After constructing hundreds of hundreds of examples of the original Jeep throughout Environment War II, Willys-Overland Motors necessary to hustle to style and design and create equipment that civilians (other than farmers) would want to acquire. Alternatively than resume creation of prewar Willys automobiles, the company hired shortly-to-be-famous designer Brooks Stevens to acquire its army car or truck patterns and make one thing a little bit more civilized. The final result was the Willys-Overland Jeep Station Wagon, which seemed attractive inspite of its flat stamped overall body panels, generating its debut for the 1946 design yr. A yr later on, a pickup model recognised as the “Jeep” Truck (really don’t snicker Toyota named the Hilux the Toyota Truck here for many many years, and the Jeep designation was in rates for the reason that Willys-Overland did not get unique rights to the Jeep trademark until eventually 1950) appeared. Today’s Junkyard Gem is a single of individuals early Trucks, identified in a self-provider garden among Denver and Cheyenne.
The historic, rotted tires convey to us that this Truck expended a lot of many years sitting outdoors in the severe climate of Colorado (or probably Wyoming or western Kansas), progressively sinking into the soil together with the cacti, tumbleweed, and sage of the Significant Plains.
It could be any product 12 months from 1947 through 1949. All the pinpointing numbers or make plates that may possibly have instructed me the correct 12 months ended up very long absent by the time I obtained in this article.
The engine in the 1947-1949 Willys-Overland “Jeep” Truck was a 134-cubic-inch (2.-liter) “Go-Satan” flathead, rated at 63 horsepower. Torque was good, at 106 lb-ft. Hold in head that the curb fat of this truck was a mere 3,129 lbs (about the exact as a new Corolla now) when considering people power figures.
This is primarily the exact engine that run all those WW2 Jeeps that aided crush the Axis.
The only transmission available was a 3-on-the-ground synchromesh handbook. The two small levers to the suitable of the gearshift are for choosing 2WD/4WD and large/lower final drive ratio.
I arrived near to purchasing this gorgeous gauge cluster for exhibit on my garage wall, but I’m jogging out of room for these kinds of things.
This depth of rodent nesting material is terrifying when you live in Hantavirus region, so I attempted to maintain my breath when capturing photographs in the taxi.
The 4-wheel-push edition of the Willys Overland “Jeep” Truck value $1,792 in 1949, which comes to about $21,585 in 2022 bucks.
There is just not considerably to go completely wrong with these vans, but this 1 proved also tough to be really worth correcting up. Let us hope its components stay on in other Willys automobiles right before the crusher eats it.
So beneficial! Willys-Overland obtained back again into the motor vehicle organization in 1952, with the Aero Willys, then was acquired by Kaiser the adhering to year. Aero creation continued in Brazil into the early 1970s.
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