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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 .
Jeeps filled magazines in various ways. Some magazines reported on brand new ‘Blitz Buggy’ and other important develops about the jeep during WWII. Others reported on the changing models during its civilian life. Still others showcased how jeeps were used and the modifications done to them.
This photograph is part of a Popular Mechanics article from October, 1959. The article highlights the success American car manufacturers were having by producing cars in the San Paulo region, which the writer describes as the ‘Chicago’ of South America.
Lined-up Jeeps await delivery outside the Willys-Overland of Brazil factory at Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo’s industrial suburb. This expanding plant will soon be producing 250 Jeeps, cars and station wagons per day.
Speaking of Hydraulic Lifts, the Love Tractor Company (or perhaps more accurately Love Industries — I’m not clear on the difference) made a lift and also sold a willys-engine powered tractor.
Steve forwarded this gem. This photo and article were published in the February 1952 issue of Mechanix magazine (pg 76). The article highlights two entrepreneurs who decided to provide home tv repair service by refurbishing a trailer into a mobile repair station pulled by a CJ-3A.
David found this article on the history of the jeep in an issue of the September 1978 issue of Car and Parts Magazine. It a rare photo of the four-wheel-steer Bantam BRC-40 that was once owned by Checker (Bill Spears has lots to share about the Checker/Bantam). It very well could be the one in the post below.
David Silberman pointed out the ‘Leaping Lena’ article from the October 1941 issue of Popular Science (I thought I’d purchased this issue to scan, but apparently I didn’t do that). It’s an interesting review of the prototype jeeps. You also can view the entire issue on Google.
The May 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics published this little blurb about the 8th Air Force Bomber Station’s effort to transform a jeep into a sedan using only salvaged materials.
Art Moore let me know that the June 2014 issue of JP Magazine has an interesting article on unique vintage jeeps including the Creep (never heard of that one). I’m going to get an issue tomorrow.
The Taylors of Walnut Hill, Kansas, were featured in the March 1948 issue of Country Gentleman. They owned the Walnut Hill Hereford Ranch. I googled the ranch, but it no longer appears active under that name.
According to the article, “Tom Taylor bought his his CJ-2A jeep with some misgivings, but the jeep is probably his favorite piece of equipment. He now declares he wouldn’t know how to farm without it.”
Closeup of the CJ-2A
The article also notes, “The most original item is their repair-trailer, a wheeled frame of six-inch tubular steel which serves as compressed-air tank, carrying its own power, equipped for spray-painting, lubrication-pressure, welding and acetylene-torch cutting.”
Custom trailer for welding, cutting and mobile power. It appears the CJ-2A has an bed extender along with an extra tall rear seat (custom seat?).
Following a successful 1954-1955 Pan-American trip and lecture series, Helen and Frank Schreider began working with National Geographic in the late 1950s. They apparently struck a two part exploration plan. First, the couple would travel along India’s Ganges River Plain in a Ford GPA from the mouth of the river to its source and report on their experience. Second, they’d head toward Indonesia for a much longer adventure, which they described in the Drums of Tonkin.
The 1954-1955 drive through Central and South America beat up their original Ford GPA, ‘La Tortuga’, badly. While they shipped La Tortuga back to California after reaching Tiera Del Fuego, it appears the damage was bad enough that they didn’t attempt to use that GPA to travel again. So, for their new adventure to India and Indonesia they modified a second GPA, calling it La Tortuga II. One way to tell the difference between I and II is the location of the exhaust pipe. On I it is farther behind the lights than it is on II. One reason for this is that the cabin extends farther forward on II than on I. Here are comparison photos:
Tortuga I – Pan American Trip Frank and Helen Schreider. Note the damage to the sides. It is for sale in Norway.
Tortuga II in India. Note how the cabin reaches farther forward and the muffler is closer to the lights. The fate of this GPA is unknown at this time.
Their five month 1960 India adventure from the mouth of the Ganges to it’s source filled forty-two pages of the October, 1960, issue of National Geographic. There’s a definite shift from reporting about their seep and their obstacles, as they did in their first book, to an emphasis on the people and cultures they encountered. In other words, they focused less on adventure and more on anthropology and biology. Still, there are a few photos of La Tortuga II as they explored the waters and plains of the region.
