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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 .
So many cool things in this one-of-a-kind toy store!
After our failure to defect in Canada on Sunday, we decided to head south on Monday toward the jeep-mecca-that-is-Bantam: Butler, Pennsylvania.
On Monday June 10th we drove from Niagara Falls, New York, to Butler, Pennsylvania.
Though we’d spurned Canada, the country seemed to haunt us. I guess we were there long enough to look Canadian. For example, when we stopped by a Niagara Starbucks Monday morning, we were told by a cashier that we could go online and get Starbucks Cash (or points or something) for completing a survey. He then announced the cash (or points) were good in Canada, too. Ann and I looked at each other wondering why he thought we were Canadian. Then I realized I was wearing a “Canada” shirt.
From Buffalo, New York, we drove south through rain until we got bored of the Interstate. I spotted a town called North East, PA. Thinking that was an odd name, especially since it was in northwestern Pennsylvania, we decided to explore it. It was a strange town. For example, they grow plants over their parking meters.
After lunch at Lacasa De Pizza in downtown North East, we tried to visit their nearby railroad museum, but no one was home. There weren’t any hours posted on the door either. They did have lots of trains and a train station as well.
I never did learn why the town was called ‘North East’
All good things must come to and end . . .This is our tentative road map for heading West following the Butler Festival:
Sunday 16th: Leave around noon, drive to the Packard Museum in Ohio, then stay somewhere.
Monday 17th: Head west, visit the Studebaker Museum in Fort Wayne, stay near Chicago
Tuesday 18th: Visit Jeff Weilers Theatre Organ restoration shop in downtown Chicago: visit volo museum in afternoon: drive to Madison, WI and spend the night.
Wednesday 19th: Visit the House on the Rock near Dodgeville, WI, Drive to Iowa (final destination undecided.
Thursday 20th: Visit Ann’s friends in Omaha.
Friday 21: Drive to Dinosaur National Monument.
Saturday 22: Drop into Salt Lake to get two of my kids
Sunday 23: Drive to Pasco (or stop at City of the Gods for overnight . . .TBD)
We are standing on the Rainbow Bridge. The trek to our new country wore on us, but we continued marching!
On Tuesday June 09 we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls,
For our entire stay in Buffalo, the weather has been wet in varying degrees. So, on Sunday June 9th we decided to defect to Canada.
As if Ulysses-like Sirens were wooing us, the closer we got to Canada, the better the weather became. We took it as a sure sign we were doing the right thing. Once Ann and I located a parking spot (free even!) on the American side of the border, we abandoned our car and our American lives to embark on a future as Canadians.
It turns out it’s easy to leave the US on foot. We just passed through a simple turnstile and we were home free! Like a couple of refugees, we packed light, carrying only the bare essentials (cameras and cash) on our forced march across Rainbow Bridge (we couldn’t bring the jeep across — it was too new and the bank that holds the loan wouldn’t give us permission).
Look at that great view!
Behind us is a Canadian playground awaiting our arrival. We left behind the sunny the rainy skies of Buffalo for the beautiful blue of Canada.
By the time we were halfway across the bridge, the sun was shining bright. The mist from the falls saluted our decision, welcoming us in a very friendly manner into the Canadian fold.
“OH CANADA” we bellowed as we approached the passport office. Behind the desk at the office was a pretty blond who greeted us (Canada was looking pretty good by that point!) — No wonder Canadian Dave loves his country so much!
The Canadian’s appear to be very neat and tidy. I wonder if all their lawns look like this?
After sizing up Canada’s two newest citizens, the immigration official let us in. We couldn’t wait to breathe the Canadian air, eat the best of Canadian food, and see the world through their eyes.
On Saturday Ann and I were asked to be special hosts at the Farny Wurlitzer house as part of a local house-tour event (multiple houses in multiple locations) to raise money for a local organization. Joining us at the Wurlitzer house was our new friend Jeff, who we’d gotten to know over the past couple of days (he was visiting North Tonawanda from Chicago).
A long story short, after about a half hour of greeting a few people, the three of us realized that nobody cared who we were or why we were there. Visitors just wanted to look at the house. Unfortunately for Jeff, he had no access to transportation, so was stuck there. It didn’t take use long to decide that we were totally wasting our time, so we all agreed it was time to bail this event (none of us had made specific promises as to how long we would be there — frankly, the event was poorly organized).
After a quick discussion, we decided to get some lunch and go watch a movie, as Jeff’s return flight didn’t take off until late Saturday night.
After lunch, we found a nearby theatre showing Star Trek Into Darkness. Jeff, a very busy guy, seemed to greatly appreciate the break. He said it had been quite a while since he’d seen a movie in a theatre. We equally enjoyed the time to decompress.
After the movie, we dropped Jeff off at his hotel. We hit it off so well that he offered to show us around his Wurlitzer restoration facility in Chicago on our way back home. We readily accepted the offer.
Tomorrow, we hit the road once again, bound to cross the border and interact with our Canadian brethren.
Forrest Gump was right: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. When I began this trip I never expected to be on the front page of a town’s newspaper. As I mentioned yesterday, I feel fortunate it was a slow news day! I did note there were a few quotes attributed to me worded in a way that I’d never do, but that’s the good/bad of being interviewed.
While many square feet have been turned into office space that’s leased to companies, thousands of square feet remain empty, awaiting a reason to transform back into something leasable.
Below are a few photos:
This is only part 1/5 (?) of the Wurlitzer building in North Tonawanda, NY. It’s the entrance.
Here is organ restoration specialist Jeff Weiler and I in front of the entrance. Ann and I plan to meet up with Jeff and see his restoration shop in Chicago during our trip back home.
This is President of The Wurlitzer Building Tom Austen, who showed us around a portion of the building.
This is one wing of the 3rd floor that is empty (except for some file storage).
My presentation of the Wurlitzer Plaque to the North Tonawanda History Museum Trustees.
I’d like to share with you all the wonderful things I did on my birthday — of parties, food, and lavish gifts — but the present I truly longed for was sleep. So, that’s pretty much all we did. We slept. A lot.
By Thursday June 6th we were ready for a busy day. Our first stop was at my great uncle Farny Wurlitzer’s former house in North Tonawanda, New York. It was a beautiful place that was recently purchased by new owners. I won’t bore you with the pictures, but it was fun for us.
After the house visit, as official representatives of the Rudolph Wurlitzer family (I’m his great great grandson), Ann and I were invited on guided tour of the Herschel Carousel Museum in North Tonawanda.
The front of the Herschel Museum (on a very wet day).
Doug, Jeff and I are examining a Wurlitzer Carousel Organ that plays while the carousel rotates.
Who doesn’t feel like a kid riding a carousel??
Of course, we even found a jeep-like ride at the museum!
No, the sign isn’t referencing the Beatles; it’s explaining an earlier invasion by Brits playing musical muskets.
On Tuesday June 4th: we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.
On Tuesday June 4th we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.
Last night I got a “really good deal” on a motel room in Pulaski, New York. Strangely, no one else showed up at the motel. We had the entire place to ourselves. To make it odder, the supposed two-star place was only of one-star quality. The whole place had an odd vibe. We had no desire to stay any longer than need-be, so we departed early in the morning.
Our first stop today was the beach at Oswego, NY, near Fort Ontario. There, we looked out onto the fourth Great Lake of our trip: Lake Ontario. The warm temperatures of the past few days turned to a bone chilling 67 degrees … Brrr. We almost had to put on jackets!
Henry taking a well deserved rest at Lake Ontario.
From there we drove to the State University of New York at Oswego. We met with a reference librarian in the hope she could find more information on Dorothy Rogers, the author of Jeopardy and a Jeep and Highways Across the Horizons. The librarian provided some reference material that led to additional biographical information, but it didn’t prove useful.
After our library trip, our next stop was in Seabreeze, NY, where we found a diner near a park called, not surprisingly, the Parkside Diner. Our food was very good.
Somehow we didn’t get a picture of this place. So, here’s one from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kewing/7778492628/in/set-72157624608428385
The strange part about our experience was that as we waited for the check, Ann and I started to hear some strange sounds from the booth in back of us. It sounded like a little kids TV show that seemed, intellectually, one step above Teletubbies. The sounds were loud enough that the grating voice would have disturbed us if we were still eating.
Fortunately, moments later our bill arrived. We dropped the money on the table. I stood and turned to see what was making the racket. I discovered a couple behind us had placed a phone on a table so they could watch a television show. They seemed completely unaware (or uncaring) that the obnoxious show might disturb anyone else. Ann exited the restaurant asking, “Really? Who does that? Who plays a TV loud enough to disturb other people in a restaurant??”
Just before we left, I took a picture of the offending couple. If you see these two ‘kids’, beware that they have no awareness for others around them. The red colored phone is propped up against the white container of sugar.
We arrived in Northeast Buffalo soon after our lunch. We napped, then I worked. Wednesday June 5th is my birthday, so there won’t be any updates and we have no plans, other than to rest and find some good food. We’ll be here through Saturday.
Wednesday June 5th: Day off 🙂
On Thursday, we have a variety of plans in North Tonawanda, New York.
On Monday we traveled from Burlington, Vermont, to Pulaski, New York, via Rome, Poland and Russia!
On Monday we traveled from Burlington, Vermont, to Pulaski, New York.
Ann and I started the day in Burlington, Vermont. As we left our hotel, we decided to wander the streets of Burlington and find some iced black tea. So, we walked over to the nearby walking-mall in downtown Burlington that we’d spotted when we arrived on Sunday evening.
As soon as we stepped onto the plaza, we loved the place. Even on a monday morning with temperatures in the mid-60s, people were milling about. Many restaurants had sitting areas arranged in such a way that it reminded me of the small towns in Eastern Europe I’d visited back in 2003.
This shows the southern half of the outdoor mall.
I spotted this jeep in this long, cool mural on a wall in Burlington, VT.
The mural from one side.
A detail shot.
The mural from the other side.
I guess Burlington fancies itself a ski town?
Outdoor seating for a restaurant.
And what trip to Vermont would be complete without checking out Ben & Jerry’s?
After exploring the city, we eventually found some black tea at a dark, cool coffee shop called Muddy Waters. The tea was good and the atmosphere unique. We followed up the tea with some bagels.
After our walk through Burlington, we were intent on getting into the jeep and driving, because we had about five hours to go. We made it all of fifteen minutes when we spotted a beautiful covered wooden bridge.. Ann immediately wanted to take a picture of it, but we had to figure out how to reach it. As we drove, we discovered several more buildings separated by beautiful landscaping. All were behind a big fence. Eventually it dawned on us we were looking at a museum of some kind.
So, our drive plans immediately changed!
This is the covered bridge we’d spotted from the road.
Upon stepping foot onto the last of the lower 49 states I hadn’t visited, I gave the welcome sign a hug. Truth be told, the grass was too wet for me to venture into it.
On Monday we drove from Bangor, Maine, to Burlington, Vermont.
Monday’s drive took us from Bangor, Maine, to Burlington, Vermont.
We started out the day with Ann sneezing. It ended with her sneezing. In the middle, there was lots of sneezing. Either she has a cold or she’s got some terrible allergies (the grass pollen is particularly high she says). Poor thing!
In between the sneezes we navigated down I-95 from Bangor, Maine, to Hollis Center, Maine, where Brendan, the operator of This-Old-Jeep, lives. He and I have exchanged many emails over the past few years. Because we both run websites using WordPress about old jeeps, we have plenty to talk about. So, it was great to finally meet him in person. We also met his wife Melissa and their two boys, Walter and Bryon. Water even drew me a picture of a jeep, which is downstairs in our jeep, so posting that will have to wait.
Brendan and Melissa fixed us a nice lunch, which included Brendan’s freshly made bread. We both throughly enjoyed the home cooked meal and greatly appreciated it!
After lunch we headed out to check out Brendan’s CJ-3B project. As we were discussing his recently disassembled transmission, Byron decided to distract my camera person: He’s a bit of a ham 🙂 Many thanks to the entire family for making our visit enjoyable!
Not too long after we left Brendan’s place, we crossed into New Hampshire. Soon, we stumbled upon the cute town of Conway. As we entered town, a Bavarian Chocolate Shop cast a spell over us, forcing us to pull over and enter into the shop. We had no choice. Twenty dollars and two pairs of chocolatey hands later, the spell finally lifted.
The dark chocolate hazelnuts were awesome!
As we drove away from Conway, all hell broke loose.
An enormous gust of wind blew past the jeep. Branches began falling, rain was pouring, and cats and dogs were dropping from the sky. There was thunder. There was lightening. We began to wonder if we’d committed some sin for giving into our chocolate lust . . .
But, no, we later learned the storm was a left over ripple from a storm that hit Oklahoma. Given the enormity of the ripple, I’d hated to have been in the middle of the central splash! Speaking of Oklahoma, Karson’s on his way there with FEMA to help coordinate the relief effort.
After the storm hit in Conway, we drove under and ran over multiple downed power lines. The power was out through the remainder of our drive through New Hampshire and into Vermont. Trees were down, branches covered the road, and rain continued to fall.
This was along the road. The tree fell onto a building, narrowly missing the house. In other locations, people were cleaning up the mess as we drove by. Unfortunately, most of our pictures of the storm came out blurry.
This tree landed on this shack.
More debris.
Speaking of Vermont, passing into it meant I’ve visited all of the ‘lower’ US states. All that’s left is Alaska (ed. note: which I later checked off in 2017).
Once the storm passed, the lack of electricity from New Hampshire through a good chunk of Vermont meant that there wasn’t much to photograph, as there were few places to stop. Fortunately, by the time we reached the capital of Vermont, Montpelier, the clouds had mostly vanished, the sun reappeared, and the electricity returned.
We were pleasantly surprised by Vermont’s quaint Capital. The town’s capital building was welcoming.
Montpelier hummed with activity as families and individuals toured its streets. We eventually made our way to the local Hungry Mountain Coop, which was a first class treat. Lots of great breads and interesting foods!
PHOTO CREDIT: Hungry Mountain Coop
After Montpelier, we made our way to Burlington, which was another beautiful city. We plan to explore some before we leave on Monday for Oswego. Here’s a view from our hotel (another great Priceline find at $51).
Sunday evening we’ll be traveling to Burlington, VT. From there we’ll be going through the NY Mountains to reach Oswego, NY, monday night. Why Oswego? I am hoping to find out more about the two women who did the around-the-world tour in an FC. They were teachers at the University there.
Tuesday night we’ll land in the Buffalo/North Tonawanda area. If I can get a good price, we’ll stay there a week. We’ll be preparing for the Bantam Festival and our trip home.
Leaving (A) Hollis Center, ME, in the afternoon. Arrive at (B) Burlington, VT, Sunday evening. Arrive at (C) Oswego, NY, Monday Evening. Arrive at (D) Buffalo, NY, Tuesday evening.
On Friday May 31st Ann and I would drive to Smithfield, Maine, then on to Acadia National Park.
On Friday we drove from Portland, Maine, to Acadia National Park via Smithfield.
We arrived at Glenn Byron’s house to find Smithfield’s ‘Breakfast Club’ waiting for us. They are a group of vintage car lovers from Maine who join each other for breakfast once a week.
Yesterday, Friday May 31st, Ann and I planned to stop by the Acadia National Park Visitors Center before setting up camp for our two night stay in the Park.
Acadia National Park covers about half of Mount Desert Island. As we drove over the bridge and onto the island, I told Ann that I was having difficulty locating the Visitor Center online. But, it wasn’t something I was too worried about, since there are always signs in National Parks to help guide visitors.
However, not this time. In fact, we quickly found ourselves lost. We didn’t know where we were, we lost all cell reception, and our Atlas didn’t help.
We nearly had to resort to asking for directions when a sliver of bandwidth sneaked onto our phone, which allowed us locate the Blackwoods Campground. So, at least we found home. But, where was the visitor center or at least an entrance station? That remained a mystery …
Upon our arrival, we found a sparsely populated campground. We were thankful for that, because the area has more than 300 camping spots! On the downside, there was no cell reception, so my hotspot wouldn’t work to manage eWillys.
Camp setup complete.
As we relaxed at our camp, we met a couple who was camping near us. Jake and his wife (whose name I cannot recall) were from Maine. When I explained what I did and why we were so far from home, Jake told me his Uncle had a couple of old Willys jeeps in Montana that they’d refurbished. Seems there are Willys everywhere I go!
By the time we finished talking, it was dusk. So, we climbed into our tent and quickly fells asleep.
Saturday June 1st:
When I awoke in the morning, I put on my gray hoodie. In the pocket I discovered a present left by my wife. It was wrapped in tissue and was the shape of two AA batteries side-by-side. I thought, “Oh, what could it be?”
It was pretty light, so I figured it was fragile. I carefully unrolled it from the tissue, but still couldn’t determine what it was. So, I attempted to separate the battery-sized objects. That’s when it dawned on me. It was a pair of tampons. So, it wasn’t a gift for me after all . . .
Minutes later, Ann discovered the cooler had been leaking and the back seat area was damp. So, we threw most of our stuff into our tent and unzipped all the windows. Thank goodness the weather would be warm and sunny (We’ll be buying a new cooler very soon).
Soon after breakfast, we hit the road for an early morning visit to Bar Harbor.
Here we are at a downtown park.
This was taken near the harbor. We enjoyed the seaside town and it’s relaxed flavor.
