The History and Legacy of eWillys.com
In Memory of Dave Eilers (1965–2026), founder of eWillys.com.
Dave Eilers launched eWillys in November 2008 to fill a critical void in the off-road community. The inspiration hit him in 2006 when he decided to build a flatfender Jeep 15 years after selling his first one. While searching for components on Craigslist, he discovered there was no useful central resource that highlighted vintage parts, vehicle listings, or fair deals. Consequently, eWillys was born as a dedicated web hub designed to track, preserve, and share early Jeep information as well as to help people find the Jeep they are looking for.
The platform quickly grew into an invaluable digital archive focused almost exclusively on pre-1984 Jeeps, with a primary emphasis on flatfenders. This included vital historical tracking for military models like the MB, GPW, M-38, and M606, alongside classic civilian versions like the CJ-2A, CJ-3A, and CJ-3B. To build this exhaustive repository, Dave curated daily content by scanning Craigslist and eBay advertisements, organizing them by category so readers could easily research project builds, list their own vehicles for sale, and identify authentic vintage components. Because his roots and the strongest market for rust-free vintage Jeeps remained in the Pacific Northwest and the broader American West, the site heavily documented listings from those regions.
Running the site for over a decade provided Dave with deep insights into the Willys legacy. He frequently noted that the global interest in vintage Jeeps remained fiercely active, with rare prototype models and unearthing “barn finds” continually surfacing to surprise the community. He observed that while pristine, completely restored Jeeps could fetch premium prices, the cost of average, accessible project flatfenders remained remarkably stable over a twenty-year span, keeping the hobby approachable for everyday mechanics.
Dave made friends around the world through the comments section and by private conversations with buyers and sellers of Jeeps.
Dave managed eWillys single-handedly with immense dedication until December 2024. In early 2025, the platform successfully transitioned to a new caretaker and host platform. This transition ensured that Dave’s monumental body of work, historical insights, and parts data would be fully preserved for future generations. Today, eWillys stands as an enduring monument to Dave’s passion, education, and his invaluable service to the global Jeep community.