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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 .
This photo and caption shows an armored jeep in the March 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics.
On page 41 of the April 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics is this photo and caption. Curiously, it doesn’t appear the jeep has lights; it looks more like the jeep was partly illustrated.
This photo was in the same issue:
A July 1943 Popular Mechanics article looks at young men training for war and, in part, how the jeep plays a useful role.
This is the earliest use of jeep hubs as winches that I can remember documenting. It was publishing in the July 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics. The McCain hub was a similar, much later idea.
UPDATE: Harry Warholak’s father built a Sidewalk Jeep from the plans in Popular Mechanics when he was a kid in Detroit. Ten years ago he restored it. It spent a year at the Chrysler Museum. Now he’s interested in selling it. You can contact him at 586-996-4103 if interested. He’s located in Georgia.
PREVIOUS POST (February 2013): This kids jeep design was published in the January, 1948, issue of Popular Mechanics and available for free at Google. It is powered by an electronic motor. It looks as difficult to build than a standard jeep! The notes added to this particular issue are interesting, too. The top note appears to reference a 1949 Christmas Handbook that might also include these drawings.
View issues of Popular Mechanics, January 1948, for sale on eBay
First published 09/02/2012: The February 1948 Issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine published this fascinating look at the Bountiful City Jeep Posse, an organization that worked as a volunteer Search and Rescue and Fire Fighting group out of Bountiful, Utah. Started in 1946, the organization is still in existence.
I found this article that provides additional history from the 2006 in the Deseret News. Though they own fewer jeeps and have more trucks, they are still helping their community. I’ve contacted the newspaper to see if I can communicate with the members to get some more information about them and, possibly, some additional jeep pictures.
The Images below all come from the Popular Mechanics Magazine article. Note the jeep in the background of the bottom image on page 3 has a full cage, the earliest example of a full cage I’ve seen.
Following the article, I’ve included pics of two ads, too.
Page 1:
This photograph is part of a Popular Mechanics article from October, 1959. The article highlights the success American car manufacturers were having by producing cars in the San Paulo region, which the writer describes as the ‘Chicago’ of South America.
You can read the entire article here
Lined-up Jeeps await delivery outside the Willys-Overland of Brazil factory at Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo’s industrial suburb. This expanding plant will soon be producing 250 Jeeps, cars and station wagons per day.
This post was originally published Nov 20, 2013. It shows a jeep that was altered into sedan.
UPDATE: This photograph pair was also published in the February 22, 1945, issue of the IBT Roundup (Inda-Burma Theater Roundup)
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The May 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics published this little blurb about the 8th Air Force Bomber Station’s effort to transform a jeep into a sedan using only salvaged materials.
You can view the document online at Google
This August 1957 article in Popular Mechanics shares the story of these water hunters who travel the southwest in a jeep truck. The article is available at Google Books. Or, you can search for an issue on eBay.
Plans for this sidewalk jeep were posted on eBay for sale. Originally published in the March 1948 issue of POPULAR MECHANICS, the plans are also available for free at Google Books.
Steve shared this photo and article from the August 1946 issue of Popular Mechanics, PG 113. You can see the entire issue at Google books.
The September 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics (pg 3) features this photo of a Ford GP landing on to the ground. The article suggests there was a great deal of excitement over the jeep’s possibilities. I’ve included some of the text from the article (which covers a variety of war vehicles). The write discusses the potential for jeeps, then mentions a four wheeled ‘tank’ with independent suspension. To me that sounded a lot like the Tucker Combat Car.
