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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 .
In 2009 Brendan launched this-old-jeep.com. His goal is to capture old jeeps pics, stories or both so that they don’t get lost. He was spurred on by a post on G503. In the post someone mentioned what a shame it was that a lot of photo albums were being torn apart and the photos were then separated, identities lost and a piece of history was erased.
Brendan decided he wanted to change that. He decided to start placing photos he would purchase on ebay online. He feels it is a small drop in the ocean, but if he can gather enough, he’d like to think that he could put together some of th0se histories.
He’s still organizing and gathering information, so stop by and check out what he’s doing.
Gerald sent me a link to Hans Tore Tangerud’s website. Living in Kristiansand, Norway, Hans is definitely a car lover, building a pretty sizeable site. He’s got a variety of old brochures and images, including a few Willys & Jeep Brochures.
Here are 3 images taken by Alfred Palmer in December of 1941. These three photographs were taken at the Toledo Willys Plant. There are other images that show the machines used to manufacture parts, but I didn’t really find them very interesting.
Here some pics of Australian Troops during WWII from the Library of Congress.
Taken in March, 1943, In New Guinea. This Willys serves as an ambulance for Australian troops in New Guinea. Library of Congress
Here’s some troops navigating through some muck. This convoy is carrying military chiefs and cabinet ministers on a visit to battle areas in New Guinea. Air Vice-Marshall G. Jones is shown in the leading vehicle during the tour of the convoy. Library of Congress
This image might not be Australian Troops, but it is supposed to be taken in October of 1942 in Australia. Library of Congress.
Soldiers, wounded in the fighting in New Guniea, are carried to a base. Library of Congress.
This was taken in March of 1943. Australian troops and supplies go to the front line at Buna. Library of Congress.
Some of the folks over at the ww2talk.com website had a discussion regarding the Museo Storico Piana delle Orme – Latina (Italy). The museum describes itself as a “historical theme park designed to accommodate one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world: planes, tanks, locomotives, wagons, radio, weapons and hundreds of military vehicles, agricultural tractors, threshers, trams and coaches, tools and thousands of objects of all types and sizes. Dedicated to the twentieth century, the Museum is a journey through 50 years of Italian history. 14 themed to tell the traditions and culture of the peasant, the great works of improvement, the Second World War but also to show the vehicles and means at the dawn of industrialization and great toys with which children entertained themselves.”
For the purposes of ewillys, the highlight of the trip might just be the opportunity to check out these two modified flatties a little closer (ok, hopefully we could find many more highlights as well!)
In the foreground, we have a MB that has been converted into a tow truck. Behind, and to the left, is a jeep with a water tank(?) on the back of it. Maybe a water transporter? This photo was taken by “Captain Bill”.
Doing some research on Warn hubs this morning, I ran across this image on Warn’s corporate website. This may very well be the original Warn Motor’s Service station in Seattle, Washington, where Arthur Warn developed his early ‘Summer Hubs’ as Mike refers to them. Note the signs atop the roof, “Jeeps” and “Warn Motors”.
If there were just one of these trucks, i would call it a custom one-off project. However, two of these suggest to me this was a kit of some kind? It kind of looks like the prototype for the Willys we have named a Tender.
I wish I had found a complete picture of this truck from Camden, NJ, but it appears we’ll have to make due with a partial image. I think that’s supposed to be a wooden typewriter on top. Here’s the original link.
“Sitting on the wall are Mr. Robison’s nephews and niece, Tony, Annamarie and Joe Di Paola Jr. In the background, parked on the Haddon Avenue side of 964 Pine Street is the Willys truck belonging to Robison’s Typewriter and Cash Register Repair.”
I haven’t seen too many Coast Guard Willys Pics. According to the Library of Congress, here’s one from April 1943.
The Library of Congress’ caption to this photo is: Coast Guard anti-saboteur patrol. Vital cargoes of war supplies for America’s far-flung battle lines must also be protected on the docks and piers from enemy attempts at sabotage. The Coast Guard now uses jeeps with armed Coast Guardsmen maintaining vigilant waterfront patrols.
I’ve seen a few pics that show the jeep as a temporary place for worship. This is another image from Roy O. Bingham. The Library of Congress reports that in this pic, “Members of the Tenth Mountain Division, 605th Artillery Battalion, attend a Protestant Easter religious service at Rocca Pitigliano, Italy, conducted by Chaplain William H. Bell. In the foreground, four men bow their heads together. Corporal Ralph Squires sits at a portable organ and two soldiers face the Chaplain who stands in front of his jeep draped with a white cloth in use as an altar for a small crucifix.”
Paul (of stainless M-38 friend) told me a couple days ago that he has a friend (whom he calls Crazy Ralphie) who has been restoring a GPA. He’s promised to provide us with some pics once the Alaska winter subsides a bit. In the meantime, here are some SEEP images I found at the Library of Congress. I have seen a few of these in books, but none as crisp as below.
Below is a production SEEP. Note the ribs on the side. I believe this photo is from maneuvers held in the Detroit area, when soldiers from Fort Wayne in full combat dress manned the machines Library of Congress
The picture below shows maneuvers held in the Detroit area, when soldiers from Fort Wayne in full combat dress manned the machines. Library of Congress
The two photos below were taken by Arthur Siegel. During WWII he worked for the Office of War Information (OWI). These two were taken in April of 1943. Library of Congress
Another artist featured in the PBS series They Drew Fire, Combat Artists of World War II, Ed Reep, captured this scene. While he tries to paint the image colorfully, there’s no doubt, based on his description, that his subject had an unimaginably colorful character. After ending the war as an Army Captain, Ed would go on to teach at the Art Center College at East Carolina University and the California Institute of the Arts.
Ed writes, “There was a fellow who hauled a bathtub out of Notuno, and filled it with water, and then he punched a hole in the gas tank and lit it. The painting was nutty. That’s all there was to it. How in the world could this man be smiling on a beach-head where shell fire would come all the time, constantly?” You can see this painting on PBS’s Website. This painting is currently located at the U.S. Army Center for Military History in Washington, D.C.
