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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 .
UPDATE: Still Available as of 02/13/2024
I thought this was an interesting photo of a modified WWII jeep.
View all the information on eBay
“tirage argentique année 1950 environ
Photo originale camion voiture publicitaire
JEEP COCA COLA avec conducteur
JEPP publicitaire Tour de France cycliste
Papier photo 17,5 cm x 12,5 cm
BON ÉTAT, petits défauts”
UPDATE: Still Available.
(10/28/2022) This former race-horse-track jeep has an unusual mod. Might make an unusual restoration. No description provided.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/747155419912323
Bill shared this article that includes several claims I hadn’t encountered. So, I figured I’d shared this to see what others thought:
Anyway, check out the article for other claims.
UPDATE III: I just found an ad from the January 4, 1947, issue of Time Magazine that includes a “Get a ‘Jeep'” campaign. It’s on eBay.
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(April 09, 2019) UPDATE II: There was at least one GET A ‘JEEP’ mailer that was distributed to current and potential jeep owners.
UPDATE: As Terry pointed out, the GET A ‘JEEP’ campaign was likely a play off of the popular phrase Get a horse, the popular cry that greeted almost every automobile which appeared on the roads during the early years of the automobile. A 1930 article from the Saturday Evening Post also highlights the use of this phrase.
Starting in January of 1946, Willy’s Overland introduced the GET A ‘JEEP’ phrase to their Collier’s and Saturday Evening Post full-page ad campaign.
Examples of the GET A ‘JEEP’ campaign in the full page ads of the Saturday Evening Post.
The company also introduced a subtler GET A ‘JEEP’ magazine marketing strategy in the form of small cartoons.
So far, I’ve only identified the publishing date of one cartoon, but I’m sure with time we can identify the others. As of a November 13, 1946, the cartoon ad campaign was still being used, but the December 14, 1946, full-page ad does not include that phrase.
2. This version of the ad was published in a 1946 magazine. The cartoon print is available on eBay.
3. This one was found on Pinterest:
4. I’d published this one a few years ago. It was being sold on eBay.
5. This was posted on eBay for sale and labeled a 1946 ad:
This keepsake brochure lacks any date, but I presume to be the second tour of jeeps around part of the country, probably in 1948. The brochure cover page shows a Mahl Loader attached to one jeep and a Blue Star hardtop on another jeep. I wonder if a similar brochure was made for the first Cavalcade.
I ran across one of these manuals, then a search led to other years of this brochure. Below is information from eBay on the 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966 manuals:
1) 1961 This is a COPY of the Bendix Radio Service Manual for Willys Motors (but at least it shows the pages) (or there is this original version for much more):
UPDATE IV: I won this original Jeep Herders Movie Poster on eBay the other day. It’s a 40″x27″ lobby poster. It came with a lobby card with a still shot from the movie. I plan to make a scan of it so I can get a digital copy printed for display:
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UPDATE III: Brian left this comment: “Thanks to the work of Eric Steadman at the Serial Squadron, Planet Picture’s “Jeep-Herders” (1946) has been restored and can now be seen in its entirety for free on youtube. See link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owUmWZIHJRU
You can also help support the preservation of serials by purchasing a DVD copy of the restored Jeep-Herders at the Serial Squadron website: http://www.serialsquadron.com“
A quick look through the movie on youtube and one of the jeeps looks to be a Ford GP MT Tug (6×6). There’s also a Ford GP and what looks to be (based on the sides) the original Ford Pygmy.
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Last update April 12, 2018 — UPDATE II: See some still shots from the filming that show a couple Ford GPs.
UPDATE: This post once contained information on the El Dorado Jeepherders jeep club and their association with the placer miner and his pan ornament. I have moved the that information to this link.
JEEP-HERDERS MOVIE:
In 1945, Planet Pictures, a new venture founded by two stuntmen, produced it’s first movie: Jeep-Herders, a full-length movie shot in color on 16mm film. Planet PIctures’ goal was to produce movies that could bypass theaters for play in schools and churches, as 16mm projectors were very common at the time and much cheaper than the 35mm projectors. In addition, there was growing interest in 16mm for large audiences, as an industrial film on 16mm was shown to a crowd of 6000 in 1945. (click on this link and scroll down a page).
The plot of the movie was pretty pedestrian, “A wildcat oil outfit is seeking to take over the ranch belonging to Pop Martin and his son Bob and daughter Helen. Bob sends his ex-army pals a “stay-way” message, which brings them on the double. The WW II vets use their jeeps, first for a cattle roundup, and then to round up the gang of crooks, including the crooked family-lawyer Thatcher, brains of the gang.”
As usual, it’s been a busy few weeks around here. By late October, the awesome warm fall weather began giving way to colder than normal temps, so we became incentivized to finish outdoor stuff up before the really cold weather hit.
I added landscaping rock around the bunkhouse, the north side of the shop, and around the newly moved propane tank (still need to add the fence boards around the tank). The best part of this landscaping rock is that it was free, as our neighbor had a bunch of left over rock he wasn’t going to use. That saved us about $1000.
The dirt areas on either side of the walkway will become grass, but we ran out of time to complete the prep on that (may have to wait until Spring).
All the water systems have been blown and heaters installed in a couple areas related to the water systems. We didn’t quite get to burying the pipes underground for the cow’s water trough, so I buried a hose, which should work for the winter. (we did get the booster water pump fixed; didn’t cost much, so that was good)
To save on some feed costs, we lined up some of our panels so the cows can access the entrance for the neighbor’s property to eat down his pasture grass. This also saves me from having to drop hay during this cold snap.
Now, suddenly we are about a week away from Thanksgiving. Time sure does fly!
As a reminder, this is how things looked before the walkways and landscaping:
Here are some current pictures:
Andy shared this wood jeep and trailer he spotted on eBay. I liked the folk-art aspect and the size of it, so bought it. I’m sure it is a one-off creation of someones. Unfortunately, there are no markings.
The newest edition of the Dispatcher Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday. One article in particular caught my eye: Dan’s gauge restoration. I could have used this a few years ago! Thanks for that writeup Dan!
Also, note the classified ad at the end of the magazine: the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tour business is for sale (and has been for at least a little while).
Barney Goodwin shared the exciting news that his parts business acquired an early neon Willys Jeep sign to hang in his Waverly, Ohio, store. It is 80″ long and 30″ tall.
Barney is hoping to learn more about this sign’s place in Willys-Overland history. I shared with him my thoughts on it, but he is hoping to find documentable evidence about the sign. So, he figured he would reach out here.
In my opinion, he has two challenges. One, finding evidence for a date of manufacture would help place the sign in context (though there is plenty of physical circumstantial evidence in my opinion) and, two, finding documentation that indicates this was an OFFICIAL design offered and promoted by Willys-Overland (and not some dealer-created custom item).
I will update this post with the thoughts I shared with Barney at a later point, but I hoped to get some input from others before then.
Barney wrote, “I had wanted to announce this last summer but life got in the way. Last Spring we purchased this 1946 Willys Jeep neon sign to display inside our business.
We found it at the nation’s largest indoor antique mall in Springfield Ohio, and after 6 months was able to negotiate a price.
After we do more research, we hope to have an article in the Dispatcher Magazine about it.
In the meantime, we wanted to share it with the forum and invite comments about it, perhaps helping our research.
We believe, and have been told by the sign collecting world. That his is Willy’s first dealership marque sign from 1946. Notice that it does not have “CARS” or “TRUCKS” on it like the later ones did.
One sign collector said it was the only one of 2 known to still exist and the only one operational.
It is a 2-sided, bull-nosed, neon sign. It’s about 80” long and over 30” high.
The can is original paint – much more valuable than repainting it. The neon has been completely restored by a neon professional here in Ohio.
For our research, we are especially looking for comments with verifiable details.
With over 50 personal years involved with Jeep since high school, the appreciation of owning this cannot be overstated.”
Barney,
Barney’s Jeep Parts LLC
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To the best of the my knowledge, the only other sign like this that I’ve documented on eWillys is this one: http://www.ewillys.com/2015/10/29/rare-jeep-sign-bloomington-in-4500/
I thought I would score this incredibly rare July 24, 1946, Willys-Overland Press Release packet for the ‘Jeep” Station Wagon so I could share its contents with everyone, but $302 wasn’t high enough (it sold for $308). So, congrats to the winner. I did win a few other cool items though.
It’s construction and elements is similar to the previous year’s CJ-2A Press Release packet, documented here: http://www.ewillys.com/tag/1945-07-21-press-release-kit/?orderby=date&order=ASC&more=1
