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About eWillys
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.
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 .
The book’s author, Rinker Buck, is a New England columnist who decided he wanted to do a crazyass (his description) thing: drive the Oregon trail in a covered wagon. To my surprise, it turns out that, despite all the Oregon Trail re-enactments, there had been no documented drive of a wagon from Missouri to Oregon since 1910 when Ezra Meeker did it at the age of 80 (Ezra’s credited with igniting interest in saving the trail back in the early 1900s). So, in 2011, Rinker and his brother Nick (along with Nick’s Jack Russel Terrier Olive Oyl) set out for Oregon with a 3-mule team, a wagon, and a trailer.
As Rinker shares the success and failures of his adventure, he also delves into the history of wagons, pioneer emigrants, famous landmarks, and important events that have shaped the trail.
Most of you probably know Ernie Pyle from his wartime articles and books. However, prior to WWII Ernie Pyle had already made a name for himself as a widely traveled columnist under the title “Hoosier Vagabond”. Between 1935-1942 he and his wife traveled extensively across the US, north into Canada and south into Mexico. In 1947, after his death, some of his articles from this pre-war time were bundled into a book called Home Country.
In his homespun style, Ernie shares his experience climbing to the top of the newly build Golden Gate bridge, learns the challenges of being a white professional wrestler in heavily hispanic Laredo, Texas, and tells the tales of some regionally famous (at that time) folks like Rufus Woods, a local Washington State character who had a significant impact on Eastern Washington, yet was a name I didn’t know.
Near the end of the book he interviews the inventor of the Ross Steering box, David Ross. Matriculating with an engineering degree from Purdue University in 1893, Ross contracted Typhoid shortly after leaving college. A doctor advised him to be outdoors to regain health, so he returned to his family farm and began tinkering. He developed the box and other inventions that made him wealthy. Ernie Pyle’s description and stories of the Ross provide some great insights into who he was.
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”.
One reader asked about a donation in exchange for the PDF. You are welcome to download it for free, but If you want, you can donate a few bucks via PayPal: payment@ewillys.com. The money goes toward the purchase of more brochures (and the documentation/sharing of them).
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Original Post April 26, 2019: Here’s the booklet I won off of eBay.
I just finished reading The Last American CEO, a book about the transition of ‘Jeep’ from Kaiser-Jeep, to AMC, to Chrysler. The principal character and source of most of the material was Joe Cappy, who was the final AMC CEO before AMC was bought by Chrysler.
Among the book’s more interesting revelations, it argues that if it weren’t for an assassination, that Chrysler might never have purchased AMC.
“RARE VINTAGE old Children’s book JERRY THE JEEP post WWII FIRST EDITION EDITH THACHER HURD
“Jerry the Jeep lived in a big Army camp. He was a new jeep and a strong little jeep but he was always doing things that he shouldn’t. He went down hills when he was supposed to go up them. He blew his horn “peep-peep” when nobody wanted it and he was always dropping nuts and bolts like a ………”
“Synopsis
A delightful history of the Willys Jeep written in verse. Set in WWII, this is the story of Willis the Jeep and his soldier counterpart Joe as they tend to the chores of freedom. It covers the Willys Jeep’s production history, trials against the horse cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas and the Jeep’s ultimate replacement of the US horse cavalry as couriers and scouts in wartime. Willis the Jeep is a loving tribute that honors how the Willys Jeep changed the military.”
This Joey Jeep book was written by Bertram Goodman and published in 1945.
“UP FOR AUCTION IS THIS SCARCE COPYRIGHT 1945 PRINTING OF JOEY JEEP, ILLUSTRATED BY BERTRAM GOODMAN, PUBLISHED BY ACTION PLAY BOOKS INC. THIS BOOK IS HARD BOUND , 7 1/2″ HIGH BY 6 1/2″ WIDE BY 32 PAGES LONG. THE BOOK IS A FANTASY STORY ABOUT A HUMAN LIKE ARMY JEEP ON AN ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS IT SEEKS A POST MILITARY CIVILIAN HOME. EACH PAGE OF THE BOOK IS CLEVERLY ILLUSTRATED. THE BOOK IS SOUND, CLEAN INSIDE AND IN GOOD PLUS CONDITION. THIS BOOK IS HARD TO FIND AND IT WOULD BE A NICE ADDITION TO THE LIBRARY OF A JEEP LOVER !”
UPDATE: Here’s the contact information for Hugo’s book if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Hugo’s son Fernando is handling the books and has copies on hand at his place in Florida:
The book was larger than I expected. It was a pleasure for me to read.
Hugo Vidal, that 85 year old intrepid traveler from Brazil (and founder of AVM) has published his book. I received a copy last week and tore right through it. It’s written in both Portuguese and English. Since Ann and I traveled with Hugo and his son Fernando last year for four weeks, I knew most of the stories he included in his book. But, there were a few new ones and some fuller explanations on others. It’s also full of photos, some I hadn’t seen.
Most of the book centers on the 1956/1957 trip. But, there’s a little bit at the end about the 2017 Alaska Or Rust adventure. And on that, I have a minor quibble. Hugo remembers me contacting him about joining us on the trip. Actually, it was Hugo who contacted me. His eagerness was infectious, as this email extract, the second email he wrote me, underscores:
“…. Since we only heard about the Alaska or Rust caravan yesterday, my son and I rushed to try and find a way of joining in. But I understand now that participation is closed. Even though we don´t even have a vehicle yet, if there is a chance for a place in the waiting list we will somehow purchase, lease, borrow or steal one….”
Hugo dressed as a Dutch Maiden while on their jeep trip. You’ll have to read the book to learn why.
On the left is Hugo’s restored CJ-3B. On the right was the 3B for the trip. Note the custom bed extender on the back.
Ann took this photo of Hugo and Fernando, I believe in Jasper National Park in Canada.
From left to right we have Charles Downey, Hugo Vidal, and Jan Stekly.
“1960 Jeep Owner’s Manual for
Forward Control Model FC-150 4-Wheel Drive Truck
Water damage and some staining
Overall pretty good condition for its age,
No tears, rips or folds
Very small damage on front lower right corner and
front page (barely noticible)
Paperback, binding intact”
