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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. 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 .
This 34-page May 1951 Form No. SWC1-10M-551 wagon comparison brochure is one I’d never seen before it hit eBay. The size is about 5.5″ by 11″. It’s not in the best of shape, but it’s there and readable. The front page has a rectangle cut out so that the table of contents on page three shows through cover.
I wonder if an equivalent brochure was made for the truck? I doubt anything was made for the universal jeep, as there wasn’t much to compare to it by 1951.
I wasn’t aware that Kaiser Willys put out a series of Commercial and Jeep Sales Bulletins, but I now have examples of at least four of these that I will publish over the next week or so. It’s unclear how many were published or how long this lasted.
This particular example, dated October 08, 1954, welcomed Warn Locking and Automatic hubs to the Willys Special Equipment Line. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time Willys included hubs in its Special Equipment line. As of 1954, Warn was likely the largest producers of hubs. Free-Lock quickly became the second largest producer of hubs, but that wouldn’t be until 1956 (See Free-Lock Hubs history for more info). To the best of my knowledge, Free-Lock was never added to the Willys Special Equipment Line.
This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 2 begins by announcing the Vigilante V-8 engine. Unmentioned in the news article was the response by recent purchasers of the six cylinder models, which was a unanimous, “Wow, I coulda had a V8!” .. or am I confusing that with another product? Pages 2-7 continue with more V-8 info, along with marketing and dealer info.
Page eight reports on the 1965 Chicago Auto Show. Jeep showcased eleven vehicles, all decked in a prairie gold color with black vinyl interior trim, which got me thinking … what did Willys Motors and Kaiser Jeep do over the years with their specially trimmed auto show vehicles? Looking back to the 1959 Chicago Auto show (Feb 1959 Jeep News), it was reported that all the vehicles at that show had been sold. Moreover, the display featured a full line of “Willys approved special equipment”, but by 1965 note the second largest word that appears on the display wall: “fun“… the word is written in what might be described as a playful font and style. Moreover, it’s hard to see a piece of special equipment (but the pic on page eight doesn’t show the best view; I tried to find some better pics). I’m beginning to wonder it the marketing firm hired in 1964 had something to do with the shift in perspective, from “useful” vehicles to “fun” vehicles. That could explain it.
This November 1962 four-page issue is all about the new J-series jeeps.
I thought the inclusion of an ad from Willys Motors of a CJ-5 with a wood bumper (presumably for pushing vehicles) was an odd choice. Why not instead include it with a 3rd party metal push plate? After all, Canfield was making an all metal “pushwood” bumper attachment by 1952, so it’s unclear to me why Willys Motors would feature a wooded bumper in a 1958 ad? Perhaps this was a little known 3rd party wood bumper?
This eight-page 1965 Jeep News Volume 11 Number 1 kicked off 1965 with the announcement that 1964 had been the best sales year in history. The article specifically targets the Tux Park CJ-5s as an important driver of the success. Page two shares the news that the Kaiser-backed Willys Overland do Brasil had begun building a second plant in Brazil; also noteworthy is that the Brazilian company was the largest publicly held company in Brazil at that time.
Page three contains an article about Pope Paul IV conferring the order of St. Gregory upon the President of the Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A., which, to me, seems a curious distinction given all the other people in the world doing important things and the fact that the Knights Commander seems a fairly rare award (I tried to find the total number of recipients, but had no luck). Lower on the page is a photo of a CJ-3B carrying the Pope in Bombay, which causes the cynic in me to wonder about the timing of these two events. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.
Page four is dealer news. Page five covers the use of Tux Parks in former President Kennedy’s inauguration parade. We’ve seen a couple of these with the dash plaque pop up for sale since the start of eWillys. Page six tells the story of the John B. Calfee family, who traveled Europe driving a Wagoneer that pulled a travel trailer. Pages seven and eight have a few different mini-stories and photos.
One of the blurbs this four-page November 1962 issue highlights is the introduction of an electric motor kit for the Forward Control Jeeps.
Form D-119 Parts and Accessories Bulletin: Electric Wiper Kit
This end-of-year 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 7 was expanded to twelve pages. The issue starts with some dealer news on page one. Page two reports on the success of Meyer hardtops and how demand forced an increase in production at Meyer Products, Inc. Dealers found them easier than most to install with less rattles while driving. On the lower left of page two, it’s noted that Jeep dealers often loaned jeeps to campaign committees of both parties. I didn’t know that happened.
Page three includes a story about Cold Spring, New York, ‘Jeep’ dealer William M. McAndrew and how his firm loaned 4WD vehicles to fire fighters during a hard-to-reach fire. On page three’s lower left is a rare XM-677 sighting, though much of it is blocked by Brazilian Army officers. Page four begins with a letter from Bruce Grantland, who wrote a review of the Wagoneer for Trailer Life Magazine (09/64). Page four also includes a pic from the “Kaiserama” exhibit, then located at the Kaiser center in Oakland, California. Page five has mostly dealer news, though a pic of some the 42 jeeps owned by the Nursery Company out of Azusa, California is included.
Pages six and seven share international news and pics. Page eight includes a photo of the Radio Patrol Club operated by the Keystone Automobile Club that traveled the Philadelphia metropolitan area helping folks in trouble. Page nine highlights some KJC military vehicle news. Pages ten and eleven shows a Gladiator Fire Truck, among other story snippets. Page twelve covers some Canadian jeep news. It also includes a photo of an FC-150 pulling a big truck with a three-story-house as its cargo; the little jeep that could!
The four-page 1962 Jeep Service and Parts News didn’t ‘wow’ me, but maybe you all see something I don’t.
Te eight-page 1964 Jeep News Volume 10 Number 6 begins with a record retail sales announcement. These revenue numbers were primarily driven by the three models shown at the bottom of page one, including the Tux Park CJ-5, the Wagonneer, and the Gladiator. Increasing numbers of dealers also helped. Page two mentioned how the golf partnership was already providing beneficial, with inquiries numbering in the hundreds arriving at dealers. Page three shows three of the new KJC-approved “ad mats” available for dealers to place in local newspapers.
Page four highlights a dealer in Ohio that tries to sell a Meyer plow with every jeep sale, claiming it isn’t that hard to do. Page five provides the results of a dealer contest. Page six shares the news of the National Search and Rescue group and their recent election. Page eight turns international, with pics and captions from around the world. On page eight you’ll find the results of Boulder, Colorado’s, 4th annual Jeep-O-Rama. The winner of a brand new CJ-5 was Donnie Beyer, whose father owned a jeep dealership. Pretty good for a 17-year-old kid! Lower on the page is a DJ-3A with an unusual door and top setup. Finally, on the lower right, is a fairly well-know pic of Barb Eden (right) and Shelley Fabares with a DJ-3A Surrey from the movie “Ride the Wild Surf” (see trailer at bottom).
(yes, a Surrey makes a quick appearance in this trailer):
