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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 .
In early April of 2010, Kurtis found a solid looking, stock 1950 CJ-3A named Ike that he plans to restore to off-the-dealer-floor condition. He’s built a website (http://kurtisfranklin.com/blog/) to chronicle his restoration adventures and recently provided some good details on a V-Cell Radiator.
Good luck on your restoration Kurtis; I think it will turn out well! Here’s a pic of Ike:
Late last year Mark took the plunge and bought himself a Jeepster project. After about 6 months, he has completed phase 1 of the project, has learned his Willys isn’t 100% Willys, and, as you can see, is enjoying his efforts now that Spring is fully here. Thanks for sharing!
Mark writes, “I completed phase one last night when I closed the gaping hole in the firewall caused by an incomplete Chevy V8 conversion long long ago, so now my Jeepster may be eligible to be honored on your site. I was going to name her “Cheapster Jeepster” due to my desire to spend less money than a new vehicle, but after falling in love with my Willys I christened it “Her Royal Highness” and I’ve still only got $4200 bucks invested so far. I got her up to 60mph and drove 75 miles straight with no problems.
Purchased her on Halloween Day 2009 and quickly found out she wasn’t all Willys. She’s a ’48 Jeepster body set on a ’49 4wd Station Wagon chassis & floorboard. It has got a 1956 Chevy 265 V8, Lockheed hydraulic clutch, 1955 Ford F-100 rear brakes and MC, John Deere tractor fuel pump and a Caterpillar temp gauge. The gauge cluster is from a M38 and the gas tank, mounted behind the back seat, is from a 1958 Dodge pickup. And those are just the parts I’ve been able to identify so far.
Phase 1 seemed like a simple task: Start, Stop and roll down the road without leaking out all its fluids, make her safe and legal and do all this without knowing jack about restoring a 60 year old automobile. It’s been a lot of fun and a real stress reliever for me.
-new complete brake system
-new complete suspension front & back
-new fuel line setup
-new wireing harness and firewall rebuild
-clean & paint interior
-fluid change and tuneup
Oh, and of course phase 1 couldn’t be complete without…….cup holders.
Much thanks to your site, I get lot’s of great ideas looking at all the other builds you profile and just knowing I’m not the only crazy, insane Willys addict gives me great comfort. Although I’ve seen other Jeepster 4wd conversions on your site I haven’t seen one that used another Willys to make the jump. I’ll keep you posted on Phase II (Body/interior & drive train improvements).”
Diego describes himself as a ‘new willys lover’ who discovered a CJ-2A project on eWillys that he just had to have — a clear sign that he has been overcome with the damned ‘Willys Sickness’.
Despite the severity of his illness, which he has shaken off with bravado, Diego has made substantial progress with a project jeep he spotted on ewillys. As you can see in the first couple of images, at sometime in this jeep’s life an owner felt they wanted to combine the starkness of a jeep with the peacefulness of a natural setting, so it was only logical to turn the cockpit into a park bench. I can’t imagine that made the ride any softer; maybe they had a really padded bottom?
One other unusual change was the additional coil springs between the axles and the frame and all four corners, which I’m sure made the ride all that more stiff! I can’t remember ever seeing that modification.
Anyway, Diego’s turning this back into a real jeep and he has made good progress! Btw, if anyone has any experience with titling Jeeps in Florida, he’d be happy to get some advice as he only has a bill of sale at the moment, though he does have the serial number.
Before:
In Progress:
And now (it’s a little blurry, but you get the point):
Every now and then a reader sends me a picture of an old willys they want to buy and asks my opinion. Had George sent me a picture of the Wagon he purchased years ago, I would have said, “I think we can find you something else”.
However, George wasn’t swayed by his purchase and spent about a decade raising kids, working, and using his extra time to slowly save his Willys.
George writes, “My wife tells me I have Willys on the brain – hey what can I say! This Wagon is all original with the exception of possibly some extra chrome on the grill. The grill inserts were chrome plated when I purchased the wagon, so I figured I would put it back like I found it. Everything was rebuilt, including the front and rear ends. I wish now that I would have changed the gearing a bit. I think it is a 5.38:1. This thing has a mean granny gear! Once I get all the small oil leaks fixed I’ll invest in OD.”
He has every right to be proud of his efforts, because out of an awkward, rough wagon he built a beauty. For his next project, George is looking for a deal on a solid 1953 CJ-3A. If you know of one in the Texas area, let him know!
Nice work George and thanks for sharing your story and pics! Here is a before and an after pic:
Dan forgot to forward these pics of his progress on the rear of his grandpa’s CJ-5. Once again, Dan’s done some nice work! View more installments of Dan’s build here.
Gerald and his brother have completed his brother’s low budget build. It just demonstrates that with some creativity, a low budget build can look great! Nice work guys. To see more, go here.
Gary has completed his build just in time for some warm weather. It looks great! Thanks for sharing. You can learn more about his build here: http://www.ewillys.com/?p=29757
UPDATE: This slattie was bought in early 2010 and resold a few months later. It demonstrates how a little work can go a long way. Dexter found a variety of deals using craigslist and managed to improve this inexpensively.
Below are the before pics. Here are some after pics.
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When we last checked in with Gary, he’d just bought this CJ-5 off of Craigslist. Well, Gary’s been busy this winter getting his Jeep ready for fun this year. He’s got some work left, but his progress looks great. Thanks for sharing!
One vehicle I wanted to highlight from the Wonderful World of Willys Wagons was Charley Crossley’s Wild Willys. I tried to located additional images of it, but the only ones I found were on the WWWW website. I liked Charley’s creativity, so I wanted to make sure readers saw it as well. You can read about Charley’s approach to building this Wagon here. Note the rumble seat in the back!
