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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 photo and caption shows an armored jeep in the March 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics.
Harry Neilson’s brother James is selling his “Fine Art Model” 1/8 Willys on eBay. According to Harry, there were only 250 of these models made by this commpany and the model is regarded as the finest, most proportionately correct scale Willys. Here are more about the fine art jeeps here: http://www.fineartmodels.com/Jeep.html
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This sale is for a 1:8 scale Fine Art Models Willys MB Jeep produced in 1992. This model is number 60 of 250 ever produced. Numbers started at 20200900 as the hood marking and went up to 20201150. The model measures approximately 18″ long.
FAM’s model of the Willys Jeep is considered the most sought after miniature amongst Jeep enthusiasts for its attention to detail, proportions and gauges, and material usage in every respect.
Every part on these jeeps (as is the case with many of their other models) is manufactured by studying and measuring a dissasembled wartime vehicle. Parts are either soldered together or bolted; no glue is used. The sheet metal components on this vehicle are in formed brass, castings are bronze or white metal, the windshield, headlamps, parking lamps and instrument lenses are glass, shift boots and door straps are canvas, weather stripping is rubber or felt, and correct pattern Goodyear tires are made using their own molds in rubber. Continue reading
Born in 1893, Louie H. Ponnequin, a veteran of WWI, was fifty-five years old when he filed a patent in January 1948 for what appears to be the Clary Hubs. At the time, he was living in Hawaii, so it’s possible that being around the military bases there he saw a need for a simple free-spinning jeep hub. Though Arthur Warn invented his standard spinning hub cap a year earlier in 1947, there’s no evidence that Warn ever patented his “summer hub”.
The Clary Flange (a couple of these pics are seen in this thread, but I don’t know the original source):
Paul Barry of Willys America shared these photos he took from the 2017 Portland Swap Meet at the Portland Expo Center. The black truck is priced at $12,000. The red wagon has no engine. The other two trucks are rough.
On page 41 of the April 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics is this photo and caption. Curiously, it doesn’t appear the jeep has lights; it looks more like the jeep was partly illustrated.
This photo was in the same issue:
Paul Ferrari is the new head of the East Coast Willys Association. He wanted to give an updated on the organization:
What is the ECWA? It’s been, and we hope to keep it up as a group of people with a passion for the Willys Jeep. An unofficial club, with a forum and Facebook presence, where people can share Willys and Jeep info, stories and projects etc. The only rules are to have fun with your Jeep, help each other out, and treat each other with respect. We are hoping members will generate events like Jeep runs, tech days etc.
You can find the ECWA on the web http://eastcoastwillys.proboards.com/forum & on Facebook
Another press photo from the Ford GPA tests.
“1943 PRESS PHOTO Army Ford Amphibian Peep Rouge River Detroit 4294 Measures 6.5 X 9 inches”
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UPDATE: See more information on the Rapport, Flox Foy, and Welliver adapters here.
I’ve spent the past couple days working through the selective hub relationships between Free-Lock (Denver, CO), Dualmatic (Longmont, CO), Husky (Longmont, CO), White Manufacturing (Colorado Springs, CO), and Cutlas Tools & MFG (Vinton, IA). During that process, I ran across more information about dual wheel adapters for the jeep. I thought it might be worth listing the one’s that have been documented. Perhaps someone has more information??
1. Max Rappaport’s hubs: A patent on these hubs was filed in 1947 (awarded in 1953), making them the earliest known hubs. Max Rapportaport was the President of Northwestern Auto Parts Company (aka NAPCO).
Here is an example of them:
This December 1947 NAPCO ad promoted the hubs:
This July 1948 Popular Mechanics ad might be advertising the same dual wheels, but rebranded as “Du All” Converters. The design looks very similar to the Rapport models:
2. Welliver Jeep Dual Adapters No. 3000: These adapters were available by 1949 and sold by the Welliver Machine Shop. This April 1949 ad from Popular Mechanics provides a documented date.
Thanks to Stefano Oddo, we have this brochure regarding these adapters:
3. Hickey Dual Adapters: Vic Hickey developed his higher compression head, giving jeeps a power upgrade option. Then, he designed a set of dual wheel adapters. The first documentation I could find on his adapters was this July 1952 article in Popular Science about his hubs.
The next month, this ad appeared in the August 1952 issue of Popular Science:
This Photobucket page has some good close up photos of the Hickey adapters. Continue reading
This year’s Willys Jeep Rally takes place June 2-3 in College Corner, Ohio. You can learn more at the event’s website: http://www.mw-willysjeep.com
Great photo.
“1941 PRESS PHOTO Canadian Officers In US Army Jeep Baltimore MD 4259 Measures 7 X 9.5 inches”
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