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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 .
More updates tomorrow morning ….
Gerald took pics of this old car they got a few years back. It has various jeeps parts attached. Gerald reports the frame was pristine, so they sold it to someone who could put it to better use.
Merlin from Hanson Mechanical emailed me today thanking me for posting his restored MB for sale. It turns out, his old Willys restoration shop has quite a story. What fun this site is to manage sometimes as unexpected stories continue to turn up, unexpectedly. Thanks for sharing Merlin! You can contact Merlin through his website if you need some work done.
I will let Merlin tell it, “A small group of graduates from the high school I used to teach at found me after I took another job and they have put an extensive amount of time into my business just to help me and to learn more about Jeep restoration. They range in age from 18 to 22 and it is wonderful knowing individuals that age are interested in learning restoration, welding, brazing and leading. They have whole rants dedicated to their hatred of Bondo :). So far they have restored and electrified a 1955 Metropolitan, restored my father’s 1956 Porsche, refurbished the Kaiser/ Willys MB, inventoried Major Barton’s workshops (read about Major John Barton here), and now are working through an endless line of MB’s and GPW’s.
One, named Vlad, from Belorus, knows all the metal details quite well now and evaluates anything we look at rescuing. He considers doing lead work on a Jeep a relaxing experience. Vlad’s girlfriend, Kelsey, is an artist who helps with anything she can and is an extraordinary individual. “Izzy”, who used to manage my school theater stage crew, is our computer and organizational whiz. My main mechanic, John Ingram, is a former music teacher who specialises in restoring Rolls Royces at the RR museum in PA. He evaluates every Jeep mechanically and is responsible for our decision to refurbish the one with the Kaiser 6 (truly an early hotrod).
They are an eclectic crew (who often play things like Swedish techno music in the background) who are dedicated to preserving our mechanical past, and doing it right. I am beyond impressed with the group of them and thankful that they are so dedicated. Anything that promotes the business brings them more work and thus makes them happy and helps pay for college. Vlad’s five year old brother told me that he dreams of working for me by age 10, and he often comes out with Vlad and finds ways to help. I hope someday there is enough business that they can run the shop for me while I keep teaching.
In the Jeep section are original archives from Aberdeen Proving Ground. The same goes for every other section as we search out original archival materials for all vehicles in my dwindling collection. We also will be republishing Major Barton’s book on Jeep tools through lulu.com, prceeds will go to his daughter’s college fund.”
Below are some random images of jeeps, the kids, and some from the history section.
Below are a couple stills from a Jeep Film.
Roberto wanted to share his cool BRC 40 drawing. He also noted there is more information about the jeep at Olive-Drab.com.
Located in El Monte, Ca, on Rosemead between 10 and 60 frwys in Los Angeles, the American Society of MIlitary History Museum is has been preserving vehicles since 1962 and is a California Non-Profit Educational Organization. The museum has 178 vehicles, including tanks, jeeps and more.
Brian shot these pics, with his father and son shown in the image below. He reports that the museum has some really cool military stuff and was a great place to visit. He also notes that the owner, Craig, could use volunteers to help restoring the vehicles. Thanks Brian!
It appears we have, from left to right, a M-151, a Mighty Mite, 2 M-38A1s, and a M-38 (thanks Chris).
Here is a MB or GPW
Here is a M-38
This appears to be some kind of military DJ-3A?
And a M-151
Sebastian was kind enough to share some pics from JeepFest 2011.
He writes, “I just came back from New Castle, it was an incredible event. More than 400 Jeeps, and just a week after the Bantam Festival in Butler (just a few miles away). It seems like Western Pennsylvania in August is the right place to be!.”
You can see more pics at his website: http://flatfenderclubofbutler.wordpress.com/
Roberto spotted this article in JP Magazine which discusses inexpensive ways to get into an old jeep. They cover Willys Wagons & Trucks, CJ-5s, Jeepster Commandos and Fullsize Jeeps. I think their price points align with what I have seen as well.
You can view the full article here
Below is part of a pic from the article. I thought it was a great pic.
The 1942 GPW for Sale has now moved to eBay Classifieds.
I stumbled upon this unusual shot, in color no less, of an MB with a custom hood from the 1977 movie Soldaat van Oranje.
http://imcdb.org/vehicle_107684-Willys-MB–Jeep-.html
According to IMDB, “This film depicts World War II through the eyes of several Dutch students. It follows them through the beginning of the war, the Nazi occupation and the liberation.”
This made me laugh. Just a silly movie.
UPDATE: Steve notes the original GAZ was built in only 50 days based on a newspaper clipping. Here’s additional information:
http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/WW2RussianGAZJeep.html
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Darrel wrote me recently noting that he has a 1945 GAZ-67B living in his garage. He said it was also known as an Ivan-Willys, which is similiar to a real Willys, because it has a Ford-A engine that was made in Russia under license. It is cool! Thanks for sharing Darrel!
Darrel writes, “The GAZ 67 World War Russian vehicles were produced from 1943 to 1953. There were only 5000 of these models made during the war, but in total there were 92,843 of these models produced. It had a 4-cylinder 3280 cc gasoline motor and a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).”
And here is a GAZ 67 and GAZ 67B video with some strange music …
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0kDkRRyIOg
Here is an example of a grass cutter being used to trim some clover.
Mike Mark shows that he knows how to cut a clover field with his 1948 CJ-2A.
UPDATE: Last price was $1000. It sold.
The Parkette fiberglass body is an extreme rare, well made body. One of the best things about this body is that a CJ-3A windshield will properly fit it, unlike the fiberglass Bobcat body. During the 1970s, a friend of mine bought a Bobcat body, prepped it, and painted it. When he stuck on the windshield he discovered the cowl was too flat to properly seat the windshield to the cowl. To say he was angry was an understatement, because he felt he was mislead by the promises the manufacturer made.
So, after talking with the Parkette body manufacturer and getting assurances that the measurements were more accurate, he bought the body and has been happy about it ever since.
The body shownn below has had it’s rear wheel wells cut a bit. It’s got a good looking rollcage that has been attached to the frame. If this has been available when I was building biscuit, I would have started right here.
Kevin created several good videos of a farm jeep in its natural habitat. Thanks for doing that Kevin!
1954 CJ3B with Monroe Lift , pulling a Ford 2-12 bottom plow:
1954 Cj3B farm jeep field disking demonstration at North Central Minnesota:
One resourceful Mitsubishi owner decided his jeep would work just fine as a crane after reading about the specs in All American Wonder Vol. III in the M-38A1 Section.
John dropped me a note today, pointing me over to the Hemmings Blog. Daniel Strohl landed a nice gem of a jeep story. The “Junior Jeep” lightweight jeep is alive, well and restored in Michigan. Read all the details at the Hemming Blog. Review the information on lightweight jeeps I have found strew across the web.
UPDATE: You can view more cartoons here.
Paul discovered this gem in his crawlspace.
Paul writes, “I was digging around in the crawlspace today searching for some long lost item when I discovered a thin book with GI cartoons from WW2. The book’s by Milton Caniff (it was published in 1945) and features 112 GI comic strips drawn by Mr. Caniff and supplied weekly to military newspapers for the enjoyment of all branches of the service. I really enjoyed the attached Jeep comic and I thought you would also. After all, who hasn’t believed (at one time or another) the Jeep is more than a mere machine and is alive and aware of the tasks we ask it to perform? I can recall many times I’ve coaxed and pleaded with my Jeep to “Please get me thru this mud bog” or the always popular “Please, please start” on those frigid winter mornings [ed note: I am familiar with that coaxing]. Over the years I’ve talked, yelled, pleaded and praised my Jeep while it took me where I wanted (but not necessarily needed) to go.”
At the Bantam Festival Gerald took a picture of a CJ-3A(?) with an unusual Bezel. Steve contacted me today with a similar Bezel on his CJ-3B. So far, no one has produced any history regarding these. Anyone know anything about them?
Steve’s Bezel:
Gerald’s Image:
Thanks goes to Dexter for spotting this new twist on an ongoing scam by some pond scum. The famous 1942 GPW that popped up throughout the nation now has its own youtube video. The price has shifted from $4700 to $4999.
http://reno.craigslist.org/clt/2547048909.html
httpv://www.youtube.com/user/GWilliams429#p/a/u/0/9FicxLIgu44
Here is the Ad text, which appear just before I flagged the ad as a scam.
“Rebuilt 1942 GPW Ford Military Jeep -Rebuilt Collection compact military four-wheel drive utility vehicle. 4-cyl. side valves, 134 CID (2199 cc), 60 hp (45 kW). It is an excellent choice, FLAWLESS condition, Very light use. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on my YouTube chanel: http://www.youtube.com/user/GWilliams429”
Here is an original pic found on an earlier ad that now is on the video:
I guess I should have posted this at the beginning of the Festival, but I was pleasantly distracted all weekend. So, here is a post about the three Bantam generations. As the oral testimony shared by Gerald affirms, there were three different models of vehicles built by Bantam. Here is more history about the Bantam vehicles.
The Original Bantam: Below are images of the original Bantam Bantam Reconnaissance Car. Here are some images from Life Magazine from Camp Holabird. Here is a video of Duncan’s well done original BRC Replica (which also includes a BRC-40).
The Bantam BRC-60: This is the 2nd generation BRC-60. The easiest way to identify the differences between the BRC and the BRC-60 is to look at the fenders, note the Original BRC fenders are round, and the entry point, which is a smoother slope on the BRC-40 as opposed to the bump in the original BRC.
The Bantam BRC-40: This is the 3rd generation BRC-40. The easiest way to identify the difference between the BRC-60 and the BRC-40 is the grille. Note how flat the grille is compared to the rounded grille of the BRC-60. The windshield is dramatically different, as the BRC-40’s appears much stronger. Of course, there are other differences, but those are a quick way to distinguish between the two. Here is a BRC-40 that was for sale.
I guess I shouldn’t forget the Bantam ‘Checker’: Learn more about this at Bill Spear’s website.
Finally, just to show there seems to be an exception to every rule, Gerald forwarded this image. I believe the front of this is a Bantam BRC-60, but the door area resembles the original Bantam. The windshield has a higher ‘bridge’ across the bottom; which doesn’t resemble either the BRC or the BRC-60 in the pics above. I believe this was a Russian Lend/Lease vehicle, but perhaps someone else could be more specific about it.
Once again Gerald took the time to share some pictures with us. Bob had some information about the parade. In fact, at some point Bob and Gerald managed to connect (see below pic). From both of their comments, it is safe to say the parade eclipsed the old parade record held by the Colombians. Congrats to all the participated.
Bob writes,”The word was that there were 1106 jeeps in the parade. It went on until 10:30, and there were 35,000 people lining the streets of Butler.”
Gerald writes, “After the concert and I strong storm last night. I’m done. There is always next year. I’ll be better prepared. It’s already on for August 2012. I’m sure it will be even bigger. The parade was what everyone was talking about. It was over the top. The locals lined up deep and main street was full. The official count is 1108, I think. Unofficially 1700. We got the record details will follow.”
Windyhill writes, “Great show! I stopped by the “ewillys” table and saw the brick! lol. We just got home, about a 6 hour trip. I modified my 18 trailer so I could tow two willys as one time, my 3b and my brothers stock 3A for this trip. The parade was great, loved being able to walk down the street after and be able to start at the Bantams go threw the WWII Jeeps,and then threw the 2A’s 3A, 3B’s etc by decade! Saturday we got held up with a trailer bearing so I missed most of the show and shine but we did run my brothers stock 3A and my 3B threw the playground! It rained early Saturday which made for a soggy pack up but all in all a great time and we will return!
Here is Bob’s CJ-3B
Ever see a factory set of 9.00 x 13 high floatation tires? There was a Navy 3A with an original set. Wow (btw,
I got alot of comments about the Mini Terras and rims on my Jeep.)
Check out this firepower.
Camp and footlocker
Have you ever seen these bezels? Are they stock? (Ed note: I don’t believe they are stock. I’ve seen similar ones on Phillipine vehicles that seemed aftermarket.)
Now that’s a trailer.
Random Bantam, that’s an odd statement, but true at the fest. (BRC-40)
The playground
And that’s a rap. They ran out of shirts at the parade. Everyone was bummed about that.
Later.
ps. I’m drinking lot’s of coffee today and planning for next year.
I’ve been busy all day … any updates will need to wait until later tomorrow.
Sebastain had a great day at the Festival. He posted pics in two different locations:
http://flatfenderclubofbutler.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/welcome-32/
http://flatfenderclubofbutler.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/welcome-28/
Meanwhile, Gerald has been working hard peddling eWillys. In his spare time he’s been enjoying the Festival. He starts again at 6:30am.
Gerald starting off at 6:30am Saturday:
The set-up
Gerald notes h may have just become you East Coast Rep. Little does he know that as the East Coast Rep his salary will not be much different than mine. Did I mention it is a volunteer position Gerald?
The Jeeps
Bantam BRC 40 (not the original bantam, but the third version following the BRC-60 and BRC)
Only this update tonight ….
Gerald reported in just a few minutes ago. Much fun had by all. There were jeeps everywhere. He hasn’t gotten the official parade count, but he said people were rolling in for hours. Thanks Gerald!
Gerald notes, “Things were great tonight at the BantamFest Jeep Parade. All I can say is there were hundreds………. here’s a couple shots. i will get an official count on Saturday.”
The staging lot with the Lost Biscuit (Thanks to Gerald, I’m attending virtually. Rub me for good luck!)
Registration
They were coming in for hours
Late model line ups
General shot. It was packed
Main Street in Butler
Finished off with a late night tire change from NDT’s to the Turbines with Mini Terras for Saturday.
Already met some cool people, Maine to Australia.
The Bantam Festival is about to get underway. One of the goals of the festival is to break the world record for the longest parade of Jeeps, a record currently held by a parade held in Colombia. With more than 500 jeeps already registered for the parade, it seems breaking the record is a real possibility.
Just some quick math … 500 jeeps at approx 10 ft is a mile if parked end to end. That means if there is a jeep length between them, the parade will already be 2 miles long. Other jeeps will certainly join as well.
This is a Willys Jeep that was assembled from parts and pieces in the early 1960’s by Joe Ferrero and used as a Shriner’s parade vehicle through the early 1990’s. It appears to be a DJ-3A.
They acquired the Willys needing repair. With a minor ressurection – this vehicle is functioning as a parade vehicle. Features include all the bells and whistles (literally), a squirting telephone, bottle openers, and a keg that is accessible through the side of the vehicle.
Gerald is all ready for the Bantam Festival. Note that I will be riding with him in spirit, as he will have a picture of me and Biscuit on or near his jeep. So, stop on by, say hello, and get your picture taken with my picture. 🙂
Gerald writes, “We had my Dad’s 46 (red), Brother’s 48 (blue) and my 63 (cj3b) all in the same place for the first time. My brother also has a 50 M-38 to add but here’s the 3 at the Butler Farm show with a couple other flat fenders from our club.”
