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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 .
I like reading books about the history of odd subjects. Whether gum, beer , milk or salt, if it is a history about something food related, I want to read it. A few years ago I read a fun little book about the history of popcorn called Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America by Andrew Smith. I was surprised to learn how many different kinds of popcorn there are, having grown up on the basic non-branded yellow variety. So, when I spotted this article about popcorn trailers that were pulled by Willys Wagons, I thought it was interesting. Below you can see the trailers built by Clyde Gould, see one of two wagons that pulled them, and learn about his attempt to create a popcorn business. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t indicate how successful he was or what happened to the trailers.
UPDATE: I must sheepishly admit that I should have known which US President drove a Scrambler. President Reason drove a M-38A1, a CJ-6 and, according to ewillys, a Scrambler, too.
Mark from jeeptruck.com forwarded this jeep quiz at Jay Leno’s website. I came in 22nd place with my score, probably because I missed one. I didn’t know which US President drove a Scrambler. I also didn’t realize I was being timed on my speed, so read fast or repeat the quiz if you want to do better.
Also, there were no extra points for naming the vehicle on the pic below. I suspect it was used to avoid paying Jeep/Chrysler any royalties. I guess who needs a Jeep when you have a GAZ.
“WELCOME TO OUR SHORT 5 DAY AUCTION FOR THIS VERY COOL AND SUPER RARE VINTAGE ONE OF A KIND WILLYS JEEP OF TULSA OKLAHOMA OUTSTANDING SALES AWARD LARGE SILVER (PLATE?) TRAY FROM 1950. IT MEASURES 16.25” IN DIAMETER, HAS A GREAT GRAPHIC OF A WILLY’S JEEP TRUCK AND IS MARKED “AWARDED TO TULSA-WILLYS, INC. IN APPRECIATION OF OUTSTANDING SALES PERFORMANCE WILLYS 1950 COMMERCIAL CAR CAMPAIGN W.S. VENN GENERAL SALES MANAGER”. THE DESIGNS ON THE FACE AND EDGES OF THE TRAY ARE VERY ART NOUVEAU AND ORNATE. ITS PHYSICAL CONDITION IS EXCELLENT ASIDE FROM NEEDING A GOOD SHINE, WHICH I WILL LEAVE TO THE NEW OWNER.”
This ad was featured in a 1952 Modern Mechanix Magazine advertisement. It advertises a remote control jeep that “goes forward . . reverse . . left . . right. It’s called a “electra-JEEP”.
Last month LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) opened its downtown Tacoma location. The location can hold up to 350 vehicles, many from the LeMay collection, but others are there, too, making it one of the world’s largest automotive museums. However, as Ann pointed out, it isn’t so much a museum as a gallery.
The building complex is four levels and uses a parking garage as its organizational metaphor. Visitors begin on a main, very spacious area with curved wooded beams that have a nice warmth. As you walk slightly upwards on this main floor, the vehicles at the pinnacle are a Dusenburg and a Tucker. As I’ve mentioned, I always wanted to see a Tucker in person and I wasn’t disappointed. Fortunately, the car is positioned so you can walk around the entire vehicle, unlike most of the vehicles.
Once the first level is complete, visitors can walk down ramps as they begin the descent into the garage portion. A ramp leads to a flat floor, then another ramp leads down further until the bottom floor is circled. At that point, visitors begin ascending the other side with another set of ramps that lead back to the surface.
My main goal of this trip was to see the Tucker and explore the museum. I didn’t expect to see any jeeps, because my last review of the museum’s online records didn’t indicate there were any. However, on one of the underground floors we were pleasantly surprised when we spotted the familiar WW2 grille. Unfortunately, as we got closer, I discovered this was a poor example of a jeep. Even the sign said the vehicle was “titled a 1945 MB, but made with parts from 1941-1944”. Problems with this included a passenger side fender had lots of rust underneath (not evident in the pics). Brackets were welded on to the rear and sides of the body. There was no windshield.
Despite the jeep experience, the museum is beautiful with a large number of mostly American cars. Poor Ann had to listen to my occasional frustrations about how the museum was missing opportunities to educate and entertain people. She bore my rants well, as usual. Guess that’s why I’m marrying her 🙂
Note, due to the low light and the banning of tripods, Ann had to use her cell phone to take pictures, so these aren’t as good as usual.
