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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 .
I thought I had published this one, but I hadn’t. Much of this issue is about TV shows and a dealer trip. There are a few jeeps on the last couple of pages.
The good news is that I won 10 issues of Jeep News 1959-1961 issues, which I will be publishing once I receive them.
The bad news is that I missed out on the four issues pictured below. I suspect the winner of these is a Surrey guy, as the Surrey, the Pepsi Surrey are mentioned in two of the four issues.
I was hoping that someone might have scans of any of these four issues they could send me???
The best way I have found to scan these is to use a phone scanning software like “Scannable” on the iPhone. It’s not perfect, but it does a very good job on flat scans and is super helpful with oversize (bigger than 8.5×11) images.
The first is the September-October 1959 Issue of Jeep News. One head line reads, “New Surrey Proves Popular Addition to ‘Jeep’ Family …
This March 1960 issue mentions the Pepsi-Cola Company and Surreys. I’m also interested in the 1960 Jeep Special Equipment story.
This May-June 1960 issue highlights several different marketing documents (New parts-service mailers) and the product line changes story, which includes a reference to the one-piece windshields.
Finally, this June-July 1961 issue appears to announce the new FJ-3As.
No one bid on these the Jeep News issues last week, so they are once again for sale. You can view them on eBay here:
Below are my links to my scans of each of the ebay issues in case you want to see more (the ebay auctions only show the top fold of the issue).
1. This first image shows a Jeep Train in Oceanside, California, though I was unable to confirm “Old World Shop” was located in Oceanside. It looks to be a CJ-5 with a modified windshield set up and a changed rear area.
2. This postcard showing a CJ-5 pulling a long tram is from Lincoln, New Hampshire. It looks like some kind of “Smokey Bear” tram.
3. There is supposed to be some form of jeep under this faux train-engine body. This photo was taken in Manhattan, Kansas. The postcard is available on eBay.
Derek Redmond of the CJ-3B page believes this vehicle began life as a Mahindra product, then was modified. This is located in France, but the postage is only $3.18.
View all the information on eBay
“1 publicité papier originale extraite d’une revue d’époque , pas de photocopie ni de scan !!
ENTREPRISE : SABAVIA MATERIEL SPECIAL SUISSE
DATE : 1982
FORMAT : 1 page grand format 24/32 cm”
I was surprised to see this Toyota Land Cruiser museum pop up on social media. I was even more surprised to see it located in Salt Lake City. The final surprise was that it is a short walk from my son’s house. So, I’ll be visiting this place soon. The museum boasts an impressive collection of Land Cruisers.
You can learn more about this history of the museum from this Hagerty article: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/12-off-roaders-at-land-cruiser-heritage-museum/
Image Credit: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/12-off-roaders-at-land-cruiser-heritage-museum/
I picked up these four 20″ x 30″ vintage tour jeep photos. The first image shows a tour-jeep-wagon that kept part of the door and roof, similar to what was done with the FC Tour Jeeps. As you can see in the other photos, usually door was lopped and all of the roof and upper sides, except the windshield, was removed.
With the Philippine government’s decision to modernize public transportation comes the need to make the famous Jeepneys more environmentally friendly. To that end, the 76-year-old Franciso Motors company has partnered with Tembo, who will provide electrification kits to Franciso Motors. Francisco spotted this older Jeepney, noting it was one the company built.
Francisco Jeepney makes both public transportation-sized Jeepneys and smaller, more familiar-sized jeep-like vehicles called Oners (if I understand the site correctly). .
Here is Elmer Francisco describing his goal with electric Jeepneys (takes a about a minute to get to the interview):
There were a few different Willys vs. IH Scout brochures released about the same time that this February 1961 brochure was printed. One interesting bit about this brochure is that the DJ-3A is included in comparison agains the 2WD IH Scout. This brochure appears to be 10 pages and is currently priced at $24.50 with $5 shipping.
View all the information on eBay
“1961 JEEP COMPARISON DATA SALES FOLDER / COMPARISON TO INTERNATIONAL SCOUT MODELS / ORIGINAL!! ”
Seth, from the Red Eye Cafe Garage interviewed our friend Russ about his modified wagon.
I ran across this August 1969 Cars & Parts magazine on ebay with the below history about jeep history. In it, the author references the use of “GP” or “General Purpose”, claiming that was how the military referred to the jeep. I still have yet to document any evidence that during WWII jeeps were labeled or referred to as “GP” or “General Purpose”. So, I wish the article’s author would have included a reference or example (and welcome any examples).
As I have argued before, the switch from Ford calling its prototype a Pygmy to the company calling it a GP happened without explanation, other than this excuse: G=government and P=80″ wheelbase. But, if that’s the case, why wasn’t the first one called a GP? And, where is the GL, GO, GQ, GR, GT, GV, VW models built by Ford? And what are the chances Ford’s initialism, when sounded out as an acronym, *just happened* to sound like the word “jeep”, a term that was making the rounds about the time the Pygmy was dropped off at Holabird (according to later court testimony).
Anyway, here’s the article:
This four-page Go-For-Digger brochure is something I’ve not yet posted. It has a Catalog Number 8162, which might mean the brochure was released August 1, 1962.
Roger Martin took these photos from the last weekend’s Mason Dixon show. In no particular order …
Roger Martin also snapped some photos at the WWII American Experience Museum in Gettysburg. I don’t know how Ann and I missed going here. As you can see, they have a pretty good jeep collection! A big thanks to Roger for all the photos!
These rare brochures advertising after market parts were loosely packed into a 1973 Berens Catalog that I posted back in 2020.
I never tried an offenhauser manifold. I currently have a hi-rise Edelbrock for Biscuit’s V-6.
I assume these would fit on a Willys wagon?
The following roll bars, tow bar, rocker panels, and wide rims were either made by Berens or for Berens for resale.
November 2011: Andy on the left and a less-grayer me on the right.
I just heard the news that Andy Poncic, of Phoenicia, New York, passed away September 6, 2023. He was a collector of (mostly) WWII jeeps and an early reader of eWillys.
During our 2011 trip to the East Coast, Andy and his then girlfriend/now wife Wallis invited Ann and I to stay at their place in the Catskills. It was a rainy November day when we pulled up at their small house in the woods. Visiting readers was a new thing at that point, let alone spending the night (they were our second overnight visit, the first being with Bob and Mindy in Ohio earlier in the trip).
At the time I didn’t comment on the extensive collection Andy had, as he preferred I didn’t. To this day it is still one of the largest collections I’ve ever seen, though many were in varying states of disrepair. He told me he didn’t like to fix them up; instead, he liked to buy and sell. That was his hobby. In recent years Andy sold a number of jeeps, so I have no idea what, if any, he had left before he passed away.
During our stay, Andy introduced us to his friend Terry, who ran Terry’s Jeep Farm, which I highlighted in this post.
November 2011: Andy, me, and Terry at Terry’s Jeep Farm
The most memorable event happened as we chatted following dinner. That’s when the rainy weather turned to a storm, knocking out power. That’s remained a funny memory both Ann and I; you just never know what will happen when visiting readers.
I know Andy was hoping we’d drop by again, as he invited us several times, but we just never got back to that area of NY.
Marcelo Boni assembled a series of images that separate rear PTO gearboxes into eight types. 1) I didn’t know there were that many and 2) I never thought to do this. Unfortunately, this is currently on Facebook, so not everyone will likely see it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/18657808157/permalink/10160989656268158/
He wrote, “After a post on the CJ2A forum a long time ago
“Dating a rear PTO gearbox”
I started gathering pictures of Rear PTO gearboxes. I was expecting to identify the box period correct for my 1952 CJ3A.
I found 8 different variations.
Early ones are 24/20 tooth configuration.
When does the tooth config have changed to 22/22?”
If anyone knows the answer to that questions, I’ll make sure he gets the info.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $700.
A sale is pending as I write this, but these Economy Delivery Van’s, introduced in 1958, are super rare. I have probably documented three of them in 15 years?
“PENDING. 1950 ish jeep delivery panel. No engine. No title. Unknown mileage.”
Here’s another story with images about the Bountiful Jeep Posse. This appeared in the May 1948 issue of Outdoor Life. Interestingly, this article summarizes the environmental history and purpose behind the creation of the Bountiful Jeep Posse.
In August of 1969 National Geographic published a lengthly story on the state of Colorado. Near the end of the article is a photo overlooking Ouray with a few tour jeeps in the foreground.
I had hoped the FC-Tour Jeep that was depicted was mine, so I bought the issue on eBay, But, a couple clues indicate it is Craig’s tour jeep. Other tour jeeps shown are the white CJ-6, the red topless wagon, and the Commando tour jeep.
These are scans I made of a reader’s Texaco lubrication charts years ago. The first one is for the CJ-2A and CJ-3A. The second one is for the 4WD Truck.
Ann spotted this video by the Jeep Guy. It’s part of a series of videos spoofing high end vehicles vs. not-so-high-end vehicles.
John’s wife Anne spotted this jeep-themed quilt at a Salt Lake City quilt show. I am still waiting on my jeep quilt from my wife (to be fair, she has no time for quilting these days and no doubt she is waiting on me to finish projects for her).
This undated, 32-page introduction to the Universal ‘Jeep’ is a 8.5″ x 11″ booklet I didn’t have and can’t remember seeing previously. I managed to buy it off ebay for $7. Now, that’s a score!
Note that the final photo shows an early dash, along with JEEP illustrated on the windshield rather than WILLYS.
UPDATE: I have updated the post to include the entire newspaper.
First published Jan 22, 2014: The photo below shows the cover of a rare edition of The Willys War Newspaper. Published on September 28, 1945, this appears to be both the last issue of The Willys War News and the first issue of The Willys News. I base this on three facts: 1) the word ‘war’ is scratched at the top, 2) the small explanation at the bottom of the front page and 3) the publishing date.
Searches of “The Willys War News” yielded the following:
The Willys War News, Vol. 3, No. 3, May 19, 1945 http://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/HTML_findingaids/MSS-072.html
The Willys War News, Vol. 1, No. 10 in 1943 (8 pages) http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1943-jeep-willys-overland-war-238396381
Based on those clues, I would estimate that there were were at least 24 editions IF there were 10 issues in 1943 and 10 issues in 1944 and at least 4 issues in 1945. Anyone know of other examples of this? This seems as rare as the Globe Trotter Magazine.
