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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 .
The catalog number for this Warn Hub document is 2-55, which might mean February of 1955. It shows the WL-2 Locking model on one side and the WA-1 Automatic model on the other.
UPDATE: I found this 18-page Warn Selective Drive Hub Service and Repair Manual on eBay last week. This appears to be an earlier version (February of 1955?) than the PDF version linked to at the very bottom of this post (which covers WL-2 and WO-1 hubs). It covers the WA-1 Automatic Hub and the WL-2 hub. This is document No. WD-255.
These Sears-branded Selectro hubs have the smaller ribbed style.
View all the information on eBay
“Aftermarket Sears Manual Locking Hubs Taken Off Willys MB Fits CJ2A GPW Jeep CJ. Condition is “Used”. Used take offs for rebuild or parts. D-bubba-ing my 1945 MB and finally got around to removing these off the front axles. As is condition. The Jeep has not run since I acquired it and therefor these are untested in driving conditions. Mounting bolts are not included.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $350.
(10/04/2020) These warn hubs are a bit warn. These dimpled versions are the second gen summer hubs; the first were the waffle style.
“WARN hub set in original metal case. Dimpled design. Converts your old Jeep into 2wd only while these are installed… thus why they have become known as “summer hubs!” Freewheeling installation to keep your front axles and differential from turning with front wheels. Should fit the CJ-2a cj3a mb gpw probably even the cj5? Don’t know for sure.”
Some Warn hub parts.
https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pts/d/sewickley-hubs-ford-warn-jeeo/7239038363.html
“various complete hubs and hub parts Ford/jeep and at least two sets of Warn hubs extra gears housings”
UPDATE: These Free-Lock hubs are still available.
(11/18/2020) This ebay ad for Free-Lock hubs provides the most detailed pics I have for this version of the hub. These are 27 spline, which means they were produced after 1972? If that’s the case, then for some reason the Free-Lock brand that was abandoned circa 1959 was resurected for these hubs.
View all the information on eBay
“Vintage Free-Lock Locking Hubs Jeep CJ CJ5 27 Spline – Warn 9062 – 27 Spline (Wanted: new old stock locking hubs in small or large quantities)
Used
Engage and disengage properly
Same application as Warn 9062
Heavy duty hubs
6 Bolt
27 Spline”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
These are imperfect Perfect Circle hubs as a cam is broken (see broken part in pic one). However, there are some useful photos of these Perfect Circle-branded 10-Spline Selectro Hubs.
“Selling the used locking hubs in the pictures. These are aftermarket and called Perfect Circle. We don’t know much about these hubs. My husband said he removed these from a 1971 Jeep truck that was in a junkyard. He thought they were neat and brought them home. Of course they are the special 10 spline hubs. These appear to be complete, but the “cam” piece (#8 in the schematic) seems to be broken on at least one hub. Look closely at the pictures and determine if they are something you want. Maybe just a little eye candy for the bench area. These are being sold for parts or not working. Hopefully there are enough good parts here to allow someone to complete their project. These are very clean and ready for a new owner.”
Lower left part is broken.
As you can see, the Dualmatic schematic is similar to the Perfect Circle Schematic, though, surprisingly, the casting of the base is slightly different. I’m betting the cams are the same though.
More pics of the Perfect Circle hubs.
Maury spotted this image of an early Warn dash sticker on a Gladiator that was posted to the EarlyCJ5.com website. Anyone have a better example of it?
http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index.php?threads/warn-locking-hub-dash-sticker.144960/#post-1613141
These look like the early Dualmatic lever hubs.
https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/for/d/prosper-jeep-dualmatic-locking-hubs/7227545642.html
“Dualmatic Locking Hubs for Jeeps (vintage)
10-Spline
Removed from early Willys MB Jeep and are in full working order.”
This auction is for one Allstate-branded 10-spline hub.
View all the information on eBay
“1 OLD WILLYS 6 BOLT, 10 SPLINE LOCKOUT HUB, SEARS ROEBUCK & CO ALLSTATE, WORKS WELL, NO RETURNS”
Tim’s father-in-law purchased these Dualmatic hubs, but Tim’s unsure what vehicle they fit. Given the hub model number is F-230, we believe these were likely used on a Ford truck (possible the F-250, as that was the model of truck his father-in-law had). Anyone recognize them or know if they’d fit on a 1960s/70s Ford truck? The hubs are 19 spline.
You’ll note that the patent number 2854111 is the same one connected to this single lever design: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2854111. Read to the end, as this patent number appears connected with an odd looking, Dualmatic-related hub.
This post is all Scott Gilbert’s fault. We got talking about the different color of Dualmatic hub labels on Sunday and, suddenly, my Sunday afternoon vanished into research!
This post leverages the great work from the CJ-2A.com’s dualmatic twin-lever page and the ih8mud hub forum about Dualmatic twin-lever hub variations. For the record, I’ve never owned any of these hubs, so I’m leveraging pics and the internet as best I can. It is a working post. If you have corrections or comments, please let me know!
If only I had each set of hub in front of me I might have a better shot at highlighting the differences (height and faces), but I do not have them. So, I’ll just do my best with the faces and some documentation for dating purposes.
I was going to use the CJ-2A page’s nomenclature, but after studying the different faces, I think it’s better, as I hope you will see, to expand the styles types:
Design A: Recessed center, full ribs, sharp-ended ribs
Design B: Raised center, full-ribs, sharp-ended ribs
Design C: Raised center, full-ribs, round-ended ribs
Design D: Raised center, one-end of both ribs recessed from the edge, all round-ended ribs
Design E: Raised center, both-ends of ribs recessed from the edge, all round-ended ribs
Design W: These were marketed by and stamped as Watson hubs (hence why I call them Watson hubs), but also stamped and sold by third-parties like Sears unstamped and unbranded.
Before we begin with the twin-lever design, let’s look at the single lever design. Dualmatic’s founder Charles Simonsen’s original patent was for a single lever design.
This photo may highlight why that design didn’t hold up well and why support was needed for the cam levers:
This photo was found on a G503 forum. You can see that the lever has been highly stressed.
CONJECTURE: If the bending of the single lever was even a somewhat common occurrence, then it would explain the shift to a dual lever, rib-supported design. One of those early designs may have been the Design W or the Watson hub seen at the bottom of the post, but it seems to me that when full of mud and small debris, that loosening the levers would have been difficult. So, my theory is that the next idea was Design A, which is the earliest one documented with a specific date.
DESIGN A: The earliest example of a Dualmatic hub with a date comes in the form of this April 1958 advertisement in Popular Mechanics. For our purposes, this would be Design A. It has full, un-rounded ribs and a recessed interior
Design A hub with recessed center, full ribs, sharp rib ends.
Design A hub with recessed center, full ribs, sharp rib ends.
Design A can also be seen in this undated brochure, most likely pre-1963 given the lack of full-size jeeps:
Curiously, Design A was still around in 1964, as evidenced by this 1964 Montgomery Wards catalog ad below, but a new type of style appeared, which I call Design C, with a raised center (for branding I assume) and full, but rounded-ribs (and around as late as August 1965 in a Four Wheeler Ad):
Designs A & C Dualmatic hubs. Lower pic — Design A hub with recessed center, full ribs, sharp rib ends. Design C Dualmatic hubs with raised center, full ribs, round-ended ribs.
DESIGN C: Here is a better pic of Design C. You’ll note that the sticker branding is colored black. So far, the consensus is that there were three different colors of stickers, black, blue and red. Again, when each was used and why they changed is uncertain:
Design C Dualmatic hubs with raised center, full ribs, rounded-ended ribs.
DESIGN B: At some juncture, Design B was introduced. Design B had a raised center and full, sharp ribs like Design A. You’ll also note that this has the red center branding sticker: Continue reading
