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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 .
This ad for a Kohler power plants includes a Sedwick County, Wichita, Kansas, Fire Department Rescue Wagon with matching boat and trailer.
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UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $10.
Here’s a great price on Fred Coldwell’s Preproduction Civilian Jeeps book.
These two ads were published in the same newspaper a year apart. The 1947 ad highlights the versatility of the farm vehicle and, as an added bonus, its versatility cuts costs. The 1948 ad emphasizes the cost savings, because the jeep is versatile. It’s basically the same message, but with different emphases.
This April 4, 1947, ad from A.B. Clothier & Son in the Oxford Leader highlighted the farm versatility of the Universal Jeep.
This ad appeared in the January 1956 issue of Practical Builder, page 282. It’s a pretty niche specific ad.
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No caption. It was part of a box marked “Sept 1947”.
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When inverted in photoshop it looks like this:
“VINTAGE
– These came to me indirectly from the widow of a professional (press and otherwise) photographer based in the Holyoke MA area
– The negative(s) is(are) original 3 1/4 x 4 1/4” Black & White
– Due to the light box, some images are seen as cut off
– Camera was set to the monochrome for ease of viewing – some color variations may appear on negatives
– These came from a box labelled: Sept 1947 – this does not guarantee accurate dating, though it is assumed to be somewhat accurate
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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UPDATE: According to the author in the 1964 Jeep News Vol. 10 No. 7, this article was published in the September 1964 issue of Trailer Life (I previously guess it was in 1963).
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/
