Springfield, Missouri – For whatever reason, the O.G. Willys Jeepster seems to be the number one candidate for chassis and engine swaps—in fact, we can’t recall if we’ve ever seen one that hasn’t had some sort of significant modification done to its engine, body, or frame.
So when we noticed that this particular Jeepster was pretty much all original, we had to track down its owners to get the scoop during the 2026 Hot Rod Power Tour.
This humble Jeepster sat in the garage of a rental property for years near the campus of Missouri State University. And when Bob and Monica Feeney decided to purchase the home a while back, the old car came with it.
As it turns out, Bob’s pretty handy with a wrench and, once he got the forlorn Jeepster out into the daylight, he quickly began to get it back up to snuff.
To give you an idea of the effort it took to make the Jeepster roadworthy, Bob sent us this photo of the Willys in its “as found” state:
After wiping away years of accumulated gunk, Bob painstakingly kept the Jeepster as original as he could—resisting the urge to drop in a small block V8 or (gasp!) swap an S-10 frame under the Willys.
That means you’ll find the iconic 134ci flathead “Go Devil” four under the hood.
Yup, that’s the same engine that earned its stripes powering Jeeps on the battlefields of World War II. The engine has been refreshed and Bob happily reports that it runs great.
And despite the fact that it only makes around 65 horsepower, the Jeepster is able to enjoy longer jaunts at higher speeds thanks to the standard overdrive coupled to its three-on-the-tree transmission.
It gets even better in the driver’s seat where Bob was able to get the gauges working again, careful not to upset the vintage aesthetic of that delightfully spartan dashboard.
Walk all around the Jeepster and you’ll see that it wears a remarkably clean, yet original finish that’s indicative of a well-cared-for life.
And Bob and Monica intend to keep it that way.
Although they were only attending this single stop on the Hot Rod Power Tour, Bob assures us that the Jeepster racks up plenty of miles as a summer cruiser while it ambles along the local roads surrounding Springfield in central Missouri.
…And we’re guessing that the Jeepster’s maroon paint job elicits its fair share of onlookers whenever it heads onto the Missouri State campus too.
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