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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 .
“Post-WW2 West Craft (Al-Toy) heavy cast aluminum toys are incredibly rare and valuable. Parts are impossible to find. I bought these 1-3/4” wheels, but actually need just two size 2’-1/2” plus an axle. They are for a standard Willy’s Jeep.”
“1943 Press Photo Soldiers in jeeps park outside of building & old church, Sicily. This is an original press photo. World War II – Sicily. … glory flies from a building in Gela in southern Sicily after the city fell … invading Americans. A column of jeeps pauses near an ornate old church which looks out of place beside modern military machines. Photo measures 7.5 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 7-24-1943.”
“Stored in a garage in the Colorado Mountains since 1982, this jeep was recently pulled out and revived. It shows just 17,557 miles on it. It runs remarkably well, starts easily, and has no visible smoke whatsoever.
It has a new fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel line, and rebuilt the carburetor. It got a major tune up, oil change and a new battery. All of the wheel cylinders were replaced, new brake shoes and a new master cylinder.
The dry climate in Colorado has preserved the body. There is a crack in the RR fender near the spare tire mount that is showing minor rust. The tub and floors are very good, but the floor supports are rusting and need replacing. (Easy to do and not expensive)
The seats and interior are in very good condition.
The tires are dry cracked and need to be replaced. Right windshield is cracked.”
“1952 Willys M38A1 4X4
This is a true military Jeep.
It starts, runs, shifts, drives, and stops as it should. It starts easy enough with pre pumping the gas, and using the manual choke. It runs good. I haven’t noticed any problems with the 3 speed manual transmission or transfer case. I don’t think it has brake lights or turn signals. Some original equipment exists like the light switch panel but I don’t think any work. The headlights and taillights function at some level, they do turn on.
Some of the electrical system has been converted to 12v from typical military 48v, battery, alternator, starter, headlights. The oil volt and temp gauges function. Not the fuel tho, my granddad used a paint stir stick on his so… The brakes are typical for non-power front drum setups. They could use an inspection but operate.
“This willys has a chev 327 v8 with stock drive train 3 speed manual body is in good shape does still need work runs and drives. No out of state calls and will not ship”
“I think it has the original 4 cyl engine. Sounds like a tractor. Runs and drives has all new brake system, heavy duty bumpers and custom roll bar. Body in better shape than most 47’s. Tons of potential. These are getting hard to find”
“This Jeep is a little rough but has lots of parts most other WWII Jeeps are missing. It’s odd it retains many parts that were taken off but it appears to been treated ruff by the metal work – like the floor.
The front wheels are the rare two piece which I have rarely seen and maybe the dual rear wheel option they had offered.
Motor is not the best but I will include another mostly complete early green CJ-2 that should have a good motor – it turns over – oil looks good – and has anti-freeze in the radiator.
Not wanting to send a lot of pictures – best come and look at it and the parts Jeep.”
in 1961, President Kennedy signed the Peace Corps Executive Order. Since then, over 1/4 million volunteers have served around the world. Given the rough conditions, especially in the early days, jeeps were a natural fit for the volunteers heading to remote areas. Folks were even trained on how to used jeeps as a part of their introduction to the Peace Corps.
There seems to have been a wide variety of jeeps used by the Peace Corps. How the jeeps were obtained isn’t clear, but at least some in 1965 were donated by Oakland Motor Sales. I imagine the military versions, like the M-170 seen below, could have been transferred to the Corps. After a few years of service, some areas of the world abandoned jeeps. For example, a deteriorating jeep fleet in Sierra Leone led to the abandonment of jeeps, at least according to this article. In another example, according to Ron Horton, who wrote a somewhat risqué look at his time in the Peace Corps, jeeps were quickly phased out in favor of bicycles, because the bikes were considered more friendly by the person who oversaw the Brazilian Peace Corps units.
Here are a few photos related to the Peace Corps and Jeeps:
PEACE CORPS TRAINING:
1964, NATIONAL ARCHIVES, CAPTION: Peace Corps trainees on the D.H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. Three men in jeep on sandy hill, sand flying through air.
1964, NATIONAL ARCHIVES, CAPTION: Peace Corps trainees on the D.H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. Six women driving in snow-covered dirt road, juniper bushes in background.
1964, NATIONAL ARCHIVES, CAPTION: Peace Corps trainees on the D.H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. Jeep ascending steep dirt hill. [THIS MIGHT BE A CJ-3A GIVEN THE SIDE MOUNTED TIRE]
JEEPS IN THE PEACE CORPS:
Here’s a wonderful photo of Perdita Huston, former Peace Corp Director of Mail and Bulgaria, in a WWII jeep:
Peace Corps, late 1990s, Perdita Huston
This photo of a CJ-3B with a Koenig hardtop in Chile was taken around 1965:
CAPTION: Peace Corps volunteer Emory Tomor waiting for a farmer and his oxen to pull his Jeep out of the mud. Photograph, c1965. View the photo at fireartamerica.com.
Finally, there’s no caption with this image of the back of a jeep, possibly a 1948 CJ-2A given the spare tire location:
“I don’t know if Selectro made these for Sears? But the Selectro ones look like these. You don’t see many with the Sears name, I believe they are 19 spline. 3″ across bottom gear. Need cleaned up and greased.”