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. This section used to be split into jeeps, parts and other categories, but recent changes to eBay will require this information to be recoded.
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 .
UPDATE: Last listed in 2010. Price dropped to $1500. Has an M-38 body.
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/d/gainesville-1947-willys-jeep/6952533953.html
“1947 Willys jeep.
1500$ OBO
No battery, engine starts.
Needs carborator and break system.
Needs some TLC. Simple mechanical systems, good for a garage project.
UPDATE: David Crawford reports that his father built 36 different Empi’s that ended up all over the western US. In the comments below, he wrote,
“My dad, Bill Crawford, of Tuolumne, CA, “sparkplugged” the build, on those 2’VW based cars. He bought a set of plans for the EMPI Sportster, and made a whole bunch of mods. He planned to build one article, and 20 years later, there were @ 36 of them built, and running around.
Three of them went to South Dakota. A friend in the Phoenix area, over the years, took 3 of the cars from Norcal, and sold them in the Phoenix area.
Most of the cars were built in his home shop, and about 10 of the cars were assembled by students in a high school auto shop survey class that he taught. There are still several of them floating around Norcal.
=====================================
Original Post June 2012:
The Empi Dune Buggy was an early metal kit for VWs. There were several styles. According to tunacan.net, “The EMPI Sportster was a sheet metal buggy built on a modified VW Beetle floorpan. It was available in a two passenger model or a four passenger model. All Sportsters featured a “Deluxe Folding Windshield” and were constructed of 20-, 18-, and 12- guage steel.”
Jim, who pics are shown below, wrote:
“We got the Empi running and driving the night before the Durango car show. I washed, scrubbed and entered this quality piece of early 1960s dune buggy Americana and am shocked that I didn’t win a trophy! Crazy huh? All sarcasm aside, little kids loved it, old men remembered it from “back in the day”, rat rod guys thought it cool, I was really surprised at how much attention and photos it created. Still though, no trophy? People just don’t appreciate a good old fashioned, fugly, all metal dune buggy these days, sigh…”
Jim notes that he strategically positioned himself near the only flat fenders at the show. You can see some of his older flatties here.
Nelson’s Empi Dune Buggy
UPDATE: **Status Unknown** Was $1800. This one has been available since 2009.
(12/16/09) I have a complete rolling chassis, would need an engine and trans with drivelines added. I have a couple transfer cases and an engine and trans I am willing to sell too, a 383 chevy and 4l60e trans”
UPDATE: Glenn spotted a postcard of Tommy Barlett’s Deer Ranch on eBay.
View all the information on eBay
==========================
Original Post from January of 2014: From the Lost Parks website I learned that Tommy Bartlett’s international Deer Ranch in Silver Springs, Florida, was a petting zoo “in the early 1960’s. The land was only rented from the Springs, and there was at least one lawsuit between Bartlett and Silver Springs over the terms of his lease. Eventually the land was reabsorbed into the Silver Springs attraction and Bartlett left to concentrate on his Wisconsin busineses. He died in September, 1998.”
The pic below shows a CJ-5 wrapped by advertising and reindeer. http://www.postcardroundup.com/tommy-bartletts-deer-ranch
UPDATE: Still Available.
https://watertown.craigslist.org/cto/d/lowville-1948-willys-jeep/6925569929.html
(06/28/2012) “1948 Willys CJ2A Jeep for sale
Body off original restoration
Runs well
Inspected and registered
Turn signal lights and seatbelts added
No top”
Claude Ramsey and his brother, Rayburn, originally founded Ramsey Winch Company as Ramsey Brothers Tool and Die in July 1944 to manufacture aircraft parts, tools and dies for Douglas Aircraft Company. Claude, realizing the need for a front-mounted winch for passenger cars and pickups, designed a crankshaft-operated winch (Model 101) to pull vehicles out of mud and snow. Demand for the Ramsey Winch increased to the point that the name of the company was changed to Ramsey Brothers Winch Manufacturing Company in 1947. In 1950, the company changed its name to Ramsey Winch Company when Claude bought out his brother’s share of the company.
Here’s a two-page brochure for the dual PTO units: DP-1 (for the Jeep Universal), DP-2 (for 4WD trucks and wagons), DP1-150 (for FC-150s), DP2-FY (for FC-170s).
This twelve-page Ramsey winch brochure from 1959 covers a variety of products. I have three of these brochures, so if you’d like to purchase one for $10, let me know.
UPDATE II: Below are some new photos showing his restored Converto HA hydraulic trailer bed after it’s been sand blasted and re-assembled.
UPDATE: **Status Unknown** Was $34,999
Jesse noted that, “It was originally built in the 70s by my friend Gary Jack. He worked for the US Postal Service his whole career. When he retired, the tired FJ3 was also retired, so it went to scrap. At the time the FJ3 Postal FleetVans did not have the approval of the federal DOT and especially they did not have the approval of California DMV, because of the right hand drive and the seated / standing up driver operation. He was able to sneak out the scrapped pieces of the FJ3 that he had driven during his career, and a few others, enough to recreate and build a dream that he had during his career, to build a chopped top race truck. He did that. Gary and the FJ were a regulars at Riverside Raceway for a lot of years. In the 80s to the 90s this same FJ3 became a top NSRA street rod.”
“This is a 1963 Jeep FJ-3A custom mail truck. No expense was spared to take this iconic US Postal Office Fleet van and give it the modern upgrades and conveniences. Featuring a 350 Chevy engine. ”
UPDATE: Anyone have an original of this brochure? I’ve got someone who would like a scan of the page showing the woman. The pics below were part of an eBay auction and subsequent post from 2013 (I bid, but didn’t win the brochure).
“original part color catalog , 5.5 x 8 , 16 pages , interesting cartoon type catalog which concerns the word “Jeep” and its use as a registered trademark . Apparently the word “Jeep” was being commonly used generically to describe a Jeep type vehicle and the company thought it important enough to protect their property rights and trademark to produced this interesting catalog . It also lists countries around the world where “Jeep” has been registered .”
UPDATE II: Coincidently, Daniel Strohl published a story today discussing the “Last Overland” journey of 1955 which went from London to Singapore.
UPDATE: After five years of occasional searching, I finally snagged a copy of this book from the US. It’s more of a detailed travelogue than I’d expected, with specifics on the mileage and other details from the trip. It was a quick, fun read.
From the original November 2, 2013, post: It is 1957 and you are stuck in Singapore fighting on behalf of the British government. You are ready to leave. You want to get home. How do you get there? Maybe you should buy yourself a junked MB and drive home? It’s only 13,000 miles …..
To add to the fun, with the exception of a school wall map, you have no maps of any kind (though you do have a compass and protractor), let alone mileage markers or directions. And, it’s likely that gas stations will be few and far between. Finally, you will likely encounter various factions of people not so friendly to you and your buddy. Now, that sounds like an adventure!
And, it was a true adventure for Roy Follows and Noel Dudgeon, starting as two Colonial Police officers as part of a force battling Chinese Communists near the end of the Malayan Emergency. Ready to head home, the pair bought an MB in February of 1958 and begin a long journey home full constant brake-downs, broken parts, and other obstacles. Here are some pics of from the book, included a compiled map from the back and front covers.
I never did understand why they named the jeep “Pliuet 1”.
UPDATE: This is an Instruction Manual and Engine/Parts Manual for the Roof Palomino Model 60 Mower. It was formerly on eBay.
The Roof Palomino Instruction manual:
=========================
Roof Palomino 60 Operations Engien and Parts Manual:
View all the information on eBay
UPDATE: Modeler builder Frederic Dete plans to create a model of this Mobile Cinema jeep and trailer. He’d like to make contact with David, but I no longer have his email. If he could contact me, I’ll put you in touch with Frederic.
Original Post Apr 27, 2013: David was going through his father’s items and discovered photos of his father’s Mobile Cinema Unit in New Guinea.
