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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 .
This December 06, 1958, article in the Tulare Advance Register highlights the Tulare County Four-Wheel Drive Club with pics and text. It’s not a club that I recognize, but the club was pivotal to the formation of the California Association of Jeeps Clubs in 1959 (later known as the California Four Wheel Drive Association). I tried to find a club logo or sticker, but couldn’t locate any example.
Here’s the 1958 article (spliced for easier viewing):
This in-depth article on the use of jeeps and planes includes a variety of photos. It appeared in the April 08, 1951, issue of the Nevada State Journal.
This article in the October 22, 1944, issue of the Miami Herald explains how, during a hurricane-related power outage, an Army jeep was used to power a printing press, saving the news day.
This photo and caption shares Carol McDonald’s demonstration of how to hang off a jeep as a counterbalance during the middle of a jeep race.
In 1949, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Meyer drove in a CJ-2A from the Panama Canal to Decatur, Illinois. The article below provide the only records I could find related to their trip. This first article summarizes the adventure and shows a great photo of “DOPEY”. It was published in the Decatur Review, June 16, 1949:
This second article is a pictorial of the trip that was published June 18, 1949, in Bloomington, Illinois’ “The Pantagraph”:
This is a different summary of the trip, but contains no photos. It was published in the Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana) on May 13, 1949:
This last article was published June 17, 1949, in the Herald and Review out of Decatur, Illinois:
This October 21, 1969, article from the Daily News-Post (Monrovia, California) included some great photos. It’s quite a spread! The review of the unit was very positive, almost a little too positive.
A March 06, 1949, photo in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph highlighted Newgren’s recently introduced bush and bog harrow. The Pittsburgh firm of Buyers Motors was promoting this piece of equipment and others as part of a product exhibition for Willys-Overland Motors dealers.
As part of the development of this uniquely styled rear-engine car, in 1937 Basil (Barney) Oldfield built a prototype he called the “Jeep”. The “Jeep” sold him on the idea of a rear engine vehicle, so he began development of a safer, more dependable vehicle built around the rear engine. Unlike Tucker’s rear-engine auto design, Barney’s “Spirit of Tomorrow”, completed in 1942, did not lead to a manufactured product. But, Barney did achieve his goals, as Ralph Nader approved of his vehicle, claiming it was roomier, safer, and had more visibility.
This September 05, 1967, article form the Victoria Colonist (Victoria, B.C.,) provides some good early history on the vehicle.
The “Spirit of Tomorrow” still runs. This 2018 video interview provides additional information:
https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/community/spirit-of-tomorrow-car-still-turning-heads-after-76-years/
These pics featuring the newly designed jeep appeared in the December 05, 1941, issue of the Ithaca Journal, two days before Pearl Harbor. I feel bad for those women having work the line in a dress and high heels.
The blurb below states:
THE JEEP TAKES ITS PLACE IN ARMY AND IN DICTIONARY: Officially designated as “quarter-ton four-by-four trucks,” but known to the U.S. Army as jeeps, the fast little scout cars, being turned out by thousands to serve as liaison between advanced mechanized units and infantry follow-ups, now are recognized as among the most important contributions of modern American assembly-line methods to the service. Powered with a 63-horsepower, four-cylinder engines, the jeep has a four-wheel drive, can carry three men and a machine gun, and can tow a heavy-calibre anti-tank gun. The pictures, illustration jeep production and testing, were made at the Willys-Overland plant in Toledo, Ohio. Left (in our case top): Women employees at work on a jeep assembly line. In the rear is an assembly line of civilian cars. Center: The cars being tested on the proving-ground. At right (in our case at the bottom): Negotiating an open field choke with heavy brush.
This Northwestern Auto Parts and Wilenskey Auto parts ads in the January 05, 1947, issue of the Star Tribune out of Minneapolis highlighted engine kits that allowed a jeep engine and transmission (which was included with the purchase), along with the necessary mountings, to be installed into certain Ford, Plymouth, and Chevrolet vehicles. I wasn’t aware there were kits design to do this.
