A History lesson on 39 Willys by Ted Robinette
 37 was a reasonable year for Willys sales wise so they bumped up production for 38.
 38 turned out not to be to sales expectations to being resourceful Willys came up with a plan to use up all unsold 38 Willys bodies and parts
 including front sheetmetal and the 48 hp engine during the following 1939 model year.
A model year that saw a major competitor releasing hydraulic brakes and Willys had to be seen to keeping up [or vice versa ].
 
 Willys did release the 1939 model with new 61 hp engine and hydraulic brakes along with new pointier style front sheetmetal and called it the 'Overland'
to distinguish it from the lower cost 1939 Model 48 which in most regards was a carried over 1938 model including the 1938 front sheetmetal and
 mechanical brakes. The engine was virtually the same as the 48 hp version first introduced in the 1933 Willys 77. In case the penny hasn't dropped the
vehicle was called the Model 48 to denote it had the earlier 48 hp engine  fitted whereas the Overland had the new 61 hp version fitted.
 
 Seeing as the front sheetmetal and body plus mechanical brakes and 48 hp engine are the same as a 1938 Model 38 the way  the way to distinguish
 between a 1938 Model 48 and a 1939 Overland Model 39 is to check the instrument panel.
Their practice was to weld up the two round instrument holes in the dash panel and then cut it out to accept the rectangular 1939 Overland instrument cluster.
Often you can feel the welds behind the dash panel where the filler pieces were welded in.
The Model 48 retained the 1938 Model 38 glove box design and did not adopt the rectangular flat glove box doors of the Overland.
 
 Stokoe Motors In Melbourne offered the option of Overland front sheetmetal on Model 48's so there are a few 1939 Model 48's with the 48 hp engine and
 mechanical brakes but with the pointier Overland front sheetmetal around just to confuse the issue.
Conversely in the years since many owners have swapped in the 1939 and later hydraulic brakes under Model 48's and 37's,
 38's but factorywise the Model 39 Overland was the first Willys with hydraulic brakes.