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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 .
Steve shared this photo of a child in his new Hamilton pedal jeep. The photo seems to make the jeep look extra glossy.
CREDIT: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by.428585/page-71 (half way down page)
Bill shared this original looking, but rough, pedal jeep.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/atq/d/peconic-jeep-tiger-peddle-car-original/7213353558.html
“Jeep Tiger Peddle Car .
Original paint .
Please refer to the pictures for condition.
Please feel free to ask questions
Item sold as is.
Cash deal .
No scammers please .
If this ad is up the car is still for sale.
No low ballers….”
It’s too bad this photo isn’t sharper as I’d like to see if those are wheels and hubs truly look like they are from a jeep. It looks like that body fits the jeep chassis pretty well. This photo appeared in the February 27, 1947, issue of the Brooklyn Citizen.
This photo and caption out of the February 11, 1946, issue of the Herald-Journal (Logan, Utah), shows the press photo that was for sale on eBay back in 2013.
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Originally Published September 18, 2013: According to the attached information, these jeeps were winterized with left over Japanese transport plane materials.
This 1946 photo was also available in 2013. It too was taken at a Japanese airbase, but it’s unclear to me if it is the Showa airbase or not.
=========================
This press photo was taken in 1946 in Showa as well.
“This is an original press photo. Instead of manufacturing cargo planes for Japanese use, this assembly line is making US Jeeps fit for winter use. Japanese stocks of aluminum, plexiglass, rivets, iron rods and fabric are being fitted to jeep use. Photo measures 9.25 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 2-6-1946.”
UPDATE: Price dropped to $200.
(10/09/2019) This is fun and a reasonable price, too.
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/tag/d/elk-grove-jeep-replica/7217471675.html
“This replica Jeep is 3/4 scale model loosely based on an early 40’s Willy’s Jeep. I built it for a prop for kids to play on at Vacation Bible School. The frame and body are wood construction plenty sturdy for kids (and small adults!) to sit in / play on. Tires are made of styrofoam, plastic lids, and irrigation drain pipe. No, it does not roll; it is stationary, although with a some imagination and skill you could modify it. There are headlights and marker lights in front connected to a 12v battery and switch in the dash.
Would love to keep it, but don’t have the space for it. Could be for a kid’s playroom, or maybe a Jeep dealer could use it for a kid space!”
This photo of a CJ-5 with a bed extension (possibly Kent Frost’s jeep) was taken in the Needles District of Canyonlands in 1963 or 1964. It can be viewed more in-depth at the Utah State Historical Society’s website.
CREDIT: Utah State Historical — Society https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6zw391g .. “Jeep party is shown ascending steep pitch through Needles area of projected Canyonlands National Park.”
This October 14, 1945, article by Earl Albert Selle (more on him below) in the Honolulu Advertiser shared a few stories about the dangers faced by jeep drivers in the Pacific Theater. Brown University has a collection of Earl Selle’s correspondence, articles, photos, and other materials. The collection also contains materials from William Henry Donald, about who Selle wrote a book called “Donald in China” in 1948 (which sounds like an interesting book, also available here). There are pics of the book on Etsy.
Earl Albert Selle, was born around 1887 in Seattle. His early life was full of adventure. During WWII he went blind, as was probably blind when he wrote the above column. But, that didn’t stop him from being adventurous. It is claimed he made news in 1961 when he wrote about becoming an aviator and flying a plan with the help of a seeing-eye-pilot. You can learn more about Earl in this obituary:
Thanks to Roger Martin for spotting this photo on Facebook. This 1942 photo shows a jeep carrying an elevated target to help with shooting practice at Wendover Airfield. The photo was posted on Facebook by Damon Viola after he visited the The Historic Wendover Airfield Museum in Utah. He added, “This is a WWII Army Air Base dedicated in part to training the flight crew of the Enola Gay for the atomic bomb drop in Japan. If you’re ever in Western Utah I urge you to stop and check it out.”
Moving Target, Gunnery Range on Wendover Airfield, 1942. Courtesy of the Utah Historical Society.
UPDATE: This is back on eBay.
This looks to be a press photo of a fire department jeep from the city of Columbus, Georgia, The date of the photo appears to be March 27, but I can’t make out the year on the right side of the photo (maybe ’53). I think the posters on the grille read “Don’t let FIRE lick YOU”.
View all the information on eBay
“Press Photo Fire Department Jeep Col92671 10X8 Photo Photo Is Undated.”
Tom spotted this toy M-38A1 with what appears to be the original box.
https://lexington.craigslist.org/tag/d/winchester-1960s-marx-jeep-in-box/7193799628.html
“Made for Marx Buddy Charlie, GI Joe, and other 1/6 scale figures. Jeep is in extremely good condition. Box in very good condition with cardboard inserts. Only real box damage is on a end flap. Tear on corner. $125 firm.”
This article appeared in the June 19, 1945, issue of the Tucson Citizen out of Arizona. One bit of info mentions that a Chicago junk dealer bought “a small mountain” of smashed jeeps. Could that have been the King of Jeeps himself Hyrum Berg?
An article from January 4, 1947, in the Honolulu Advertiser (and other publications) shared the news that the Japanese were customizing jeeps for civilian use.
This June 27, 1946, ad by the Little Motor Company in Alabama’s The Baldwin Times Bay newspaper is one of the better full-page adds that I’ve seen.
It’s not clear to me who the author of this article is, but he describes the “red tape” he and other must overcome to purchase jeep in Europe. His story appeared in the May 30, 1946, issue of the Tipton Daily Tribune out of Tipton, Indiana.
UPDATE: Well, clearly the exhaustion got the best of me on this post. I thought this was a North Carolina story, when in fact it was a California story.
This November 11, 1946, article in the Wilmington Daily Press Journal highlights the opening of Carl’s Motor Company. I’d love to see an original of that photo.
This article in the April 14, 1946, issue of the Daily Oklahoman, highlighted jeeps, among other issues, with causing injuries in Tokyo.
UPDATE: I’ve added high-resolution examples of each of these articles. You can download the zipped file here: jeep-serial-numbers-sale-in-hawaii.zip
This is a cool find. It announces the first sale of jeeps to veterans in Hawaii for personal use (as well as business). There have got to be a few jeeps still around that originated at this surplus sale. This was published in the June 01, 1946, issue of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald (page 4). I’ve divided up the list into multiple images. At the bottom of this post is a link for the entire clipping.
First of three lists:
No Updates today, but Ann flew into MN and will accompany me back, so there should be some updates in a day or two.
While trying to locate a place for Betty Page to pee on the way to MN, I ran across this FC-150 outside Big City Bar & Grille in Rawlins, Wyoming.
And from this angle …
UPDATE: Gil’s hoping to reconnect with he Shakespeare family, so I’m reposting this in the hopes some family member might see it.
Original Post January 18, 2017 — Bill shared the video below from Jack and Doreen Shakespeare. Together, the couple recount their 1958 journey in a late 40’s wagon from Australia to England. The trip took them 114 days. Fortunately for us, they filmed much of the trip. It’s a great story.
This 1969 Jeep Wagoneer was spotted by Dan. It’s already sold, but still worth a look:
https://barnfinds.com/54k-mile-1969-jeep-wagoneer/
Some of the serial numbers are the same, but it also appears to include some new ones (I only did a cursory comparison). This appeared in the July 11, 1946, issue of The Honolulu Advertiser.
This ad appeared in the September 06, 1946, issue of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. I have not compared this list to the previous lists, but it sure appears that a lot of jeeps sold over the summer of 1946. This list also contains more non-jeep vehicles.
UPDATE (late Monday night): Well, it being 2020, this plan went awry. A few hours before we were going to leave, Ann’s mother had a breathing episode (she has COPD), so Ann couldn’t join me. That means I’m doing a solo trip with our 10-month old puppy and returning with a second puppy.
We’ve decided to get a full sister for our newest pup, as we don’t think our older dog will be around much longer (he’s got a bad heart). So, we’ll be on the road the next few days to Minnesota and back. Updates will continue, but I likely won’t be very responsive to email. We don’t plan on any reader stops or fun explorations, so I expect there will be little to report. Our goal is to beat the coming cold weather, avoid the virus, and return quickly so that Ann’s mother isn’t by herself for too long (we’ve lined up support for her while gone).
I like the full-layout image of the country and jeeps on this brochure. It’s form number is DM 62-07.
Here’s the full image:
There’s no date associated with this photo, but General Krueger made Lt. Gen. in 1941. Given the jeep appears to be an MB, then this is most likely a 1942 or 1943 photo.
While in Louisiana, according to Wikipedia, the General adapted quickly to modern warfare, In at least two different phases of mock battles, the Lt. Gen. out gamed his opponents. He’d later use similar strategies to confront Japanese forces in the Pacific Theatre. After the war, he authored From Down under to Nippon: The Story of the Sixth Army in World War II.
View all the information on eBay
“Press Photo Lieutenant General Walter Krueger and Soldiers with Army Jeep. This is an original press photo. When a three star general roams the maneuver country, no cushioned limousine will do the job. Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, left above, confers with Staff Sargent M. Hanson about the ground-covering capabilities of his “war” Jeep, complete with two-way radio, siren, and – just to clear the road – the General’s three-starred flag. Both the Jeep and General have a task ahead – for General Krueger, as Commanding General of the Third Army, will direct strenuous maneuvers in the battle-tough Louisiana area.Photo measures 9.25 x 7.5inches. Photo is dated –None.”
