Willys History

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Willys Jeep M38 – A Brief History

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Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

The Willys M38 was manufactured from 1950-1952 with a production total of 45,473. The M38 was based off of the CJ-3A but with a beefier frame and suspension. The Jeep was also identified by Willys as an “MC”. The M38 had protruding headlights with a protective guard wire in the front, blackout lights, and an air vent in the base of the windshield.
Some features that differentiated it from its civilian predecessor were: a one-piece foldable windshield, bottom mounted wipers, lifting shackles, a pintle hook for towing and a fuel filler on the drivers side. The M38 also had larger tires, 7:00×16″. In order to improve ground clearance the M38 did not have an outside step like previous models. M38′s were endowed with specific equipment depending on the usage of the vehicle. Some of them had Ramsey winches or were outfitted with wading equipment and a breathing apparatus for fording bodies of water. A few had light dozing and leveling equipment though it would be rare to find an M38 with such add-ons.
Some of these jeeps were used in the Korean Theatre of Operations until the Korean War was over in the mid 1950s, then they were made for export overseas.
Another notable difference in the M38′s design was a water fording ventilation system and a waterproof 24 volt electrical system. The pioneer tools (shovel and axe) were moved to the passenger side of the vehicle, which were originally on the drivers side of the Willys MB of WWII.

Weight: 2750 lb. (Gross: 3950 lb.)
Length (overall): 133”
Width (overall): 62”
Height (Top Up): 74”
Ground Clearance: 9 1/4”
Tires: 7:00×16
Transmission: T-90
Transfer Case: Dana 18
Front Axle: Dana 25
Rear Axle: Dana 44
Wheelbase: 80”
Other: 1 Piece Windshield, 24 Volt Electrical

Engine: 4-134 L Head Motor (463) (All Years)
Engine Type: L4-134 “Go-Devil”
Number of Cylinders: 4
Cubic-In. Displacement: 134.22 CID (2199.53 cc)
Horsepower: 60 hp (45 kW) @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 105 ft-lb. (142 N-m) @2000 rpm
Compression Ratio: 6:48:1
Valvetrain: L-head

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If you are looking for, Willys Jeep Parts, Willys replacement parts, Willys body parts and much more for your 1941-1971 Willys vehicle, you have come to the right place! Don’t forget to check out our sister site, LiveOffroad, an online site dedicated to offering the lowest prices on parts and accessories for 1976+Up CJ & Wrangler! Live Well. Offroad Better.

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Willys CJ-5: Brief History

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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

About the Willys CJ-5:

The Willys CJ-5 Jeep holds the record for the longest produced jeep model from 1954-1983 with a total of 603,303 approx. assembled. The jeep influenced by the korean war M38A1 and the new corporate owner, kaiser, departed from the flat fenders and developed rounded fenders, a squeezed grille to accomodate larger headlights, and a heavy gauge sheet metal body. Other changes made include: a larger windshield frame, increased length on the riding springs, form fitting front adjustable bucket seats, a deeper backlit instrument panel, and rear seating options for four passengers.

The jeep originally had the four cylinder Hurricane engine until 1965 when Kaiser purchased the casting rights to the six cylinder Buick V6 Dauntless upgrading the vehicle to 155 hp. The CJ-5 was the first civilian jeep made specifically for off-road driving.

The CJ-5 Jeep appears in many movies, here are a few of them:

Romancing the Stone 1984

XXX 2002

Banzai 1983

Hotel Rwanda 2004

The Long Goodbye 1973

Blow 2001

Resources:

ehow.com

wikipedia.com

IMCDb.org Internet Movie Cars Database

Have Willys Jeep photos? Submit them to our blog webmaster.

Go to Kaiser Willys Community PHOTO GALLERY for more Great Willys Jeeps!

Get Connected. Stay Inspired. Build Your Willys.

If you are looking for, Willys Jeep Parts, Willys replacement parts, Willys body parts and much more for your 1941-1971 Willys Jeep vehicle, you have come to the right place! Don’t forget to check out our sister site, LiveOffroad, an online site dedicated to offering the lowest prices on parts and accessories for 1976+Up CJ & Wrangler! Live Well. Offroad Better.

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Categories : Willys Jeep History

Tags : cj-5, jeep history, Willys History

Willys Jeepster (VJ) Brief History

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Friday, April 29th, 2011

About the Willys Jeepster:

Developed in 1948 by Willys Overland and with the help of designer Brooks Stevens, the Jeepster was designed to be a sporty and stylish sedan for a newly expanding passenger-car market. Sharing parts with the Willys Station Wagon and Pickup Truck, the Jeepster was charming and sporty. It was a good cruiser with excellent gas mileage and deluxe fittings and interior. In 1948 the Jeepster was powered by the “Go Devil” 62 HP engine, with a 3 speed manual transmission and optional overdrive. The following year in 1949 it had the option of the six-cylinder Lightning L-148 engine, and in 1950, the F-134 Hurricane and L-161 Lightning was offered. The vehicle was rear wheel drive and was never offered in four wheel drive.

The top was laminated fabric which was hand operated and unfolded fairly easily. To provide all weather protection, plastic side curtains could be slid into sockets.

As you can see in these photos, there is a chrome side step used to vault over the door into the car. This was part of the styling used to attract younger buyers. There were many chrome features including a T shaped bar on the grill, front bumper guard and hubcaps with bright trim rings.

The original price-tag for the Jeepster was $1765 which included many deluxe details not available standard in many vehicle. Although the Jeepster had many excellent features and styling, it did not reach sales expectations due to a lackluster marketing department and was phased out in 1950, with leftover models sold as 1951s. In 1966 the design was revived as the Jeep Commando.