This is a very low-key project, designed for multiple contributions from across the country. I'd like this website to be a clearinghouse of information about Willys dealerships. Please feel free to contribute, even if your only recollection is that there used to be a Willys dealership next to the long-gone train station in East Overshoe. Street addresses would be great, but any sort of information would be helpful. By posting the information in a state-by-state format, I'm hoping others can investigate further and report back.

Much sleuthing will be needed at many of the locations listed throughout the website. For some places, only a city name was available, with no address or full business name. Depending on the original documentation available, street addresses are available for some of the dealerships. If you live near any of these locations or have some sort of connection, please feel free to dive in and do some research yourself. Perhaps in your attic, along with your crazy uncle, you have some original dealership items that would provide a street address. Should you find an address that is too distant for you to visit personally, please forward it here and somebody closer could follow through.

You may be surprised to discover how the typical car dealership has changed over the years. In the present day, we're all familiar with the gigantic car lots out in Strip Mall City, replete with neon signs and obnoxious TV commercials. While no doubt there were some big dealerships way back when, many were simple Mom & Pop operations. A dealership may have been little more than a sideline for a repair shop or perhaps a storefront with room to display a few cars.

Please use common sense during any visits to old dealership sites. Be especially mindful of your safety, considering that you could find yourself in a rough part of town. An old Willys dealership may now be something unsavory, such as a methamphetamine lab or the local Democratic Party headquarters. Present day occupants may not be interested in the building history, so please use your own judgement. As this project progresses and locations are documented, the occupants may not welcome visitor #24 with the same open arms as visitor #1. In many instances, a photo from the street would be plenty so please be considerate.

If you would like to inquire of the present occupants, bring along any available documents (or prints from this website) as an icebreaker. You will raise suspicion if you simply start poking around and shooting pictures, but showing an old brochure or promotional item with that address may work wonders to gain access.

For maximum visual interest, include your Jeep (new or old) in any photos whenever possible. Feel free to include yourself or family members for our allotted 15 minutes of fame.

Pictures and scans of any literature that would help in the search can be sent to me via email at kr98664@yahoo.com. When scanning, please provide a close-up of any addresses if possible. JPEG and TIFF formats would be best, but I'll try any format you have available. If you'd prefer to send items via regular mail, contact me at the same email address for a mailing address. Please do not send original items. Photocopies and duplicate photos would be sufficient and would avoid risk to irreplaceable items. Please include your name as you'd like it credited. If you'd like your email address displayed so others can contact you directly, please let me know. (Email addresses will not be posted unless specifically authorized.)

The following is a checklist of suggested questions for each location. When researching a location, please forward as much information as possible, even if only partial answers are known:

Local libraries are great sources for reference material, with old phone books, newspapers and business directories available. For example, I found some local references within minutes during a trip to my library.

An extensive list of Kaiser-Frazer dealers. This is a gold mine of information, with the four far-right columns on each state's list identifying the product line sold at that particular date. (KF=Kaiser-Frazer, KW=Kaiser-Willys, WO=Willys-Overland and W for plain old Willys) Kaiser took over Willys in 1953. Some, but not all, of these K-F dealers may have also carried the Willys line previously. I don't know if the K-F dealers were now obligated to carry the Willys line after the merger but some certainly did. Some Willys or K-F dealers may have also closed shop about that time, considering there may have been a larger, more established dealership already in the area.

KaiserFrazerLibrary.com - More great stuff, including a section about dealerships. (Be sure to click on the Dealer Photos link near the bottom of that page for a rotating photo gallery.) Much more information is available than is shown online and can be accessed by contacting the ever-helpful curator.

A list of Desoto dealers If a particular Desoto dealership listed also carried the Willys line, it would be very helpful for collaborating addresses. (Click here for one example.) Many thanks to Bryce from California for that link. Be sure to check out the homepage, which includes tips about searching for old dealers.

1983 AMC Dealer List - This can be very helpful for collaborating addresses. (A big thanks to Thomas Potter for that link) Keep in mind that many of the dealers listed in 1983 may have moved and/or never carried the Willys line.

I'd like to initially limit the Willys Dealership Project to the United States although future expansion is certainly in the works. As far as dates, I've arbitrarily decided to limit the dealer list to 1945-1971, covering the Post WW2 through Kaiser era of Jeep history. This is not a hard and fast rule, but is mainly to keep the project more manageable.