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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 .
This International Flatfender Facebook post from India(?) shows two extended jeeps. Both looks like interesting builds.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641202336209808/permalink/2765258613804169/
UPDATE: Here’s another Willys StorDor Van. This one sold recently for $2300.
Ad text: Late 1940’s Willys-Overland StorDor step-van. Body is complete. Engine is complete; turns over but have not attempted to start. Tires hold air and vehicle rolls smoothly. Vehicle does not have paperwork.
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Originally posted Jan 26, 2019: Adam sold this rare 1948 Willys StorDor Van. Here’s another example. I assume this one has some kind of custom top?
“Offered here is a 1948 Willys StorDor step van. It has been converted to a Chevrolet 6 cyl and the roof has been extended. The inside is wired for 110v, fully insulated, and has a sleeping loft. This would make a great tiny home, food truck, or RV! It has been sitting for many years and will need reviving. It is not currently running, but the engine turns over. Asking $2200 or best offer. Registration is paid, title is clean, tags are current. Please reply with your phone number if interested and I will contact you.”
Landon Grove, the historian and curator for the Fort Ritchie Museum (Cascade, Maryland), reached out and asked about obtaining a WWII era jeep. The goal is to obtain a running, driving WWII jeep, but if necessary, he may consider a non-runner.
Landon wrote, “I have been Directed to see if we can locate a WWII era Jeep to display for our museum. I am hoping you can create a post for this purpose. We are a 501C3 non-profit and can offer someone a letter of appraisal for tax purposes. The Jeep does not have to be pristine, although the nicer the better. We would greatly appreciate any help your members can offer. As a 501c3, we can offer forms for tax incentives based on our valuation of a vehicle”
If you’d like to contact Landon, you can email him here: ritchiemuseum @ yahoo.com (remove the spaces around the @).
If you aren’t familiar with Fort Ritchie or the Ritchie boys, I would highly recommend watching this 60 minutes video (or click here if player below doesn’t work):
Here’s a pic of author J.D. Salinger, John Keenan, Jack Altaras, and Paul Fitzgerald (The Four Musketeers) in front of a jeep. All four survived the war and remained tight friends:
This March 30, 1943, article describes the kids reactions to seeing a Navy jeep they helped purchase through war bond sales. It was published in the Kansas City, Star.
Good news. I hope to begin semi-regular updates until late spring(?). With summer behind us, more darkness, Rose’s passing, and most of my work on the guest “bunk house” completed, I have more time to devote to eWillys. The updates won’t always be as comprehensive as before, but it’s better than nothing?
Because of the infrequent updates this summer and semi-regular updates going forward, all advertising this summer has been and will continue to be free, going forward, as a thanks to those advertisers who have supported eWillys over the years.
As for the bunk house work, the last resident was a bachelor with a dog. The result was that the place smelled pretty strongly (and not in a good way, lol), especially the carpet. So, we pulled all of that, put down new floors, replaced the plastic moulding trim with larger, better trim, righted the crooked doors (front door was so out of level it wouldn’t shut), and fixed or removed kitchen cabinets (to open up the space … we don’t need all those cabinets).
Currently, I’ve painted everything white, but we hope to add some accent colors to reduce the ‘snow blindness’ of the white. Next spring, we’ll fix up the outside by adding missing trim, redoing the ramp and deck, and painting the building red and white (after all, it looks a bit like a barn).
Some friends have expressed interest in renting it, but technically we can’t rent it because of some county rules (long story). Our intent is to make a place folks can stay if they want. Here are some pics.
Ann will be decorating in a barn theme, so that will add some color and texture. We expect it will sleep up to six (queen in the back, futon in the front, and possible bunk beds in an unpictured nook).
Before pic of the kitchen (I am hoping Ann has some better before pics of the interior):
After pic (this was before I painted the trim and made a few other additions … and cleaned up):
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Carl shared this video of a General Electric test robot (seems like a forerunner of the Boston Dynamics robots) pushing a VEC CJ-2A (which had seen better days — has the f-head bump, side damage, etc) out of a ‘ditch’. The Jeep portion begins at the 6:07 mark.
Blaine shared this classic photo of a Ford Vanette pulling a CJ-2A. The photo appeared at the end of this post with a series of photos:
This 1964 2’x3′ poster might interest a Gladiator collector. It is form number 64-05.
View all the information on ebay
“Item: Very Rare, Vintage, Original “Jeep Gladiator Camper” Automobile Dealer Sales Brochures Window/Wall Poster. 24″ x 36″ in Size. Rare Saved Paper History… Must have for the Serious Car Collectors! Does have some Fold/Edge Separations.
Year: 1960s Era
Condition: Vintage, Original, Used with Signs of Age and Wear, Please Review Photos for more Details. Lot Rated 8/10 for Condition. See Photos.”
This photo of an unusual Ford GPA/jeep build has appeared in several places on Facebook, but appears to have been originally posted to the Forgotten Oregon Facebook Group. The photo was taken in Vernonia, Oregon, in 1967. The 1943 Ford GPA was modified by Brad Garner’s father. The shop next to The Jeep is the Vernonia Eagle newspaper office.
This hub appeared in a Facebook photo posted by Josh. It appears to be a Watson hub (may have been private labeled through Sears), but part of its case was either 1) cast differently or 2) modified. Given The Jeep has spent its life in California, it’s likely some form of the Watson hub, but I’ve not seen one quite like this.
The odd hub is on the left and the Watson hub is on the right, itself a derivation of a Dualmatic hub (and having the same patent number as a Dualmatic).
UPDATE: This ad shows one of those odd instances when an ad appears in Collier’s that I have yet to find in the Saturday Evening Post. This happened a few times during the 1940s. Here’s a color version fo the ad, published May 04, 1946 (note that the ad continues the ‘Get a Jeep’ Campaign):
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Originally Published 03/10/2019: I spent some time searching for and assembling these Collier ads into two directory graphics, similar to the Saturday Evening Post graphics (updated in the post below). Unfortunately, the only archive I could find scanned them in black and white. And, the archive was missing some issues, so I suspect there were a few more published than shown below. Still, there are some differences between the ads, sometimes as small as changes in a few words of text, make these images useful for research.
This race jeep was modified with one-ton axles. Note the wider rear axle with an added fender well. The racers note the Jeep has 24-forward speeds. Maybe that means a six speed with an overdrive and transfercase? The article appeared in Roseville’s (CA) Press Tribune on October 23, 1968.
Biscuit on its way home
Lost biscuit finally arrived in Prosser, though The Jeep is a shadow of its former self. The original 3.8L V-6 was burning oil badly out of cylinder one, so while replacing the engine I also replaced the transmission, switching from an TH350 automatic to a T-18 with a low first. But, I could never find the time to complete that transition. Engine placement, driveline angle, and header angles seemed to fight me the entire transition. However, now that Biscuit is here, I’ll eventually have some time to devote to it (first, the race jeep’s seat will get adjusted for my height, then I will deal with Patterson’s generator and with the brake-clutch pedals, then Lost Biscuit).
To get Biscuit home, first I had to install a winch onto the tilt bed. After thinking through various ideas, I came up with a trial system that secured a winch frame to the tilt deck, but used a vertical angle against the from of the tilt deck as added leverage for the winch.
Here are some of the pieces I started with:
This shows the underside of the tilt deck. The square tubing in the pic above this one was drilled and bolted to the deck, with the bolts going through the wood and into angled pieces on either side of the hydraulic arm. I figured that was the least invasive way of mounting a winch (for now).
This shows the completed platform bolted onto the deck. Note how the front angle piece on the left sits down in front of the tilt bed. This allows the tilt bed to open and shut:
UPDATE: Thanks to Claus and his brilliant memory, we have another example of a Capstan winch on the back of a Raymond Concrete Jeep. In this case, I had posted it back in 2010. Raymond Concrete was formed in 1897, but went bankrupt in 1989.
Here’s the image:
A seller on eBay recently had one of these rear mounted PTO winches for sale. It, too, was from the Raymond Concrete company.
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Originally Posted October 7, 2021: David shared this CJ-2A for sale in Prineville. He asked if I had ever seen a capstan winch mounted on a rear PTO gearbox like this one. I said I hadn’t. Moreover, the special equipment brochure for the capstan only shows it being used on the front (see brochure below). So, does anyone know whether the capstan was marketed for the rear PTO gearbox? Or was this more likely a custom setup?
Anyway, here’s the jeep in Prineville:
https://bend.craigslist.org/cto/d/powell-butte-1946-original-cj2a-willys/7389633842.html
“Paint original(faded) No rust, No dents, No body repairs. Good top and doors. Runs and drives good. PTO winch, PTO rear capistan(very rare) Tow bar & hubs. All running gear original and operational.”
This 1950 photo shows what appears to be a Holden Ambulance used during the Korean War. Anyone know widely used (or not) these were during the Korean War?
View all the information on eBay
“1950 Press Photo Wounded Marines are loaded on an ambulance jeep, Naktong River. This is an original press photo. South Korea: Wounded US Marines are loaded aboard double decker ambulance jeeps for evacuation to a hospital after being wounded in the fighting on the Naktong River bulge.Photo measures 9 x 7inches. Photo is dated 08-24-1950.”
The point of this photo was to get this point across: “People, return your milk bottles!” … newspaper reports of the time indicate there was a shortage of bottles throughout North America.
View all the information on eBay
“January 24th, 1947, Original Press Photo.
Mrs. Dorothy Lamb of Scarsdale, New York, goes to market in the modern manner, with a basketful of empty milk and beverage bottles. She is answering the plea for return of the 35 Million bottles that have gone “truant” in American homes. Every one must be returned to circulation if a shortage milk and beverages is to be avoided because raw-material shortages ins curtailing bottle production.”
As you can see in this ad published the January 04, 1947, issue of the Bradford Era (Bradford, Pennsylvania), the shortage was serious and ‘dangerous’!
This article from The Province, dated January 16th, 1947, out of Vanouver, B.C., provides more information about the crisis:
UPDATE II: Here’s the YouTube version. There’s background music that might offend the DCMA, so not sure if YouTube will keep the video live or not (They’ve taken down another video of mine for background music — music that happened to be playing in the car at that time of the video).
UPDATE: I’m not sure if this will work for everyone or not. I worked on my MacBook Pro and on my iPhone. I can upload to YouTube later today, which should make it more speedy to load (it takes a short time to load before playing.
Check out this unusual hanging and spinning jeep calendar that Chris found on Facebook. It’s not an easy calendar to read, nor is it all that practical, but it’s certainly a rare jeep item! Given it shows that January 1st fell on a Friday, this appears to be from 1960.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
This black and white photo (free shipping) appears to show this CJ-2A fire jeep in a parade (based on the folks sitting in the background).
Here’s a neat video published on Facebook. It shows several models from the Willys Motors Wagon line.
I dropped the ball on this one. Frank sent me this photo of the engine stand he constructed last month, but it got lost in all my busy-ness. Thankfully, he circled around and reminded me so we can all enjoy it. It looks great Frank!
Frank wrote, “I wanted to send a picture of my spare 226 and the test stand. I got the engine back from the machine shop 3 years ago and didn’t want to leave it without running any longer. I put together this stand so I could break in the engine,tune it and check for any leaks. I have pumped up the oil pressure with a remote pump and filled the crank case that way. Tried to use what I had around to build it and used some parts that I got from my Willys friend Ken. All I need now is a YF carter and put gas in the tank. Doubt it will ever see my wagon but it has been fun playing with it.”
This photo is currently for sale on eBay. It shows a WWII jeep combined with a WWII trailer. Looks like it was a practical rig.
View all the information on eBay
“You are bidding on a Nice Vintage WWII US Army Late 1940s Willys-Overland Jeep Pickup Truck with Box Bed Photograph.
Very nice condition with light discoloration spots on back, from album mounting.
Great photo view showing WWII era U.S. Army late 1940s Willys-Overland Jeep pickup truck with box style bed.
Jeep hood shows # 37829
Measures 4″ x 2 5/8″.”
I bought this Yipao-themed jeep off of eBay. It included $15 for shipping. Given it is ceramic and given the shipping cost, I assumed the seller would properly package it. I was wrong. It arrived broken, wrapped in some bubble wrap, inside a flimsy plastic USPS mailer. Worse, nothing indicated it was fragile … Ugggghhh …. Based on the postage stamp of $8.55, I can see the seller went cheap and didn’t spend all the postage money I’d provided. Had he used a “if it fits, it ships box”, it likely would have arrived safely.
I’ve asked for my money back and he’s agreed.
I am hoping to be able to glue it back together, but we’ll see.
…..
Here’s how it should have looked:
UPDATE: The eBay seller sent me the wrong ad and doesn’t know what happened to the ad shown below. So, we may never know the dates or publisher of this ad.
I can’t remember running across this two page magazine ad highlighting the Go-Devil engine. I bought it off of eBay.
Rosemary, the queen of Halloween in her natural habitat (part of the garage converted to a dungeon the night of Halloween, 2015).
My mother-in-law passed away on Tuesday afternoon at the age of 76. She was a complicated woman. As I’ve alluded to in the past, her declining health was a factor in the summer-long hiatus of eWillys.
Between the pandemic, her cancer and her COPD, the last two years have been full of medical appointments, oxygen machines, 911 calls, drug management, and patient management. Two Christmas’s in a row have been interrupted with Emergency Room visits.
Much of the work (and frustrating grief) fell into the hands of my wife, Ann, who, through the deaths of her sister and father (both from Huntington’s disease years ago …. a terrible way to go), along with the deaths of several other relatives, has become someone of an expert in palliative (end of life) care, especially related to COPD and/or congestive heart failure. She was a huge asset to my father during his last years and I’ve learned a great deal from her about end of life issues.
My MIL was both grateful for our help and critical of our help during her ill years, because she could be critical of most anything. One of her favorite statements was, “whoever designed this [whatever it was] should be dragged out and shot.” We heard this more and more as she got more and more confused about technology and life; but she was certain she was right and the designer of said service/item was wrong. In fact, she was usually right about everything, whether she was actually right or not.
I’ve had a little more time lately to spend sometime on eBay. One of the things I stumbled upon last week was an authenticast Surrey in Cerulean Blue for only $30 (including shipping)!! Now that was a score! I then made an offer on a pink one that I found and that got accepted, too. Here are pics of both.
I was surprised that these have such good weight to them; they are about 1.5lbs. The one moving piece on both is the hood, which lifts (tilting up while the windshield tips back), but the straps must be removed from one side for this to happen.
The Blue one still has some fringe on one side, but a piece of the bumper is missing and a strap is broke:
