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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 .
If I weren’t saving for our March California trip, I’d bid on this pair.
“For your consideration is an Empire & Carolina Enterprises plastic jeep and trailer (1976). The jeep measures 16 inches long. These are in overall good condition with wear, marks, scratches, and bends. The trailer has a broken hook, but these will display very nicely.”
View all the information on eBay
I don’t know how rare this toy is, but it looks like an interesting piece. I googled to find another example, but couldn’t locate one. This toy is located in Mexico, so know that before purchasing it. Given the Mad Max label on the box, I’m wondering if this is more like mid 1980s?
“VINTAGE RARE AND NICE, ALITALIA MITSUBISHI JEEP J52, MADE IN JAPAN CIRCA 70’S. BY THE EXTINCT FACTORY MADMAX SCALE 1/43, IN VERY GOOD CONDITIONS, IN BOX, I AM NOT EXPERT TO EXPLANE THE KIND OF ITEMS BUT I TRY TO WRITE THE BEST I KNOW, IF YOU ARE COLLECTOR OF THIS CAIN OF TOYS, PLEASE DON’T LET PASS THE OPORUNITY TO HAVE THEM IN YOUR HANDS, VERY, VERY RARE!!”
View all the information on eBay
UPDATE: This Fire Jeep Blitz Wagon sold for $14,805 on eBay.
“These trucks were made in old forge ny by two gentleman there. Army Armstrong who is since deceased and Al Brussels who still resides in Old Forge, NY. They were made on multiple chassis but the earliest on the jeep chassis. The brand was “blitz buggy” fire apparatus . Not sure why or where that blitz wagon decal on the one listed came from. Many variants can be seen in the old forge fd 100th anniversary book as they were commonly demonstrated at old forge drill school which still exists. A similar picture and some history of the sister truck is on the cj3b page as bill Meyer tells the story of how he obtained his.” (read more about these trucks at the bottom of this post)
This same truck was auctioned back in Sept 2013 on eBay, but didn’t sell:
“3/4 ton class fire truck. Truck was used in the Alcoa Aluminum plant in Badin NC. Truck has siren, red lights and water pumper. No collision damage. No rust through. Body is in very good condition.
6,048 miles. The vehicle does run. It was last driven in Christmas parades several years back and has been in dry storage since. It will need some tune up attention to drive. Fluids are still in the engine. The carburetor may need to be cleaned and the fuel tank may need to be cleaned. We believe the tires are original.
It is original 6 volt.
Estimate 300 gallon water tank.
2 manual hose reels with hose hannay.
2½” fill line with hose
2½” discharge parts
Water pump is PTO (operated under water tank)?”
Bill Reiss (from Lime Street Carriage) reports that for the last five years his friend Chantelle Kern, from Maryland, has run the Topless for Tatas charity event.
Bill noted, “She gets 500+ jeeps at Rausch Creek every year for a Breast Cancer Research Fund charity event. This year, for the 1st time, they are having a “Willys only” trail led by my friend Mike Gardner. We have a ’45 (Mike), a ’46 (me in Norm), and a ’47 (Jim Fowler from Missouri) signed up so far ….. there are 7 spots remaining. Last year’s donation to the BCRF was over $25k from a 3-day event! We’d like to get the Willys trail filled up!“
http://www.toplessfortatas.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Official-Topless-for-TATAs-Charity-Wheeling-Event/109270785819148?fref=ts
Here are some of their ‘test’ runs of Rausch Creek:
As Craig put it when he forwarded me the link, this is FC Gold. Below is a video of an original Swedish Scania Vabis FC-150AM. Learn more about the existing FC-150 AM at http://www.thefcconnection.com/fc’s_from_norway.htm. Also, look for glimpses of the FC Minibus as well.
As you watch the video, you’ll be able to view the point at which this photo was taken, though the scene of the photo being taken is cut. The photo comes from the book the “Jeepen i Sverige”: http://cj3b.info/Finds/FindsSweden.html (looks like a very interesting book!)
According to Even Erlien, both the FC-150Am and the Volvo c202 were built with specification given by the Swedish Army. The Jeep-Scania got round fenders and the Volvo got square. Here’s a comparison of the two:
Swedish Scania Vibas FC-150AM
Volvo C202 4×4
Maybe not FC Gold, this video is still pretty neat as well (thanks again to Craig).
Yesterday I re-posted the extended M-38A1 in Hamilton, MT, for sale. A reader named J commented that he had a similar one: same year with the same rear extension using rounded rivets. A third reader, back in 2012, mentioned he had one also (I’ve emailed him for more info). So, the call goes out . . . has anyone seen other, similar M-38A1s with a similar extension? Here’s a review of vehicles with mid section extensions (http://www.ewillys.com/tag/stretched/) and rear extensions (http://www.ewillys.com/tag/extended/)
J has examined his M-38A1 (named Porkchop) closely. He notes no place where the frame appears to have been joined. To him it looks more ‘production’ than ‘motor pool’. He also hasn’t yet found a VIN attached to it. However, like the M-38A1 from Hamilton, it has a hinged grille, suggesting it’s a pretty early model. One difference between the two is that Porkchop has a mid-section extension as well, similar looking to a CJ-6.
Why are we calling it the ‘Hamilton Mod’? J and I had a little confusion between us when we exchanged emails. But, I kind of like the name. So, until we know more, that’s the new name.
Here’s J’s Porkchop (see more pics and info here at J’s website):
For comparison, here’s the jeep for sale in Hamilton, MT. Identical, no. But, still worth exploring. I’ve emailed the seller to learn some more history.
It looks like Blaine did well at a collectible toy swap meet. The yellow ride-on jeep is from 1979 and was made in Canada.
This ad highlights the Fairchild’s C-119’s ability to provide ‘special delivery’ of fully assembled equipment to remote locations.
View all the information on eBay
Here’s a different version of the ad from 1952 that was for sale back in Dec of 2013.
Goose discovered this wonderful photograph of Frederick Hartt, a professor of history and former officer in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Division of the US Army. He was known as one of the Monuments Men, a group that will have a much higher profile once the new movie comes out February 7 (I already have date night arranged with Ann).
This photograph was published on at Huffington Post, along with a short article about the Monuments Men. Let’s see, hunting lost art with a jeep. I think that might just be my dream job . . .
If you plan on seeing the movie, at least one of the scenes shown in the previews is in a cavern. It looks like there are endless bags of gold/currency/valuables on the floor. A similar real scene was photographed on April 7, 1945.
This article was published in the October 1945 issue of Coronet Magazine. The name of the article, “Jeep of all Trades”, is the same as a 1943 article published in Colliers posted here.
I don’t think it’s a jeep, but it is Marilyn.
I recently rewrote and published an article about APU Navy Jeeps for war jeeps.com. You can check it out here.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Amazing that this survived.
“VINTAGE WILLYS JEEP ADVERTISING MATCHBOOK COVER — MADE IN JAFFREY NEW HAMPSHIRE SOLD IN PERU WRITTEN IN SPANISH –WORLD WAR TWO ERA — STANDARD SIZE -”
UPDATE: Sold on eBay for $3.65.
Here’s a great vintage postcard on eBay.
“Pink Jeep at Waikiki. This auction is for a nice divided postcard showing A Pretty Girl and Pink Jeep, Honolulu, Hawaii – Wonderful 1960 dated card – Published by well known Mike Roberts #C7639”
Here’s an interesting photo Marc forwarded.
“1945- Medical corpsmen administer blood plasma to a wounded U.S. soldier as he is rushed in jeep to a field hospital on Leyte.”
View all the information on eBay
Robin discovered this cool jeep: an electric 1953 M-38A1.
Robin writes, “The owner, Mike Sudik, is an electrician and president of Big Sky Solar Wind out of Missoula, MT. Mike removed the engine several years ago (now owned by Robin) and replaced it with a DC electric motor. The top speed has been 45 mph and goes about 60-90 miles on a charge. The “top” is actually a solar panel used to charge the 12V system for his PA and stereo.
He has detailed his adventure at: http://www.bigskysolar-wind.blogspot.com/. On his website are pictures showing how he accomplished the task. He had the Jeep listed as a CJ-3A but he now knows that it is an M-38A1. In fact, he probably got way more info (from me) than he ever expected. 🙂 He is a really great guy and I thought your readers might like to see what he has done. I have some pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alturusphoto/sets/72157640164517713/
As part of getting my computer up and running again (whew!), I tested out various pieces of hardware (like my scanner), only to discover Apple’s new OS (Mavericks) is more advanced than the drivers. However, with some software gymnastics, I got it working. Here’s the first result (I had to clean this up quite a bit). It’s a Sports Graphic from the 1945 issue of Willys War News. I’ll be doing a full scan of that at some future point.
Joe forwarded this announcement. The Arizona Historic Military Transport Association (AHMTA) Military Vehicle Show is coming up March 1 and 2 in Mesa, Arizona.
A seller on eBay broke up a Product Merchandising Manual and sold it in pieces. I bought this section (Sales Aides), and several others. Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources to buy all of them (and some of them are overpriced in my opinion).
These three pages demonstrate items used by the sales team to sell Willys Vehicles. One of these aides I’ve never run across is the “Civil Defense Brochure” shown on Page 2 under Selective Marketing Booklets.
This Market Research section of the Product Merchandising Manual is very interesting, particularly since it covers Washington State (where I live). Because some of the information is broken down by county, and because varies quite a bit, especially east and west of the Cascade Mountains, it’s likely possible to draw some national conclusions about vehicle ownership percentages, etc.
Mark asked about finding a SEEP in a museum. So, I this post reflects GPAs in museums and around the world. I’m sure there are others. If you know of any more, please email me a link or add it to the comments.
In Bangkok, Thailand, this SEEP is housed with several other jeeps at the Chokchai Museum. This video shows a short walk around. That might be a M-606 next to it.
The Wheatcroft Collection, in Leicester, England, has a great collection of vehicles, including this GPA. Here are many more photos of the collection.
Wheatcroft Collection Ford GPA http://www.flickr.com/photos/hooper-phil/10435948444/sizes/z/in/photostream/
The Moscow, Russia, Victory Park has a GPA stored outside. This website includes a variety of closeups as well.
http://svsm.org/gallery/gpa
Back in 2010 I posted this GPA that’s housed in the South African Military Museum in Johannesburg.
The cover picture of this ebay ad is different than the description and photo within the description.
“This ad is approximately 10 inches wide X 13 inches high.
No Damage, Stains Or Tears.”
View all the information on eBay
Off Limits was a 1953 movie staring Bob Hope and Mickey Rooney. I’ve never seen the movie, but blogger Robby Cress has seen it and likes it. A couple years ago he authored about a chase scene that involved a military police jeep driven by Mickey Rooney that chased a car driven by Bob Hope. Filmed in several Los Angeles Neighborhoods, Cress tracks down some of the old locations, pinpoints them, and compares them to their 2012 counterparts. The photos include shots of the jeep, which is painted in a Constulabary style with a stripe that drapes widely over the cowl, before flowing down and along the side of the jeep to its rear in one large wide stripe. Here are other derivations of the Constulabary paint style.
Here’s the entire post: http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2012/07/off-limits-1953-film-locations.html
These are a few of the jeep related photos taken (I assume) from the video:
Looking at the Culver Hotel from Van Buren Place.
Rooney drives down Culver Blvd, passing the Culver Hotel.
Rooney turns onto Cardiff Ave from Culver Boulevard.
Rooney drives down Hughes Ave towards Washington Blvd.
Rooney drives by the Culver Theatre.
I’ve never seen a photo of a GPA used as an ambulance. But, apparently this one was carrying wounded soldiers from the front.
View all the information on ebay
