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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 .
Two different 100+page Willys Commercial Data Fact Books on eBay. One is listed at $95.99 and the other at $159.99. I’ve never seen one of these, so I’m not sure all of what is inside them.
The interior pics appear the same for both:
This September 28th, 1941, article covered the ‘cold shoulder’ given to American Bantam by War Department.
A few items I found on my phone. I think all these photos were on Facebook?
Some thought when into the mods on this jeep:
This sedan jeep is odd even for custom hardtop jeeps.
UPDATE: This brochure appeared on Facebook a while back.
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Originally published October 2016: The American Chain & Cable Company’s Manley Division produced these Jeep Wrecking Cranes in the late 1940s. I can’t imagine there are too many of these around. This brochure is from a 1948 Industrial Equipment book.
This issue has some good articles, from new dealers, to jeeps in media, to the Schreiders’ first big adventure in their Ford GPA, Tortuga, from the Arctic Circle to Argentina (opposite direction of yesterday’s adventure).
This original poster featuring a Ford GP just sold on eBay yesterday for $177.50.
“Original poster printed by the US Government Printing Office. This poster was professionally mounted on what looks like painters canvas so should be ready for framing. Very good condition with sharp color. Measures approximately 43″ x 30-1/2″.”
UPDATE: This is an extensive update to the 2017 post about Pedro and Carlos Rocasalvo’s 1946-1949 trip from Argentina to Alaska and back.
CREDIT: February 1955 issue of the Willys News. The photo shows Pedro Rocasalvo and some helpers using boards and a railroad track to help the jeep cross a deep gorge. This was part of the return trip to Argentina.
On June 5, 1946, two brothers, 24-year-old Pedro and 19-year-old Carlos Rocasalvo, mounted bicycles at their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began an adventure north. They carried 80lbs of baggage and $100. Their ultimate goal was to reach Fairbanks, Alaska. They expected the trip to last five years. Their father, a clothing goods salesman, was against the trip, but the boys were confident that they’d be okay.
CREDIT: March 16th, 1948, issue the Wilmington Daily Press journal, Wilmington, California.
A budding journalist and photographer, Pedro and his brother supported their trip through serialized and syndicated reports to twenty-six newspapers back in Argentina. The pair planned to film their journey and use their notes and articles to write a book about their adventure.
During their trek to the United States, the pair survived four crossings of the Andes, a “ringside seat at Bolivia’s revolution”, and hacking their way through 300 miles of Colombian Jungle that proved the worst part of their trip. During their 26 days in the jungle, they shot and cooked their own food. In the evenings, the brothers slept in trees, but had to select the trees carefully due to snakes and other animals.
At Colon, Panama, the exhausted boys were diagnosed with Malaria; they were treated for the disease and slept for four days.
Once in the United States, the pair’s lack of English didn’t slow them down. Eventually, after twenty-seven months of riding, they reached Los Angeles, arriving in March of 1948. While in Hollywood, Pedro studied photography at Paramount’s photography school for a month.
CREDIT: Pomona Progress Bulletin, Pomona, California. Pedro and Carlos Rocasalvo receive American Youth Hostel passes.
Soon, they were back on their bikes again, arriving at the YMCA in Portland, Oregon, in June of 1948. There, an interpreter named Celita Dextre, fluent in Spanish and English, was brought in to help the boys tell their story. There may have been some sparks between Pedro and twenty-three-year-old Celita, because she surfaced again later in the trip.
June 17, 1948, issue of the Dayton Herald, Dayton, Ohio.
After additional stops in Seattle and Vancouver, the pair made a hard ride for Fairbanks.
These images were located at the Hawaii State Archives, Digital Collections. The front bumper on this jeep was pretty beat up! All photos are from the Palmyra Atoll and include Jean Hobbs and Leslie Fullard. The site was very slow when I was exploring it, so searching is a little tedious.
http://gallery.hawaii.gov/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=36132 Machine shop on Palmyra Atoll, formerly used to service military vehicles. Jean Hobbs in jeep with Leslie Fullard
This second photo includes the front of the jeep and was taken at the local laundry mat.
http://gallery.hawaii.gov/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=36123 Joe Cavahlo, Jean Hobbs and Leslie Fullard-Leo
This third photo was taken at the same laundry:
A friend donated this Durkee-Atwood Windshield De-Icer / Defroster to eWillys. It looks like it was stored well, as everything looks in good shape. It comes in the original metal box. I don’t know anything about these and not sure what the value should be. If anyone’s interested, let me know (d @ deilers.com).
The movie Come to the Stable includes a jeep in the movie and on many posters about the movie. Based on how often a jeep appears on advertising literature, I thought a jeep might have played a prominent role, but after reading a movie synopsis, it doesn’t seem that way. I couldn’t find a full version of the movie online to see for myself, but there is a version on Apple TV (and likely elsewhere).
The movie features a song titled “Through the Long and Sleepless Night“, with a record jacket that includes a jeep image. It was the reason I began researching the movie:
These are posters found online:
This issue of Willys News includes a variety of FC-related articles, but also takes a full-page look at the Truth-or-Consquences, New Mexico, 2nd Annual ‘Jeep’ Derby.
I bought this off of eBay. I imagine this pencil is from the late 1940s based on the “J” logo. The lead remains nice and snug in the pencil, so it’s still very usable. Thanks to Marty for spotting it!
I am looking for more information on these hubs. Anyone recognize them?
Austin Smith posted this unusual hub to G503 Facebook. He theorizes they may be a freewheeling hub of some kind, as he can find no way to spin the hubs nor, after disassembling it, did he find any internals to do so.
This is installed on an Australian jeep. The hubs look similar to a Selectro type, but these have only three nodules around the outside:
Roger Martin spotted this odd hub on Rick Reilly’s Commando in 2019. This might be a free-wheeling hub:
I suspect this was made in Colombia. It’s cool piece, but doesn’t come cheap.
View all the information on ebay
“Wood Hand Crafted Willyz Jeep Coffee Truck – Quindio Colombia Burlap Coffee Bags”
During the late 1960s, a couple different Jeep dealers in Hawaii offered DJ-5 Jeep Galas for sale. There were at least two different styles of ads published. The Gala was a Surrey that was sold by the export arm of the company.
In 1967, a Kaiser-Jeep dealership owned by Von Hamm-Young Mercantile, flew the 1968 model of the DJ-5 Gala Jeep to Hawaii. From the story below, it would seem that this may have been the first example of a DJ-5 Gala Jeep arriving in Hawaii. Note that the photo’s caption only describes this jeep as a Gala.
Over the next two years, the dealer published ads hoping to spur sales. We’ll likely never know how successful sales were, but I’d suspect not too many were sold.
1) The first ad appeared between April and September of 1968. The example shown below was published in the May 30, 1968, issue of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. There are a variety of things that struck me with this ad. First, it’s the first ad I’ve seen for a DJ-5 Surrey/Gala. Second, it is advertised as a “Surrey Gala”, rather than one or the other. Third, it came in six different color schemes. Fourth, later in the year (specifically September 24th in the Hawaii Tribune Herald), Big Island Rambler was the dealer name at the bottom of the ad, with no specific link made to Von Hamm-Young.
Apart from all those points, it’s generally just an odd ad for a vehicle!
2) This ad appeared multiple times, but only during April of 1969 (I could find no other ads for any other month in 1969), isn’t quite as odd as the 1968 campaign. The ad also doesn’t mention the multiple package options. This particular example was published in the April 4th, 1969, issue of the Honolulu Advertiser.
This February 1955 article highlights how quickly Willys Motors shifted from a jeep and car company to more of a jeep company, chopping the number of automobiles it was selling from 10 in 1954 to only 3 in 1955. According to the article, Wills Motors also appeared most focused on the new CJ-5.
You can view this issue on Google Books or make an offer on this issue at eBay.
I’m not very familiar with these Jeep Service and Parts news brochures and booklets and don’t know if they are worth the asking prices. Here’s some that I found on eBay.
This 1958 L&M cigarette ad included a CJ-2A.
View all the information on eBay
“1958 L&M Filter Cigarettes Smoking Miracle Tip Dam Jeep Vtg Magazine Print Ad”
In May of 1960 there was a Pepsi contest that offered a Pepsi-styled DJ-3A Surrey as the first prize. Subsequently, in July of 1960, there was a second contest, Pepsi’s Sociable Sweepstakes, where another Pepsi-styled DJ-3A Surrey was given away. Learn more about the Pepsi Surreys at the CJ-3B Page.
Contest 1: This ad appeared in the May 05, 1960, issue of the Miami Daily News-Record, Oklahoma. To enter the contest, folks had to fill out and mail in this entry blank, “Pepsi Cola, The ___________ Refreshment”. This was a nearly-full-page ad (this version of the ad shown below is slightly different from the one on the CJ-3B page; it can also be found in this Miami, Oklahoma, newspaper).
This next image demonstrates just how large the ad was:
Contest 2: Two months later, Pepsi announced its Sociable Sweepstakes in July of 1960. The contest was part of Pepsi’s Sociable advertising campaign and it, too, offered a Pepsi-styled DJ-3A Surrey as the first prize. The ad below was published in the July 18, 1960, issue of the Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina. The ad was another large one, taking up most of the page.
This next image demonstrates just how large the ad was:
UPDATE: A story in the July 07, 1954, issue of the Fairbanks Daily New-Miner shares the story of church group’s successful 6,000-mile delivery of a CJ-3B to a Fairbanks pastor named William J. Gordon.
The article also notes the jeep sports an experimental fiberglass hard top is interesting. The roof of the top reminds me of the CJ-5/DJ-3A Koenig manufactured tops, but the doors appear unique.
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Original Post November of 2017: The three teens–Peter Calhoun, Richard Perry, and Geno Bogan–delivered a CJ-3B to a bishop in Alaska.
“1954 Press Photo Rev George Murphy & Teens Pray Atlanta to Alaska Jeep Trip. You are bidding on an original press photo of Rev George Murphy & Teens Pray Atlanta to Alaska Jeep Trip. Photo has waving due to too much glue being used to attach the information sheet onto the back of the photo. Photo measures 7.25 x 8.25 inches and is dated 6/24/1954.”
UPDATE: Marty notes that this is called a “hubber”, a correction from “scubber”.
Barney from Barney’s Jeep Parts shared an image of this Easy Engage device. It’s called a “hubber” (no R) and it’s made of a durable plastic. It’s used to engage certain types of Warn hubs.
He added: “They were a dealership counter accessory on a cardboard display, but were not Kaiser or AMC Jeep. It works perfect if the hubs are properly lubricated or not in a “parking” bind. And, it won’t mar the metal as homemade ones can.”
In the spring of 1961 Kelloggs offered a contest with prizes that included DJ-3A Surrey Jeeps. At least two of those winners were from California: N. E. Eastmoore, Sr, out of Bowman, California, and Mrs. Maurine Vogel, out of Pasadena, California. A third, Richard P. Varalin, out of Drums, Pennsylvania, is pictured below.
This for quality image of the back of an All-bran cereal box is the only image I have. A better one can be found on the CJ-3B Page, which also provides information about the contest.
This is the last of the 1951 Farm Jeep / Jeep Tractor Brochures that I have. It’s form FS-514101.
I find this ad from the June 22, 1964, issue of the Staunton Leader out of Staunton, Virginia, a good early example of a begining move from the jeep as a utility vehicle to it as a vehicle for outdoor recreation. Though the ad still focuses on the jeep as a way to get to these fun endeavors, it wasn’t too much longer before an inflection point where the jeep-journey itself was advertised as fun.
Remember that by 1964, Four Wheeler Magazine had been out for two years, a publication that helped spread the message and the hobby of four wheeling pursuits (clubs, jeeping, modifications, and racing).
