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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 June 1953 issue is Volume 2 No. 4. I’ve only documented a few of these, so I don’t think many of these “Booster News” newspapers were saved. This one is on eBay for $99. Anyone know if they have copies of the Booster News in the Toledo Public Library?
“Here is a rare vintage, Willys Booster News UAW Local 12 Employee newspaper Toledo Ohio. The newspaper is in good condition. It is complete with 8 pages in it.”
This 8-page issue has lots of DJ-3As, Surreys, FCs and Wagons. Note the six-wheeled wagon on page six. The issue includes a photo of a CJ-6 being used as a tour jeep at Hell’s Half Acre near Casper, Wyoming (page 3 lower right).
Bill shared this quick-assemble jeep video, though this doesn’t quite look as quick as others we’ve seen.
What’s more interesting is that one of the comments under the video shares how some US jeep dealers ran some contests challenging folks to assemble actual jeeps completely taken apart. This is the first I have heard about this type of contest. I wonder if it was ever documented in any news articles or magazines. Here is the full comment:
“My grandfather’s garage did this in the 1950’s. He owned the first Jeep dealership in Manhattan, because he was selling Willy’s before WWII, so automatically became a Jeep dealership after the War. [Willys] did a promotion where they set up this contest in different dealerships, to see how long to assemble an entire Jeep. But it was completely apart, not in sub assemblies like here. My grandfather won with a time under 4 hours, and they presented him with a solid gold Bulova watch. On the back was engraved his name, the date, and the time it took to put the Jeep together.”
This 8-page edition of Jeep News showcases a wide variety of Surrey and FC stories. There’s an interesting story about a group of five adventurers from Brecksville, Ohio, who planned to drive an FC-170 with a camper around the world.
UPDATE II: You may remember that back in May we discussed Sterand vs. Sternad and the fact that a vehicle called the Sterand made in 1902 was making the rounds on the internet, but that it was actually a Sternad from 1917…..
Well, this https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/657343822895942/ popped up on my FB feed yesterday. Listed as a 1902 Sterand in the ad (and available for $325k), I inserted myself into the discussion with my “expertise” only to learn that the seller has a title listing his vehicle as a 1902 Sterand and that his isn’t the 1917 version. Wait, what?
Moreover, if you compare the seller’s vehicle to the one in the postcard, you can see the seller’s vehicle has at least one difference: the seller’s vehicle has a cylinder part that doesn’t exist in the postcard version. Maybe someone else can better sort out the history behind these two almost identical vehicles.
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UPDATE: The correct name of this vehicle is Sternad not Sterand, built by Anton (Andrew) Frank Sternad in 1917. As Mark notes in the comments, there is more information on it here: http://coachbuilt.com/bui/s/sternad/sternad.htm
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Originally published May 5, 2023:
Merlin mentioned this vehicle (and article), called the Sterand Loco, in a Facebook post. Various sourced indicate it was built in 1902, but he felt it looked more like a 1920s build. I agree with him, that it is a cool car, but I am not steeped enough in early car history to know for sure when it might have been built.
After some internet searches, I found the engine was consistent with 1902 (a Rutenber 4 cylinder engine). However, after Googling and checking newspaper articles prior to 1920, I could not find what I felt was a definitive source for the date of the vehicle’s creation (no info on why it is called a Sterand or any promotion surrounding it’s inception). The most I could find was a postcard (from this website) that discussed what the article stated.
“Working on selling parts for my dad who is 82 years old. Is a bit tough to get information because of his memory. I will do my best. He says he bought these hubs for his 1946 Willys Jeep years ago. They seem to be in fine condition. He has had his parts stored for a number of years.”
John B. is a fan of Rod Taylor, an actor who starred in the short-lived 1971 TV series “Bearcats”, which John watched as a teen. I was six in 1971 and don’t remember ever watching it. Here’s an introduction to it:
The reason this top surfaced is because John sent me a photo showing Rod Taylor with a CJ-5. The question is, does it have a Tux package? It appears to have chrome hood latches and a chrome bumper, but the bumper is straight and not curved like a Tux Park package. Did the 1961-63 Tux Packages ever used a straight bumper like that?