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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 .
No updates today.
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions on the Allen bolts. I greatly appreciate them.
I made progress on the shop and garage-gym yesterday, and entertained Ann’s family. There may not be any Saturday morning either, as I need to mow, fix a few sprinklers, then drive Ann to Walla Walla this afternoon for dental surgery, the other guests arrive tonight.
Temps have been adjusted upward. High will now be 116 degrees.
I’m sure you are as shocked as I am that this post is about yours truly working on a jeep! It’s truly a miracle!
This all started because this weekend and into the early part of next week, we will have record hot temperatures, the hottest of which seem to be centered on ol’ little Prosser, Washington! (See the Axios story here) … records are going to fall.
Because things are supposed to heat up, I wanted to clear room in the shop so we could move a couple more vehicles in there. To do that, I wanted to move the racing jeep underneath Patterson (which would be lifted up on the hoist). But, to drive the racer within the hoist stands, I wanted to remove the wheel spacers to reduce the width.
Sounds simple enough, right? So, I jacked up the rear, pulled one rear tire. That’s when I saw this mess: several of the Allen bolts have been stripped. Ugh. WTF?
I figured I had a minimum of 2 solutions:
Thankfully, I don’t want the spacers anyway; if they get ruined in the process, so be it.
But, before I started, I figured I would throw my dilemma out to you folks to see if there are any other ideas floating around?
Joe-in-Mesa was kind enough to donate an FC-150 sign he won a few years ago while attending the FC-Roundup to eWillys HQ. It will have a ‘most excellent’ place of honor in the shop. Thanks Joe!
To keep it safe for the moment, I put it on the fireplace mantle. It is covering a lithograph my great grandfather bought in the UK in 1924.
In case you are curious, this is how it normally looks. Upon his return from Britain in 1924, my great grandfather Karl Eilers gave it to the Engineer’s Club (this was shortly after the club built their golf course and country club near Roslyn, NY, on Long Island), where Karl was a member. At some point, my grandfather, who was also a member of the club (and President in 1930) was given the lithograph back. Subsequently, the lithograph hung for years at my grandparents house over their fireplace, which was a done floor to ceiling in rock.
You can just see the edge of it in this mid-1960s Christmas time photo of their house on Hayden Lake. It’s interesting how much lighter the matte looks in this photo. It must just be the light, as I doubt the matte was ever changed.
Grandfather Eilers on the left. My aunt Martha on the swivel chair. My grandmother Eilers standing. That place looks smaller than my the way my child-self remembers it, lol.
Tom in Paris shared these two photos of jeeps he found at the Old Barthell Coal Camp and Museum.
Tom wrote, “The GPW is a 1942, missing some stuff and sitting on M151 wheels. The CJ2A is a 1946 with tool indents, with the shifter on the floor. They were parked at the old Barthell Coal Camp and museum, in Strunk,Ky. Barthell was owned by Stearns Coal and Lumber. The mining operations stopped in 1948.”
I was able to locate a stock photo that shows the GPW from a different angle:
I haven’t seen many turbine rims on jeeps lately. This is an ex-racing jeep. The seller has included a lengthy list of features. This jeep really deserves some more pics. It sounds interesting.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1286684671726679
“Posting this in behalf of a friend. Her grandfather passed recently and she is helping her grandmother sell his 1948 CJ2A Willy’s. I don’t have a lot of information on it, but he built this from the ground up and raced it throughout the years in Baja and other desert races. It’s currently located in Placerville and they’re asking $18,000”
Blaine spotted this jeep up for auction. Bidding is at $2500. Listed as a 1950, it looks more like a CJ-2A to me.
https://auctionsalesco.hibid.com/catalog/280267/sunday-summer-2021-consignment-auction
“6V system, Needs breaks and battery Odometer Reads: 22977 VIN: 3J38407 Color: Yellow”
Has a variety of updates.
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d/elk-grove-1942-jeep-willys-327-chevy/7340667326.html
“1942 Jeep Willys WW2 Vehicle Just Had All The Body Work And Paint Done. Painted Red. Has a Chevy 327 Small Block In It. Manual Trans. Starts And Runs Just Needs A New Battery, Some Fresh Gas And Brakes.”
For a “showroom condition” jeep, this could use better pics.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1414274432273695
“completely Restored showroom condition cost over 25k”
Looks solid. Has a higher compression head.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/326182022380479
“1946 Willys Jeep Cj-2a flatfender. This jeep just completed 250 mile trip called the Go Devil Run. Lockers front and rear, new wiring, fuel system, carb, radiator, brand new tires, brakes, everything serviced, seat cushions and covers, hidden bluetooth stereo, etc.. this thing is great. Too many vehicles so selling this one. No trades.. don’t need help selling. If you’re looking for a turn key flatty that will go anywhere… this is it.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $8500.
This lacks an engine, but seems like a promising project.
“The Willys Wagon was the first mass-produced all steel passenger wagons. Faux wood paint kept the need for nails out of the carriage production, but there was a challenge. These bodies were prone to rust. Located in Portland, OR and very like a west coast only vehicle, she’s had the advantage of salt-free roads. Finding a virtual cancer free Jeep wagon is like finding a ‘Willys’ Wonka golden ticket….
Now this is a pile of parts .. Maybe some value?
https://roseburg.craigslist.org/pts/d/grants-pass-1948-willys-jeep-parts/7340127903.html
“1948 Willy’s Jeep parts $500 for all.”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(06/02/2021) It’s a project that has been stored a while.
https://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/d/ferndale-1948-willys/7334688440.html
“Good project: Buick V6 broken rear axle & differential, custom gas tanks under the seats, tow bar, soft top, no rust . Has been stored indoors for 20yrs. Has some dings”
There seems to be some parts value, but lots of work left.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/othello-56-willys-jeep-project/7338237946.html
“56 willy’s jeep body. 5.7 throttle body chevy motor. 2 stick chevy transfer case. 4 speed chevy manual. Dana 44 with lockers. Has wiring harness.
Open to trades of all kinds.”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(04/13/2021) Has a variety of updates.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/199779665021388
“1947 Willeys CJ2A with Buick 225 Dauntless V6, 3 speed with gearvendor overdrive, PTO winch. Run amazing.”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(02/10/2021) Looks like it needs some work. Has BW overdrive.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/258132215971398/
“Needs new piston rings engine was rebuilt but the rings were not replaced Has new feul pump rebuilt carb every thing is semi stock except all 12 v system and borg-warner overdrive “NOT SATURN””
UPDATE: Price dropped to $3000.
(03/13/2020) Listed as an M-38A1, the seller doesn’t quite have the model-type correct, but it lookalike a good price.
https://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/d/maple-falls-willys-jeep/7341179207.html
“1945 jeep M38-A1 4 cylinder 3 speed manual transmission is in good condition and runs good brand new wheels and tires BF-Goodrich mud terrains”
The winch is not included, but the Desert Dogs are. They appear in decent shape.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/d/issaquah-42-willys-mb-jeep/7341133159.html
“42 MB Willys Jeep needs to go. (I need my garage back.)
Ford 302 (V-8)
Borg-Warner 150T (T-150) 3-Speed trany
Dana 20 transfer case (case marking #C18-15-24)
Front End: Dana 30
Rear End: Dana 44
Jordan offered to share some pics of his uniquely modified CJ-5. It’s a pretty cool jeep with lots of details. It looks like it was a serious jeep for off road exploration. Here’s Jordan’s story:
I call it the GoGo Gadget Jeep. I bought this CJ-5 about 7 years ago in the foothills between Sacramento and Tahoe. The guy I bought it from had not had it very long and had not done much with it. He bought it from the estate of the guy who built it. It probably sat around since the early ’90’s when the guy died or just stopped driving it.
Apparently the original owner did search and rescue work with it in the Sierras. I have taken some stuff off that I did not want, a rack over the rear bumper, 9 horns, a single side band radio, a winch fairlead that folded down (probably built to pull rigs up cliffs), and a few other things.
The wiring is still a mess, but I am driving it around the Estacada, Oregon, area. It came with a brand new in the box full top (white), the bikini top in the pice, a worn out full top, some extra motor parts (Buick 225), a second set of tires that are in some of the pictures-I had to get new rims because I got 5 tires, but 3 rims of one type and 3 of another), and a few other odds and ends.
The extra set of tires are Goodyear Wrangler Mud Grips. I have only found one picture of them online, and no info.
It runs great with about 40,000 miles, overdrive, PTO Winch, turning brakes (those are the tall levers between the seats). The levers between the seats are the turning brakes, then the PTO engagement lever, then the overdrive lever, and then the shifter. The transfer case shift or is down below the dash.
I wish I would have met the guy that built it. It seems he was an aerospace engineer, based on some of the stickers on it. It may be that someone on your site will recognize the jeep. I would love to hear from them if so. I imagine that it was well known when it was running around the Sierras way back when.
UPDATE: I thought this was a good post to revisit. I’ve added an obit to the post at the bottom.
======================
Originally Posted November 18, 2013: Australian Bill Pidgeon (Wikipedia) had a successful career as an illustrator, painter and correspondent from the 1920s through the 1970s. A three-time Archibald Prize winner, one of Bill’s descendants (Peter Pidgeon) has created a wonderful website devoted to Bill’s life. Among the items the site includes are drawings and photos of jeep trains encountered by Bill in the Pacific war-theatre during his trip as a war correspondent for The Australian Women’s Weekly. In his ‘war letters‘ are some detailed observations about daily life in Borneo following it’s release from Japanese control.
One of Bill’s more interesting observations was recorded in Borneo. On August 16th, 1945, he wrote:
From Labuan another four and a half hours of sitting on a barge like a redhot waffle iron will bring you to the area occupied by the 24th Bgde. This is the land of the celebrated jeep train. Steam engines used to haul the train from Weston to Jesselton but on their hurried way out the Nips did their best to incapacitate the locomotives and the RAAF filled the boilers full of holes. So the engineers put iron tyres on the jeeps and shoved them on the rails and hooked the trucks behind.
Here is an example of an illustration and photo published on the site. There are others from an August 4-6, 1945, letter:
An additional illustration sketched by Bill that might interest restorers includes a detailed look at designs and colors used to mark one jeep train.
Obituary from the February 18, 19i81, issue of The Age, out of Melbourne, Australia:
Will Springer let me know that the 2021 Southeast Willys Jeep Get Together will be held Saturday October 2, 2021, at a new location: 125 Underwood Road, Fletcher, NC 28732
Learn more: https://southeastwillysjeepgettogether.com
These pics came from the September 05, 1964, issue of the Santa Maria Times. They were taken at the Fourth Annual State Jeep Rally at Oceano State Park, near Santa Maria, California. The dune buggy ambulance looks especially unique. I searched Google for more pics of it, but had no luck. The owner, Arnold Teague, was President of a local dune riding club.
UPDATE: Still Available.
(04/03/2021) This is a CJ-3B converted into a running/driving Coffee Kiosk.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/285711969575203
“Willys original Converted for business Has coffee maker for 120 coffees Toaster Mill Hail hailer 50 litre water reserve tank Work on gas and electric light”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(05/25/2021) It seems a nice looking jeep, but the lighting of the pics makes it hard to see.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/269585354807798
“Has 289 Ford Mustang small block engine. Lots of power. Tilt wheel & complete roll cage. Not sure of mileage speedometer & odometer are not there”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(08/06/2019) This has dual tanks and a replacement body.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/504572853898369
“One of the kind 1953 cj3b Jeep V6 motor all 4 wheels have lockers Very well restored Runs and drives fast”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(01/21/2021) Has some updates. It may have some rust, too (certainly at the driver’s step).
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/415116223033896
“1952 cj3. Early 70s Buick oddfire v6 swap. Original running gear otherwise. New aluminum radiator, new tires, new battery, rebuilt transmission and transfer case, new carburetor, pertonix electronic ignition, new coil, new fuel pump, rebuilt steering gear. Needs minor body work. Set up to rock crawl or just enjoy a drive. Jeep is fully running and ready to go!”
