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About eWillys
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.
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 .
Thanks to Chris for publishing this information on a Facebook post … It appears I will be buying from him a set of model F-28 Free-Lock hubs sold by Dualmatic. These NOS Free-Lock hubs included documentation stating that by December of 1973 Free-Lock had become a “Quality Division” of Dualmatic Products Company.
So, I believe this confirms that Free-Lock was acquired by Dualmatic, so now the questions are 1) when did this happen and 2) why didn’t Dualmatic use the branding sooner than circa 1970 (there was a gap between the end of Free-Lock in 1959 and the re-emergence of the brand circa late 1960s or early 1970s).
This document suggests there were seven different models of Free-Lock hubs, which may explain why we have seen several different types of later-model Free-Lock hub styles. Given the emphasis on “A Quality Division”, this document *might* hint that Dualmatic was using the Free-Lock brand as a premium hub, perhaps hoping to clear more profit from them?
The fact that the top of the hub shows no branding suggests these instructions were intended to be distributed across multiple brands of Dualmatic-built hubs.
The date of the newspaper used to wrap the hubs is December 4, 1973:
UPDATE: Zac shared a Parmley that he inherited along with a document that shows some pricing and states it was designed for the 81″ chassis.
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Originally posted in 2013, with some pic updates over the years:
As many of you know, I am very curious about the fiberglass aftermarket bodies made for the jeep. While I’ve seen most models for sale over the years, I have yet to run across Parmley Engineering’s fiberglass body, one of the more unique ones ever created.
After wrecking his CJ-5 in the early 1970s, Californian Tom Parmley, a machinist by trade, decided to build himself a better body for his still-good chassis. He wanted the body to legally accommodate wider tires, a dash box with more room, a hood that was lower, and other features. So, he built and tested his dream body with great success. Along the way, he received so much positive feedback that he created a kit so others could easily install a Parmley body on their CJ-5 Chassis.
So far, I have only located two resources that document this body. One is the February 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine, which featured a multi-page article about the new body. Additionally, at least two issues of Four Wheeler Magazine also have ads for the Parmley body kit. The other resource is a June 1975 Popular Mechanics article. The Pop-Mech article also shows off the fiberglass top he invented (at least I assume it is fiberglass).
Here are a couple publicity photos taken by Tom Parley and published in the Feb 1974 issue of Four Wheeler:
This image shows the Parmley with a top and is from Popular Mechanics. Note the top example sports Desert Dogs …
Here is a Parmley-bodied jeep on the cover of a the May 1978 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine.
This Parmley Engineering ad appeared on the back of January 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine:
Bob Christy wasn’t sure what this vehicle was when he photographed it in 2008, but now we know.
This Parmely sold in 2015 and included a rare top:
On Sunday, while we were gone, Tom Cruze left the house in the morning and never returned. On Wednesday morning I found him in the ditch across from our driveway. He’d been hit by a car. The girls, especially Lizzy, who treated Tom like her puppy, remains upset with his disappearance. I brought Tom’s body back so the girls could sniff him in hopes it provides some closure, but Lizzy remains the sadder of the two.
Tom embraced his puppy role, eating with the dogs from their bowls, following us to the gate when it was time to open or shut it, and playing outside with us. He had no fear and was up to the task of taking on both dogs when they wrestled. He was only here eight months, but he made the most of it!
Here is Lizzy grooming and playing with Tom Cruze from January:
So, the greatest-dog-there-ever-was-that-was-actually-a-cat has gone to that great actor’s studio in the sky. He didn’t stay with us long, but he made a giant impact. He also helped the girls get over Zollie’s death. The house will be a quieter place without Tom’s giant personality filling it.
“RUST FREE GOOD RESTORATION CANDIDATE HAVE HARD TOP WITH HARD DOORS AND 2 SOFT DOORS NEW STARTER, CARBURETOR, TIMING GEAR AND MELLING OIL PUMP REPLACED BOTH PINION SEALS CHANGED ALL DIFFERENTIAL, TRANSFER CASE AND TRANSMISSION FLUIDS
ALL NEW WIRING HAS TOW BAR ON FRONT BUMPER JEEP IS WIRED TO BE FLAT TOWED 4 WHEEL DRIVE LOCKING HUBS WORK GOOD
WILL NEED VALVE ADJUSTMENT LITTLE NOISE IN MOTOR BELIEVE TO BE VALVE ADJUSTMENT HAVE A LOT OF SPARE PARTS GASKETS AND ORIGINAL PARTS TO WILLYS CLEAN TITLE 2A TUB MEASURES 34″ NO LIP OR DRAIN HOLE IN THE TOOLBOX 2A FRAME MOTOR MOUNTS ARE EVEN NOT OFFSET BOUGHT AS A PROJECT BUT DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY ANYMORE”
“Willy CJ-2A 1948 runs drives needs some TLC have all the replacement parts 4X4 cash no trades have a car cover for it… runs and brakes… title in hand.”
“Good running jeep. Solid. Older paint. Runs drives and stops. Brakes have not been serviced in awhile so would do so before putting on the road. 4×4 and high low work. Roll bar. Windshield has small crack. Has front tow bar. Tires are good. Clean title. Comes with spare tire.”
“1949 Willy Jeep. Starts, runs and stops. All there including original 4-cylinder engine, carburetor, radiator, 16” wheels and seats. Frame is good; body is shot (at least everything from the front seat back). Starts right up. Kaiser-Willys sells an entirely new tub, or you could restore the front end and just replace the back. Located in Lancaster, PA near Park City Mall. Comes with waterproof car cover. $2,580 obo.”
“1966 jeep CJ5. Buick 225 oddfire. Warn overdrive. 4.88 gears. See pictures for details. Will not sell sight unseen, you must come and look at it before I will entertain offers. Cash only. Clear title, ran when parked, but that was at least 10 years ago. Kept undercover since then. I have had a huge response to this, so if I don’t get to your pm, sorry.”
“Have brand new wheels and tires Runs and drives, but no gas tank Hood and windshield and interior have been taken apart but I have all the parts labeled and bagged Msg for more info and pictures”
(Joe-in-Mesa took this video and most definitely earned his ride in the Tour Jeep)
After 3200+ miles of driving over the last 9 days we finally arrived home on Tuesday. Yes, we are tired and exhausted. It has been a LONG three days.
After Saturday’s rescue by Joe and Jan, we loaded the Tour Jeep onto Joe’s trailer and renewed our trek north, but within twenty miles we realized the brakes on his trailer still weren’t working well for us. After testing out some different truck towing modifications (more gain, more effort). We decided it was time to go to Joe’s place and see if we could make the other trailer work better.
Joe, meanwhile, had towed the trailer back to his house. Along the way his truck alerted him to a brake fault. So, it wasn’t us that was having a problem.
By the time we reached his house Saturday night, we were tired and frustrated. Two trailers weren’t working correctly, a heavy jeep needed to be Brough home, and the future weather forecast meant we needed to get home by Wednesday or risk the passes getting bad again. Thankfully, we had Jan and Joe to share some drinks, eat some food. and forget about life for a while.
On Sunday morning, Joe and I tackled the trailer issues. Our first task was to debug the running light issues. Why were some lights working and some not? After trial and error we learned it was a combination of grounding and loose wires. It was a big win when we got all the lights working!
While completing that task, we discovered the trailer wasn’t wired correctly for either of our trucks. That’s when we both learned that 7 blade plug-ins have at least two different wiring options (there could be more, but I haven’t deep dived on the topic). So, rewiring the trailer for OUR trucks, helped solve additional issues.
Once all that was done, the trailer brakes worked correctly. By Sunday’s sunset, we’d completed the work and done a half-hour test of the trailer (with FC aboard) around Phoenix.
Monday at 5am we left for Salt Lake. It was a long, somewhat nerve wracking drive given what happened on Saturday. Thankfully, things went smoothly despite encountering rain, snow, and some hail. We arrived just at sunset to and an-all-too-short visit with my sons.
Tuesday morning, again at 5am, we hit the road again. This time we were less worried about the trailer and more worried about the weather, as we had at least six passes to summit. At about 6:30am we reached Snowville, where we ran into fog an 0 degree temps.
The moon was bright at 7am, while the world around us was frigid!
I wondered just how long of a day it was going to be, but once the sun broke over the mountains, the temps improved, as did the road conditions. It was smooth sailing after that.
We must thank Jesse and Andrea for their “most excellent” hospitality and their support for buying the Tour Jeep. And, we can’t thank Joe and Jan enough for their incredible selflessness in coming to our aid, entertaining us, boosting our moral some, and helping us get the trailer road-worthy again. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Unsure if there will be updates on Thursday morning or not, but Friday for sure.
After years of successful trips, this trip seems to be a payback for all the lack of trouble we’ve had. Thankfully, we have made friends all over the country.
On Saturday morning we left at dawn. We’d driven northwest about an hour, just passing Sun City by a few miles. At that point, we found Shell station that had room for us to pull in and check over the the trailer (check hubs for warmth, lights, etc). Of the six hubs, two were hot and one was warm. In addition, the truck was showing a trailer light fault, so, we found out, the turning lights had stopped working.
Hmmm .. not good.
After checking things over, we didn’t have a firm understanding of what was happening, but knew we didn’t want to go any further with the trailer as is. After a few calls, including checking with U-Haul, which didn’t have a trailer that could carry the FC, we called our good friends Joe and Jan. Joe is a former Army Engineer, so it was fun to say that Army was rescuing Air Force.
They immediately changed their plans and came with their trailer (capable of carrying two jeeps), offering to let us take it home (and then I’d return it and come back with our trailer).
After swapping trailers, we put the FC back onto their trailer. To celebrate what looked like a victory, and to wait one of Ann’s former Khobar Tower colleagues (who wanted to make a quick visit to say hello), we enjoyed a beer in the FC, just hanging out and talking: our first group event! What great fun that was!
David, Joe and Jan having a drink in the FC.
Eventually, Joe and Jan had to leave, so they took our trailer home, testing it along the way (during which they found the electric brakes were having an issue.
Meanwhile, Ann’s Khobar Tower friend arrived, so we spent a few minutes meeting with Tim. It turns out that Tim had grown up in a jeep club near Pismo Beach, and his dad still had a built CJ-3A. So, Tim shared pics of the FC with his Dad, which of course both thought was cool.
Once Tim left, and with Joe’s trailer in tow, and the FC atop to it, we drove to Wickenburg, but our truck was having some problems talking with his trailer brakes. They would work, but not as good as we expected. We experiment with the “gain” and the “braking effort”, but that didn’t seem to do enough to make the brakes work like I wanted.
By then it was 3pm. Long story short, we decided to return to the Phoenix area to stay at Joe and Jans and fix our trailer. So, I’ll be going through all the wiring and working on the brakes. So, that’s the task this Sunday morning.
Peter is selling his MB and trailer. Both look in great shape.
“Military WW2 Willys MB 1943, fully restored 2 years ago. Runs very well, clean title. $19,500 with the trailer, $18,500 without the trailer. Cash on the spot only”
This is the big surprise… Jesse and Andrea have agreed to sell us the San Juan FC Tour Jeep that Jesse built from the cab up, along with the trailer. You can see more pics from the build here: https://thefcconnection.com/jesse_ybarra’s_tour_jeep_journal.htm
We consider this a great honor and can’t thank Jesse and Andrea enough! Jesse was instrumental in encouraging us to visit the round-up for the first time in 2012. Ever since that first visit I have wanted an FC tour jeep, but given there are only three of them, I never thought it would be a possibility.
Much more about this later, as we have a long drive home in front of us!
Me telling Ann, “trust me honey, the is a short cut to Arizona” … I don’t think she believe me! (the dually barely fit on the bridge).
Over the last four days we’ve encountered more snow and bad weather going into and trying to get out of California than we have in all of our other trips over the past 12 years combined!
On Sunday we drove from Prosser to Eugene, Oregon .. no problem!
On Monday we drove a few hours, but then stopped in Medford for an In-N-Out burger and some Harry-and-David store shopping. That’s when the snow started falling. Knowing we had a 100 miles of mountain passes to cross, we thought that even though it was only 1pm, it would be best to spend the night in Medford and tackle the passes on Tuesday.
It sounded easy enough, but then I was feeling a little off, like I was really anxious or stressed and my heart was racing a bit. I just didn’t feel quite right. Then, about 4pm, Ann got a call that her aunt had suffered an aneurysm and was on a breathing tube. There was some confusion and we thought she had passed. So, given the way I felt, Ann said we should go to the local ER. So, we spent a few hours in the ER. They did some tests. We talked to the heart doc. I was perfectly fine. It’s all very embarrassing, but sometimes it’s good to share the embarrassing stuff along with the instagram-perfect messaging.
An unflattering pic of me in the ER … Ann took a variety of pics; she was almost enjoying herself.
hmm … our conclusion is that I was having some kind of anxiety attack. Why, I don’t know. Was I nervous about snow in the passes? Nervous about the trip? Was I nervous about the feeling itself, afraid that I might be having a stroke like my father, which created a feedback look of nervousness? I have no idea! Whatever it was, things settled down that night and I’ve been fine ever since.
UPDATE: This post originally appeared August 14, 2015:
1) Lining up on the first really flat ground they have seen on the entire caravan, the Jeepers stop at Miller Meadows for their Sunday lunch.
This 1955 article in the 1955 July/August issue of Willys News covered the recently completed Jeep Jamboree. The author reported that as part of an awards ceremony, the award for the oldest passenger went 68 year-old Mike Millard who was a former Rubicon Springs-Lake Tahoe stage coach driver. He must have had some great stories!
UPDATE: This story was originally published August 29, 2016:
A story from the September 20, 1962, issue of the Toledo Blade (and a similar story on the 10th as well) shares the tale of Lou-Bette Herrick’s three month trip through South America. The Richmond Virginia native entered into the adventure after responding to an advertisement placed by Hilary Dunstervile for a companion to drive back to her native country of Venezuela. I did a little research on both women, but didn’t find any updated information on them. It doesn’t say what kind of jeep they used, but there is a reference in the article to camping out in the jeep, so it might have been a wagon.
