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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 .
Joe in Mesa shared these photos of a jeep he saw at the local Kmart Cruise Night. I really didn’t know there were any Kmarts left!
He writes, I spoke to the owner who told me the cab was 50(?) Willys, front grill from a different Willys, 55 Chevy front axle, and 55 Ford pickup bed. I like the military theme and the graphics, sayings, and stickers. Nice guy, too. I told him about eWillys.com and said I’d be sending you the pics and info. He suggested the pic of the interior since he still kept the original shift pattern sticker inside the glove box.
Maury shared this rare ad for an upgraded marine-purposed engine. The date on the ad indicates these motors were built starting at least in 1945, which means they were probably using surplus engines (even though fighting wouldn’t end int the Pacific Theatre for a couple months.)
I’ve assembled this approximate history based on a few sources. .Kermath began selling boat motors as early as 1913, according to this article. By 1930 they were the largest seller of boat motors in the world, based on their own advertising. Sometime in the 1940s Kermath added the jeep engine to its line of marine motors. After the war, Kermath sold Ford, Mercury, and Jeep engines for use in boats. The company folded in the late 1950s.
Scott drove his 1951 M-38 in Elmer, New Jersey’s, memorial parade. He was accompanied by his father – Sam Walker, son – Andy Walker and daughter – Jessie Walker. Of all places, he visits Pasco regularly, so we hope to meet in person soon.
Marc spotted this photo. The jeep appears to have a rare Midway Sweep Rake attached to it (most of the rake is buried under the hay. I’ve attached a brochure for comparison.
It would be great to have some photos of this from a few different directions.
“1946 Press Photo Enrico Pizzari Runs His Jeep With Coal in Rome -This is an original press photo. Photo measures 9 x 7inches. Photo is dated 12-13-1946.”
Seth spotted this one. When I looked at it closely I realized that both at the top left corner ‘Daisy’ is spelled ‘Disey’ and at the bottom right ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ is spelled ‘Dukes of Harzard’.
We decided to take the scenic route back to Colorado Springs from Dilon/Frisco, Colorado. Nothing too interesting happened, but here’s a recap anyway.
Today we drove from Dillon, Colorado, to Colorado Springs.
I should interject at this point that the Frisco area had some great food. There were many highly rated (in Yelp) places to eat. The first evening we tried Pho soup at Pho Bay. Ann’s seafood soup had more seafood than we’d ever seen in a seafood pho. Mine was equally large and tasty.
The next day we ate at Prost, a German-oriented beer and brat pub. They don’t serve a wide variety of food, but what they do (german sausages), they do really well. Since Ann can’t do beef, we tried four different sausages: a bison, an elk, a chicken, and a wild boar sausage. All were great! Their cucumber and potato salads were also delicious. There seem to be multiple Prost locations around the West, with one opening soon in Boise, Idaho.
Back on to Thursday’s adventure. After my burrito breakfast, we headed south out of Frisco, rising to 11,542 feet at Hoosier Pass, named for some enterprising placer miners from Indiana.
As we snapped our selfie, it suddenly began to snow. So, we jumped into the jeep and headed north toward Alma, the highest incorporated city in the United States (at 10,578 ft). There we spotted this CJ-3B, which might be the highest 3B in the US.
From there we drove through some beautiful high mountain valleys.
Eventually we reached Hartsel, where we found this CJ-5.
The remainder of the trip took us around Pikes Peak until we landed in Colorado Springs. We will be here a few days and then drive to Utah (route to be determined).
Today my only objective was to ride the Georgetown Loop train and explore the Lebanon Mine in Colorado.
Today I completed a short drive to Georgetown, where I boarded a train for the Lebanon Mine.
It wasn’t altogether clear to me at first, but after I boarded the train I learned that the Georgetown Loop train didn’t run in a loop. Instead, it runs between Silver Plume, the western terminus of the ride, and the Devil’s Gate Station, the eastern terminus. Essentially, it runs up the canyon and then back down. Technically, there is a loop, as the train does cross under its own track, but to me that distinction wasn’t clear in the name.
Silver Plume station
The ‘crowd’ waiting to board.
I boarded the train at Silver Plume and we headed south for a couple miles. At that point we disembarked for a guided tour of the Lebanon Tunnel. Our guide was a friendly young lady who was more interested in being funny than providing interesting information. But, I was after more technical information than the average visitor. Near the end of the tour, I ended up answering some participant questions and explaining that smelting lead was an important financial component of the silver-lead mining and smelting process.
After our half hour tour, we boarded the train for a trip down to the Devil’s Gate station, before heading back up the mountain to the Silver Plume Station. I was surprised we never reached Georgetown. If you’ve never ridden the train, or want to share the experience with your kids, you’ll probably enjoy this ride and the mine tour. However, I would have preferred to skip the train and get a more thorough mine experience.
On thursday we have nothing planned, except to drive to Colorado Springs, where we will stay a few days.
You might remember the auction that took place on May 18th. Jay Margolies, the owner of the parts and operator of Willys Overland, reported to me yesterday that not much sold at auction. Jay would really like to sell these parts, preferably in large lots. If he can’t find a buyer, he may be forced to send them to salvage (which is not his preference). So, if are interested in obtaining parts, contact Jay Margolies at 419-531-0707.
After spending the weekend celebrating Ann’s son’s high school graduation, we left Omaha on Monday bound for Colorado. However, we decided to make one stop on the way at a place called Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska.
Today we drove from Omaha, Nebraska, to Golden, Colorado, with a stop at the Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska.
If you have ever driven through the middle of Nebraska on I-80 you’ve probably seen worn signs in dire need of paint advertising the Pioneer Village. The signage is unimpressive and left us with the impression that they might be relics of a place that no longer exists. However, after seeing a couple signs, we looked up the place and discovered that, indeed, it still exists. Even better, the reviews were generally positive.
We arrived to find a dated brick building. In the front windows paper letters ‘welcomed’ us. There weren’t many vehicles parked nearby, so we parked right in front of the entrance door. There wasn’t much to give us confidence. However, once we paid the entry fee and walked into the first large space, we could tell it would be a cool experience. There were cars and planes everywhere.
When we exited the first building, we walked into a large outdoor area with buildings set up around a circle. The represented the ‘old village’ part of Pioneer Village.
