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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 .
Blaine shared this interesting image of possibly a postcard that promoted an FC-150 giveaway contest. Based on the info, I’d say this was part of the FC-150 launch in 1957.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/autohistorian/3802498606/in/photostream/
This one is a bit pricey at $24.95, but it’s a pretty photo. The wagon is part of the Scenic Jeep Tour company from years ago.
View all the information on eBay
“Published by Noble Post Cards, Box 502, Colorado Springs.
“Aspens on the Cinnamon Pass Road west of Lake San Cristobal near Lake City, Colo.”
Standard-size postcard, measuring about 3.5 x 5.5 inches.”
Though these aren’t all that vintage (from the Daimler Chrysler era), they are kind of neat. Starting bid is $39.
View all the information on eBay
“Set of 4 Jeep, “Approved Willys Parts and Accesories” Collectible Shot Glasses.
These items come with the original box and there are no chips. There are a couple small scratches that I will note in the pictures.. please view the pictures as they are part of the description.”
This issue may cover from the Fall of 1975 through January 1976 (the next issue is Feb/March 1976). It is one of the largest at 18 pages plus a one page advertising insert.
The flyer:
The weather has warmed up some, which made working outside much more pleasant! Since the last set of pics, I made some corner brackets and added them to the cage. I’ve also added a cross bar that will be the base for the sets and some curved support bars on eat side of the front loop.
I’ll post some pics of the cage below, then add some pics of how I made the brackets (in case that’s of interest to anyone.
Below I show how I made the corner pieces.
This first pic shows 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ 16 gauge steel squares. The paper above it shows my attempts to figured out the rough size I wanted:
UPDATE IV: Nate was able to get this running. Check it out.
UPDATE III: See the internals of a Willys Light Plant here
UPDATE II: More pics of Nate’s Willys Light Plant here
UPDATE: There is more history about Miniger and his purchase of John North Willys Stock in 1929 in a 1946 Fortune article.
This postcard is currently listed on eBay.
The other day Nate forwarded me the following images of a Willys home power plant, built by both “Willys Light” and the “Electric Auto-Lite Corporation”. Not knowing much about any of this (and not having the time to source original info from newspapers of the time), I took a break from house painting to venture down internet rabbit holes. What follows is more of a work-in-progress than a finished piece. Hopefully, folks can add or correct the following.
Let’s start with the pics that Nate sent:
Now, stepping back a little in time … These days we in the US are generally pretty spoiled in terms of our access to 24/7 electricity. Of course, this wasn’t always the case. Because of my work on SLAG, I am aware that there was a revolution in mines and smelting with the introduction of power plants. My great great grandfather first introduced an electric plant into his smelter in Leadville in 1881 (followed shortly by electricity in the Salt Lake City’s Germania plant). By then, Broadway in NY was lit with a power plant, as were parts of major cities.
January 04, 1818, from the Leadville Daily Herald.
Such power plants would have been expensive, which is why large municipalities or successful businesses were utilizing them. But, such plants would have been outside the financial reach of the average folks. Still, there was an interest among home and farm owners to replace the gas and oil lamps used in homes.
I found this photo on eBay. It shows a VEC CJ-2A with a wood-based hardtop. The back of the photograph suggests that the builder of the hardtop may have been manufacturing these for sale for $265. The seller of these called them Jeep Station Wagon Bodies and built at least one of them (as shown in the picture). It appears these were built in or near San Francisco. There was another manufacturer who built similar tops out of Cleveland, Ohio, and advertised them as Station Wagon Bodies.
Tom shared pics of a “Planter” in Oracle Arizona back in 2005. The front crossmember looks like a GPW to me.
Tom grew up just north of me in the Yakima area. As a kid he used to watch the Yakima Ridge Runners cruise through the Ahtanum area, which ignited his interest in them. Over the years he owned a variety of jeeps.
Is it still in Oracle? I have no idea.
Blaine shared this recently completed auction for a nice looking truck. However, it looks like the trim is incorrect for a 1960. Strangely, the file name of the pic below was listed as a 1957 (1957_willys_pickup_1957_willys_pickup). That also makes more sense with the split windshield. Finally, the title lists this as a 1962.
More pics: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/willys-pickup/
Chris shared this footage from a 1962 ‘Jeep’ Commercial hosted at Indiana University’s Media Collections Online.
The video’s summary: The commercial shows which Jeeps were used in the movie “Hatari!”. The commercial portrays the different Jeeps as actors that were cast for specific roles and worked with the movie stars John Wayne, Red Buttons, and Elsa Martinelli. The Jeeps are shown in several movie clips driving across Tanzanian and herding animals.
Mike shared this video from Steve Magnante as he showcases an early Wagoneer.
UPDATE: Barney nots that this may be the original paint color. That makes me happier!
This was the first chance I had at getting an Al-Toy truck, so I snagged it off ebay in the last few seconds. It seems pretty original, other than the phone number on the side. The truck has a great weight and is slightly longer than the jeeps.
Here it is pictured with my 2 CJ-2A Al-Toys:
Chris shared this footage from a 1962 ‘Jeep’ Commercial hosted at Indiana University’s Media Collections Online.
The commercial’s summary: A man receives a distress call from someone stuck on the side of a cliff. The man race across difficult terrain in his Jeep. The man rescues the person from cliff by using the winch on his Jeep
Here’s the link: https://media.dlib.indiana.edu/media_objects/cz30qc90p
Mike shared this video of Steve Magnante’s close look at an FC-150 in a junkyard. There’s some parts value. For information on buying this vehicle, send email to: paulcrosiervt @ gmail.com (remove spaces around the @).
The starting price on the auction for this brochure is $30 (plus $10 shipping). This multi-page brochure isn’t one I’ve seen before, so likely pretty rare. I’m dating this at around 1957 dude to the round-blue jeep sign in the last image.
View all the information on eBay
“THIS AUCTION IS FOR A WILLYS JEEP BROCHURE TITLED: “THE DOUBLE-DUTY FAMILY CAR”
FEATURES THE WILLYS JEEP STATION WAGON MODEL.
ORIGINAL – NOT A REPRODUCTION.
IN GOOD CONDITION. GOOD COLOR AND GRAPHICS
8 PAGES.
CONTAINS COST SAVINGS INFORMATION, , CARGO SPECIFICATIONS, UTILITY, ENGINE CHOICES, VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS.”
UPDATE: Here’s a video of the artist at work:
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Homeskoold Customs on Facebook shared this really cool carving of a wagon emerging from an old post. The artist claims not to be a woodworker, but he is most definitely at artist!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=489893496631750&set=a.412736887680745
Roger Martin spotted this unusual 3B on Facebook. There are only two images included, so there is limited info about it. That said, I’m leaning towards this being a home-brew rather than a prototype.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6613665795327673&set=pcb.1838648579838287
Roger Martin shared this WWII wood jeep for sale. The lettering is in good shape and the bottom still has the manufacturer’s sticker. But, it’s currently priced at $150.
View all the information on eBay
“1940s Vintage WW2 Willys Jeep WD 63, Wood Commodities Corp W. D. 63 Wooden Toy.
Original WW2 vintage Willys Jeep wooden toy.
By Wood Commodities Corporation.
Marked “W. D. 63″.
Produced during a time when metal was being converted to the war effort.
Measures approximately 10″ long.
This vintage toy is in very good condition with minor wear.
No significant flaws. Just normal edge wear.”
Once the water got fixed (found a retired local plumber who still does small jobs and did previous work on our house, so that worked great), I returned to the cage.
The front “loops” have been bent and added, along with a top and mid cross bar. I also added one side bar, with the other almost ready to spot-weld in place. Unfortunately, I ran out of materials, so I need to get a couple more tubes.
As you can see below, I found a seat placement I like. My head rests just below the top of the seat, so plenty of room for a helmet. Now, I just have to figure out how I want to mount them. I was going to weld in the seat frames, but I think I am going to bolt them. This will make it 1) easier to install the floor pan and 2) allow me to change up the seats/position if I’m unhappy with how it feels.
Here’s another Jeep News. This one has the months, but not year. I used some article details to estimate it is from 1974.
This buy-it-now CJ-2A Al-toy isn’t perfect and has some funky tires, but looks like a good price.
View all the information on eBay
“1 PIECE CAST METAL JEEP AND UNBRANDED. VERY HEAVY. ITS AWESOME. HAS METAL STEERING WHEEL AND COLUME. Has custom ERTL wheels and tires. Look closely at pictures because this is the item you will get.”
These two odd items with popped up on eBay. One is a Willys Jeep service postcard and the other is a Willys Jeep service decal. Both are related to Rednor and Rainear, a Willys dealer in the Trenton, New Jersey, area. The decal has already sold, but the postcard is still for sale.
This decal has already sold:
This post card is still available on eBay:
A couple days ago I bent the front passenger side loop. All was well until the very last (bottom) bend. For the passenger side it would have been okay where it is, but for the driver’s side I felt the bar would be better if it angled more quickly once under the dash so it gave more clearance for the clutch foot.
So, after much hemming and hawing, I bent the driver’s side differently. That turned out better, which meant redoing the passenger side.
You can see a comparison of them below. It’s tough to visualize where the floor/firewall will be, but the sheet metal gives a rough idea.
Once I get the passenger loop done, the remaining bars ought to be completed more quickly.
However, before I could do that Thursday night we discovered a leak underneath the bathroom of our master bedroom. Ugh. We don’t know when it actually broke, but Thursday night, we could hear a strange noise in the bathroom. Of course, we were about ready for bed, which meant getting re-dressed and dropping into our crawl space where I shut off the water to our house. Friday morning I crawled the length of the house, where I discovered where the water was falling on the plastic. The actual break was in the insulation, but I didn’t locate it. I’d rather get a pro to deal with it.
So, we are house-camping again. On the upside, we tried out the shower in our shop for the first time. It turns out, it works great!
We have a plumber (highly recommended and the uncle of our neighbor) coming tomorrow to look at it, as I’d rather not work with the copper pipe. I want to get it done quickly and get it done right … I got a cage to finish!
