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
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Hi Mark. Are you sure it wasn’t 1946 that he bought it new? In 1946, Willys had CJ 2A that had PTO in the front and rear, and a “Capstan” winch in the front. The back seat area was also a little longer. It was used primarily for farming and ranching.
R.J.
I am trying to find an old jeep that I can’t identify. My grandfather bought a new jeep in 1956. It was a Willy’s. It was similar to the 3A, but had a what seemed like a very long bed for that time. It had a mechanical winch in the front that was driven by a drive shaft tied into the front differential. It also had a PTO shaft extending out the back near the back bumper. I don’t remember much else, but the bed seamed really long with bench style seating down each side of the bed. I want to buy one and restore it to original condition. Can you identify that Jeep ? Thanks.
Mark