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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 .
UPDATE: This Fire Department testimonial was initially posted October 28, 2017.
This testimonial included a detailed list of fire jeep specs.
UPDATE: This Jeepster photo is making the rounds on Facebook; this post provides a little more info.
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Posted December 24, 2020: This article provides more information about this stunt Jeepster and plane. It was published in the March 20, 1949, issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
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Originally Published Dec 8, 2012:
The Sunkist Lady was an Aeronca 15AC Sedan airplane flown by Dick Riedel and Bill Barris used to set a world-record for endurance flight. They spent a total of 1008 hours and 2 minutes aboard the airplane, ending their flight in April of 1949. Unfortunately for them, their record was broken six months later.
What makes this relevant for jeep fans was that to keep the plan in the air, the crew used Jeepsters borrowed from local dealers to race down the airport runway so the crew could hand fuel and food to the two pilots.
Thanks to Colin for forwarding the story!
Here is a link to a story and a video about the flight (124 MB): http://www.cityoffullerton.com/depts/airport/the_sunkist_lady.asp
Here is a second article: http://vintageairphotos.blogspot.com/2012/03/saga-of-sunkist-lady.html. The picture below is from that article.
3 of the 5 images in this small photo collection show a CJ-2A with a canvas top taken in 1946. The CJ-2A was new or near new in them.
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“5 Colonel Leck & Willys Jeep CJ Black & White Photos 1943 & 1946”
Priced at $10 OBO, this is a nice looking CJ-2A. Not obvious date.
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“Beautiful photograph from roadside America. Jeep CJ-2A with full hard top. Super-clean vehicle. Post-war period, photo is undated. Suburban background subject matter. Pic is chemically produced on glossy scalloped-edge photo paper and is a good black and white. Rectangular pic measures 3.5″ x 5.25″ and is in excellent condition.”
The caption reads “Fruit Fly Spraying: Dick Burke getting things set on jeep sprayer before going out to the home where fruit flys were found”
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“This 7.5 x 9.25 inch photo has corner and edge wear. The image has spotting, creasing, and scratching. June 16, 1962. George Wheeler, Miami Herald Staff Photo.”
The date of this photo could probably be tracked down more precisely given the description below.
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“Soviet official show guest with Secretary Morgenthau. Washington, D.C. Major General A.I. Belyaev of the Soviet Air Force, now chairman of the government purchasing division of Russia in the United States, second from right, and Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, right, visited the Army-Treasury Back The Attack War Show at the Monument grounds. Here they are watching a jeep perform. The monument is in the background. USA-Army history. Photo measures 8.5 x 6.75 inches. Photo Is dated 1943.”
Tom Jirik posted this photo to Facebook. That ladder had to have been wobbly??
“From the 1962 Yearbook of Agriculture published by the USDA. Caption: “In Olustee Experimental Forest in Florida, slash pines selected for high yield of naval stores gum are control-pollinated to produce superior trees.””
I tried to find out more information about Richard Schweers, but had no luck linking a person with this name to military service.
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“This is an original press photo. Pfc Richard Schweers uses field radio in Army jeep. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated”
Blaine spotted this thread on Curbsideclassic.com that shows some vintage photos of average folks and their jeeps.
Gayland shared these photos showing the military DJ-5s offered by AMC in the early 1970s. Time has tinted the images. The “brown” Army jeeps are actually OD green for the Army, while the Navy “white” jeeps may actually be haze gray.
US Army Jeep Photo:
US Navy Jeep Photo:
Rest of US Army photos:
Steve shared this photo from the Just-A-Car-Guy website, which was in turn was shared from a French(?) website. This looks to be a three or four-door Hy-Rail wagon. You can learn more about these at Willyscountry.com.
Speaking of service jeeps, Glenn shared this photo of a neat looking dually service jeep off of Facebook.
The caption reads: “Here is a postcard of the Pig Hip Restaurant and Edwards City Service station (later the Phillips 66), 101 West Oak St., Broadwell, Illinois on Route 66.”
John shared this photo detailing a stencil on the windshield: Max Capacity 5 Person. He hoped it would help any folks doing a restoration.
He wrote, “Over on a Warbird forum someone posted this photo of a B-17 crew in the UK late in the war. I have blown up the photo for details….specifically, the tire pressure stencil on the base of the windscreen frame…and the “Max capacity 5 persons” notice..Might be of interest to someone restoring a wartime vehicle. The photo is from the national archives… so no copyright.”
Here is the closeup:
Here is the original photo:
L to R: S/Sgt William W. Adamson–Waist Gunner; Capt. Elmer E. Bockman–Asst S-3 95th BG; 1Lt Jasper W. Kaylor Jr–Copilot; 1Lt Frank t. Sohm–Bombardier; T/Sgt Oscar C. Walrod–Engineer/Top Turret; T/Sgt Robert V. Hill–Radio Operator; Capt. Robert O. Baber–Pilot; 1Lt Raymond D. Dallas–Navigator; S/Sgt Barney Lipkin–Waist Gunner; S/Sgt Walter J. Collyer Jr–Tail Gunner; S/Sgt Donald W. Phllips–Ball Turret –Photo courtesy of National Archives Note: The 11th man in the crew photograph is not dressed for a combat mission because Command Pilot Bockman replaced him on the mission. S/Sgt. William W. Adamson, waist gunner, joined the official crew photograph even though not flying that day.
“Before Canyonlands Was a Park” is a story built around a presentation given by Alan “Tug” Bates in 2014 and published January 07, 2024, by the Canyon Country Zephyr. It includes a variety of jeep photos from the Canyonlands area.
You can read the story and see pics here: https://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2024/01/07/1950-before-canyonlands-was-a-park-the-other-place-no-one-knew-by-tug-wilson/
Kent Frost (L), Bates Wilson (Second from right) and friends in the late 1950s. (Photo Credit: NPS)
One excerpt is particularly interesting:
“In the first 10 years of exploring what would become Canyonlands National Park, we encountered a total of five people: We encountered one party of two in 1952; Dad gave them directions to find what later became known as Angel Arch, the icon of Canyonlands. Once, in 1953, we came across a lonesome cowboy, on his way from the West fork of Salt Creek to Cave Springs. And finally, in the fall of 1958, we met up with Kent and Fern Frost. They were in their green jeep, in Horse Canyon, checking out the area for future tours. But that was it…. FIVE.”
When my ex-wife and I moved to Utah thirty years ago (Yikes!!) in the summer of 1994 the population was 1.9 million (by comparison, as of 2021, the population was 3.38 million and the state is still one of the top five growing states). Lacking a jeep at that time, I got to explore southern Utah when you could still hike Desolate Arch in Arches NP and not see anyone! The experience Bates describes was mine at times. There were no signs stopping me from unrolling a sleeping bag on a piece of slick rock outside Moab and spending the night (now, lots of no-camping signs), which I did several times, with stars so bright I didn’t need a flashlight. And, if off the beaten path, you were guaranteed to feel all alone in desolate country.
Thirty years later, the Utah I experienced has changed dramatically. The restaurants are way better, the culture more diverse, the events more varied, but the resulting traffic and the crowds have become, at times, too much for my tastes. I guess I am getting old!!
John shared this neat photo from the Warbird Website. You can even see the Ford tires on it. I tried to find the hood number (20145236), but it appears the G503 search has changed. Maybe someone else can have more luck determining if it is in the database.
Mark shared this image of Elvis holding a Bazooka posted to the Armory Life website. Even more interesting, this M-38A1 has a rare defroster mounted on the windshield.
This June 16, 1962, photo shows Dick Burke setting up a fruit fly sprayer on a CJ-3B.
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Glenn shared this image of a fancifully decorated Willys truck from Facebook. According to this short history, Dysarts has been a restaurant and store in Maine since the 1960s.
UPDATE: Last posted October 12, 2017
The photo of the jeep underneath the letter shows it without bow holders, but with an extra spare tire carrier. Does this mean the country club ordered it this way? Were the bow holders ever installed? There have been a couple early 2As that appeared unrestored, but without bow holders. I’ve wondered if they could be ordered that way.
UPDATE II: Here’s another Africa USA Postcard. It’s a available on eBay.
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UPDATED Aug 04, 2020: This post is an aggregation of Africa USA postcards and articles. Another postcard from the form adventure park popped up on eBay, this time with a CJ-5 pulling the trams:
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Posted June 2019 on eBay, a CJ-3B pulling trams:
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From 2015: Africa USA, was part of a theme-park movement in the late 1950s that included New York’s Freedomland, Disneyland, Wisconsin’s Fort Dells, and others. By 1959, these parks were collectively generating revenue of $2 billion.
There is a feature article about these parks in the August 1, 1960, issue of Life Magazine. The picture below is from that article. You can take a ‘virtual’ jeep-train tour of Africa USA here (don’t expect much). 
This article appeared in the December 1955 issue of Willys News. That’s the jeep train behind the animals.
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Paul was browsing Facebook when he ran across this image from Moab, Utah, on the Canyon County Zephyr FB group page that includes this early 1950s Willys dealership sign (left side of image). You can see this sign in this 1952 signage brochure (WO11): http://www.ewillys.com/2021/02/13/1952-willys-signage-brochure/
There are some ads by this entity on Newspapers.com, but you’ll need a subscription to see them.
These four slides on eBay show a wagon that pulled two different travel trailers over four years.
1959 Jan – 35mm Slide 1950s Willys Jeep Utility Wagon & Travel Trailer:
1960 – 35mm Slide Two 1950s Willys Jeep Utility Wagons & Aristocrat Travel Trailer:
1960 Nov – 35mm Slide 1950s Willys Jeep Utility Wagon & Aristocrat Travel Trailer:
1963 Feb – 35mm Slide 1950s Willys Jeep Utility Wagon & Aristocrat Travel Trailer:
The Frontier Nursing Service in one of their jeeps.
Thanks to Bus for spotting this interesting story. Stared in 1925 by Mary Breckinridge, the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) provided healthcare to rural folks in Kentucky. At first, horses and saddlebags helped them gain access to remote areas, but during WWII the group turned to jeeps. As these photos show, over the years FNS used a variety of different jeeps. There is even a 1931 documentary about the group (with additional information here):
In the late 1930s Edsel Ford donated a reconditioned Model A to the Service, which Mary named Henrietta. Several years later Ford replaced Henrietta with Henrietta II, a jeep. At some point the FNS secured another jeep, a WWII jeep Mary named “Jane”, named for a benefactor Clara “Jane” Ford”.
According to the Henry Ford website, this jeep was “Jane”.
Nice photo from a San Juan Scenic Jeep tour. Too bad the first photo isn’t a slightly wider photo.
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