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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 REPRINTED 11″x17″ photo from eBay shows a Thrif-T-Van body on an unknown chassis with Kaiser-Willys printed on the side. Anyone have insights into this?
View all the information on ebay
“1950 ‘S KAISER WILLYS PANEL VAN TRUCK 11 X 17 PHOTO”
This April 21, 1943, ad in the Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas) encourages kids to join a jeep club designed to raise money through war bond sales. It includes an illustration of a Ford GP.
Marilyn Monore’s trip to Korea is featured. At one point she can be seen in an early M-38A1. The most fascinating part of the video to me was the sea of soldiers gathered to watch her.
“MS. Monroe on steps of plane waving. LS. G.I’s running. Various shots, Monroe in army uniform walking about. MS. Monroe running up steps to entertain troops. LS. Monroe on stage entertaining troops”
Interesting video of the RAF mountain rescue team and their use of a jeep, ambulance and climbing skills to investigate crash sites in the hopes of saving pilots and crew.
“Various shots of RAF (Royal Air Force) Mountain Rescue Service at work. Their job is to rescue RAF pilots that have crashed in hills / mountains. The search party consists of ambulance, jeep and team of mountaineers. An aeroplane flies over head to locate crash site. Good shot of team walking along ridge silhouetted against sky. We see the mountaineers climbing rock faces. The crash victim is strapped to a stretcher for descent. The mountaineers keep in contact with the ambulance and aeroplane using walkie talkies.
This is the crew of RAF Llandwrog training in the Snowdonia Mountains.”
This video focuses on Lord Mountbatten and a visit to see troops (in India or Burma?). there are several clips of him traveling by jeep.
This closeup of the windshield appears at the 1:23 Mark.
“A jeep drives across bridge and into an army camp. Lord Louis Mountbatten inspecting troops lined up in the open – British and Indian, some black men seen. Lord Mountbatten addressing the gathered troops. Various shots of Lord Mountbatten walking around the camp talking to the men. A man on stretcher is carried towards a plane.”
The mud and water sure looked miserable! There’s at least one shot of an ambulance jeep.
“Army jeeps and lorries struggle through the mud tracks, they drive past ruined village. Allied soldiers trudge through the mud. Various shots of a completely flooded street in Borgo San Lorenzo, people stand in doorways and a lorry drives through. Soldiers lift children from a truck to their house, and a lady wades through whilst three soldiers push a bicycle.”
Bill spotted this article the other day. I’m not all that familiar with the M-715 history, so can’t speak to the accuracy of it, but I found it interesting.
https://www.hotcars.com/kaiser-jeep-m715-looking-back/
Over the weekend we moved 99.99% of our stuff to the new place. We were only able to accomplish that goal due to the help of Ann’s family (a hearty thank you to all of them who helped). As you can see in pic below, taken after the first two rounds of moving, there was quite a bit of stuff. Once much of these items (aka crap) was put into the upper-level storage, a third round filled the shop again. Thankfully, we have a ton of storage in the upper level of the shop (note the hole in the back wall near the ceiling; that’s a winch-lift setup to elevate stuff into the storage area), so we can store a bunch of stuff until the MIL passes (then a bunch goes away).
The next step is to get the kitchen arranged to my satisfaction, then turn my attention back to the shop-office. It needs paint and updating. After that, I can move everything into it. Then, attention will turn to the woodshed area (paint, hang over head lights, setup up shop vac PVC system). Once that’s done, then the shop itself will get clean and arranged. I suspect this will take a couple weeks.
As for when updates will resume, we still don’t have broadband internet. Only DSL is available in our area at this point (though we were told that for $50,000 we could get Spectrum cable–Spectrum is still a few country blocks away from our place–to which we said thanks, but no thanks). My hope is to return to regular updates by Monday May 10th.
This video shows the press’ introduction to the M-38A1. Note the “AUTO. DIV. TEST” stenciled. on the side of the jeep.
This video has stories from around the globe. The only US-specific report is jeep-centric, as it covers the Coast Guard’s Super Jeep.
“Members of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force receive Colours in Sao Paulo. Various shots as the men and women are reviewed by the War Minister and his staff as they march past prior to leaving on overseas service.
Various shots of women lifesavers on Bondi Beach in Australia. They push out their boat and row out to sea. Various shots of them exercising on the beach, they feed out a lifeline. M/S of two women carrying the victim back. M/S of them standing in a line.
Various shots of male and female Yugoslav partisans who have been in Malta recuperating from wounds gained in battle in their own country. They now march along in uniform and start to receive instruction on bren guns for the time when they can return to Yugoslavia.
L/S of an American army jeep and its new larger counterpart the scout car which can hold 10 men. They drive along the beach, the normal jeep gets stuck in sand dune but the bigger one drives up it with no problems. “
Randy let me know the Wabash Valley Jeep Junkies will be auctioning off a 1949 CJ-3A. Submit your sealed bids by close of business May 14th. All proceeds will go to PINK of Terre Haute, which support cancer victims in the Wabash Valley.
This 1944 video shows the early days following D-day. Not a whole lot of jeeps, but some interesting footage.
Various shots of American soldiers in street of village of Isigny. Fires are still burning in some of the wrecked buildings. Various shots of villagers returning home, passing American troops pushing on through smouldering ruins. M/S of dejected looking German prisoners resting against wall. Various shots of American soldiers helping civilians and rounding up more prisoners. They issue out advice and food to villagers from loud speaker van.
Aerial view of flooded area near Carentan. Point of view shot from jeep travelling along country road, American troops are resting in hedges. Various shots of refugees returning to Carentan. Happy American soldiers in the main square of Carentan, the World War One memorial is decorated with allied flags. The villagers come out of bomb shelters to greet the liberators. More shots troops advancing. Various shots of local fire fighters putting out fires in the town using hand pump.
Aerial shots of of Dakotas dropping paratroops over Northern France. Various shots of U.S. infantry passing through St. Marie du Mont. Various shots of British artillery unit firing field guns into the German lines. L/S of Sherman tanks of the British Army moving across fields. M/S of British infantry moving along country road. Various shots of American infantry moving through Montebourg, includes shots of American soldiers using a motorcycle-halftrack captured from Germans. American soldiers also seen operating remote controlled midget tank captured from enemy.
Various shots of Canadian troops evacuating their Public Relations H.Q. which has been hit by a shell. Various shots of Normandy farmyard where British and American troops are lining up for food. Army chef has made jokey menu board. More shots of Infantry on the road between Caen and Bayeux
Various shots of General Charles de Gaulle climbing down from DUKW (amphibious vehicle) on Normandy beach, before being driven off in a jeep. Various shots of De Gaulle meeting the people of France again. He is seen at the town of Bayeux, shaking hands and receiving flowers from cheering crowds.
Back on the beaches. Various shots of King George VI arriving on DUKW, he is greeted by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (aka Monty). The King wears naval uniform. Various shots of King at investiture ceremony in the field. He presents medals to soldiers, including the Commander of the Third Canadian Division. Troops cheer the King. The King shakes hands with Monty before departing.
UPDATE: I received this in the mail. It’s a surprisingly hefty booklet!
I had just enough time to win this brochure on eBay Sunday. It’s 52 pages. Willys even offered a DJ-3A for the military. I’m guessing this is a 1956 brochure, as it includes the CJ-6 and DJ-3A, but not any FCs.
Below are the seven pages posted on the eBay auction (it will be a while before I can scan this).
A jeep makes a brief appearance at the end of this short news clip from 1943 titled “Riders In Gliders – Dublin”
“Several shots of the lines of gliders and men working on them – possibly in the factory. Various shots of glider pilots boarding their craft. With a tow from powered plane, the gliders go into the air and the pilots are left on their own. A glider makes a perfect landing. A jeep emerges out of one of the gliders – demonstration of the carrying power of these craft.”
This video covers an interview of the group that first bombed targets in Rome.
It’s been a couple long days, but 95% of the stuff has been moved. We have some family here now, so we should make more good progress this weekend. My brain is a bit fried, to the point I can’t think of anything clever to write (this of course assumes that I’ve written clever prose in the past; if I haven’t, don’t spoil my delusions … ).
UPDATE: Barney Goodwin spotted a similar tool kit branded by Cadillac:
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Original posted Dec 10, 2021: Anyone familiar with this unusual took kit that’s been listed on eBay for $80 obo? Was it included in any jeeps or just offered as a dealer option? I would guess it was available in the early 1970s?
I’ve had these same tools for years, but didn’t know they came in a Jeep-marked tool kit container. Here’s my tools (there is nothing marked “jeep”).
Here’s the set that’s available on eBay:
View all the information on eBay
“Vintage Jeep socket RATCHET WRENCH full kit.”
Bill spotted this article from Hemmings about the possibility that the jeep design was partly influenced by a Volkswagen predecessor. The article draws heavily on Bill’s Spears great book Warbaby: The True Story of the Original Jeep.
Here’s the article: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/04/29/did-an-obscure-beetle-predecessor-influence-the-development-of-the-jeep?
Bantam BRC Mk II (AKA BRC-60). Photo courtesy Bantam Jeep Historic Festival.
This three minute video offers a variety of clips featuring FDR riding in a jeep.
“President Franklin D. Roosevelt sits in army jeep to inspect British troops in Malta. M/S General Dwight Eisenhower accompanying British Naval officer.”
This British Pathe video that John shared shows some early shots of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a jeep.
“Various shots of American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt arriving in front seat of open jeep at an open tented army camp at unknown location in America. He inspects the camp in a jeep. President Roosevelt remains seated to watch march past.”
This silent video includes several clips of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a jeep.
“L/S palm trees – looks like hot climate, could be Cuba? C/U President Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR) with dignitaries and US Naval Commanders. FDR gets into jeep and is driven past village of straw huts. Various shots FDR having dinner with VIPs inside hut, one of the guests is black. Various shots FDR taking salute at march past by black / Latino soldiers in American army uniform, marching behind American flag. FDR wears a black armband.”
UPDATE: Here’s another example of this brochure on eBay
View all the information on eBay
“Illustrates and Details;
An original part color folder sent to Willys-Overland dealers to announce the “Dealer Day”; a celebration designed to help dealers better promote their product.
Shows some of the models that were available – 4 trucks.
Excellent condition piece – perfect for Willys-Overland literature collectors.
Approximate size; 5″ x 7″; 12 Pages, printed in the USA.”
This 1945 Pathe Gazette video shows the view of the war from a captured German videographer’s perspective.
This set of brochures just sold for $154.50 on eBay. I’m shocked by that price. In May 2020 I paid $15 for my set!
This collection includes a letter (first time I’ve seen it) that provides a more specific date regarding when these brochures were released. The letter is dated May 5, 1952. Unfortunately, the camera used is poor quality, so the letter isn’t the easiest to read.
This. collection does not include the Earth Moving Equipment brochure.
You can better see each of these brochures here. The one exception is the “Tool Bar Implements page, which may just be a header page rather than a brochure.
View all the information on eBay
“lot of 6 JEEP Farm Tractor plow mower corn picker tool bar implements Brochures 11 x9 each a page or two showing the jeep and attachments and a rare letter from Willys Kaiser 1952 introducing the attachments for the Jeep. letter has some browning”
This news reel features three segments. The middle one is especially interesting as it shows Ford GPA Seeps zipping around a park in Philadelphia, then jumping into a lake.
“New Jersey. Various shots of the “Nappy National” in New Jersey. Parents putting nappies on their babies – this is a race. Babies take part in a crawling race – an annual event.
Philadelphia. Various shots of the new amphibious jeeps showing their paces. Jeep goes up and down some steps and then leaps from land into a lake and back again.
San Francisco. Various shots of the sea lions at the San Francisco Zoo performing for audience of children at feeding time – swimming around and leaping over and under obstacles.”