Jeep* has always been my favorite 4x4 because (as a child), my father rented our farmland to a farmer who, used his WW11 army Jeep as a tractor, (with live "PTO") to do all the farm work,(planting, tilling, harvest etc., & the Jeep & buck-rake, did all the work.(WOW)
Got the history completely wrong there. Bantams design won the contract to produce the 1/4 ton government truck, but Bantam couldnt make them fast enough so the Department of Defence gave the drawings to Ford and Willys. Ford wasnt sure how long the contract would run for, so to save money on tooling they bought some parts in from Willys. When America entered the war fully, Willys needed all the parts for their own production, so Ford started to produce their own simplified parts that suited their existing tooling. The first full Ford built models appeared in early 1942 and the differences are pointed out in the video. As to where the name "Jeep" came from, there are dozens of different stories to choose from, some quite feasable and others pretty unlikely.
Dean Waters-From what I understand the early Jeeps were called GPW,for General purpose Willys.There was an early cartoon called Eugene the Geep.Willys simple replaced the g with j,and trademarked it.
The Ford protoype Pygmy changed little although was renamed the GP, speech to "Jeep". The true meaning of GP is clearly defined by records held at the Henry Ford Museum, in Dearborn, Michigan USA. This was a simple descriptive code used by the Ford Motor Company and demonstrated that G was a goverment contract and P the contract for an 80"wheelbase vehicle. Source: "The wartime jeep in Britisch Service" by Gavin Birch, p12.
Still the best 4x4 ever made, even the new ones are not as Good, Thanks for posting the Video, One of my big regrets is giving away the Original MB workshop Manual that was in perfect condition. such is life.
Great video! The first jeep that I bought for my son to turn into a trail jeep, I bought sight unseen. When I went and picked it up I noticed that it was a GPW as soon as I walked up to it. I couldn't bear to cut it up so I sold it to a guy that only restores gpw and mb's and we ended up buying another 3b....wish I had that GPW back now!
Great video and compendium. So many varieties of “Jeep salads “ during those rebuilds during service and in reserve/ national guard/ forest service, etc duties , but the “DNA” doesn’t lie when distinguishing between Willy’s or GPW. Either one is a prize! And you can still get what parts you need or rebuild. Thanks for this video! 👍
all very well but in servicve and ww2 and post war you just fixed or repaired with whatever you had. 80 years later Jeeps are all sorts ofo mix and match parts. My January 1942 chassis is willys but my tub and engine at some point have been swopped to ford so what does that make mine then ford or willys ?
willys 1952 model Good looking, perfect loading capacity. It is suitable for India in all seasons, not required AC. no sweating, water proofing and lot of space, small one any one can drive like Lion with pride.
Another easy one that I used to I.D a friends frame when he found it in the scrap yard. I read that the shock mounts between GPWs and MBs are different in their attachment process. A GPW has its shocks held on with a bolt or stud that goes through the upper shock mount then the lower shock was attached with a cotter pin like normal. On MBs the shock mount has a cotter pin holding them in place on both sides of the shock with a stud attached to the frame then the lower plate attached to the spring pack.
Kaiser did not build 'Jeeps' during WW2. Kaiser purchased Willys Overland in 1953 and continued production of M38A1 and Willys CJ models as 'Kaiser Willys', then as 'Kaiser Jeep Corporation' prior to selling the operation to AMC.
So the chances of getting a genuine Willys or a Ford jeep are zero, the parts are interchangeable, so why all the fuss about making it the genuine or real article ? I have always referred to them as a JEEP, it wasn’t until I bought a JEEP that I came across all this snobbery over a JEEP was a Ford or a Willys I don’t understand all this CJ business either So bugger them all, I’m just going to enjoy my JEEP👍😄
There was no "GPV". Ford's GP was Government, 80" wheelbase. Ford's GPW was _Government, 80" wheelbase, Willys pattern. Initial prototypes were: Bantam 'Blitz Buggy' Willys 'Quad' Ford 'Pygmy' The first small, 'pre production' contract vehicles of what would become 'Jeep' were: Bantam BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) Willys MA (Military, first contract) Ford GP (Government, 80" w/b) Standard WW2 production 'Jeeps' were: Willys MB (Military, second contract), nearly 360,000 produced Ford GPW (Government, 80" w/b, Willys pattern), nearly 280,000 produced
I could just hear the collective gasp by Jeep aficionados when you referred to jeeps as "cars". 1/4-ton trucks maybe but to call a jeep--especially one built during WWII--a car is considered sacrilege by many jeep devotees.
Willys and Ford built 'Jeeps' of WW2 and for some years afterward came equipped with the 134 cubic inch Willys 'Go Devil', which is what won the contract for Willys - Overland. It was a stout, reliable 'flathead four cylinder which developed 60 bhp (brake horsepower) and 105 pounds of torque.
Joel Jandle I agree 100%, this guy is smoking crack if he thinks the Defender is more capable than the original WWII Jeep. I would love to see a Land Rover survive the punishment of war that them Jeeps went through! I myself would love to find an old MB or GPW and fix it up, and paint it back up just like it was in the war. I think they are the coolest Jeep ever made, the 9 slat grille instead of the the 7 slat on the civilian Jeeps, the smaller, recessed headlights, the split window, tires, everything about them is just way cool!
Wrong! Defender was the best SUV the world has ever seen. Even after 60 years, Land Rover never changed it's fundamental concept of Defender which was ruggedness and simplicity. Jeep is only in North American and some where made by Mitsubishi in Japan. But Defender is used in all Seven Continents in the world.
My Dad would tell about how they came through the supply depot he was stationed at during WW2 looking for the Willys over Ford models, because the Fords would fail more. Dad was never a Ford fan.
No, they do not. The post WW2 Willys MC (M38) and CJ models had considerably larger headlights which mounted to the grille rather than on brackets behind.
