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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 .
Several people have asked about the history of the “6” nose piece. Anyone know how many and the time frames they were produced?
Tim shared this small bit of news from beachtreenews.com
“Around 4:19pm on Wednesday afternoon a vehicle went through Lindsey’s Market on Hwy 79. Michael L. Hutchison (DOB 3/1/81) of Oak Ridge Road, claims that a van stopped in front of him and he could not stop, so he left the road, went through the parking lot, and into the building. Hutchison is lodged in the Butler County Jail and charged with operating a vehicle on a suspended/revoked, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of Alcohol/Drugs, .08, first offense, and possession of marijuana.”
<– Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam | OVERVIEW | Day 20 – Apr. 8th: California Adventure w/ Mrs. Soggy Bottom –>
On the pier @ Huntington Beach, California
On Monday we and my ‘squaw’ awoke in our ‘teepee’ to a beautiful morning. The $70 we paid for a night at the Wigwam was a splurge for us, but we slept well and enjoyed the uniqueness of the experience.
The grounds are nicely kept and the area was clean.
Today we drove from San Bernardino to Fullerton, then on to Huntington Beach, before returning to Huntington.
Our first task of the day was to visit San Bernardino’s contribution to the world: The very first McDonalds in 1948. It turns out the ‘birth’ story of McDonald’s are actually two stories, the official McDonald corp stance and the actual truth. Thankfully, the founder of the Pollo Loco restaurants in Southern California has saved this original history (despite McDonald corp efforts to tell a different story). Even better, he’s made the museum free. Now, I wouldn’t drive hours out of my way to visit this, but if you are near San Bernardino, it is worth a short detour in my opinion.
Though not the original build, that is part of the original sign and this is the original location of the very first McDonalds.
Part of the mural on the side of the building commemorates the launch of the first McDonalds.
According to the McDonald corp, the first McDonald’s was started by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, IL. It turns out that, yes, the Des Plaines location was the first McDonald’s Kroc started. But he launched that one as a franchisee of the McDonald brothers. It wasn’t until 1955 that Kroc bought out the McDonald Brothers and gained control of the business. Here’s some fast-food info:
History of the Hambuger
Paul just purchased this early Maverick. Note the emblems on the side. He believes it was blue and white. Though the red paint isn’t the best, he says everything else looks real good.
UPDATE: Was $2250. **SOLD**
This is different.
“I made this one of a kind TV stand / bookshelf / hall table, using the remains of a REAL WWII Jeep! These are not replica parts. I’m down in Houston, but I will be traveling to the Ft. Worth area very soon, so delivery is not out of the question. The Jeep’s hood opens so you can display items behind the grille. Please feel free to ask questions.”
<– Day 17 – Apr. 5th: Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor | OVERVIEW | Day 19 – Apr. 7th: From McDonald’s to Ruby’s –>
Our wigwam for the evening . . .
We began the morning driving the I-10 to the El Capitan theatre (owned by Disney) at the heart of Hollywood. It wasn’t all clear to me how this would play out, but somehow we were going to hear Rob Richards play on one of the last five remaining “Fox Specials”, of which Farny Wurlitzer, a relative of mine, once said were his masterpieces.
Today we travelled from Ontario to Hollywood, then back out to San Bernardino.
Not enough smog in LA to block out the Hollywood sign on Sunday!
Rob was kind enough to email me back in December to tell me he’d welcome our presence at the theatre so we could meet and he could play for us. How could I pass that up? So we agreed to meet on Sunday for a 12:40pm show. I didn’t quite understand it at the time, but Rob would play music on the organ as people streamed into the theatre prior to the movie (which today was the Muppets).
At the agreed upon time, Rob whisked us inside (comped tickets no less — how do these things happen to me?) and began playing for just Ann and I. He bounced between various disney songs as the pipes and bells and whistles bellowed from the right and left of the front row.
Blurry, but you get the point. We have the theatre to ourselves for a short time. We even scored some free popcorn and a drink!
Colin shared these photos of Jim’s restoration. Looks great!
Colin writes, “Here are a few of photos of Jim Sullivan’s 1961 DJ3A Dispatcher. The restoration on this little Jeep is fresh, like a month old now! I will include a couple of photos of it when Jim bought it from Bob Tomson about 5 years ago and then a few that I took yesterday morning in front of an Ice Cream shoppe and antique store in Glendale AZ.
The engine and transmission were both rebuilt, all new wiring, upgraded upholstery, floor mats, carpet in the rear compartment, and a 1950s Willys Jeepster/station wagon steering wheel were added. It has 15 inch powder coated wheels, but small VW size tires. The paint is 1959 Ford truck blue, which is the same as Pepsi Cola blue. It has the stock small hubcaps with the raised “W” in the middle.
It has what appears to all of us familiar with it, a reinforcing metal channel on top of the hood, right down over the center seam , which looks like it might have been a factory approved or even a factory installed item (See last photo). It looks too good to be an aftermarket or homemade deal. There weren’t any modifications showing to the underside of the hood and it appears to have been spot welded to the hood. A professional looking addition, regardless of how it came to be there.”
Pics of Jim’s DJ-3A before the restoration:
After restoration (Note Colin’s Surrey in the background):
<– Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep | OVERVIEW | Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam –>
We didn’t do a lot today. I got caught up on emails and ewillys, worked out (trying to do a better job of that this trip), and relaxed. We also slept. A lot.
Oh yeah, we also ate some ice cream, too. At a Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor no less (Ed Note, as of Dec 2020, the site is no longer live).
When Ann and I were kids Farrell’s was the place to go for birthday parties (Me in Renton, She in Pasco). Farrell’s was loud, crazy and sugarlicious. Then in the mid-1980s Farrell’s closed quickly. The reasons for the closures are hinted at in this history of Farrells: http://www.farrellsusa.com/history-of-fun.php
So, when Ann found a brochure for Farrell’s in the lobby of our hotel, she got very excited. After unsuccessfully trying to convince me that we should have Farrell’s ice cream for breakfast, we agreed to go yesterday afternoon. Even better, it was located on old Route 66 (not that there’s anything left over from the original Route 66).
Picture on the wall outside of Farrells in Rancho Cucamonga
Though the wait was long, we enjoyed ourselves. The place still captured the spirit and look of the original Farrell’s. There is still the famous Zoo on the menu (feeds hordes of children). The sounds of birthday songs and drum banging reverberated throughout the restaurant. The ice cream was better than dairy queen, but certainly no Zingers. But, that’s okay. It’s all about the fun and about recapturing good memories from bygone youthful days.
A very happy wife. This was the first ice cream of the trip. No more until we hit Zingers in Oregon.
Sunday we get to hear a Mighty Wurlitzer Organ and receive a short, behind the scenes tour of it.
<– Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep | OVERVIEW | Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam –>
Robert sent this wonderful note to me. He asked me to share it in case it motivates others with their projects.
My name is Robert and I am writing to thank you for hosting ewillys because it has had a great impact on my life. My father and I decided to get away from the rock crawling scene and build an old willys jeep with a small block Chevy motor because my father was a GM mechanic in the 80’s. However, being from Pennsylvania almost all old jeeps have fallen victim to the rust of the northeast, and as a result, finding a willys worth having was no easy task. After several failed trips to purchase potential projects I stumbled onto ewillys and my father and we decided to purchase a jeep from the west coast.
My father called on over 50 ads from your site and eventually got a call back from the owner of a 1942 GPW with a SBC 305 in Portland, Oregon. The seller was willing to deal with shipping the jeep! Therefore, in early December of 2010, we blindly purchased the jeep sight unseen and prayed it would eventually arrive at the house. The jeep arrived at our house in Pennsylvania a few days before Christmas! The truck driver spoke very little English, but did advise that the jeep ran very poorly and had almost no brakes at all. However, a few negatives could not overcome to excitement my father and I shared upon confirmation that we had not wired some stranger thousands of dollars for a mythical willys, and the jeep was wonderful.
After the long awaited arrival of the GPW we decided to that even though the gas tank said “remove from boat when fueling,” and the seats were mounted on handy angle we would test the brakes and drive the jeep if at all possible. We determined that we could take a short drive down the cul-de-sac since I could not physically push the jeep when the brakes were applied. As we drove in front of the house the transmission was screaming louder than the motor and steering column was far from safe. That being said, we had to see what a barely running 305 would do in the light willys jeep. Therefore, taking the condition of the jeep into consideration it felt like we were flying when we came back past the house. We began to slow the jeep far before the stop sign and made the turn into our drive way to end our first drive. To our surprise, when my father depressed the clutch pedal to the floor the clutch did not disengage, and as you can imagine this quickly became problematic because the one brake that was sort of working could not even begin to slow the v8. This put us on a crash course with the garage door! Fortunately, my dad is quick on his feet and killed the ignition in the nick of time which allowed us to stop before hitting the house.
Here’s a few wide ranking pics from Charles.
This CJ-2A was part of a wedding in Leavenworth, WA. It appears a few other times in this blog: http://prranchwedding.blogspot.com/2012/01/country-chic-wedding-peacock-feather.html
Cool junkyard photo
From Charles: belgian air force – note the british corporal stripes (driver) on his sleeve