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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 .
Maury pointed me to this Four Wheeler article on a stock CJ-6 with some neat options. One of those options was a “factory-installed AM radio option”. It’s not the cleanest factory install, but does the job. Anyone know whether 1) this was a factory install or a dealer install and 2) what years the optional radio was offered?
The 2021 Epic Willys Adventure will be hitting the road .. or better put … the Oregon Trail, starting August 13th. Their goal is to follow the Oregon Trail, if I’m not mistaken, from Missouri to Oregon.
Word on the street is that the intrepid crew may seek some refuge near the end of their journey at the new World Headquarters of eWillys for a night. Let’s hope they make it!
More on this adventure as it unfolds. If you are interested in sponsoring the journey, feel free to contact them through the website: https://www.epicwillysadventure.com/about-us
I’ve been spending the last couple weeks stalking Craigslist, trying to find a good price on a drill press. A couple days ago I found a Jet in great condition for $250, but I called to late on that one. After searching some more, I finally found a 16 speed drill press for only $100. So, I drove up to Ellensburg (about an hour and a half north) and picked it up today.
It turned out the seller was a long time farmer who used to own a machine shop (along with a 3000 acre farm) outside of Hermiston, but he downsized to a hundred acre place in Ellensburg. Because of that, he didn’t need the drill press. He said it worked great, but sometimes one of the chuck teeth would stick when changing drill bits. One thing that made the deal worthwhile to me was that he included the drill press vice and a notcher, two tools that together, when new, are about the value what I paid for the whole package.
Add into that, $50 for a never-used 40″ John Deere Aerator (Piece at $489 and Home Depot) and I’d say I had a good day shopping!
The funny thing about the visit was that the guy had grown up in Prosser (where we now live) and owned several Willys Jeeps (a 1956 CJ-5 was his high school vehicle). Small world.
UPDATE II: I received this small booklet. There are thirteen pages (with lots of pics) written by Joe Brown and eleven pages about donuts, including a quiz and recipes (as in, you can use donuts in a variety of ways). So, if you want jeeps, don’t buy this booklet; but, if you like donuts, then this might be a winner. Below are a few sample pages …
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UPDATE: Curiously, after I purchased a copy on Amazon, the price went up a dollar.
In early 1944, Actor and Comedian Joe E. Brown published “You Said A Mouthful”, a book about his adventures entertain troops. The cover includes an illustration on the cover of him on a jeep. If interested, here are various copies for sale on eBay.
“A rip roaring; Illustrated; funny story of Joe E. Brown’s adventures in entertaining millions of doughboys all over the world.”
PHOTO CREDIT: University of South Carolina … https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/jmetz/id/1197
The book was published by the Doughnut Corporation of American and Bond Bread. Thus, this explains why he’s holding a donut. An advertisement for Bond Bread is included on the back of the book:
There’s only a brief shot of a jeep, but I found the footage of the gliders compelling.
Various shots of aeroplanes all marked with D-day signs standing in an airfield. A motorcycle and jeep drive up a ramp into the planes. Various shots of the paratroops as they prepare on the ground.
The aeroplanes taxi and take off for Holland, planes include Halifaxes, Stirlings and Albermarles, as well as Horsa gliders and Wacos. Air to air of the planes getting airborne and flying in formation out across the Channel. Ground to air formation of Dakotas passing over Belgian town, people look up at the aircraft. M/S Dakota plane that has crashed into a panzer tank burning in a field.
Aerial shot of the gliders casting free and heading to ground, they land. Various shots of paratroops parachuting to the ground in Holland. Various shots of planes in the fields.
These original 8×10 photos were taken, I imagine, during an interview of President Ronald Reagan by Walters.
Shane scored a very stock CJ-2A with a Newgren lift this weekend. Though it’s been converted to 12 volts, he believe he has all the parts to restore it to six volts. However, there are a few other parts he doesn’t have, so he’s hoping someone else does. You can contact him at donovanshanemiller @ gmail.com (remove the spaces around the “@” before emailing him).
He’ll share some pics of his new find once he is able.
This brief video was posted to Facebook. It shows a vehicle yard full of jeeps.
“7 Australian Ordnance Vehicle Park Tolga
August 1944
Estimated to have over 4,000 vehicles
Did you know that Tolga was the location of the largest ordnance depot in North QLD during WWII?
The 13th Australian Advanced Ordnance Depot consisted of over 150 buildings and 18 igloos plus the vehicle park, a salvage area and workshops.”
This year marks the 55th annual Mile-Hi Jeep Club’s All-4-Fun event, a week-long event that changes locations each year. An appeal went out to the International Flat Fender Club in the hope of finding some more vintage jeeps to enjoy the experience. Registration is currently open, but closed June 30th. The cost is $500 for the week, July 31-August 7.
This video show Dwight D. Eisenhower driving a jeep on his own and meeting with various soldiers.
“American General Dwight Eisenhower (Ike) in a jeep driving off. Several shots of the American soldiers. Several shots of a group of people gathered around a jeep at the open air camp, tents in background. General Eisenhower in a group, he shakes hands with a man. gets into jeep and drives off. Various shots of the British and American army, navy and airmen lined up on field. “
This post card, possibly from August 29, 1966, shows travelers in a Hotchkiss (most likely), modified into a tour jeep.
View all the information on ebay
“Jeep Willys Hotchkiss car at Canigou, Roussillon, France vintage Postcard”
UPDATE: Price dropped to $10,500.
(03/06/2021) It looks like the rear part of the body has been repaired; maybe melded with the back of a WWII body?
https://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/d/lemoore-jeep-flat-fender/7332324131.html
“1948 Willy’s Jeep flat fender, original rebuilt 4 cylinder motor with about 1000 miles logged. Runs good, the drive train and the brakes are in good condition, the three speed manual transmission with a two lever transfer case shifts smooth.
The body has no rust. Comes with a set of stock size wheels and tires, the interior is in good shape. Has a clean title and current tag”
UPDATE: Here’s an article published December 27, 1958, by the Honolulu Advertiser which tells the story of Henry’s gift to his wife.
Local writer William Drury poked fun at the Kaisers for their pink obsession in this May 31, 1961, column in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:
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Originally Published December 24, 2016: In 1958, Henry Kaiser gave his wife Ale a pink FC-170 for Christmas. I tried to find some additional information or photos, but didn’t have any luck.
FC-170 Jeep truck – Xmas gift for Ale Kaiser, 1958
A lover of pink, Henry Kaiser also had a colorful boat:
Continue reading
UPDATE: It turns out that the U-Drive business first started right after the war continued into the 1960s, as this article from the June 1960 issue of the Honolulu Star-bulletin points out:
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Original Published October 20, 2020: A March 29, 1946, article highlighted a Jeep U-Drive business that opened in Honolulu. The first surplus jeeps sold could only be bought for business use by veterans. Roy L. Mongeon, from Hampton, Massachusetts, who was stationed in Hawaii, decided to purchase twenty jeeps. After a number of soldiers asked to drive his jeeps, he decided to open a jeep rental business.
I thought this ad was interesting, as it promoted the chance to win two free trips to Japan, an offer that probably had little appeal, other than in Hawaii.It was published in the March 12, 1959, issue of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Blaine found this unusual CJ-5. The seller claims it was special ordered by Henry Kaiser, then given to the Boy Scouts. Hopefully, the seller can substantial the claim. Even without that pedigree, this is an awfully stock jeep in very good shape.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/santa-rosa-1960-jeep-cj/7329715935.html
“This is a 1960 CJ five with 35,000 original miles. The jeep is from Hawaii. Henry J Kaiser gave this jeep to the Boy Scouts in Hawaii. The Boy Scouts sold raffle tickets as a fundraiser. When the jeep was about a year old. It wound up in Paso Robles. The man owned it past away. I Purchased a jeep 15 years ago. The stoop is always been under cover in store and in storage. It is in great condition. The color of the jeep, is the same colors as the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Hawaii. Which was also owned by Henry J Kaiser. The main body of the jeep which is painted a darker pink is the same as the hotel The light pink that is used on the grill. He’s also the same color as the trim color on the hotel. The color of the seats are the color of the tile roof that is on the hotel. This is also the same colors of used on Kaiser s Sand and gravel trucks. This jeep has an absolutely fabulous history. and I believe that it is the only CJ five. In these colors as it was a special order by Henry J Kaiser and sell.”
The Miami Herald published a column by writer Robert C. Ruark On July 28, 1948. Apparently, he wasn’t much of a fan of the civilian jeeps, calling them “ladies”.
UPDATE: This post was originally published din 2014. Since then, I learned more about Ted, but had spread it out across various posts. Ted’s trips, and his subsequent movies, have been added to this post.
First Published November 2014: In 1955, Theodore Bumiller set out for an around-the-world adventure in a Willys Wagon. He captured his trip in photos and video. I attempted to learn more about his trip, but I only learned that his daughter is now a noted author (maybe someone else will have more luck). I emailed her to learn more about her father’s adventures, but have yet to receive a reply.
Following the trip, Ted made his first film: a 30 minute movie titled “Around The World By Jeep”. He traveled around exhibiting it. The ad below, published in the January 3rd, 1970, edition of the Toledo Blade shows he was still touring and showing his film fifteen years after he’d made his trip.
Anyone ever seen the movie?
In the late 1950s, Ted created a second movie: “The Four Seasons of Scandinavia”, an exploration of the four seasons in Scandinavian countries. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t have anything to do with jeeps.
This article from the April 15, 1959, issue of The Sun (out of Stark County, Ohio) explains more:
Ted’s daughter Elizabeth wrote a book and included an acknowledgement to Ted and his wife Ruth Ann for teaching her how to travel and for inspiring her to explore the world. In it she mentions a third film by Ted, “Eternal India”.
This photo shows a CJ-2A with a Worman hardtop.
View all the information on ebay
“5” x 3 1/2″ picture from around 1948. The Willys logo on the jeep is blurry in the picture.”
This December 06, 1958, article in the Tulare Advance Register highlights the Tulare County Four-Wheel Drive Club with pics and text. It’s not a club that I recognize, but the club was pivotal to the formation of the California Association of Jeeps Clubs in 1959 (later known as the California Four Wheel Drive Association). I tried to find a club logo or sticker, but couldn’t locate any example.
Here’s the 1958 article (spliced for easier viewing):
Just a couple updates for Friday.
Gary informed me that Lawrence Elliot of North Carolina passed away recently. Lawrence was a long time jeep mechanic, who owned jeeps up until he passed. He also rebuilt bell cranks, installing bearings into them to improve their behavior.
Ann, Maury and I had a chance to spend time with Lawrence and check out his jeeps back in 2018. Below are Lawrence and I posing at the back of his Willys Truck.
According to Bob Western, it looks like Pennsylvania will allow this year’s Great Willys Picnic to be hosted on Sunday, June 13th.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2371874076451461/
This in-depth article on the use of jeeps and planes includes a variety of photos. It appeared in the April 08, 1951, issue of the Nevada State Journal.
The CJ-5 Camper, with its own axle, always seems a pretty odd and unique build. But, Blaine found some other camper designs, with their own axle, that make the CJ-5 look practical.
https://www.coastresorts.com/boards/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29713156/print/true.cfm
Here’s one example:
This article in the October 22, 1944, issue of the Miami Herald explains how, during a hurricane-related power outage, an Army jeep was used to power a printing press, saving the news day.
