emailNeed to contact me and don't have my email? Click on email button.
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: There’s another Baraboo Postcard on eBay.
(08/04/2014) This CJ-5 used to ferry visitors around Baraboo. I visited Barboo about two decades ago, but never saw it. It must have already been gone.
http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/our-treasures/history-of-circus-world/
This jeep and tram toured through Baraboo, pointing out various circus sites, including final resting spots in Walnut Hill Cemetery.
UPDATE: Here is what looks to be a Champion Doo-All Roll-Dump trailer for sale for $500. Thanks to Gary for spotting it. Gary contacted the seller and he is willing to transport it to Gary’s place for $50 in case anyone might be interested in this rare trailer.
https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/tro/d/saugerties-side-dump-mining-trailer/7542727821.html
====================
I can find no date for this Champion Company Doo-All ‘Jeep” Trailer brochure. Give only CJ-2As are shown, I initially thought this was published around 1948. However, the lack of Jeep wagons or trucks may indicate the brochure was published earlier than that. The from number is S-3-T.
This first 8″x11.5″ page is the front page:
The brochure opens horizontally to review a second page.
The right page opens horizontally again, to reveal a trip-fold:
This is the back of the brochure:
UPDATE II: This photo from eBay shows the front the “Dinosaur Jitney” jeep used to pull the tram.
View all the information on eBay
========================
UPDATE Posted Aug 21, 2018: This was last published in 2012. A couple of the postcards are back on eBay.
Originally published November 10, 2012: The Lewis and Clark Cavern was Montana’s first State Park and is located here. You can read about the history of the caves here. In 1947 the Montana Standard published an article about the cavern accompanied by the photo and caption below. You can view the entire article in this PDF file.
Here are three postcards related to this Jeep Railway.
1. View all the information on eBay
2. I haven’t seen this one on eBay in a while …
3. View all the information on eBay
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.
===================
(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:
=============================
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.
==================
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.”
