emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
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 .
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!”
No description provided. Lister isn’t the seller.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/966572847433327
“1951 Jeep Willy. I’m listing for the owner. PM me for the owners number.”
Has a variety of mods.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/277833504127795
“1946 Willys CJ2A. 350 V8, Turbo 350 Automatic trans. Original axels, front has disc brake. Runs & drives, not perfect but 75 years old. Letting it go due to moving in near future, don’t want to put back in storage”
It’s a project or parts. The body has rivets?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/151445143642246
“1952 CJ2a project. Jeep is set up for a small block Chevy. Currently it does not have an engine or transmission, however for another $500 I can provide one. Stock axels with the split windshield. Has cage bucket seats new headlight and tail lights spare tire mount. It is a clean tub and chassis to start a build with. No title, however does have VIN plate. Jeep is located in Las Vegas NV”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(06/13/2021) Looks solid, but the drain holes appear filled, so it’s likely had some bodywork.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/520019149268102
“Original gator Top speed 50 Converted to 12 volt Rebuilt motor Over 8000 invested All zerk fittings No rust Like new. Only used on the farm as a play toy. Seeling because need room. My lose is your gane Will not be disappointed. Absolutely nothing wrong with it”
It’s a project.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1367980540241525
“1953 Willys. 134 flathead engine. Was a project that we never finished. Tailgate, windshield, and second seat included. They were removed to begin restoration. Partially wired to 12 volt. Will need wiring. Sold as is with title”
Lacks brakes and needs some work.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/154524943384693
“1947 willys army jeep with 215 aluminum oldsmobile rockette motor v8 in good shape runs no brakes clean nm title with gun holders still on it”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(06/23/2021) The body is rough and the engine/tranny need work, but at least it has a Supersonic head.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/507209374032231
“1946 Willys Jeep located in Bemidji, MN. Being sold by owner. Transmission and engine need work. Been stored inside a pole building for 22 years. Comes with title.”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(05/24/2021) May have some parts value?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/4338348892855961
“‘53 Willys Jeep has title PTO winch Parts or project radiator missing motor stuck Model CJ 3A”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(01/25/2021) Needs some work.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1214439088950861
“49 Willys Jeep. Goodwrench 350 motor. Need battery, clutch adjustment and fuel tank cleaned out. Will run. Street legal if lights are fixed. 5k OBO willing to do part trade for 2nd amendment items”
Maury kindly documented this story while on Vacation in Michigan:
My family and I are staying at a beautiful classic lodge on Lake Michigan near Leland, MI. It’s called Jolli Lodge ( https://www.jollilodger.com/ ), and has been run by the same family since 1956. Greg Jolliffe and his wife Lisa currently own and manage the century old lodge.
When Greg’s father bought the Lodge in 1956, a 1947 CJ-2a came with it. A retired mechanic who lives nearby remembers this Jeep coming off the trailer when it was brand new. It was apparently the first four wheel drive vehicle in Leelanau county.
When Greg (pictured below in the drivers seat) was 12, his dad taught him to drive the Jeep so he could push vehicles up the sloping driveway after they’d get stuck in the snow. He said he got a lot of funny looks, but just told them this was the only way they were going to get un-stuck.
At some point the floor starter button was replaced with a button in the dash. One time, Greg couldn’t get it to turn over, and he hit the steering wheel in disgust – which had the unexpected effect of starting the engine. For quite awhile afterwards, the only method of starting it was to turn the key, press the start button, then hit the steering wheel.
The engine was rebuilt at some point by a guy who lived nearby and loved to work on it. This Jeep is extremely original in the sense of having had remarkably few, ah, intentional modifications made to it over the years other than the addition of a hydraulic plow. Greg continued to use it for plowing the driveway until about 10 years ago.
As the photos show, this CJ-2a has had a long, hard life of service. However, at 74 years old, it’s still a much-loved and dependable vehicle that starts right up and is driven often.
