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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 .
Thanks to Jim sending the link on this. Obviously, this is a rare event.
“1941 Bantam Reconnaissance Car (BRC-40). Restored – starts, run, drives great. The vehicle was originally purchased and restored by a pretty well known figure in the Bantam Auto Club circle sometime in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I have a one page letter from this person detailing his efforts to obtain and restore the vehicle (which I will give to the buyer). It passed through a few owners until my purchase in 2001. Over the years I have upgraded/corrected various pieces and parts. It comes with a few spare parts, manuals, and a top.
The vehicle is 99%+ complete and accurate. The body tub is original – ie. not a reproduction like many others out there. The items that I believe are incorrect (or missing) are:
The choke and throttle knobs are the not the early “bulls-eye” type – although I have what I believe to be one correct replacement.
The oil pan does not have a skid plate – although I have a correct, original oil pan with skid plate that needs to be cleaned up and attached.
The rear tool box lid locks are incorrect.
The reflectors are of the King-Bee type (as used on the FORD GP) and I believe should in fact be Triflex SR-71s.
When I purchased the vehicle, it had a reproduction windshield frame. It was a pretty accurate copy, but a reproduction nonetheless. I sold it to another BRC-40 owner and acquired an original frame a few years back. It needs some work (arms straightened, etc and needs the latches to the cowl when in its upright position), but it’s in pretty nice condition. In fact, it has most of its original paint.
The front bumper is an OK reproduction, but I acquired a much better replacement from Ken Hake which has the correct rivets and hand crank guide.
Lastly, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am not sure the front leaf springs are correct/original. They may be correct, but again, I am not 100% sure. Lastly she needs a good bath – she has sat in my barn with my other vehicles for the past nine years and has collected a coating of dust and dirt. It was near freezing when I took the photos – I put a new battery in her and she started right up. Lastly, after sitting for nearly nine years, the brakes are a bit mushy. I’ll see if I can rectify this prior to sale (no promises).”
View some of the pics on eBay or many pics here.
I’ve had the Willys MA Website as a “Link Worthy” Link for much of the year. I thought I had done a post on it (I’m still sure I have), but after searching for it to add it to the “Early Jeep” Section, I couldn’t find a post about it. Gavin has got a variety of MA & GPA Images and more.
Bill, who runs this great Bantam Website, forwarded me a link to the below video which reveals the results of a four year Bantam Reconnaissance Car Pilot recreation completed by Duncan Rolls.
From the YouTube website, Watch a perfectly authentic re-creation of the original Bantam Reconnaissance Car Pilot (the world’s first jeep) go on-road and off in a demonstration by builder Duncan Rolls. The Pilot Re-creation required over 3500 hours of work to build. The drive components are original Bantam and Continental parts, as are the gauge cluster and other parts (a total of 60 per cent of the vehicle). Duncan made the chassis and body completely by hand. The only original sheet metal was a stock Bantam cowl, but even that had to be widened by six inches, just like the original was. The original Pilot, delivered to the Army at Camp Holabird, MD on September 23, 1940, was lost to history after successful testing.
I ran across this Bantam website the other day. Its full of pics of a single Bantam. I love the Bantam multi gauge.
There’s not much information on the website. This is all there is: “Less than 3000 Bantam Jeeps were produced. This B.R.C. 40 is #2649. The date of delivery was “June, 1941”. Fewer than three dozen of these classics have been fully restored and this, I believe, is one of the best! Be sure and check out the additional pages of pictures of this Bantam listed below”
Bill Spears really seems to like Bantams of all kinds. He’s got a website extensively devoted to exploring Bantams, including a detailed look at the beginning of the jeep. His information seems consistent with what I’ve learned, though I wasn’t familiar with the Checker connection noted below.
Bill also has a list of Bantams, some with pictures and some just a rumor. He also has gathered some images of Bantams in service. Finally, Bill explores the relationship, or inter-relationship, between the “Checker Bantams”, which he calls a CRC, and the Bantam BRC. It’s an interesting read.
Below is one of the Bantam’s that appears on Bill’s list of Bantams page. Click on the image to get to the page.
Oliver Missing operates a unique website out of Germany. He is drawing all kinds of vehicles of the red army, whether they were built, borrowed or hi-jacked from other other countries. Started in 2003, Oliver now has over 1,000 drawings, including 5 different ‘jeeps’: a Bantam BRC-40, Willys MA, Willys MB, Ford GP, and the Ford GPA. The drawings are created using Jasc Paint Shop Pro and Xara Xtreme. He plans to do many more drawings as time permits.
Here’s a couple of drawings:
Our eWillys Michigan bureau, lead by Brian (and staffed only by Brian), uncovered a treasure trove of images, most I haven’t seen before, of early jeep demonstrations, publicity images and more.
Brian writes, “the source is the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and, best of all, it is free!!! Here is the Search link http://66.213.36.25/. To Link to the library image collection explanation, go here http://www.toledolibrary.org/collection/images.asp. I think one of the best sets are the Farm Jeep trials in New Hudson Michigan..Wow”
Here is some of the searches he has done: (Willys jeeps) (willys workers) (Jeep automobiles) (farm Jeep) (Willys factory) (Military).
Here’s some of the images found using the search term “jeep” — note that the term search term jeep doesn’t yield other pictures that I saw while surfing this site this morning.
I’m not sure I’d want to be in the vehicle in the pic below….
So, I’m doing my best to avoid going out to my parents very cold, damp garage to finish fixing my mom’s car. Of course, the internet is one of the best avoidance tools ever invented.
FLAT FENDER BABES:
On a lark, I typed in ‘Flat Fender Babes’ into google just to see if anything came up. While most of the links were garbage, one link lead me to a list of significant production automobiles, created by Angry Stan at AngryStan’s blog. Naturally, one of the vehicles listed was the Willys MB. What was interesting about the MB’s inclusion was Stan’s comment that the MB was “very loosely based on the Austin 7”.
Whoa .. news to me. What you talkin’ ’bout Stan?
I got word earlier this morning that a reader located a Ford GP. Here’s an early look at the find. Boy, is he excited. I’ll provide updates when I learn more.
While reading through the extensive history of the half track, I stumbled on the fact that the owner of the rarest of these half tracks was Fred Smith of the UK. Having recently read that Fred Smith also owned and nicely restored the Ford Budd prototype, I got curious about who Fred Smith is. At this point, I don’t know anything about him other than he’s got quite the jeep collection. Here’s an approximate list (this list is a guess based on what I’ve read online):
Not a bad collection! Apparently, Fred shows these on occasion (or often) at the War and Peace Show at Beltring in Kent, UK.
This rare Ford GP is listed at £17,500, which currently converts to $24,500. It was listed back in June of 2008 on the Willysjeep.com site, which is a UK based jeep site. I assume it’s still for sale as it’s still listed on their website for sale. There are also a GPW, some MBs and some Hotchkiss jeeps for sale there as well.
“A very Rare Pre-Production Ford GP Jeep (1941). This is one of only a handfull that remain in the UK today. Restored to a high level. For more information, please call today on 01694 731373. This Ford GP, was imported to Europe some years ago, this Jeep was restored some years ago and has been recently freshened up and it has many nice original features and looks great. However certain detail parts are not original, e.g fitted with a more moderm carb/air filter. The Jeep can either be detailed or used as is. And is well priced to allow for final detailing/ finishing touches at £17,500 including full new beechwood canvas kit.”
