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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 .
I’m attempting to find a website that discusses this Willys/Jeep Truck/Van thingy. My guess, based on our reader from Israel, is that this is an international vehicle.
So far, I have had no luck finding information about it. However, in the process of my search, I did stumble upon a great website about Trucks: JeepTruck.com. There are features, trucks and parts for sale, a comprehensive links page, and more.
UPDATE: David wrote to tell me he is moving his website to earlymb.webs.com. So update your bookmarks. His move is a result of the geocities shutdown.
The earlymb.com website snuck up on me. I didn’t think there was much here, but the more I dug, the more I found. There’s an extensive book list, link list, a list on the differences between a GPW and MB, a list on the differences between an MB and a Hotchkiss M201, pics and more.
The website’s owner, David appears to live in the Netherlands. He shows many pics from a jeep he restored, but it doesn’t appear to be the same jeep that’s on the front page.
I tested a few of the links for the list of links, and at least some were out of date.
While it’s not a jeep in form, it certainly captures the spirit of a jeep in function. Two alternators, three batteries, and a host of features make this an unusual vehicle. The most recent cheap jeep was launched in 1974 for the purpose of desert and mountain travel, not unlike the way original mountain bikers back in 1976 utilized old tough schwinn bikes to tackle the mountains. It’s singular purpose –the next ghost town or bust — was a cheap, but dependable vehicle capable of on road and off road travel for thousands of miles over the period of a week. This vehicle is still used and images and video from 2009 can be found on the website along with links to all the places these intrepid adventurers have visited over the past years (scroll to the bottom of the homepage). View the video below to learn a little bit about the unusual features of this vehicle (or go to their video page).
Steve Ricketts writes on the westernghosts.com website, In 1974, I acquired a 1966 Pontiac convertible from another customer. This time the price was $75.00. Like the Chrysler Imperial, the Pontiac needed a lot of work. After extensive engine repair and a transmission rebuild and modification, it was able to be driven to my house where the first Cheap Jeep (Chrysler Imperial) was stored. The transformation from old cheap jeep to new cheap jeep began. The finished product is what you see today.
It is highly modified, and works better for our purposes than anything we could buy today. It is easy to repair on the road, and parts are readily available. It carries more than “regular” jeeps and is a lot cheaper to replace should it become necessary to abandon. I would really hate to take a $30,000+, four wheel drive (Blazer/Bronco, etc.) on one of these trips. At the very least, the paint and body would be badly damaged. It would also be next to impossible to repair in the field, and a very real possibility exists that I would someday have to abandon it. After all these years of use and modification, I still have less than $800.00 invested in the Cheap Jeep…and that includes the original purchase price.”
I was doing a Bing.com search of jeep images and ran across jeep4ever’s poster/sign/art page. Check out all the images at Jeep4ever.ca.
Here is Surplus City Jeep Parts. I have added it to the Parts Page list of Salvage Yards that specialize in jeeps parts. Their address is 4514 Pacific Heights Road, Oroville, California 95965. Phone 800-353-3772. Fax 530-534-6769.
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”
Sebastian forwarded me the Willys Colombia website. I realized I couldn’t find it because I was spelling Colombia wrong (my spelling: Columbia). I have now corrected all the other posts as well. Ooops.
Anyway, there’s lots of great pics. One section includes the official Guinness Book of Records Photos from the parade are there too. However, one thing I haven’t determined is exactly how many jeeps were there. I have seen the figures of approximately 300 jeeps and of approximately 370. I tried to search Guinness, but had no luck. Here’s a few of the pics.
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.
I did a search on a “CJ-5 gas tank” and stumbled across a website called “The Find“. It had search results from Tellico, zaib4x4, 4 wheel parts, and a variety of others. So, I did a few more searches. It looks like a great way to compare online prices. They have an iphone app as well.
Sebastian, whom I mentioned in this post (a couple posts down), taught me a couple things about Willys in Colombia today.
1) Willys are very popular in Colombia. They started arriving during the 50’s and immediately became a sensation. They are still used regularly in the coffee plantations. He assures us that every single coffee beam that we enjoy in a Colombian Coffee has been transported at some point in a Willys (most probably a CJ-3B). There are cities and towns where you can see Willys everywhere, being used as work vehicles. For somebody from this country it would be like going back on time. They are also used as taxis, carrying people by the dozen. [Editor’s note: Nice work Sebastian; I am sold on a trip to Colombia :-)]
2) There are many Jeep festivals in Colombia. Most of them occur between September and October; they are called “Yipaos”. The festivals were started in 1988. The vehicles are driven through the main streets of a city and the Jeeps with the largest amount of objects carried with the most harmonious arrangements earn prizes. In fact, in February 2006, a Guinness World Records was established for the “Longest Jeep Parade” in Calarca, with a caravan of over 370 Jeep Willys vehicles. It seem to me that we need to break that record back! Here’s an article about it on the CJ-3B page.
Sebastian also sent me a powerpoint with some nice big pictures of one festival. You just gotta see it to believe. Check out the mud flaps … I’ve been looking for some older looking mud flaps!
