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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 .
I thought this was an odd photo due to the passenger seeming to pretend to be holding a steering wheel. This photo is being auctioned on eBay.
Here are four different custom hardtops built during WWII and used in Alaska:
1. From “Attu WWII Photos” comes this unusually designed hardtop. I don’t think I’ve featured this previously (at least, if I did, I couldn’t find it). (It turns out this and some other photos are at the CJ-3B ATTU Hardtop Page)
http://www.hlswilliwaw.com/aleutians/attu/html/attu-wwii-pg3.htm
2. From Flickr and www.throughtheireyes2.co.uk comes this odd hardtop. The author of the throughtheireyes website collects photo albums from soldiers and publishes the photos. He has some very good photos there.
3. Here’s one more hardtop from a 1944 expedition.
4. Jimmy Stephens and his jeep with hardtop in Adak, Alaska.
http://stanstark.blogspot.com/2011/08/war-in-alaska-pieces-of-puzzle-fit.html
The grandson of Samuel Hunter created an online scrapbook of his adventures during World War II in the Pacific. Interestingly, Sam was 44 when he joined the Navy. Perhaps due to his age, he understood the uniqueness of this experience and kept a scrapbook. From the scrapbook comes the entire story along with this picture, one of many images. It is a fascinating story.
http://robroy.dyndns.info/seabee_scrapbook/index.php
From the San Francisco Library Archives comes this picture of soldiers lifting a Willys MA (thanks Josh!).
Here’s the text that accompanies the archive: “Dwarfed by the sprawling expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background and the lifting power of a few soldiers, two of the new jeeps to be used for military traffic duty are shown at Crissy Field. Notice, at right, how the troops don’t seem to be straining hard as they raise the car. Handles for lifting the little war machines can be seen on the jeep at left. Three dozen of the vehicles were issued to the 524th Military Police Battalion.”
Here’s a cool picture from the San Diego Air and Space Museum that was posted on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49487266@N07/5685117554
FEATURED JANUARY 2011
I was trying to locate some more interesting willys-related museums, but instead stumbled across the atlantic, landing in the Netherlands (back in time no less). The result were these 2 great images of old Fire Jeeps with extended rears and wonderful details. There are a few more smaller images of these jeeps at the Netherland focused website Brandweerforum. They have some other non-jeep firetrucks there as well.
FEATURED DEC 2010.
(NOTE: The link I had for this picture no longer works, but it was a part of the Getty Images)
I’m not sure if I’ve seen this before or not, but I don’t really care; that CJ-2A makes Elizabeth Taylor look mighty fine … or maybe it is the other way around.
FEATURED MAY 2009
There’s many more jeeps pics at the Life Magazine Photo Website.
Here’s how the Navy transported their rowing shell.
An MB or GPW pushing a Midget car to start it
An early CJ-2A and a post hole digger
In this article by Lesley Panilla, Alexander Wetmore Stands Next to a Jeep at Rio Las Tablas, Panama, 1948. “After a number of visits, correspondence in the collection indicates that Wetmore was using the same Jeep during successive visits. Eventually they painted SM-INS in the front bumper marking it for Smithsonian Institution use (see SIA2008-3201).”
I ran across a couple of kisses in/on a jeep. So, here they are:
This image isn’t in great shape, but captures the awkwardness of kissing in a jeep. I think this photo is from 1949? But could be 1944.
This picture comes from a post by Ransom Rings at Mentalfloss.com.
From the G503 site comes this image:
Buz forwarded a couple different images the other day.
This one is from the Los Angeles Times (pic #8) and shows a jeep among the auto train towards the internment camps in 1942. The caption to this picture indicates the trucks were stopped in the Mojave Desert on the way to the Manzanar Camp.
Driving this jeep is Earle Stanley Gardner, who was the writer of 80 Perry Mason Novels. Learn more about him here in this biography written by Jeff Marks.
UPDATE: John decided to take on the challenge of restoring this photo. He did a fabulous job.
I found this on the Genealogy Guys Podcast site. I can almost, but not quite, make out the serial number on the hood.
Here is the Before Pic:
http://genealogyguys.com/the-genealogy-guys-podcast-215-2011-january-25
Here is the After Pic: https://picasaweb.google.com/104219391648738472802/ILovePhotoShop#5722193307032376162
There are two of these image for sale on eBay.
“Black & White glossy is about 8″X10″. Easter Bunny from 1948 in Pennsylvania at Lazarus Department store in a Willys Jeep”
Here’s a photo of a narrow track FC. The ebay auction has ended.
“Photo size is 5×4″ inches”
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110677239309
These three photos of a girl riding an amusement park carousel were for sale on eBay at different times.
Just a couple posts tonight due to a site issue I’m puzzling through. Don’t forget to check out the latest jeeps for sale on ebay here and check out the new Willys Toys eBay Page. Not only are the lists fun to browse (at least I enjoy them), but every time you click, you are supporting eWillys 🙂
Roberto pointed out that it was International Women’s Day and shared some old pictures of women and their jeeps, some you might have seen and others you might not have. The first one is a picture I found on Flickr.
Here are two pictures I hadn’t seen that I found on a french website called Le Clown Lyrique.
1. © Lee Miller Dinard, France 1944
2. Libération de Paris. Parisienne embrassant des soldats américains. Août 1944. © LAPI Roger-Viollet
Bill forwarded the picture of a St. Petersburg Dealership below. That got me searching the net for a few more.
This picture is from Boerne, Texas. I found it here.
This picture is from Spokane, Wa, and the Spokesman Review (and current good view):
Randy forwarded this link to some Ira Rosenthal photos from Iwo Jima. Included is a picture of this jeep.
The photo’s caption reads: A U.S. Marine driving an ambulance jeep struggles in the sandy beach at Iwo Jima during American advance on the strategic Japanese Volcano Island stronghold on Feb. 26, 1945 in World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal) http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/04/27/on-war-joe-rosenthal-and-iwo-jima/
Alex shared these two links and pictures from shorpy.com.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/2547
http://www.shorpy.com/node/10322?size=_original
These images came from the Toledo Lucas County Library. If you have some time, check them all out here.
http://images2.toledolibrary.org/getdcdata.asp?typesearch=keyword&key=jeep&B1=Search&how=cp
Here’s a line-up of Military Police with Jack Benny in the front left jeep.
http://www.koreanwar.org/html/images/newsletters/Jack_Benny_Korea_1359.jpg
Bruce spotted these photographs from April 20, 1942 by George Watson. These jeeps are practicing under the supervision of Major General George S. Patton. These photos are part of the Watson Family Photo Archive. In them you can see some Willys MAs, MBs and Ford GPs. http://framework.latimes.com/2012/01/27/desert-training-with-gen-george-patton/#/0
Bidding starts at $1.99.
“Beautiful new professional print (4″ X 6”) from a old 35 mm slide (KODACHROME TRANSPARENCY, no date imprinted) of a WILLYS JEEP CJ-3A (I think) with a HOMEMADE WOODIE BODY . Neat looking Willys Jeep with a wooden enclosure over the driver/occupant compartment. Don’t know the year for sure. No idea where or when the picture was taken. Written on the slide is, “Feb 1952”. Much better than scan, crisp and clear. Any distortion or glare is from my digital camera. Ruler does not show up on actual photo.
Please note, my prints are not made from a home computer, as some have questioned, they are printed by “Denver Digital Imaging Center” a division of “The Slideprinter” in Denver, Colorado U.S.A. From their web site: “For 33 years The Slideprinter has set the standard in making prints from transparencies… We are still the experts at making beautiful prints from slides…”
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250975538622+
