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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 .
“1971 Press Photo US troops test jeep-mounted 196mm M-40 anti-tank rifle in MD. This is an original press photo. Guns – Artillery. Crewmen drive the new jeep-mounted 106mm recoilless rifle into firing position during recent tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in this picture released Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Department of Defense. The battalion anti-tank weapon, designated the M-40, reportedly has greater range and more destructive power than any other weapon available at battalion level.Photo measures 8.5 x 7.75inches. Photo is dated 10-12-1971.”
Chris spotted this wonderful video showing the capabilities of ‘Jeep’ Audiovisual unit. There are lots of great details, including how to use the PTO to power the generator which operates the equipment. So cool! Thanks to Indiana University for preserving this unique film!
UPDATE: These various photos show the early testing of Mighty Mites.
(02/29/2020) This photo appears to show one of the prototype Mighty Mites. It’s hood number (179849) is 3 numbers away from another Mighty Mite (179846) that appeared in the press video at the bottom of this post.
“1954 Sikorsky S-56 Helicopter Backing Jeep into Cargo area … Press Photo”
Here’s the Mighty Mite press video:
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Originally Posted May of 2018: The hood and windshield on this jeep are different from the standard Mighty Mite. This may have been an early prototype. See the photo at the bottom for another view of a vehicle that may be one until earlier than the vehicle in the press photo. (the one in the press photo is #179849).
“1954 Press Photo Jeep being loaded into Sikorsky XHR25 helicopter, Connecticut. This is an original press photo. Three loaded jeeps or 26 men can be carried by a new giant helicopter demonstrated at Bridgeport, Connecticut, Monday. The Sikorsky XHR25 is being built in quantity for the armed forces. It has twin engines, retractable landing gear and rotors that fold, making it easy to handle aboard aircraft carriers. It will fly faster than 150 miles an hour. (Aero-Helicopter) Photo measures 10 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 01-19-1954.”
Originally Posted September 2018:Cool, but odd photo, given the roadway behind it. Lots of competing visual angles.
“This is an original press photo. Light enough to be airlifted by helicopter but tough enough to pull through knee deep mud, the mighty mite is to be produced by American Motors Corp. for the military forces. The mighty mite weighs 1,300 pounds less than the jeep and is 43 inches shorter. It is capable of climbing an 87% grade and can do 57 miles an hour on the highway. Its powerful aluminum die cast, air cooled engine enables the vehicle to carry a payload of 500 pounds while towing another 1,000 pounds over rough terrain. United States – Army – Equipment – Vehicles Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 12-05-1954”
Kevin mentioned the film Night Time in Nevada the other day, noting it showed a CJ-2A pulling a trailer. Well, it does’t just pull the trailer, it races through the desert with the trailer at one point. Oddly enough, the sound effects at that point in the film make it sound like the jeep and trailer are swerving with screeching tires on streets rather than on a sandy trail dual-track trail.
Steve shared this unusual modification. This experienced hot rodder built an electric motor into a V8 block to make it look like a traditional engine. To improve the engine’s range, he installed a V8 into the bed of the truck which will power a pair of generators.
Roger spotted this early 1980s video tour of the Toledo Jeep Plant on Facebook. I believe I’ve figured out a way to share it even if you don’t have an FB account. Hopefully, this works for everyone.
Mark Smith was the leader of the 1978 Jeep Expedition of the Americas (also known as the Expedicion de Las America), a 20,000-mile, 120 day odyssey that covered the Americas. Much of the trip was on roads, with the offloading of the the Darien Gap, the section of land between Colombia and Panama, the focus of the trip.
The narrator in the movie notes, rather dramatically and erroneously, that the Gap had only been crossed once before by the British Army. In fact, the Darien Gap had been crossed at least once before in 1960 by a group in a Landrover and a Willys truck, the story of which was published in National Geographic and clearly titled “We Drove Panama’s Darien Gap“. Though Frank and Helen Schreider drove the entire length of the Americas in their SEEP, Tortuga, in 1954, one place they didn’t attempt to drive, but instead floated around, was the Darien Gap.
Fortunately for us, the 1978 trip was captured on video, so we can enjoy some of what they saw during their adventure. Vimeo currently has a twenty-seven minute video of the trip. It’s a little dated at times, but still interesting to watch:
Mike shared this episode one of season one introduction to the Ramar of the Jungle TV program. It opens with an MB overheating. At one point one of the guys removes the radiator cap (I kept wincing, waiting for water to explode out of it). At another point, the same guy starts to “work” on the brakes by banging on something (didn’t sound like the brakes) with a wrench.
