Friday, April 30, 2021 – Jeeps
I walk across an apartment complex parking lot and see a giant Jeep truck. I know the Jeep company makes a lot of different vehicles now but had never seen this one before. It looks more like a Hummer. The only Jeep vehicle I have ridden in is a Jeep Cherokee SUV, which is more of a luxury SUV. It was very nicely detailed and comfy inside. I know my father rode in military jeeps in World War II. I loved the TV series “M*A*S*H” where it seemed Hawkeye Pierce was always driving a jeep. I also remember “The Roy Rogers Show” which featured Roy’s sidekick Pat Brady and his jeep Nellybelle. In fact, the famous jeep sold at a Christie’s auction in 2010 for $116,500. It was only valued at $20-30,000. According to Christie’s, one of the most memorable characters on the Roy Rogers TV show that ran from 1951 through 1957 was a TV icon manufactured from good old American steel and named Nellybelle, a 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep with some very innovative bodywork. It was in fact owned by Roy but was driven in the show by his comic sidekick, Pat Brady (1914-1972).
On TV, Pat Brady drove around Mineral City, the setting of the series, sweet talking to Nellybelle as if his verbal compliments could convince the recalcitrant jeep to get up and go. The name, which was painted on her doors in most episodes, apparently developed out of Pat riding an ornery mule in the earlier movies, and addressing it with phrases like "Whoa, Nelly!" Roy Rogers chose to include a Jeep into the program because he noticed that after WWII, Jeeps were very popular, especially with children. Rogers himself owned a Jeep which he used for hunting, off road cruising and travel to and from his studio. Let’s learn more about Jeeps.
According to Wikipedia, Jeep is a brand of American automobile and a division of Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors Corp.
Jeep's current product range consists solely of sport utility vehicles — both crossovers and fully off-road worthy SUVs and models, including one pickup truck. Previously, Jeep's range included other pickups, as well as small vans and a few roadsters. Some of Jeep's vehicles — such as the Grand Cherokee — reach into the luxury SUV segment, a market segment the 1963 Wagoneer is considered to have started. Jeep sold 1.4 million SUVs globally in 2016, up from 500,000 in 2008, two-thirds of which were in North America, and was Fiat-Chrysler's best-selling brand in the U.S. during the first half of 2017. In the U.S. alone, over 2,400 dealerships hold franchise rights to sell Jeep-branded vehicles, and if Jeep were spun off into a separate company, it is estimated to be worth between $22 and $33.5 billion — slightly more than all of FCA US.
Prior to 1940 the term "jeep" had been used as U.S. Army slang for new recruits or vehicles, but the World War II "jeep" that went into production in 1941 specifically tied the name to this light military 4x4, arguably making them the oldest four-wheel drive mass-production vehicles now known as SUVs. The Jeep became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the United States Armed Forces and the Allies during World War II, as well as the postwar period. The term became common worldwide in the wake of the war. Doug Stewart noted: "The spartan, cramped, and unstintingly functional jeep became the ubiquitous World War II four-wheeled personification of Yankee ingenuity and cocky, can-do determination." It is the precursor of subsequent generations of military light utility vehicles such as the Humvee, and inspired the creation of civilian analogs such as the original Series I Land Rover. Many Jeep variants serving similar military and civilian roles have since been designed in other nations.
The Jeep marque has been headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, ever since Willys-Overland launched production of the first CJ or Civilian Jeep branded models there in 1945. Its replacement, the conceptually consistent Jeep Wrangler series, remains in production since 1986. With its solid axles and open top, the Wrangler has been called the Jeep model that is as central to the brand's identity as the rear-engined 911 is to Porsche.
At least two Jeep models — the CJ-5 and the SJ Wagoneer — enjoyed extraordinary three-decade production runs of a single body generation.
In lowercase, the term "jeep" continues to be used as a generic term for vehicles inspired by the Jeep that are suitable for use on rough terrain. In Iceland the word Jeppi — derived from Jeep — has been used since WWII and still used for any type of SUV.
Bantam Reconnaissance Car
When it became clear that the United States would be involved in the European theater of World War II, the Army contacted 135 companies to create working prototypes of a four-wheel drive reconnaissance car. Only two companies responded: American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. The Army set a seemingly impossible deadline of 49 days to supply a working prototype. Willys asked for more time but was refused. The Bantam Car Company had only a skeleton staff left on the payroll and solicited Karl Probst, a talented freelance designer from Detroit. After turning down Bantam's initial request, Probst responded to an Army request and began work on July 17, 1940, initially without salary.
Probst laid out full plans in just two days for the Bantam prototype known as the BRC or Bantam Reconnaissance Car, working up a cost estimate the next day. Bantam's bid was submitted on July 22, complete with blueprints. Much of the vehicle could be assembled from off-the-shelf automotive parts, and custom four-wheel drivetrain components were to be supplied by Spicer. The hand-built prototype was completed in Butler, Pennsylvania and driven to Camp Holabird, Maryland on September 23 for Army testing. The vehicle met all the Army's criteria except engine torque.
Willys and Ford
The Army thought that the Bantam company was too small to supply the required number of vehicles, so it supplied the Bantam design to Willys and Ford and encouraged them to modify the design. The resulting Ford "Pygmy" and Willys "Quad" prototypes looked very similar to the Bantam BRC prototype, and Spicer supplied very similar four-wheel drivetrain components to all three manufacturers.
1,500 of each model — Bantam BRC-40, Ford GP and Willys MA — were built and extensively field-tested. After the weight specification was revised from 1,275 lbs to a maximum of 2,450 lbs including oil and water, Willys-Overland's chief engineer Delmar "Barney" Roos modified the design in order to use Willys's heavy but powerful "Go Devil" engine and won the initial production contract. The Willys version became the standard Jeep design, designated the model MB, and was built at their plant in Toledo, Ohio. The familiar pressed-metal Jeep grille was a Ford design feature and incorporated in the final design by the Army.
Because the U.S. War Department required a large number of vehicles in a short time, Willys-Overland granted the U.S. government a non-exclusive license to allow another company to manufacture vehicles using Willys' specifications. The Army chose Ford as a second supplier, building Jeeps to Willys' design. Willys supplied Ford with a complete set of plans and specifications. American Bantam, the creators of the first Jeep, built approximately 2,700 of them to the BRC-40 design, but spent the rest of the war building heavy-duty trailers for the Army.
Willys MB and Ford GPW
Final production version Jeeps built by Willys-Overland were the Model MB, while those built by Ford were the Model GPW — G = government vehicle, P = 80" wheelbase, W = Willys engine design. There were subtle differences between the two. The versions produced by Ford had every component including bolt heads marked with an "F," and early on Ford also stamped its name in large letters in its trademark script, embossed in the rear panel of its jeeps. Willys followed the Ford pattern by stamping “Willys” into several body parts, but the U.S. government objected to this practice, and both parties stopped it in 1942. In spite of persistent advertising by both car and component manufacturers of contributions to the production of successful jeeps during the war, no "Jeep"-branded vehicles were built until the 1945 Willys CJ-2A.
The cost per vehicle trended upwards as the war continued from the price under the first contract from Willys at $648.74; Ford's was $782.59 per unit. Willys-Overland and Ford, under the direction of Charles E. Sorensen — vice president of Ford during World War II — produced about 640,000 Jeeps towards the war effort, which accounted for approximately 18% of all the wheeled military vehicles built in the U.S. during the war.
Jeeps were used by every service of the U.S. military. An average of 145 were supplied to every Army infantry regiment. Jeeps were used for many purposes, including cable laying, sawmilling, as firefighting pumpers, field ambulances, tractors and, with suitable wheels, would run on railway tracks. An amphibious jeep — the model GPA or "seep" (Sea Jeep) — was built for Ford in modest numbers, but it could not be considered a success as it was neither a good off-road vehicle nor a good boat. As part of the war effort, nearly 30% of all Jeep production was supplied to Great Britain and to the Soviet Red Army.
Post-war military Jeeps
The Jeep has been widely imitated around the world, including in France by Delahaye and by Hotchkiss et Cie — after 1954, Hotchkiss manufactured Jeeps under license from Willys, and in Japan by Mitsubishi Motors and Toyota. The Land Rover was inspired by the Jeep. The utilitarian good looks of the original Jeep have been hailed by industrial designers and museum curators alike. The Museum of Modern Art described the Jeep as a masterpiece of functionalist design and has periodically exhibited the Jeep as part of its collection. Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle called the jeep — along with the Coleman G.I. Pocket Stove — "the two most important pieces of noncombat equipment ever developed." Jeeps became even more famous following the war, as they became available on the surplus market. Some ads claimed to offer "Jeeps still in the factory crate." This legend persisted for decades, despite the fact that Jeeps were never shipped from the factory in crates, although Ford did "knock down" Jeeps for easier shipping, which may have perpetuated the myth.
The Jeepney is a unique type of taxi or bus created in the Philippines. The first Jeepneys were military-surplus MBs and GPWs, left behind in the war-ravaged country following World War II and Filipino independence. Jeepneys were built from Jeeps by lengthening and widening the rear "tub" of the vehicle, allowing them to carry more passengers. Over the years, Jeepneys have become the most ubiquitous symbol of the modern Philippines, even as they have been decorated in more elaborate and flamboyant styles by their owners. Most Jeepneys today are scratch-built by local manufacturers, using different powertrains.
Aside from Jeepneys, backyard assemblers in the Philippines construct replica Jeeps with stainless steel bodies and surplus parts and are called "owner-type jeeps," as jeepneys are also called "passenger-type jeeps."
In the United States military, the Jeep has been supplanted by a number of vehicles e.g., Ford's M151 of which the latest is the Humvee.
CJ-V35/U
After World War II, Jeep began to experiment with new designs, including a model that could drive underwater. On February 1, 1950, contract N8ss-2660 was approved for 1,000 units "especially adapted for general reconnaissance or command communications" and "constructed for short period underwater operation such as encountered in landing and fording operations." The engine was modified with a snorkel system so that the engine could properly breathe underwater.
M715
In 1965, Jeep developed the M715 1.25-short-ton army truck, a militarized version of the civilian J-series Jeep truck, which served extensively in the Vietnam War. It had heavier full-floating axles and a foldable, vertical, flat windshield. Today, it serves other countries and is still being produced by Kia under license.
Jeep etymology
Many explanations of the origin of the word jeep have proven difficult to verify. The most widely held theory is that the military designation GP for Government Purposes or General Purpose was slurred into the word Jeep in the same way that the contemporary HMMWV for High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle has become known as the Humvee. Joe Frazer, Willys-Overland president from 1939 to 1944, claimed to have coined the word jeep by slurring the initials G.P. There are no contemporaneous uses of "GP" before later attempts to create a "backronym."
A more detailed view, popularized by actor and Marine drill instructor R. Lee Ermey on his television series “Mail Call,” disputes this "slurred GP" origin, saying that the vehicle was designed for specific duties and was never referred to as "General Purpose;" it is highly unlikely that the average jeep-driving GI would have been familiar with this designation. The Ford GPW abbreviation actually meant G for government use, P to designate its 80-inch wheelbase and W to indicate its Willys-Overland designed engine. Ermey suggests that soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicles that they informally named it after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the “Thimble Theatre” comic strip and cartoons created by E. C. Segar, as early as mid-March 1936. Eugene the Jeep was Popeye's "jungle pet" and was "small, able to move between dimensions and could solve seemingly impossible problems."
The word "jeep," however, was used as early as World War I as US Army slang for new uninitiated recruits or by mechanics to refer to new unproven vehicles. In 1937, tractors which were supplied by Minneapolis Moline to the U.S. Army were called jeeps. A precursor of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was also referred to as the jeep.
“Words of the Fighting Forces” by Clinton A. Sanders, a dictionary of military slang, published in 1942, in the library at The Pentagon gives this definition:
Jeep: A four-wheel drive vehicle of one-half- to one-and-one-half-ton capacity for reconnaissance or other army duty. A term applied to the bantam-cars, and occasionally to other motor vehicles (U.S.A.) in the Air Corps, the Link Trainer; in the armored forces, the 1⁄2-ton command vehicle. Also referred to as "any small plane, helicopter or gadget."
This definition is supported by the use of the term "jeep carrier" to refer to the Navy's small escort carriers.
Early in 1941, Willys-Overland demonstrated the vehicle's off-road capability by having it drive up the steps of the United States Capitol, driven by Willys test driver Irving "Red" Hausmann, who had recently heard soldiers at Fort Holabird calling it a "jeep." When asked by syndicated columnist Katharine Hillyer for the Washington Daily News — or by a bystander, according to another account — what it was called, Hausmann answered, "It's a jeep."
Katharine Hillyer's article was published nationally on February 19, 1941, and included a picture of the vehicle with the caption:
LAWMAKERS TAKE A RIDE- With Senator Meade, of New York, at the wheel and Representative Thomas of New Jersey sitting beside him, one of the Army's new scout cars, known as "jeeps" or "quads," climbed up the Capitol steps in a demonstration yesterday. Soldiers in the rear seat for gunners were unperturbed.
Although the term was also military slang for vehicles that were untried or untested, this exposure caused all other jeep references to fade, leaving the 4x4 with the name.
Brand, trademarks and image
The "Jeep" brand has gone through many owners, starting with Willys-Overland which filed the original trademark application for the "Jeep" brand name in February 1943. To help establish the term as a Willys brand, the firm campaigned with advertisements emphasizing Willys' prominent contribution to the Jeep that helped win the war. Willys' application initially met with years of opposition, primarily from Bantam, but also from Minneapolis-Moline. The Federal Trade Commission initially ruled in favor of Bantam in May 1943, largely ignoring Minneapolis-Moline's claim, and continued to scold Willys-Overland after the war for its advertising. The FTC even slapped the company with a formal complaint, to cease and desist any claims that it "created or designed" the Jeep — Willys was only allowed to advertise its contribution to the Jeep's development. Willys however proceeded to produce the first Civilian Jeep (CJ) branded vehicles in 1945, and simply copyrighted the Jeep name in 1946. Being the only company that continually produced "Jeep" vehicles after the war, Willys-Overland was eventually granted the name "Jeep" as a registered trademark in June 1950. Aside from Willys, King Features Syndicate has held a trademark on the name "Jeep" for their comics since August 1936.
Willys had also seriously considered the brand name AGRIJEEP and was granted the trademark for it in December 1944, but instead the civilian production models as of 1945 were marketed as the "Universal Jeep," which reflected a wider range of uses outside of farming.
A division of FCA US LLC, the most recent successor company to the Jeep brand, now holds trademark status on the name "Jeep" and the distinctive 7-slot front grille design. The original 9-slot grille associated with all World War II jeeps was designed by Ford for their GPW, and because it weighed less than the original "Slat Grille" of Willys — an arrangement of flat bars — was incorporated into the "standardized jeep" design.
The history of the HMMWV or Humvee has ties with Jeep. In 1971, Jeep's Defense and Government Products Division was turned into AM General, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Motors Corp., which also owned Jeep. In 1979, while still owned by American Motors, AM General began the first steps toward designing the Humvee. AM General also continued manufacturing the two-wheel-drive DJ, which Jeep created in 1953. The General Motors Hummer and Chrysler Jeep have been waging battle in U.S. courts over the right to use seven slots in their respective radiator grilles. Chrysler Jeep claims it has the exclusive rights to use the seven vertical slots, since it is the sole remaining assignee of the various companies since Willys gave their postwar jeeps seven slots instead of Ford's nine-slot design for the Jeep.
Off-road abilities
Jeep advertising has always emphasized the brand's vehicles' off-road capabilities. Today, the Wrangler is one of the few remaining four-wheel-drive vehicles with solid front and rear axles. These axles are known for their durability, strength, and articulation. New Wranglers come with a Dana 44 rear differential and a Dana 30 front differential. The upgraded Rubicon model of the JK Wrangler is equipped with electronically activated locking differentials, Dana 44 axles front and rear with 4.10 gears, a 4:1 transfer case, electronic sway bar disconnect and heavy-duty suspension.
Another benefit of solid-axle vehicles is they tend to be easier and cheaper to "lift" with aftermarket suspension systems. This increases the distance between the axle and chassis of the vehicle. By increasing this distance, larger tires can be installed, which will increase the ground clearance, allowing it to traverse even larger and more difficult obstacles. In addition to higher ground clearance, many owners aim to increase suspension articulation or "flex" to give their Jeeps greatly improved off-road capabilities. Good suspension articulation keeps all four wheels in contact with the ground and maintains traction.
Useful features of the smaller Jeeps are their short wheelbases, narrow frames and ample approach, breakover and departure angles, allowing them to fit into places where full-size four-wheel drives have difficulty.
Jeep CJ
The CJ for "Civilian Jeep" series were literally the first "Jeep" branded vehicles sold commercially to the civilian public, beginning in 1945 with the CJ-2A, followed by the CJ-3A in 1949 and the CJ-3B in 1953. These early Jeeps are frequently referred to as "flat-fenders" because their front fenders were completely flat and straight, no different than on the original WW II model — the Willys MB and identical Ford GPW.
The CJ-4 exists only as a single 1951 prototype and constitutes the "missing link" between the flat-fendered CJ-2A and CJ-3A/B, and the subsequent Jeeps with new bodies, featuring rounded fenders and hoods, beginning with the 1955 CJ-5, first introduced as the military Willys MD or M38A1. The restyled body was mostly prompted to clear the taller new overhead-valve Hurricane engine.
Willys Jeep Station Wagon
The Willys Jeep Station Wagon, Jeep Utility Wagon and Jeep Panel Delivery are automobiles produced by Willys and Kaiser Jeep in the United States from 1946 to 1964, with production in Argentina and Brazil continuing until 1970 and 1977 respectively. They were the first mass-market all-steel station wagons designed and built as a passenger vehicle.
With over 300,000 wagons and its variants built in the U.S., it was one of Willys' most successful post-World War II models.
For some time after the 1949 introduction of a four-wheel drive option, the 2WD was sold as "Station Wagon," while the 4WD was marketed as "Utility Wagon." The 4WD Willys Jeep Wagon is often considered the first production sport utility vehicle.
The Jeep Wagon was assembled in several international markets under various forms of joint ventures, licenses or knock-down kits.
Jeep Forward Control
The Jeep Forward Control is a truck that was produced by Willys Motors, later named Kaiser Jeep, from 1956 to 1965. It was also assembled in other international markets. The layout featured a cab over or forward control design.
The Forward Control models were primarily marketed as work vehicles for corporate, municipal and military, as well as civilian use. Regular pickup box beds were standard, but customers were offered a large number of "Jeep approved" specialized bodies from outside suppliers. These ranged from simple flatbeds to complete tow trucks, dump trucks and fire trucks. The vehicles were also manufactured under license in India and Spain.
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is a compact sport utility vehicle manufactured and marketed across a single generation by Jeep in the United States from 1983 to 2001 — and globally through 2014. Available in three- or five-door, five passenger, front engine, rear- or four-wheel drive configurations, the XJ was manufactured in Toledo, Ohio, USA; Beijing, China; Ferreyra, Argentina; Cairo, Egypt; and in Valencia, Venezuela, with production reaching approximately 3 million between 1983 and 2001.
Sharing the name of the original full-size Cherokee SJ model, the 1984 XJ Cherokee was Jeep's first all-new vehicle design since the 1963 SJ Wagoneer, as well as was the first American off-roader built with fully integrated body-and-frame or unibody design, and became the mechanical basis for the MJ-series Jeep Comanche pickup truck (1985–1992).
Jeep marketed XJs as Sportwagons, precursor to the modern sport utility vehicle, before that term was used. The XJ spawned competitors as other automakers noticed the design cannibalizing sales from regular cars, supplanting the role of the station wagon and transforming the vehicle type "from truck to limousine in the eyes of countless suburban owners."
The 2007 book “Jeep Off-Road” called the XJ a "significant link in the evolution of the 4x4." In 2011 Kiplinger magazine selected the XJ as one of the "cars that refuse to die." Automotive journalist Robert Cumberford, writing for “Automobile,” called the Jeep XJ one of the 20 greatest cars of all time — for its design, and "possibly the best SUV shape of all time, it is the paradigmatic model to which other designers have since aspired."
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a series of compact and mid-size — 2-door Wrangler, and a longer wheelbase / 4-door Wrangler Unlimited — four-wheel drive off-road SUVs, manufactured by Jeep since 1986, and currently in its fourth generation. The Wrangler JL, the most recent generation, was unveiled in late 2017 and is produced at Jeep's Toledo Complex.
The Wrangler is arguably an indirect progression from the World War II Jeep, through the CJ or Civilian Jeeps) produced by Willys, Kaiser-Jeep and American Motors Corporation from the mid-1940s through 1980s. Although neither AMC nor Chrysler — after its purchase of AMC in 1987 — have claimed that the Wrangler was a direct descendant of the original military model — both the CJ Jeeps and the conceptually consistent Wrangler, with their solid axles and open top, have been called the Jeep model as central to Jeep's brand identity as the rear-engined 911 is to Porsche.
Similar to the Willys MB and the CJ Jeeps before it, all Wrangler models continue to use a separate body and frame, rigid live axles both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, a fold-flat windshield, and can be driven without doors. Also, with few exceptions, they have part-time four-wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and standard are open bodies with removable hard- or soft-tops. However, the Wrangler series was specifically redesigned to be safer and more comfortable on-road, to attract more daily drivers, by upgrading its suspension, drivetrain and interior compared to the CJ line. The suspension on all Wranglers included trackbars and anti-roll bars, and from the 1997 TJ onwards, front and rear coil springs instead of the previous leaf-springs.
From 2004 on, the Wrangler has been complemented with long-wheelbase versions, called Wrangler Unlimited. 2004-2006 models were longer versions with 2 doors. In 2004 only automatic transmission-equipped “Unlimited” versions were sold. In 2005 both an automatic and manual 6-speed (NSG-370) were offered. Since 2007, the long-wheelbase Wranglers were four-door models, offering over 20 inches more room. By mid-2017 the four-door models represented three-quarters of all new Wranglers on the market.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.
Jeep Liberty
The Jeep Liberty or Jeep Cherokee (KJ/KK) outside North America, is a compact SUV that was produced by Jeep for the model years 2002–2012 for US consumers. Introduced as a replacement for the Cherokee (XJ), the Liberty was priced between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. It was the smallest of the 4-door Jeep SUVs until the car based 4-door Compass and Patriot arrived for 2007. Like the XJ Cherokee, the Liberty featured unibody-construction. It was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States, as well as in other countries, including Egypt and Venezuela. The Liberty ceased production on August 16, 2012. The next generation restored the previous nameplate of Jeep Cherokee that was always used outside of North America.
Jeep Commander
The Jeep Commander XK and XH — export diesel — is a mid-size SUV that was manufactured from 2005 to 2010 by the Jeep division of the American manufacturer Chrysler.
Jeep Patriot
The Jeep Patriot (MK74) is a front-engine five-door compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Jeep, having debuted with the Jeep Compass in April 2006 at the New York Auto Show for the 2007 model year. Both cars, as well as Dodge Caliber shared the GS platform, differentiated by their styling and marketing, with the Patriot exclusively offering a four-wheel drive system, marketed as Freedom Drive II.
The Patriot was manufactured at Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant alongside the Compass. Although the model was still selling well even as it was essentially unchanged as it entered its 11th model year, production ended with the 2017 model year.
Jeep Compass
The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV introduced for the 2007 model year and is now in its second generation. The first generation Compass and Patriot, its rebadged variant, were among Jeep's first crossover SUVs. The second-generation Compass debuted in September 2016 in Brazil and at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November 2016, sharing a modified platform with the Renegade.
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