- Seller: Lawrence H (Contact)
- Location: Divide, Montana
- Mileage: 63,000 Shown
- Chassis #: 35377
- Title Status: Missing
- Engine: 134-cu.in. L-head Inline-4
- Transmission: T90 3-Speed Manual
Willys-Overland Motors was founded in 1908 in Toledo, Ohio, which is where Jeep production is still located in the U.S., over 100 years later. This 1949 Willys Jeep Pickup 4×4 may surprise you once you dig into it a bit and look at the underside photos. It looks like a forgotten barn find, but the mechanical systems have been gone through. This one is located in Divide, Montana, and the seller is listing it here as a Barn Finds Auction!
That’s one cool collection of pickups out in that Montana field, isn’t it? We don’t know the history of this truck, but as is almost always the case with rugged pickups that are over 70 years old, it has its share of dings and dents, and also rust. This isn’t 2026 sheetmetal, be prepared to do some serious pounding and welding when it comes time to straighten out that bed. I believe this truck was “Potomac Gray,” and not because of its gray primer, but because of the interior and engine compartment photos. We don’t know for sure what the color was, however.
Willys offered its famous pickup, a cousin to the Willys Wagon, for almost two decades, from just after WWII in 1946 to 1964. Seeing one in restored condition is always fun, but it’s just as much fun for me to see one looking a little rugged, and thinking about how you’ll start to tackle the restoration. Or maybe the next owner will just keep the mechanical systems maintained and drive it as it looks now? Jeep offered 14 variations on the chassis and body for this pickup, but it’s rare to see anything but the regular pickup as seen here.
The seat has been recovered, of course, and it adds a nice touch to an otherwise pragmatic and tough interior. The driver’s side has new door glass and a rebuilt latch; the outside door handle has also been rebuilt. It has a new heater fan motor, and the gauge cluster has been removed, cleaned, and tested to make sure everything works as it should. I love this truck even more the more I read about it. Check out that array of shifters! Other than some obvious welding needed on the floorboards, the interior would be kept exactly as it looks now, on my watch. Maybe some rubber flooring material after fixing the floors and adding sound-deadening material. This truck has a new gas tank, all-new wiring, new brakes, both differentials rebuilt, a new clutch and throwout bearing, new U-joints, and much more.
The engine has been rebuilt, and it’s a Willys-Overland Go-Devil 134-cu.in. L-head inline-four that had 60 horsepower and 104 lb-ft of torque when new. The seller says it was “bored 0.060; new valves; head milled 0.012; oil pump; fuel pump; water pump; distributor; starter & generator rebuilt by Kaiser Willys.” The BorgWarner T-90 3-speed manual and 2-speed transfer case were also rebuilt. They mention that the engine has slightly lower compression than normal, and they regret not staying on top of it when a shop was rebuilding it to ensure everything was perfect. Hopefully, that’s an easy fix, because the rest of the mechanical systems look amazing. Please check out the photos to see for yourselves. The seller’s reserve is much lower than Hagerty’s #4 fair-condition value, and given all of the incredible work that’s gone into this one, it’s likely a steal. Please check it out and get your bids in on this Barn Finds Auction!
Bid On This Auction
Rockymtnnate bid $1,200.00 2026-04-16 08:36:51
Leancy bid $500.00 2026-04-10 22:23:08
I often think that these couldn’t get all the respect they deserved. They did everything that was expected of them and they always came back for more. There were a few of these made it out west. I recall a couple that someone pulled that anemic IOE out of and installed a Ford flathead V8.
I don’t really think that was an improvement but no one asked me.
One of our club members restored one which was powered by the F226 Continental engine. Nothing wrong with its performance. Personally, I think it was a better match than the Ford V8. Probably not as much overheating…
(cue X-Files intro) Pretty darn close to my ’51 pickup I had. On the way to Iola Car Show,, ’87, ’88 maybe, I saw it sitting in a guys front yard with a ginormous home made plow, and a non-stock hole in the flathead 6 block. It had 19,000 miles, all he did was plow his driveway with it, FOR FORTY YEARS, until the motor puked. The plow was so heavy, it had the front leaf springs bent the wrong way, and once we cut the plow off, amazingly, the springs returned to normal. At the same time, I had bought a ’54 Wagon with a SBC( a 307, I think) 2 barrel, that was a poor job, and I didn’t care for the wagon. I put everything from the wagon, into the pickup, and was my daily driver for a couple years. Due to an axle snafu, I replaced the 5:88 rears for a 3:90 from a Wagoneer, but the front wouldn’t work, so just used it as a 2wd, and worked fine. The 3 shift levers( 4 if O/D) were standard Jeep for years, until they came out with the 1 lever jobs. It’s a great find, those push button inside door releases are pretty rare, and I think in 1950, went with a different grill, and dash gauges, and Geomechs picture features a fresh air vent hole in the grill, ’54?. Geo will throttle me, but just drop the LS in it and be done. Can’t be many left like this.
In high-school I helped a teacher install a, V8 Flat head in his wagon version. It was an easy swap as he had a,kit from Warshasky/JC Whitney. Because of my experience level and my “shop foreman ” duties in auto shop. I was the only student with keys to the auto shop. So when a teacher wanted access to the auto shop. Once approved by the shop teacher. Then they had to schedule the time with me. The swap only took about 8 hours if I remember correctly. I was not overly impressed with the completed project. I really liked these trucks. In the one picture it looks like 4 shifters and in the other it looks like 3 shifters. With the one pretty far forward. I expect that this truck has overdrive. geomechs please correct me if my thinking has gone astray. Cool truck thst I would like to have!
LOOKING for 1 of these,,, if CLOSER to Ne, Pa. !
Nice.
I built a ’50 wagon, partly for the street, and occasionally, mud or sand drags. Had a ’70 LT-1 with Hooker fender well headers and a 350 Turbo Hydro matched to the original transfer case and overdrive. Kept the 5.38s, but with a modified Detroit locker in the rear and an Eaton unit in the front. Saginaw steering box and a tilt column. Bunch of other stuff, but I got a little carried away with my comments. What I intended to say was the 1950 and later grill definitely improved the looks.
A neat little truck.. That looks like mostly surface rust with a few cracks on the fenders.. Clean it up and paint it… Then you will have a great weekender and fun at Cars and Coffee.
My neighbor has a 1957 or ‘58 Willys pickup with a plow. The bed is long gone and it’s been off the road for decades, but he was plowing his driveway with it up until just a few years ago. I have a ‘62 Willys Wagon that I am doing a total restoration on. It is not finished yet but the chassis is complete and I’m driving it around my neighborhood without the body!
My son & I are in the middle of a build on one of these. Keeping stock appearance as much as possible, but newer drivetrain, steering & brakes.