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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 .
Speaking of service jeeps, Glenn shared this photo of a neat looking dually service jeep off of Facebook.
The caption reads: “Here is a postcard of the Pig Hip Restaurant and Edwards City Service station (later the Phillips 66), 101 West Oak St., Broadwell, Illinois on Route 66.”
John shared this photo detailing a stencil on the windshield: Max Capacity 5 Person. He hoped it would help any folks doing a restoration.
He wrote, “Over on a Warbird forum someone posted this photo of a B-17 crew in the UK late in the war. I have blown up the photo for details….specifically, the tire pressure stencil on the base of the windscreen frame…and the “Max capacity 5 persons” notice..Might be of interest to someone restoring a wartime vehicle. The photo is from the national archives… so no copyright.”
Here is the closeup:
Here is the original photo:
L to R: S/Sgt William W. Adamson–Waist Gunner; Capt. Elmer E. Bockman–Asst S-3 95th BG; 1Lt Jasper W. Kaylor Jr–Copilot; 1Lt Frank t. Sohm–Bombardier; T/Sgt Oscar C. Walrod–Engineer/Top Turret; T/Sgt Robert V. Hill–Radio Operator; Capt. Robert O. Baber–Pilot; 1Lt Raymond D. Dallas–Navigator; S/Sgt Barney Lipkin–Waist Gunner; S/Sgt Walter J. Collyer Jr–Tail Gunner; S/Sgt Donald W. Phllips–Ball Turret –Photo courtesy of National Archives Note: The 11th man in the crew photograph is not dressed for a combat mission because Command Pilot Bockman replaced him on the mission. S/Sgt. William W. Adamson, waist gunner, joined the official crew photograph even though not flying that day.
“Before Canyonlands Was a Park” is a story built around a presentation given by Alan “Tug” Bates in 2014 and published January 07, 2024, by the Canyon Country Zephyr. It includes a variety of jeep photos from the Canyonlands area.
Kent Frost (L), Bates Wilson (Second from right) and friends in the late 1950s. (Photo Credit: NPS)
One excerpt is particularly interesting:
“In the first 10 years of exploring what would become Canyonlands National Park, we encountered a total of five people: We encountered one party of two in 1952; Dad gave them directions to find what later became known as Angel Arch, the icon of Canyonlands. Once, in 1953, we came across a lonesome cowboy, on his way from the West fork of Salt Creek to Cave Springs. And finally, in the fall of 1958, we met up with Kent and Fern Frost. They were in their green jeep, in Horse Canyon, checking out the area for future tours. But that was it…. FIVE.”
When my ex-wife and I moved to Utah thirty years ago (Yikes!!) in the summer of 1994 the population was 1.9 million (by comparison, as of 2021, the population was 3.38 million and the state is still one of the top five growing states). Lacking a jeep at that time, I got to explore southern Utah when you could still hike Desolate Arch in Arches NP and not see anyone! The experience Bates describes was mine at times. There were no signs stopping me from unrolling a sleeping bag on a piece of slick rock outside Moab and spending the night (now, lots of no-camping signs), which I did several times, with stars so bright I didn’t need a flashlight. And, if off the beaten path, you were guaranteed to feel all alone in desolate country.
Thirty years later, the Utah I experienced has changed dramatically. The restaurants are way better, the culture more diverse, the events more varied, but the resulting traffic and the crowds have become, at times, too much for my tastes. I guess I am getting old!!
Blaine also shared these links for the teardrop Mustang, developed in the late 1940s. While many of us have seen these pics, what I didn’t realize was that the Mustang utilized some jeep steering parts. As this MotorBiscuit article notes, “McCarty wanted to build his car with existing components adapted to his unique vision. He decided that the steering from a Willys Jeep, a Continental or Hercules engine, and Spicer rear axles would be the basis for his car.”
John shared this neat photo from the Warbird Website. You can even see the Ford tires on it. I tried to find the hood number (20145236), but it appears the G503 search has changed. Maybe someone else can have more luck determining if it is in the database.
Glenn shared this image of a fancifully decorated Willys truck from Facebook. According to this short history, Dysarts has been a restaurant and store in Maine since the 1960s.
The photo of the jeep underneath the letter shows it without bow holders, but with an extra spare tire carrier. Does this mean the country club ordered it this way? Were the bow holders ever installed? There have been a couple early 2As that appeared unrestored, but without bow holders. I’ve wondered if they could be ordered that way.
UPDATE II: Here’s another Africa USA Postcard. It’s a available on eBay.
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UPDATED Aug 04, 2020: This post is an aggregation of Africa USA postcards and articles. Another postcard from the form adventure park popped up on eBay, this time with a CJ-5 pulling the trams:
From 2015: Africa USA, was part of a theme-park movement in the late 1950s that included New York’s Freedomland, Disneyland, Wisconsin’s Fort Dells, and others. By 1959, these parks were collectively generating revenue of $2 billion.