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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 .
It’s solid enough to go down a hill. Can’t tell much more from the pic.
“1946 Willys CJ2A. Engine was rebuilt. Runs great. Flat 4 “go devil” engine. Partially restored. This would make a great project. Selling cause I don’t have the room for it anymore. Feel free to email me with any questions or if you would like to see more pictures. Thanks.”
http://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/cto/1950133145.html
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $5500. Could this have been a Coast Guard jeep?
“1943 Willys – Currently registered and street legal in CA. Smog exempt. 4.3 liter V6 Chevy engine. TH 350 Transmission. Triple Toyota transfer cases (4.7 front, 3.8 middle & 2.8 rear). Dana 44 in the front, open, chrome molly axle shafts, ctm u-joints. Dana 60 in the rear with spool, 410 front & rear. Hummer H1 12 bolt bead locks on Good Year military radial tires. Crawls like you’ve never seen before. A MUST see/drive in person vehicle. Willing to talk about a trade. Let me know what you have to offer. Serious buyers only.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $2900
This looks solid.
“1950 willy jeep in Excellant condition. 4-cylinder Chevy Iron Duke Motor. 4×4. No rust. New tires. Runs and drives really good.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $4000
(07/22/2010) There’s a bit of a hole in the hood, but otherwise looks pretty good.
“1946 Willy’s CJ2A $5,000.00. **F-head 4 cylinder motor (not the original flat head) **Solid Rhino Lined floors, **1″ body lift, **New 29″ military tires, **New gas tank. This Jeep runs well and can be driven as is. It needs some work to be completely reliable or can be restored. The frame is solid and the floors are new. The body is usable, but showing its age. Some of the wiring is new, the starter is rebuilt, as well as the head. It has a new carburetor, new spark plugs, coil, cap, rotor, and a new battery.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $20,995
(05/08/2010) “This Jeep went through a total body-off, fully documented professional restoration in Pennsylvania 3-years ago at a cost of over $50,000. Painted in the rare factory correct Normandy Blue makes this CJ stand out. It has been driven only 300 miles since restoration in parades and shows. An ideal addition to any collection or ready for regular use. Everything works as new. Call for more details and photos”
(07/16/2009) Given the body is new there is some real value here.
“1948 Willys Flat Fender CJ2A. Small block Chevy V-8 with Edelbrock manifold, Holley 4bbl and HEI. SM465 4 speed, AA adapter, Dana 18 T-case, Saginaw power steering, On plated and reinforced original frame and axles with a spring over. Brand new body tub, front fenders, tailgate. The new body kit was $3,000.00 alone. Willys scripted hood. Good used Windshield. Includes collector lisc plate and a couple boxes of spare parts including some military black-out lights and some extra beige paint. Supposedly most of the frame work was done by TC’s off road in Kent a few years back. Not my project, bought it for the new body, but decided to go 3B High Hood instead.”
Just a few updates tonight. We’ll return to more updates tomorrow (Sunday) evening …
I have received a variety of useful tidbits that Sam has been sharing with me, though either Sam or his employee Lee deserve credit. Lee worked for many, many years in military motor pools (as did some of his family members) and now works with Sam to have some fun.
On to the tip …. One day Sam purchased and trucked a flattie to his shop with an engine that sounded problematic. In fact, he got a great deal on the jeep because both Sam and the Seller though the engine had a problem.
Now Sam, who is no stranger to engines of all types, suspected something inside the engine, but as soon as Lee heard the sound, he said it was the harmonic balancer. Sam looked at Lee and said, “really?”
Lee probably responded with something like, “you young whipper snappers don’t know anything!” (Note that Sam and Lee are about the same age). So, Sam proceeded to swap out the balancer with another one they had and, sure enough, within short order Sam had a perfect running flathead.
Lee told Sam that the harmonic balancers can go bad on a Willys flathead engine. So, before you have that flathead rebuilt because it is making a noise, check out the harmonic balancer.
There have been some outstanding eWillys reporters filing stories from all areas of world, but none were more intrepid nor braver than the Head of the eWillys Bureau in Afghanistan, Lt. Buck. His report from the front lines (or close enough) on Willys in a field in May of 2009 from Afghanistan marked a gold standard in reporting.
The fact is, rumor has it he even joined the Army to get there, because the penny pinchers at eWillys corporate wouldn’t buy him a plane ticket. Now that’s dedication!
I am extremely happy to report that Buck made it safely back to Montana and, I hope, has found some well deserved peace. Since he’s been home, he managed to complete his CJ-2A build, which he put together as a vehicle to explore the central Montana plains and do some hunting. What better use for a jeep is there than that! Congrats and Thanks Buck!
Buck writes, “Well, I’m happy to say that I’m back home and my jeep is finally done after 10 years of on again off again work. Attached are photos of my dog Uncas and me out hunting grouse in the vast wheat fields of central Montana. I never wanted a museum piece, but a functional piece of history.”
NOTE: Though I updated the menus above to provide access to more information, I didn’t always have content (which is why there are still a variety of dead links). So, I am having to create the content, such as the content below, as we go along …
The tips contained herein are designed to help you take better photos for selling, though they are useful tips for general photography. As always, readers who know more about this subject (really, my knowledge bar isn’t set too high), feel free to correct or add to this information by emailing me or by adding comments!
Full disclaimer: I don’t pretend to be a photographer with anything close to a real aptitude for the art of photography; Nor have I studied any of the science behind a good photograph. I’ve never taken a class and never dated a photographer or even an aspiring photographer.
No, the closest I have come to being a photographer was working at Ed Firmage Jr.’s Springdale (Utah) photographic showroom where I monitored the store and tried to sell art (and he’s got some beautiful art); however, I only sold one piece during the entire summer I worked there (it was expensive stuff), spending most of my time working on websites and business plans or staring out the window at the entrance to Zion National Park (pics) (there was a tragic lack of traffic into the store, but it was a beautiful place to spend the summer!). I never did get money out of the deal, instead I got paid with Framed prints and books, which was priceless ….
Back to our topic, the whole purpose of adding images to a Craigslist, ebay, or other online ad is to improve the marketability of your jeep (or whatever you are selling). Making the most of images to tell the story of your jeep can only help your ability to sell it.
Because, I’ve literally reviewed thousands of jeep ads, I feel like I can provide some reasonable suggestions that will help you photograph your jeep better, whether to sell it or to take better pics.
Specifically, there are 7 areas I will briefly cover here: 1) Use a good camera, 2) Light matters, 3) Create an overall shot, 4) Choose a good background, 5) Other photograph suggestions, 6) Lighten or correct the shots if necessary, 7) Size and change the images so they can be uploaded correctly.
1. USE A GOOD CAMERA
I can’t make old fish taste good [a chef once made me try – but that’s a different story] and you can’t make a poor quality camera take good pics. So, my first bit of advice is to use the best camera you have. I have two cameras, one is a 2 mega pixel camera on my phone and the other camera is a Leica 3.1 mega pixel digital still and video camera (what I call my ‘real’ camera).
Though very convenient, my phone takes dark and grainy pics, though no doubt some of the phones released in the past year do better. So mine is great in a pinch, but when I need good pics I turn to my ‘real’ camera.
If you are asking people to spend $2000 or more dollars on your vehicle and you don’t have a decent camera, then seriously consider buying one. There are plenty of cameras you can buy for under $100 that will do a good job. Just go here for a list of some cameras that will likely do the job (http://cameras.about.com/od/topcamerasatpricepoints/tp/Top_Cameras_Under_100.htm).
Here are 2 sets of comparison photos. On the left side you can see pics taken with my ‘good’ camera. On the right are pics taken with my cell phone. I have not altered these pics at all except to shrink them for this example.
So, I believe the takeaway here is always use good fish ….