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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 saw yesterday’s photo from Seattle, which made him think of a similar period photograph. It hangs on the wall inside the offices at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, New York, showing a portion of Broad Street in Norwich. (Broad Street is the main street).
Steve reports that this jeep can be seen inside the Miami-Dade County (Florida) Transportation Building. It appears to be a militarized CJ-2A with some MB parts (frame could be MB) with some diamond plating added to the rear cargo area.
As you can see in this pic, it is claimed the jeep is a 1945 WWII jeep. But, the CJ parts suggest otherwise. It appears the jeep is on loan form the Miami Military Museum at Zoo Miami.
This pic is from Yelp and shows the sign on the jeep and more of the display.
Gayland recently visited the U.S. Army’s Transportation Museum at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and shared these photos. Ann and I drove right past there, but didn’t have time to stop. I will have to visit there the next time I’m visiting my cousin in Virginia.
<– Day 6 – Friday May 4: Parker To the Rescue! | Day 8 – Sunday May 6: Somber to Soda –>
Geoff and David in front of the Ford GPs at the Alabama Veterans Museum.
Day 7: On Saturday, we spent a pleasant morning with Geoff and Kathy, then drove down to Alabaster, Alabama.
A short drive today from Huntsville, Alabama, to Alabaster, Alabama.
Today began with a 10am rendezvous with Geoff and Kathy at the U.S. Veterans Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. On our way to the museum we spotted this CJ-5 on the side of the road advertising a tire shop. It’s the first ‘feral’ jeep we’ve spotted during this trip:
We arrived at the U.S. Veteran’s Museum to find the museum already open and our entry fairs pre-paid (thanks Geoff and Kathy!!).
A docent welcomed us to the museum and proceeded to show us around, telling us stories. When we first met him, I specifically mentioned that Ann was an Air Force veteran and that she’d been a weapons specialist. I’ve learned to do this because the older docents often assume that it’s the men that served and the men who know weapons (I can’t tell you how many folks assumed that I was the veteran when we used to drive around in Ann’s old Mustang with the Purple Heart plates).
I don’t believe the docent meant any harm and Ann claims it doesn’t bother her (I think it in fact does), but multiple times the docent assumed it was Geoff and I who knew things about guns such as the carbine vs. the rifle (Geoff did, but I didn’t have a clue; I could hear Ann under her breath answer his question) or his comment about our boys and the Purple Hearts (Ann’s received the medal, but it’s not a point of pride for her …. In fact, women have been awarded Purple Hearts since the first winner, a nurse from Pearl Harbor in 1941.) Eventually, Ann excused herself and wandered about on her own for a little while.
Apart from that minor issue, it was fun to wander around the museum with Geoff and Kathy. Of course, I enjoyed the jeeps the best, especially the Ford Pygmy and later Ford GP. It was the first time I noticed just how different the Pygmy was to the later models. Geoff knew enough about early Ford trucks to point out some of the parts Ford had used on their prototype Pygmy. Here are some pics:
Ford Pygmy, Ford GP, Bantam BRC-40, Willys MA, Willys Slat Grille
<– Day 5 – Thursday May 3: Rainy Day Quilts | Day 7 – Saturday May 5: There’s a Coffee Shop Here? –>
DAY 6: Today we drove from Paducah to Huntsville via the Sam H. Werner Military Museum. It was almost a total bust, but Parker Lowndes saved the day!
Today’s drive from Paducah to Huntsville
Today we had one objective: To visit the Sam H. Werner Military Museum in Monteagle, Tennessee, a museum that just opened last year in 2017. I’d seen pics of prototype jeeps, prototype lightweights and more and couldn’t wait to visit.
Once again, for the first half the drive, rain came and went. About noon, the rains finally left us. It was great to have some dry weather again!
We reached Monteagle at 1:30pm. The Werner Military Museum isn’t far off the interstate, so within a few minutes we were sitting in front of the museum. But something was noticeably wrong. The gates were locked and no cars were in the parking lot.
But it’s supposed to be open today!!!! NOOOOOO…..
Hmmm …. This can’t be good. The hours were Wed-Sun, 10-3, so it should have been open. But, it wasn’t. I looked to my left and there was a sign, torturing me. It read: Jeeps to Tanks, Come in and Visit Us …. trust me, I’m trying to get inside!!
Desperate, I turned to the website. There, I found two folks with emails and phone numbers. The first one went to voicemail. The second one went to Parker Lowndes. Thankfully, Parker answered.
Parker explained that the volunteer who should have been at the museum had to leave early. Could I come back tomorrow? I explained that I’d come a long way and had to head south to Huntsville later in the evening. After a short conversation, Parker offered to meet us at the museum but couldn’t be there until 4pm. I said we’d be happy to wait. It turns out, it was worth the wait.
It was real pleasure to meet Parker and learn about the museum. He took time out of his Friday evening to open the museum just for us and guide us through it. He explained that the museum has only been open a year, serving about 1000 visitors so far. They are looking for more volunteers, to rebuild vehicles and operate the museum. They also need to sort through lots of items; they are not lacking in museum content. If you are interested in helping, contact the museum.
Parker also mentioned that the museum will be hosting a Military Vehicle Show & Swap Meet May 18,19 & 20 for anyone interested.
The museum itself is divided into two large buildings. Here are a few pics from the first:
One place I’ve yet to reach is Russell’s Travel Center, a gas stop on historic Route 66 along I-40, exit 369, Glen Rio, New Mexico. Don recently stopped in their to take photos of their 1948 CJ-2A, along with some other vehicles. This year, on my return trip, I plan to stop and see it!
GMWillys and his lovely wife visited the Birmingham Alabama’s Southern Museum of Flight the other day and took some photos for us. He notes that the museum is fairly impressive, given the relatively small space. And, the jeep count is at three: an M-38, an M-38A1, and a CJ-V35. See the pics below.
The M-38A1 (hidden behind a plane):
I saw this one Facebook. I didn’t realize that the Sam Warner Military Museum in Tennessee had such an extensive collection of jeeps, including some airborne prototypes. I will make it a point to visit there during my May trip.
Roving eWillys correspondent Tim Evans braved Hurricane Irma to file this report.
He wrote, “I arrived in Orlando, Florida, last Wednesday (9/6) to attend a conference, but found out late Thursday that it was canceled. That gave me time to visit the Museum of Military History where I found a M38 and a M151 jeep. Then I began a long slow drive home to Kentucky Friday morning, arriving late on Saturday.”
Always good to see people taking their unpaid, completely volunteer, unheralded work as eWillys correspondents seriously. I may have to upgrade his title to Chief Hurricane Correspondent!
UPDATE: We had a busy, long weekend, Normal updates resume on Tuesday morning. In the meantime, here’s a rerun from 2010.
Eureka, Utah is a very small town. I imagine it was even smaller when Frank Zamboni was born in 1901. From those humble beginnings, Frank grew up to create one of the most iconic service vehicles ever: The Zamboni® Ice Resurfacer. I’m not sure why they have entered the public’s imagination in the way they have, but if you say Zamboni®, people know what the vehicle does.
In fact, the Frank J. Zamboni company is legitimately concerned about the name Zamboni® passing from being a description of an Ice Surfacer into a noun, which can spell death for a Trademark. You’ll note on the website that Zamboni® is quickly followed by Ice Surfacer for that specific reason. In addition, there’s an extensive discussion of the Zamboni® trademark here.
By now, you are probably asking yourself what all this has to do with jeeps? For about 7 years, from 1942 through 1949, Frank Zamboni attempted a variety of experiments to create a good ice resurfacer, mostly using different Jeep models. Below is a summary of the Zamboni® history from the company’s website coupled with pics I’ve found all over the web. The CJ-3B Page also has some information.
2. Model B introduced the jeep to ice surfacing. In 1950, apparently Frank decided he needed something more portable, so he came up with Model B, which used a War Surplus Jeep (I’m assuming MB?). If you look closely below, you can see Frank connected a U joint to the steering column and then added another steering rod so that you could steer from behind the jeep. According to the Frank J. Zamboni Corp:
UPDATE: Thanks to Leigh for sharing some photos from his visit to the Australian War Memorial:
Original Post (03/19/.2011) Greg’s found these image at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia. A little more research yielded a few stories and additional pics at the Australians-at-War website. You can see other Jeeps on rails used in Australia at G503.com.
Leigh shared some pics and information from his visit to the Gippsland Vehicle Collection in Maffra, Victoria, Australia, which is about an hour or so east of Melbourne.
He writes, “The first photo shows a 1956 (this could be earlier due to shipping/conversion times) Willys 6-226 Truck. Fifteen vehicles with this configuration were introduced into the Country Fire Authority (Victoria) that year. The 6-226 was fitted with a BSA 17 LP Pump and 180 gallon (800 lit) tank.
At the time, the Willys was the only small four wheel drive truck capable of carrying a water tank of this size, however even with an output of 105 hp (70 kw) it struggled in steep country with its relatively high first gear. On loan from the Fire Services Museum of Victoria http://fsmv.net.au/
Next is a 1943 Ford GPW depicting a vehicle from the 234th Medical Co. of the 4th marine Div. that served in the Pacific during WW2.
This is a Ford GPA with Australian Army Markings.
