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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 .
Bill Reiss shared these photos he took of a modified CJ-3B used by the Automobile Club of Southern California. It was a feature of the Los Angeles Auto Show earlier this week. (See an example of the club’s 2A set up from 1949 here).
This ad appeared in the Oxford Ledger on March 10, 1948, published by A. B. Clothier & Son out of Oxford, Michigan. It later appeared in the Leelanau County times on March 25, 1948, published by Harry’s Service Center, Traverse City, Michigan.
A.B. Clothier Ad:
The 1946 Bulletin “The Jeep as a Source of Power and Transportation on Farms and Ranches in Texas” was written by Harris Pearson Smith, Chief of the Division of Agricultural Engineering in the State of Texas. It is available for download off of the Hathitrust.org site. The pamphlet includes a variety of farm images.
Cover of booklet:
Image 1 compares a WWII jeep used for testing vs. a CJ-2 (note the lack of a fuel inlet and the WWII grille; also looks like JEEP is printed on the windshield) received in April of 1945 for additional testing:
Image 2 describes an early drawbar experiment that was later ruled too narrow:
The last image of the bulletin provides evidence that the jeep can get stuck:
The following analysis of Willys-Overland advertising was included as part of the 1951 book “Case Histories of Advertising When Oversold“. One example shows how Sunkist growers used advertising in WWII to switch users from canned fruit to fresh fruit and from occasional customers to steady customers. Not much detail in any of these, but kind of interesting (to me anyway).
This ad emphasized that “only 4-Wheel-Drive ‘Jeep’ vehicles do so many jobs so well!”. It appeared in the May 1956 issue of The American City magazine, page 177.
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The price of these seems kind of high, but maybe they just aren’t my thing?
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“Vintage JEEP Toledo Plant employee badges. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS First Class Package.
The badges are from between the 1940’s to the 1960’s. Notice how many different names the company went by during the years.”
Thanks to Mike for sharing this Turkey photo of a Jeepster Convertible surrounded by poultry.
This August 07, 1947, ad in the Sullivan Daily Times out of Sullivan, Indiana, highlights the services Citizen’s Garage provides. The Hudson and Willys-Overland dealer highlights its full range of services in the ad, which also features a photo with several jeeps.
This ad is for sale on eBay and appeared in the January 31, 1949, issue of Time Magazine, page 56.
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I bought a wagoner literature combo off ebay that included the “Test the ‘Jeep’ Wagoneer” excerpt from an unknown issue of Trailer Life Magazine that also included the early Wagoneer brochure on the post below this one. There are still two sets of these available for purchased the last time I checked.
The writer, Bruce Grantland, concluded that the Wagoneer was a new type of vehicle for towing, better suited to towing long distances in remote areas better than any other vehicle of the time.
This was purchased on eBay along with the Trailer Life excerpt showcased in the above post. To me, the art and color choices seem particularly good.
The caption suggests that this sniper could be in big trouble, as he was found shooting in civilian dress.
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“as shown …. 7 x 9 .. … vintage original authentic press photo ( most are Army radiotelephoto from Acme Newspictures )
ON THE AXIOUS SEAT:
FRANCE — Perched on the radiator of a jeep, this worried German sniper in civilian clothes holds his neck as he rides to American headquarters after his capture near St. Sauveur Lendelin. There’s good reason for his frights, for under the rules of war he can be shot for sniping in civilian dress. 08/07/44).
On Monday we took our Pom-Schitzu mix ‘Zollie’ to Washington State University for a neurology exam. To our surprise, on the way out of Colfax we spotted an early Jeep Truck with a sign for Maple “K” Farms, a ranch that raised grass fed beef. They’ve been raising cattle for twenty years and sell direct from their farm in 1/4, 1/2 or whole selections. They are located on the east side of Colfax along US 195. The pics aren’t very good, as they are from Google Earth.
This Jeep ad claims everyone is happy with a new Jeep Station Wagon! The ad appeared in Greencastle, Indiana’s, The Daily Banner on April 05, 1949.
This “Gets to the Job… and Gets It Done!” ad appeared a couple times in the Sullivan Daily News out of Sullivan, Indiana. The ad below appears in the September 27, 1946, issue (and August 30, 1946)
UPDATE: Brian bought this frame and now has it for resale. Contact him for the price
THIS INFO ABOUT THE FRAME IS FROM A March 16, 2018, ad:
“THIS IS A FRAME FROM A 1970 JEEP CJ5 CAMPER. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I BOUGHT THE JEEP & CAMPER IN 1970 NEW IN SO. CALIF.
WE MADE A MOVE TO OREGON IN 1990 & I DISMANTLED THE CAMPER BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING BADLY & MY THOUGHT WAS TO BUILD A NEW CAMPER ON THE FRAME. I NEVER GOT TO IT. I SOLD THE JEEP A FEW YEARS AGO & NO NEED FOR THIS FRAME.
THE CAMPER WAS MADE BY EL DORADO CAMPERS IN RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA. THEY MADE CAMPERS FOR PICKUP TRUCKS & THIS WAS EQUAVALENT TO AN 8 FOOT PICK UP CAMPER.”
Camper before it was dismantled:
On August 04, 1949, the Wolcott Beacon out of Wolcott, Indiana, published directions on how to build a toy Willys Wagon for kids. The length of this toy is about 7″.
It looks like this has a set of hubs, so this was probably taken in the mid 1950s at the earliest.
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Maury’s assembling a thread at the Early CJ-5 page of factory images or nearly original CJ-5 engine compartment photos. Hopefully, some more folks have photos they can contribute.
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/factory-engine-bay-photos.139291/
These photos/slides all have jeeps of one kind or another in them and are for sale on eBay.
2. Photo taken in 1964 of a late model CJ-3B:
3. December 1959 Icelandic Press Photo of FC Van:
4. Young man holding a present(?) standing in front of a 1960s Wagon:
5. WWII(?) Photo of Soldier in Front of WWII Jeep with Wood Enclosure:
This August 17th, 1948, ad for the Jeepster was published in the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana.
Both of these ads from the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana, cover the features of the jeep, but do so in slightly different ways. The March 18, 1947, ad focuses on the job-task utility aspects of the jeep, how consumers can use the jeep. The July 13, 1948, ad is less about what the jeep can do task-wise and more about what it can bring consumers beyond specific tasks, such as great mileage, physical comfort, and convenience. I have not studied other ads to see if this was a general trend in Jeep advertising (in other words, I do not know if this shift directed by Willys-Overland or something Citizen’s Garage did on their own).
These two photos were published in the Sullivan Daily Times on June 6, 1947, which was the three year anniversary of D-Day. One photo shows St. Lo, France, in the summer of 1944. The other, taken from about the same location, shows St. Lo in 1947. After wasting far too much time examine the town via Google Earth, my guess is that the bottom photo was take just below a castle near the victim’s memorial, pointed south with the La Vire River along the right hand side.
This June 3, 1947, ad published in the Sullivan Daily Times, out of Sullivan, Indiana, highlights the ability of the jeep to be an efficient, low-cost option as a road-service vehicle.
