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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 .
Joe shared these two Albany Police Department police photos posted by Albany’s Times Union online newspaper. The CJ-2A riot jeep is pic #30 of 35. The Wagon is pic #2 of 35.
Roger Martin shared this photo of, most likely, a CJ-2A or CJ-3A that was modified and outfitted with a camera. He spotted on Facebook. It was used on the set of the original Road Warrior Movie.
I was unable to find another photo of the camera jeep, but I did find a modified CJ-3B used for the Road Warrior (Fury Road) remake.
Gayland spotted this unusual setup for painting tall places from a jeep. This was published on page 114 of the January 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics. Just hope it isn’t a windy day!
The is a better look at the rigging:
And a close up of the jeep:
UPDATE: Jerry contacted me about a locomotive jeep he would like to restore (see near bottom). He noted that it was used at Tinkertown and found this older post while hoping to learn more. So, this post is a complete redo of an early post that focused just on photos in a January 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics.
It is probably no surprise that the Los Angeles metroplitan area was a hotbed of theme parks and carnivals following World War II. In particular, there was Beverly Park, which is claimed to be the park that stimulated Disney’s interests in theme parks.
One of those carnivals was a traveling kiddie carnival called Tinkertown. Articles show it existed at least from 1950 through 1952, operating in Monrovia, Wilmington, Los Angeles, and other LA area towns.
December 06, 1951, Wilmington Daily Press, Wilmington, California. Tinkertown Kiddie Carnival announcement.
Tinkertown appears to have owned, at one time or another, at least four unusual jeeps. One was a fire jeep made from a CJ-2A, shown below in red.
A second jeep appeared to have been a stretched (probably surplus) WWII jeep made into some kind of fire jeep used to tow a small Ferris wheel.
The article above refers to the jeep as a “fire engine”; perhaps it was modified during WWII? Here’s a better image:
A third jeep-related setup was a train possibly made from a jeep (or jeep-engine-powered at the very least). It is pictured here:
The fourth known jeep was a jeep turned into a locomotive. It’s the one Jerry now owns (along with two of the tram cars), one he’d like to restore. It’s in surprisingly complete condition. He’s hoping to learn more about the manufacturer and/or Tinkertown. Here’s a photo of his train:
Here’s how it looked in 1950:
This June 20, 1946, photo and caption on the Gustine Standard shows six jeeps purchased by the city of Merced for Mosquito Abatement. I didn’t realize jeeps were used so early for anti-mosquito work in California.
UPDATE III: A new reprint of the late 1950s Boyerstown-built Delivery Van is on eBay:
View all the information on eBay
“NICE QUALITY LARGE 11 X 17 REPRINTED PICTURE”
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UPDATE II: Mike shared a pic of a Boyerstown van from an ebay auction circa 2004.
UPDATE: In 2012 there was a press photo of the front of the van for sale.
2012 Post: “Jeep Utility 1959 4 x 2 Truck Photo Reprint w. Boyertown Body”
(Given fireworks have arrived, this article seemed appropriate …) This August 07, 1949, article was published in the Spokesman Review out of Spokane, Washington, but it likely originated from a Wisconsin news report. The article mentions Nicolet National Forest, which is located in Northern Wisconsin, and the event was sponsored by E. W. Schwartz Motors out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One interesting statistic noted was that conservative estimates put the number of jeeps in service in state and national forests at over 1,000 jeeps by the summer of 1949.
UPDATE: Still Available.
(06/10/2020) This custom oddity could be worth a look. It might make a good restoration project.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1597726797051226/
“Runs & drives great. 30 minutes on new motor. PTO…. Black tank is hydraulics, white tank for gas. Has gauges, etc… This is a one off, custom built by a car restoration company log splitter that was used for many years, then rebuilt & basically stored in the warehouse. Been started every year. This is a badass toy!!! I’ll dig it out from under the new clutter for the serious buyer”
UPDATE: Bidding ended without a sale.
Joe’s selling this former Florence Township (Ohio) CJ-6 Fire Jeep.
View all the information on eBay
“Bidding on a two owner Jeep CJ6 with 6,307 original miles on the original 4 cylinder engine with 3 speed manual transmission with clean Ohio title. It was converted into a fire engine for fighting brush and field fires for a small volunteer fire dept in northern Ohio who owned it until November 2019 when I purchased it from them after being the highest bidder in a sealed bid auction.
Well taken care of mechanically by the FD, was placed out of service in 2018 after being replaced, but not before they upgraded to 15 inch Pro Comp wheels with Super Swamper tires in 2016 (that probably have less than 100 miles on them). The original front drum brakes were also upgraded to disc brakes at the same time (original drums will be included in case buyer wants to restore it to original). Second set of 15 inch steel wheels with Bridgestone Dueller tires (from 2002) also included, as well as the original Goodyear spare tire. Continue reading
Cool photos. I would guess these were Personnel Carriers converted into fire trucks. However, they may also have been a cab-only chassis as well. The serial numbers would tell us more. You can see a few more photos at the bottom of this CJ-3B page.
“St George Fire Brigade Car 1, July 1962. St George Fire Brigade’s Car 1 converted from a Willys Jeep Truck. The Queensland Government supplied these units to small rural towns in 1961. The chassis were built by Willys Motors Australia Pty in Brisbane and the bodies by Enoggera Motor Body Works.”
PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.alamy.com/st-george-fire-brigade-car-1-july-1962-st-george-fire-brigades-car-1-converted-from-a-willys-jeep-truck-the-queensland-government-supplied-these-units-to-small-rural-towns-in-1961-the-chassis-were-built-by-willys-motors-australia-pty-in-brisbane-and-the-bodies-by-enoggera-motor-body-works-image188710782.html? .. It can also be found on Flickr.
This example calls Mattaburra, Australia, home:
Here’s another example. The pic is small.
