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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 .
Chris shared this article from September 09, 1954, about jeeping in Virginia. The article’s page was rolled a bit when scanned, so the title isn’t completely clear, but I believe the headline should be “Jeep Jaunts Over Rugged Mountain Trails is Now Popular Sport in Gap”. Thankfully, better pics from this article were posted to Facebook.
Dave Morgan shared this video taken by his father. With some research, Dave figured out the video was from the 1960 Gold Country Classic (I like the ‘backing a trailer event’ idea; it’s something different), a jeep event held by the Sacramento Jeepers Jeep Club. There is no sound.
You can learn more here: https://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/cool-video-jeep-rally-in-n-california-c-1960.24095/
I’ve been going through old photos, from both my collection and my parents, to discard the ones that will mean nothing to anyone else (and save my kids from having to throw them out later). Among the photos were some of these early pics of my first jeep, which I eventually called the “Great Escape”.
I started building it when I was 20, a rig for racing, street, and trail. It was built on a part-time cook’s salary, so most everything was hand-me-down parts or hand built parts (example: the spring-shock plates were hand-saw cut from very old railroad-tie plates similar this. Why? Because it was steel we had laying around the garage. The ones we had were about a half-inch thick.
The earliest build pics:
Together and running with the original, used, mini-terra tires (also marketed as mini-terror tires):
In 1951, Kurland Motors provided the Los Angeles Times automobile editor, Lynn Rogers, a wagon for a journey down to Ensenada, Mexico. A description of the trip was printed in the October 21, 1951, issue of the Los Angeles Times.
Blaine shared this post showing a vintage camping thread from the 1970s. If like me, you camped with a motor home, I expect this will feel very nostalgic. There are even a few jeep pictured. There’s some great Utah/Colorado scenery as well.
https://www.coastresorts.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26221472/print/true.cfm
One more article on the Colorado Calvacade, this time from the July 23, 1960, issue of Grand Junction’s The Daily Sentinel. The newspaper reported that the Cavalcades had escalated in popularity to the point that instead of one grand event, it was divided into four weekend events.
This report on the 1959 Jeep Cavalcade was published in Grand Junction’s The Daily Sentinel, August 25, 1959.
When looking over the 1960 Jeep Cavalcade brochure, I noticed it was the 3rd annual event. However, the 1959 brochure doesn’t mention it being the 2nd annual event. A newspaper clipping from 1958 solved that question. It turns out there was a 1958 advance trail exploration in 1958 to prep for the 1959 event, though it seems to have been more of a low key event when compared to the 1959 and 1960 cavalcades. This short newspaper article in the June 1, 1958, issue of the Fort Collins Coloradoan explains it:
This article appeared in Grand Junction’s Dailys Sentinenl on August 23, 1959:
UPDATE: Will Corbett shared this 1959 ‘Jeep’ Cavalcade “Rush to the Rockies” Centennial event brochure with Gone-Gpn on Facebook. It is a tri-fold brochure that opens up with a full-page on the back. I’ve pieced together the back page from two separate pages, so it isn’t quite a perfect example.
This is the front of the brochure:
This is the back of the brochure:
This image shows the back of the brochure when fully opened:
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Originally Posted October 18, 2018:
This information covers the 1959 Jeep Cavalcade “Rush to the Rockies” Centennial. The 1959 Cavalcade was part of the 100th anniversary of the John Gregory’s Central City May 1859 strike, which led to a wave of hopeful miners descending upon what would become the Denver area. The Centennial was celebrate throughout Colorado through a variety of celebrations and merchandise (like these bottles and this Centential booklet).
A subsequent ‘Jeep’ Cavalcade was organized for 1960, as shown in this brochure.
Photo from the Denver Post. Both Life Magazine and the Denver Post covered the event. Note the white wagon above. It appears in a couple of the color photos below.
Some folks attached these flags to their rigs.
Here are photos of the 1959 Jeep Calvacade that appeared in the December 28, 1959, issue of Life Magazine (the one below).
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):
This full page article with photos shows a group that called themselves the “Jeepological Survey” exploring the Panamint Range Canyons. This was published in the November 13, 1953, issue of the Valley Times out of San Fernando, California.
David Bradley trailers are often an after thought among trailers, but for a woman named Diane, her family’s trailer continues to provide warm memories of Colorado camping with her parents and siblings. You can reader her brief story at the end of a forum thread that Maury started years ago about David Bradley trailers on the ECJ5 site.
This July 28, 1973, article in the Longview Daily News shares information on the rising number of jeep clubs in the Longview area. I figured the text would be easier to read if I posted it separately at bottom. The CJ-5 on the upper left is running the recently introduced Desert Dogs.
The Huntington Digital Library has some more Kent Frost photos from his trips through Canyonlands and other southern Utah places. The photos represent two different trips. Most pics are from an October of 1955 jeep excursion, while one photo is from May of 1957.
This first photo from October of 1955 is a great photo that shows Kent and Fern Frost standing in front of a CJ-2A with a Porter & Reed hardtop. I’m not sure if this was one of their jeeps or not.
CREDIT: None …. Caption: Fern and Kent Frost next to a CJ-2A. DATE: Oct. 1955.
CREDIT: J. Ballard Atherton …. Caption: Frost Jeep Party. DATE: Oct. 1955.
CREDIT: Dudziak, Joseph Lawrence …. Caption: Camp of Kent Frost jeep party near Lizard Rock.. DATE: 1957-05-01
CREDIT: J. Ballard Atherton …. Caption: Frost Jeep Party. DATE: Oct. 1955.
UPDATE: I’ve added two newspaper photos to this post about Kent. One shows him signing copies of his autobiography. The other depicts him with a huge walking stick, one I’m sure could come in handy while exploring ‘his’ beloved canyons.
Even today, Kent’s shadow looms large over the area. Just this last week the Moab Museum screened the “My Canyonlands” film about him.
June 17, 1971, The San Juan Record: Kent Frost signing books.
February 11, 2004, The San Juan Record: Kent Frost holding a walking stick.
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Originally published April 1, 2013:
(Above: Kent Frost on the front of his CJ-5 probably helping the driver negotiate an awkward angle)
(Originally Published April 2011) Without a doubt, my favorite part about running this website are the unexpected, interesting people to whom I’m introduced (if only virtually). One of those people is Kent Frost, a product of the Four Corners area and whom we caught glimpses of in Alan’s color photos of the 1961 Four Corners trip.
Doug commented on one of the Four Corner posts that he had read a book by Kent Frost called “My Canyonlands”, published in 1971. I’m very happy that Doug mentioned the book, because I ordered it and have enjoyed it immensely. Kent describes all kinds of adventures and early trips into remote areas of the four corners region. He loved to explore and hike, later jeep and river run, and that remote area has given him a lifetime of experiences.
This article featuring a Kent Frost jeep tour through Needles was published on May 2, 1958, in the San Juan-Record out of Monticello, Utah. At the bottom I’ve included an image of the whole paper as I thought the illustrated header of the paper was well done.
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.”
Looks like someone had a good day of jeeping in the Colorado mountains.
Cool photo and a nice shot showing Scenic Tours on the back. I imagine this the Ouray area?
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“This is an original press photo. Colorado’s high mountain country is custom made for the rugged individualist who likes to get off the beaten path into areas where man is seldom seen. Many communities rent jeeps, and some schedule jeep cavalcades that take you into areas of breathtaking beauty that have been hidden from the eyes of man since the beginning of time.Photo measures 8 x 10.25inches. Photo is dated 12-30-1966.”
The July 14th, 1955, issue of the Auburn Journal, Auburn California, highlighted events from a recent jeep trip in the Sierra Mountains from Wentworth Springs to Lake Tahoe.
I bought this magazine based on the cover, hoping there would be some good photos in side. Nope, the best part of the article was the magazine cover.
This August 1960 article in the Longview Daily News out of Longview, Washington, notes that the Armstrongs, members of the Trailbreakers Jeep Club, chaired the two-day convention that resulted in the formation of the Pacific Northwest Jeep Association (Iater changed in 1965 to the present-day PNW4WDA — Pacific Northwest 4-Wheel Drive Association). Note that the article refers to the association as the “Pacific Northwest Jeep Club Association”, but a decision must have been made to drop the word “Club” from the name. (some historical PNW4WDA info on the Webfooters page).
August 02, 1960, Longview Daily News
The Trailbreakers still exist and were one of six charter clubs in the Association. In order of formation (or incorporation), I believe the six charter clubs were the (1) Yakima Ridge Runners, (2) Vancouver Four Wheelers, (3) Longview Trailerbreakers, (4) Brush Busters (?), (5) Tacoma Webfooters, (6) Seattle Jeep Club. (The Brush Busters out of Portland were formed in early 1958, but I haven’t confirmed they were at the convention, so please correct if I’m wrong).
The Tacoma Webfooters have a particularly unusual name. The story goes as follows: “It was time to name the 4th jeep club [ed. note I guess they didn’t know about the Brush Busters]. Who’s got any ideas? Burt Severeid said, “How about the Tacoma Webfooters Jeep Club? Oh, the complaints poured in about how silly that name was, but no one else came up with anything else, so it stuck!! The 4th jeep club in the northwest was to be called, “The Tacoma Webfooters” , with Bruce Cole as the first president.”
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Original Post from 2016: This is a great photo from the very first Pacific Northwest Jeep Association Summer Convention, prior to being renamed the PNW4WDA.
Arlene Brooks found this photo.
The buy-it-now price is a weighty $749.99.
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“VINTAGE Jeep Off-road Car Club Boulder Bouncers Colorado Grille Badge RARE 50s. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS First Class Package. It is 8” wide.
When we moved into our house the original owner had this in the garage on the wall.
He was a founding member of a very early off road club here in boulder Colorado but not sure of the year? There were early 50s Jeep parts in the garage too that have already been sold”
This is an even crazier price at $1,149.99 (priced to sell??). Was this the original name of the Hemet Jeep Club, with the Cavalcaders portion of the name dropped at some point?
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“Old School, Hemet/San Jacinto Valley – Jeep Cub sign. “Hemet California Cavalcaders.’ – 1940s – The Cavalcaders, were one of the FIRST 4×4 Clubs in the USA! …An ultra-rare item.
9” in diameter, was generally mounted to the Willys’ Jeep door. Cool & Beautiful.
Priced to sell. 2-minor scratches. TAC numbered and officially authenticated! The real dealio – not a fake knock-off!
Antique – 1940s, Hemet CA., “Cavalcaders” – 9″ Round Door – JEEP Club Sign – ultra-rare!
The Hemet Cavalcaders Jeep Club was one of the first four-wheel drive clubs – in the United States, dating back to the late 1940s. Many Club-members affixed these signs to their doors to highlight their club.”
This October 16, 1960, article introduced the Redlands Geckos Jeep Club out of Redlands, Calfiornia.
