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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 .
UPDATE: Gil’s hoping to reconnect with he Shakespeare family, so I’m reposting this in the hopes some family member might see it.
Original Post January 18, 2017— Bill shared the video below from Jack and Doreen Shakespeare. Together, the couple recount their 1958 journey in a late 40’s wagon from Australia to England. The trip took them 114 days. Fortunately for us, they filmed much of the trip. It’s a great story.
I was surprised to see that this June 24, 1943, article from the Colfax County Call out of Schulter, Nebraska, preceded Dick Ryan’s traveling jeep rodeo where jeeping jumping was also performed. This article appeared in multiple Nebraska newspapers in June of 1943.
Shown in this photo is Robert H. Storz, who is in the jeep, while watching is Lt. Col. Scruby. I can’t tell if Storz is a passenger or the photo is reversed. It looks to me that Storz may be a passenger, based solely on the placement of the tie-rods. But then, who is the driver?
Who was the driver if not Storz? I’m not quite sure, other than according to the article the driver was a former member of Jimmy Lynch’s Death Dodge drivers. Jimmy Lynch’s Death Dodge drivers performed car stunts at fairs and other events prior to WWII.
According to Youtube, “Lynch’s shows for Dodge served to advertise the many advanced design features that made the 1939 Plymouth his choice to survive the severe abuse inflicted on the cars in those performances, including the famous “Roll of Death” in which the car did a full roll over the roof. Lynch would remain loyal to the Chrysler Corporation throughout his career as a daredevil as can be seen in this very entertaining film.”
You can see Jimmy himself in this short video (to see the car stunts go straight to the 7:15 mark).
There are more video examples of Jimmy and hit Dodge exploits on youtube.
Eagle-eyed reader Chuck spotted an eWillys sticker on the cowl of an M-38. The still image below was captured from the video at bottom of the August 23, 2020, Jeep Invasion.
Mike pointed out that the 1999 movie Holy Joe, starring John Ritter and Meredith Baxter, included a Willys wagon. I believe the moral of the story is that if you do good in the world that someone will restore your wagon for you? At least, that’s what I got out of it!
Based on various angles, I believe this was a 1961ish 2WD Maverick, but I am open to other thoughts.You’ll note the ‘restoration’ of the wagon does not reflect an original paint scheme. The wagon makes several appearances. Here are the three longest ones.
The 11:09 minute mark before ‘restoration’:
The 51.25 minute mark before ‘restoration’:
The 1:31:37 minute mark (near end of movie) after ‘restoration’:
This 1966 Wagoneer commercial from Kaiser-Jeep. According to the commercial’s poster:
“1966 Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer Commercial. The young boy in the commercial is Radio Personality from New Jersey, Dan Klein as a child. He recalls the woman playing the part of the Mother as a Mrs. Emily Mooney. The Husband is Thom Whims and the little girl is Tricia Murphy Duffy. I don’t really understand the commercial, a driver-less jeep wandering on the beach??? … And I LOVE the kid dressed up like a camouflage solider, this was when it was not politically incorrect to dress that way! I don’t think any car company would show that in a commercial now a days. The famous Industrial designer, Brooks Stevens is credited with it’s design. He did much work for Kaiser Industries and also Studebaker. This was one of his timeless designs that still looks good today. The commercial itself was filmed in 1965. The location is the shores of Avalon New Jersey, USA. Apparently according to the young girl in the film, the shots took hours and it was an extremely hot day.”
This video from 2019 proved popular enough that several folks have sent it to me. Stock jeeps can do some impressive things, especially when driven by someone who knows what their jeep can and can’t do.
In his pursuit of CJ-5 Farm Jeep information, Barry shared the story of two CJ-5s jeeps used with a hay bailer out of California. The post includes many stills and a some youtube video from the jeeps in action.