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About eWillys
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.
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 .
UPDATER: The 0-10 early CJ-5 speedos did make it into early DJ-3As.
I found this NOS King-Seeley 0-9 speedometer core on eBay. I show it below next to my 0-8 face, whose day-glow white paint flecked off as I cleaned it. I can confirm it is the same size and seems to have the identical parts (though the gears may differ slightly given it goes to 90mph).
The 0-8 speedometers (manufactured in mid-to late 1955) were installed in early 1956 DJ-3As (as well as a few other models, CJ-5 being one). Later in 1956, Willys moved to the 0-9 white face speedometer core. About a year later (sometime in 1957?) Willys moved to the familiar 0-9 orange face. The early CJ-5 0-10 speedometer clusters made it into a few DJ-3As. One side note, those early 0-10 CJ-5 clusters were almost, but not quite identical to the Aero clusters.
“Buy American!!! Original 1940’s Louis Marx Toys pressed steel Willys toy jeep! Missing the spare tire , has a nice collector’s shelf patina! Please click on the tab within this ad to view my other items for sale Thanks!”
A Willys Jeep Mailer from the mid 1950s for a Mobile Arc unit from General Electric.
“This mailer measures about 8 ½ x 11 inches.
This ad features:
Power Producing Equipment for 4-Wheel-Drive Jeep Vehicles
* Mobile Arc Welders
* Mobile Air Compressors
The return Post Card is still attached!
This was tri-folded but it will ship flat in a protective sleeve and backing board.”
Josh has listed this crankshaft pulley, a part used to power some early Ramsey winches. This video tells more about Ramsey’s crankshaft driven winches:
“You are bidding on a nearly impossible to find positive crank shaft driven winch/pto CLUTCH PULLEY. I believe this example was manufactured by Ramsey and is the key piece for a number of winches used on vintage jeeps.
The assembly appears in good shape and complete but could provably use good cleaning and some refreshing. The pulley unit is the only piece I have.”
UPDATE: Ted got a hold of this a few years ago. No one seems to know who modified or for what purpose. Now he wants to let it go. If interested, email him at willysted@charter.net.
He wrote, “I was lucky enough to a be in the right place at the right time and have some interesting items to trade towards purchasing this really unique Willys body. Not really sure on origin or history on this oddball as it came from a buddy of mine who also didnt have much history on it, but I knew it was really cool and thought it would be the ultimate foundation for a great Yard -plow Jeep.
I thought it would be a great Jeep to have all your tools, torches, jacks, etc etc in to minimize walks back to the garage to get something while working on stuff out in the woods or yard. I was going to start with a good rolling and running 2a frame and make it mechanically sound and mount a Plow or Snow Scoop on front with a rear mounted PTO winch hoisting Boom on back of Jeep for a great little Utility Jeep.
Unfortunately my unfinished projects and Jeeps that need attention have got me forced to part with some of my future projects that Im never gonna have time for. This Body is very unique and definitely deserves to be restored and put to use somewhere. I think with a good rolling and running 2a or 3a frame and some work it would be a great Winter project for someone looking for a cool Willys build. My loss is going to be someones gain.
Make me an offer !!! Email any questions and I will try to help”
A Happy Thanksgiving Holiday of everyone out there. I shall be thankful for jeeps today! Apparently, one Major E.P. Hogan was also thankful for these unique vehicles, so much so that he wrote an article for the Sep/Oct 1944 issue of Army Ordnance called The Jeep In Action: Some Adventures of the Army’s Ubiquitous Vehicle. It’s a pretty interesting read. i’ve included it in its entirety for your holiday pleasure. Click on the images to more easily read the article.
This was on eBay a couple days ago. I was tempted to bid on it, but I figured the money is better spent elsewhere. It sold for $25 plus a $5 more for shipping. Neat brochure!
“VERY NICE 1946 VINTAGE WILLYS JEEP FIRE TRUCK SALES BROCHURE….8-1/2 X 11, OPENS TO 8-1/2 X 33….TWO SIDED….VERY CLEAN CONDITION, NO TEARS, ETC…SHOWS NUMEROUS PHOTOS OF THE POSTWAR CIVILIAN FIRE JEEP….ALSO PAGE SHOWING SMALL WATER TRAILER AVAILABLE WITH JEEP”
Tom shared this video he assembled. It captures a memorial project he and his son completed recently, a remembrance of nine airmen who were killed in a B-52 crash. Part of their effort required the use of Tom’s CJ-3A.
“1967 Kaiser Jeepster Station Wagon C-101.
This first year Kaiser Jeepster has spent its life in the So Cal high desert.
The Super Rare Brian Chuchua dealership license plate frames surround the 67 JEEP plates.
225 Dauntless V6 this is the best engine the factory ever installed in a Jeep.
T-86 3sp trans
Dana 20 TC
4.88 axle ratio with Dana 27 front, Dana 44 rear (freshly rebuilt) with factory limited slip.
New 235-85/16 Goodyear Wrangle Duratrac tires E rated less than 3k miles on them.
The electrical system has been upgraded and rewired.
New 100amp Alternator
New Battery.
New 2900 cfm Electric fan.
New Hella H4 headlights 55-100 watt.
New Hella 55 watt Driving lights.
New United Pacific 55watt Fog lights.
New Windshield and seal.
New Auxiliary Radiator.
New Master Cylinder and Wheel Cylinders.
New Brakes Shoes.
New Rear Drums.
New Heavy duty Snow and Ice wiper blades and arms.
The clutch has been upgraded to rod activated.
Radiator has been replaced.
Rancho Shocks.”
She hasn’t gotten any better, but hasn’t gotten any worse. She still spends most of the day in bed. We believe that there’s a problem related to neck muscles, nerves, and upper vertebrae. Their interrelationship seems to be causing both the nausea and the pain in her head. She’s had several physical therapy appointments that have helped isolate the area that seems the root of the issue, but it could take quite a bit of therapy to loosen that area.
On the Rusty front:
A couple days ago I bought an NOS 0-9 1956-1957 speedometer face and engine on eBay. If for some reason I can’t get my speedometer fixed, I will go with this. And, if I do get it fixed, then I am sure I can easily sell this. You can see these are pretty close in style, even using the same pointer (which I wasn’t sure how I was going to find it).
0-9 that I just bought:
0-8 that I have:
While in Seattle the past few days I ran across a fantastic deal on a welder and blasting cabinet. I jumped on them and got both setup. The cabinet (a nothing-fancy Harbor Freight model) should work fine for cleaning parts.
Based on the reviews I found, this Clarke 130EN Mig welder should be good for repairs on the body. Apparently, anything thicker than a 1/4″ is too much for it, but I have an old-fashioned stick welder to tackle those issues. It came with everything you see, including a full bottle of Argon, an extra reel, two masks, cart, and other items.
On the Biscuit front:
I found this chevy scatter shield in Pasco a couple weeks ago. I took it with me to Seattle. It was by far the best price I’ve seen on one, primarily due to the holes in it. It was used by an old sand jeep dragger.
While I was in Seattle, I formed a cover plate for the hole that spans the bottom and bolts in place (plate not shown). I plan on patching the side with some 1/4″ steel. I’ve been waiting for quite some time to get a scatter shield. Now I can begin to reassemble it (with a few mods).
Not all the doctor appointments are without value to eWillys. We recently went downtown for an ultrasound on Ann’s heart. While walking down a hall, I spotted this parade photo, taken in downtown Pasco, Washington. I’m guessing it was taken during the early 1940s, because it features a bunch of Slat Grille MBs.
Author Debra Lenser and illustrator Kim Sponaugle based this childrens book on Debra’s son, Jeremy Lenser , and his 1948 CJ-2A. You can find it on Amazon.
Jeremy and Red Jeep are on a road trip when they happen upon Chester, a traveling tortoise, on his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Chester is stuck, and it’s up to Jeremy and Red Jeep to set him free.
Here’s an unusual brochure. Note the Desliu tie-in, too.
“Very unusual mailer here! 1963 Jeep sales mailer from Streater Buick, Jeep Division, Lakeland, Florida. Features the Wagoneer, Gladiator, Universal & FC-170 models. Also advertises the new hour long tv show produced by Desilu productions, “The Greatest Show On Earth” appearing on ABC television about the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus. The show uses Jeep vehicles and hence the tie in.”
This story deserves a much longer telling, but let me cut straight to it. I’m in Seattle to work on Rusty. I dropped my iPhone in a bowl of Pho Soup. Not good. I rushed home and set it up to dry. Shortly afterward, I removed Rusty’s heater, only to find someone had built an expansive home inside the heater. This explains some of the missing cushion from the seats. As I was taking pics with the Nikon, the battery died. So, I turned to my computer, but the photos were much worse than I imagined. Not a great tech day.
On the bright side, I tested the heater fan and that works. Also, my phone seems to be drying out … finally.
As you can see below, the inside of the heater is almost entirely filled with stuff:
And this is how it looked after that stuff was removed (and after my iPhone started working a little better). I now need to remove debris from the fins and repair the lower tube.
I also disassembled my speedometer. The rod that powers the pointer had broken. I will see if there is any way to repair it. The part looks awfully like later speedometers, so there may be hope for replacing it, but I first have to disassemble the front plate from the mechanism. Based on what I’ve read, it might never work quite right. But hey, it doesn’t work quite right anyhow!
Dan Horenburger and I in front of his Streamline FC Motorhome, April 12, 2014.
On November 10th, Dan Horenburger passed away. Many of you know him for his unique Forward Control collection, which he showed off at the military FC show this past September, and some who got to know him, knew him for his warm smile and friendly disposition.
Dan and my paths crossed in multiple ways, from Wisconsin and carousels, to Wurlitzers and jeeps. He kept tabs on our travels and often shared advice on what we should see. He once explained how he’d cut his teeth on trading and hustling by reselling items from the Saddleblanket company in El Paso, which made that a must-stop place for us to visit. When we visited his LA place in 2014, he was generous with his time, sharing his various passions. He’ll most certainly be missed.
I’m told Craig Brockhaus and Jesse Ybarra are assembling a more complete remembrance of Dan that they will publish soon. Until then, here’s a short obituary of him:
According to this page, the Associated Press captured this photo of “Old Faithful” on the island of Bougainville in 1944.
Recently, Jeep shot a commercial highlighting a little known fact that a jeep named “Old Faithful” was awarded an honorable Purple Heart for its service in Guadalcanal and Bougainville during WWII (not to be confused with a jeep that was named “Purple Heart“). The jeep was later put on display at the Marine Corps Museum, but, according to an article in Adweek, it disappeared and its whereabouts remain unknown.
Old Faithful was a Willys built jeep that served four Marine generals through the Guadalcanal campaign and the Bougainville invasion. Old Faithful was officially awarded the Purple Heart for “wounds”–two shrapnel holes in its windshield received during the Jap battleship shelling of Guadalcanal on October 13, 1942.
Old Faithful, the first American vehicle ever to be so decorated, was retired from active service by official Marine Corps order on December 22, 1943. Faithful to the last, this jeep’s motor, which has never been overhauled, purrs as smoothly today as it did on the historic day of August 7, 1942, when it first rolled onto Guadalcanal’s famous Lunga Beach. During its duty in the Pacific area,
Old Faithful served as official car for many distinguished leaders, including the late Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, Adms. Chester Nimitz and William F. Halsey, Vice Adms. A.W. Fitch, and J.S. McCain, Marine Corps Commandant Lieut. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, his successor Lieut, Gen A.A. Vandegrift, and many others. In 1944, Old Faithful, after a long journey, arrived in heaven and now reposes in the Marine Corps Museum at the Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Va.
Also in 1944, the Marine Corps Chevron included this photo and article on “Old Faithful”:
WAR RELIC’ “Old Faithful,” retired after 18 monthsservice in the South Pacific as a command oar, was displayed in San Diego’s War Bond drive. It is being inspected by Majs. Granville Mitchell (left) and Douglas J. Preacher.
Battle-Worn Jeep Back In U. S. On Bond Tour
“Old Faithful,” first Marine jeep to be landed on Guadalcanal and among the first on Bougainville, was exhibited at the Plaza War Bond center in downtown San Diego this week in connection with the Filipino Day program.
The jeep was retired on Bougainville recently after having traveled more than 11,000 miles of jungle terrain as a command car. During its 18 months’ service “Old Faithful” served four Marine generals as well as carrying every ranking Marine officer and visiting official on the two battle-torn islands.
Previously, the jeep had been awarded a “Purple Heart” for holes in its windshield, received when a Jap battleship shelled Guadalcanal. It is on its way toward becoming a museum piece at the Marine Corps Museum, Quantico.
These two brochures, one from Koenig and one from Ramsey, show two early platforms for installing a rear PTO winch. These brochures were part of a 1947 Willys Overland equipment book.
