Lock was never added to the Willys Special Equipment Line.
This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 2 begins by announcing the Vigilante V-8 engine. Unmentioned in the news article was the response by recent purchasers of the six cylinder models, which was a unanimous, “Wow, I coulda had a V8!” .. or am I confusing that with another product? Pages 2-7 continue with more V-8 info, along with marketing and dealer info.
Page eight reports on the 1965 Chicago Auto Show. Jeep showcased eleven vehicles, all decked in a prairie gold color with black vinyl interior trim, which got me thinking … what did Willys Motors and Kaiser Jeep do over the years with their specially trimmed auto show vehicles? Looking back to the 1959 Chicago Auto show (Feb 1959 Jeep News), it was reported that all the vehicles at that show had been sold. Moreover, the display featured a full line of “Willys approved special equipment”, but by 1965 note the second largest word that appears on the display wall: “fun“… the word is written in what might be described as a playful font and style. Moreover, it’s hard to see a piece of special equipment (but the pic on page eight doesn’t show the best view; I tried to find some better pics). I’m beginning to wonder it the marketing firm hired in 1964 had something to do with the shift in perspective, from “useful” vehicles to “fun” vehicles. That could explain it.
This November 1962 four-page issue is all about the new J-series jeeps.
I thought the inclusion of an ad from Willys Motors of a CJ-5 with a wood bumper (presumably for pushing vehicles) was an odd choice. Why not instead include it with a 3rd party metal push plate? After all, Canfield was making an all metal “pushwood” bumper attachment by 1952, so it’s unclear to me why Willys Motors would feature a wooded bumper in a 1958 ad? Perhaps this was a little known 3rd party wood bumper?
This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 1 kicked off 1965 with the announcement that 1964 had been the best sales year in history. The article specifically targets the Tux Park CJ-5s as an important driver of the success. Page two shares the news that the Kaiser-backed Willys Overland do Brasil had begun building a second plant in Brazil; also noteworthy is that the Brazilian company was the largest publicly held company in Brazil at that time.
Page three contains an article about Pope Paul IV conferring the order of St. Gregory upon the President of the Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A., which, to me, seems a curious distinction given all the other people in the world doing important things and the fact that the Knights Commander seems a fairly rare award (I tried to find the total number of recipients, but had no luck). Lower on the page is a photo of a CJ-3B carrying the Pope in Bombay, which causes the cynic in me to wonder about the timing of these two events. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.
Page four is dealer news. Page five covers the use of Tux Parks in former President Kennedy’s inauguration parade. We’ve seen a couple of these with the dash plaque pop up for sale since the start of eWillys. Page six tells the story of the John B. Calfee family, who traveled Europe driving a Wagoneer that pulled a travel trailer. Pages seven and eight have a few different mini-stories and photos.
One of the blurbs this four-page November 1962 issue highlights is the introduction of an electric motor kit for the Forward Control Jeeps.
Form D-119 Parts and Accessories Bulletin: Electric Wiper Kit
This end-of-year 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 7 was expanded to twelve pages. The issue starts with some dealer news on page one. Page two reports on the success of Meyer hardtops and how demand forced an increase in production at Meyer Products, Inc. Dealers found them easier than most to install with less rattles while driving. On the lower left of page two, it’s noted that Jeep dealers often loaned jeeps to campaign committees of both parties. I didn’t know that happened.
Page three includes a story about Cold Spring, New York, ‘Jeep’ dealer William M. McAndrew and how his firm loaned 4WD vehicles to fire fighters during a hard-to-reach fire. On page three’s lower left is a rare XM-677 sighting, though much of it is blocked by Brazilian Army officers. Page four begins with a letter from Bruce Grantland, who wrote a review of the Wagoneer for Trailer Life Magazine (09/64). Page four also includes a pic from the “Kaiserama” exhibit, then located at the Kaiser center in Oakland, California. Page five has mostly dealer news, though a pic of some the 42 jeeps owned by the Nursery Company out of Azusa, California is included.
Pages six and seven share international news and pics. Page eight includes a photo of the Radio Patrol Club operated by the Keystone Automobile Club that traveled the Philadelphia metropolitan area helping folks in trouble. Page nine highlights some KJC military vehicle news. Pages ten and eleven shows a Gladiator Fire Truck, among other story snippets. Page twelve covers some Canadian jeep news. It also includes a photo of an FC-150 pulling a big truck with a three-story-house as its cargo; the little jeep that could!
The four-page 1962 Jeep Service and Parts News didn’t ‘wow’ me, but maybe you all see something I don’t.
Te eight-page 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 6 begins with a record retail sales announcement. These revenue numbers were primarily driven by the three models shown at the bottom of page one, including the Tux Park CJ-5, the Wagonneer, and the Gladiator. Increasing numbers of dealers also helped. Page two mentioned how the golf partnership was already providing beneficial, with inquiries numbering in the hundreds arriving at dealers. Page three shows three of the new KJC-approved “ad mats” available for dealers to place in local newspapers.
Page four highlights a dealer in Ohio that tries to sell a Meyer plow with every jeep sale, claiming it isn’t that hard to do. Page five provides the results of a dealer contest. Page six shares the news of the National Search and Rescue group and their recent election. Page eight turns international, with pics and captions from around the world. On page eight you’ll find the results of Boulder, Colorado’s, 4th annual Jeep-O-Rama. The winner of a brand new CJ-5 was Donnie Beyer, whose father owned a jeep dealership. Pretty good for a 17-year-old kid! Lower on the page is a DJ-3A with an unusual door and top setup. Finally, on the lower right, is a fairly well-know pic of Barb Eden (right) and Shelley Fabares with a DJ-3A Surrey from the movie “Ride the Wild Surf” (see trailer at bottom).
(yes, a Surrey makes a quick appearance in this trailer):
The four-page February 1962 Jeep Service and Parts News wasn’t all that exciting, lol, but is timely considering it is now February 2024 (yes, 62 years have passed!). Page three mentions a couple service bulletins that can be found at the bottom of this post. Page four mentions the Pedal Slack Adjuster Kit, which is also discussed at the CJ-3B page: https://cj3a.info/tech/pedalslack.html
Service Bulletin No. 503:
Fleet Service No. FL-119 (Same info would be on Service Bulletin No. 504, but I don’t have that one):
UPDATE: I’ve added a few Good Humor truck pics from Mike at the bottom of the post.
This eight-page issue of Jeep news Volume 10 Number 5begins on page one with KJC announcing it would be co-sponsoring the World Series of Golf, which was the first sports tie-in of which I’m aware. In addition, TB commercials for KJC would begin appearing on CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. I wonder if this rise in visibility was the result of the ad agency KJC brought on board? Pages two and three continue the sponsorship and commercials threads.
Page four shares the news that 16-year-old Howard Bartoo, Jr., won the 1964 ‘Jeep’ Derby held at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Also on page four is a photo of Good Humor’s new jeep trucks, with specially made insulated bodies by the Hackney Brothers body Company, from Wilson, North Carolina. Just below the Good Humor trucks is a photo of a Deibler Trackless Train, produced by the company of the same name out of Manhattan, Kansas. The train’s “Engine” is a jeep chassis with a special body atop it.
Much of page five covers the three CJ-6s jeeps used for tourists at Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina. You can find more pics of the jeeps here. Page six takes readers around the world for a few stories.
Page seven introduces the Meyer Products Jeep Cabs to dealers, though not mentioned was their previous history as Orrville cabs. Page eight contains a variety of photos.
These Good Humor trucks have seen better days! Thanks to Mike for sharing them. He notes, “These were from about 15 years ago, the ones in the driveway was in Pa, he was going to restore, and never got around to it.”
This four-page August 1961 Jeep Service and Parts News issue begins, as usual, with discussions of $$$. Page two notes the important of the correct type and amounts of grease for the cam. Curiously, page two also requests dealer service departments review the 1000-mile inspection information for the FJ-3A Fleetvan, specifically Service Bulletin No. 539. I can’t remember another model mentioned so specifically; Unfortunately, I don’t have that bulletin.
Page four highlights some of the early products from Cutlas (Cutlas had just formed circa 1960, it’s president having previously left the same role at Free-Lock .. still don’t know the reasons for the change).
The eight-page 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 4 kicks off with continued coverage of the Smithsonian Institute jeep donation with coverage of the official acceptence event. Page two highlights the appointment of Compton advertising to manage all advertising for Kaiser Jeep. Does anyone know if this was the first time Kaiser-Jeep (or descendants) used an outside ad agency in such a big way? The ad folks were also shown twenty-eight vehicles; it would be interesting to see this complete lineup in one photo. Page two also has more information on the Smithsonian gift.
Page three highlights jeeps’ appearances at seven different sports shows. Pages four, five and six discuss dealer updates. Page seven has several international stories, including one about a 1942 MB/GPW that was abandoned when it went over a cliff in Hawaii. Two years later, it was overgrown with foliage. Someone decided it was worth saving, so they pull it out, replaced the battery and spark plugs, and it started right up.
Page eight focuses on a Wagoneer chosen by Lockheed to tour the world. A small blurb at bottom right of the page notes that a USPS purchase of 3,868 fleet vans, raising the total purchased by the Post Office to 11,219, though no specific models are noted.
Not much to report from this four-page August-September 1961 issue of Jeep Service and Parts News. An article on repairing an FC shifter includes a reference to Service Bulletin 457, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
Service Bulletin 457:
This eight page Jeep News volume 10, number 3, begins with the news that 53 Wagoneers were in daily use around the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The paper also reported the presentation of a WWII jeep to the Smithsonian Institution for display. Pages 2-5 also cover the World’s Fair.
Page six introduces the CJ-5 and CJ-6 Tuxedo Park Mark IV models. Page seven covers the World’s Fair, again. Page eight covers international news, including an Amsterdam show featuring a van-like custom body on an FC-170 chassis.
The four-page April 1961 issue of Jeep Service and Parts News begins with the usual “here’s how to make more money” story on the front page. Page two introduces a new Bendix radio for jeeps, refering to Parts and Accessories Bulletin No. D-57, while a story on page four under Money Maker shares the news about Willys Overland Air Springs, referencing Parts and Accessories Bulleting D-39. I am now wondering how I missed ever seeing references to “Parts & Accessories Bulletins”? I guess I wasn’t looking for them. I’ll look and see if I can locate some.
This eight-page October 1958 issue of Jeep News got buried in my files, but better late than never.
Page one share some dealer news about the Maverick tie-in, along with some thoughts on the surge in third quarter sales. Page two has a full page article about the FC-170 and its advantages. Page three describes how James Garner day in Oklahoma was cleverly co-opted by a savvy jeep dealer president Mead Norton, who made sure Garner, visiting broadcast reps, and the press were ferried from the airport and along the parade route with jeeps.
The Economy Delivery Van makes a surprise, huge showing on pages four and five with articles and photos. That’s possibly the most visibility that model ever received. Page six gives a shout-out to Clark County Sheriff’s Jeep Posse out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Page seven is all Maverick Bros. Page eight describes the 1958 dress rehearsal jeep caravan, used to test the roads and generate thoughts on the best routes for the 1959 Colorado Centennial event, which was expected to attract more than 1000 entrants. The routes were documented in this brochure.
This March 1961 issue of Jeep Service and Parts News is, once again, four pages. Page three contains a couple items I found interesting. In the not-all-fc170-hubs-are-the-same department, in 1961 Willys Motors introduced reinforced drums. I’m unclear on ‘how much more’ these are reinforced. Also on page three we can pinpoint the introduction of the trim tag to early 1961. The article also mentions more information was included on Service Bulletin 505, which I’ve included at the bottom.
Side note: I’ve collected a near-complete folder of Service Bulletins along with a folder of Fleet Service Bulletins, which are close, but not quite the same. They are sitting in a pile awaiting pics and commentary at some point.
Service Bulletin 505 (4-pages, courtesy of Bruce Agan):
