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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 .
This photo from the University of Wisconsin Digital Achrives was taken around 1954 and shows a jeep atop the Lake Mendota Ice, surrounded by fisherman.
There’s no form number or date for this brochure, so my best guess is that this is was one of the earliest station wagon brochures.
Curiously, the illustration on the front appeared in a September 1946 Saturday Evening Post ad, but with several changes. The ad is more formal, while the brochure’s illustration is more informal. For example, the ‘Dad’ has a tie and no fishing pole, while the ‘Mom’ has a different color of dress and purse. The wagon color is more purplish in the ad, while the wagon is red in the brochure.
And now for the brochure:
This is the back of the unfolded brochure:
When first opened, this page appears:
When completely opened, this three-panel view appears.
The starting bid for the collection of 677 photos starts at $1000. It does include a few images of jeeps, including a Ford GPA Seep, an MB, and a Ford GP named “Marie”.
“An awesome circa WWII original photograph album with approximately (677) photos. (567) on album pages that can be removed and (110) other photos. Mostly WWII US Army/Military from an album that came apart. They include some great images with lots of examples below. The 1939 Rose Bowl Football Game (soldiers must have attended) USC University of Southern California vs Duke Bluedevils, Tanks and Crew, Black Officers and soldiers, Uniforms, Helmets, Jeep Willy, Trucks, guns, vehicles, Baseball 86th R.C.A., Boxing, pin up girl in bathing suit, airplanes, blimp, Pasedena, California, Radio City, Mess, Medical, 25th Armored Engineer Battalion, Hollywood Canteen, Toyko Express, Beer, Cigars, girls, ladies, getting married wedding pic, USA flag, UCLA pennant, large Santa Claus, milk crates, shovels, family, etc. An awesome group of 1940’s photographs.”
The buy-it-now price is $8.99 for this 10-page Jeep Accessories and Special Equipment Booklet. One item I didn’t know was Jeep approved were the longitudinal rear seats seen on page 4.
“Up for grabs is this vintage booklet for your JEEP. This booklet shows so many fun accessories and special equipment you were able to add to your Jeep. The booklet shows normal wear plus the staples are rusty so they stained the center fold of the booklet.”
NEW UPDATE: Here are some more pics of the Scheneker Iron Works Demonstration Jeep that I snagged on eBay. The first pic shows the Dozerette. The other three show the snow plow.
This shows the same(?) Demonstration jeep with a lift bucket. I’m not certain whether it’s the same jeep or not.
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UPDATED and posted April 18, 2020:
The Scheneker Iron Works company of Buffalo, New York, produced some interesting pieces of specialized equipment for the jeep. The first items appear in the Willys-Overland Special Equipment Book starting in the late 1940s and the last evidence of their association with the jeep was in 1957. Other than that, I could uncover very little about this company. So, if anyone has any more background information on Schenker, please let me know!
One early item produced by Schenker in the late 1940s was the “Jeep” Dozerette, a scraper.
Here is a more colorful ad:
Another odd item that I don’t remember ever seeing in the wild is this Scheneker all-purpose lift:
Another item which didn’t sell all too well was this Sheneker loader (none of the various loaders sold all that well).
The last item, the snow plow, is what I believe to be the most common item manufactured by Scheneker. It was available from at least 1948 through 1957. Several of these have been for sale over the years, with and without jeeps.
Given the VEC CJ-2A and the lack of a model identifier, I believe these two images show “Model A”, or the first model:
As indicated on the second page below, these brochures appear to feature “Model B”:
Here’s a comparison between the first model and Model B:
Scheneker included a 30 day warrantee:
This early 1950s brochure features one of the company’s snowplows on a CJ-3A:
Here’s the earliest sign I have that the company produced a “V” model snow plow and a Model T for trucks and wagons:
At some point, the company introduced both a Model T (for Trucks and Wagons).
By 1957, Scheneker was manufacturing various snow plow models for CJ-5s, Trucks, Wagons, and FCs:
When the company ceased operations isn’t clear, but I have no brochures later than 1957.
UPDATE: Thanks to Matt, I’ve added a photo of the front page of this six-page 8″x11″ brochure:
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I recently purchased a 1952 Dealer Signage Brochure off of eBay. After receiving the brochure (I will post in a couple days), I realized the seller of the brochure mistakenly added the photo below to the auction, which at the time puzzled me because the signage didn’t seem to fit how Willys-Overland was positioning itself in 1952 (no ‘jeep’ signage, only Willys). Now, I think this image is from one of the earliest post-war dealer signage brochures.
I tried asking the seller if they have more pics of the early brochure. Unfortunately, communicating with the seller of the 1952 has proven difficult (after a few emails, it’s clear that the seller either can’t read very well or isn’t proficient with English).
So, does anyone recognize and/or have scans of this brochure?
This 4-page station wagon brochure, that I think was printed in February of 1947, is a common one on eBay. It’s got a form number of 472-A-500. One clue to it’s early printing is the prominent use of the term ‘Jeep’, a term that disappeared from wagon advertisements by 1950.
The December 19, 1945, issue of the Los Angeles Times noted that the county sheriff’s department hired 85 deputies and purchased 25 jeeps to tackle a jump in criminal activity in the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. This may have been the largest and earliest attempt to employ jeeps by law enforcement in the US (Outside of the military of course).
“Original WWII Snapshot Photo of COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CORPS JEEP & TRAILER of Lt. Kradeskis at BRENNER PASS between Austria and Italy, 1945. Photo was taken by Lieutenant William (Bill) Kradeskis of the Counterintelligence Corps (CIC). Lt. Kradeskis was variously assigned to the 6th Armored Division, 101st Airborne Division, and 7th Army in France, Belgium, Germany, and Austria. He was from Marblehead, Massachusetts, and married (to Bee) on 18 December 1943 just before shipping out for the ETO and did not get his honeymoon until after the war starting 6 January 1946. See the other photos I have listed from this officer. Search for “CIC” in the titles of my listings.”
There are more photos that include jeeps. Lt. Kradeskis seems to have documented a lot of his travels during WWII.