Jeep CJ

The Willys CJ (later Jeep CJ) (or "Civilian Jeep") is a public version of the famous Willys Military Jeep from World War II. The first CJ prototype (the Willys CJ-2) was introduced in 1944 by Willys, and the same basic vehicle stayed in production through seven variants and three corporate parents until 1986.

 By 1944, the Allies were confident the war would be won. This allowed Willys to consider designing a Jeep for the post-war civilian market. Documentation is hard to come by, but it seems that a Willys-Overland CJ-1 (for "Civilian Jeep-1") was running by May of that year. The CJ-1 was apparently an MB that had been modified by adding a tailgate, drawbar, and a civilian-style canvas top. None of the CJ-1s built have survived, and it is not known (at this writing) how many were built.

 Although it bore the CJ name, the Willys-Overland CJ-2 was not really available at retail. The CJ-2s, also known as "AgriJeeps," were the second generation prototype for the first production civilian Jeep, and were used solely for testing purposes. It was directly based on the military Willys MB, using the same Willys Go Devil engine, but stripped of all military features, particularly the blackout lighting. They had tailgates, Power Take-offs ("PTO"s), engine governors($28.65), column-shift T90 manual transmissions, 5.38 gears, 2.43:1 low-range transfer cases, and driver's-side tool indentations. The earlier models had brass plaques on the hood and windshield that read "JEEP". Later models were stamped "JEEP" a la the familiar "WILLYS" stamping that appeared on the CJ-2A and later models. Some CJ-2s had "AgriJeep" plaques affixed to the dash. The spare tire was mounted forward of the passenger-side rear wheel on the earlier models and aft of the rear wheel on later ones. It seems that CJ-2s were distributed to "agricultural stations" for evaluation purposes. Of the 45 CJ-2s built, serial numbers CJ2-06, CJ2-09, CJ2-11, CJ2-12, CJ2-14, CJ2-26, CJ2-32, CJ2-37 and CJ2-39 have survived. Only CJ2-09 has been restored

 The lessons learned with the CJ-2 led to the development of the first full-production CJ, the 1945-1949 Willys-Overland CJ-2A. The CJ-2A looked very much like a civilianized MB with a tailgate and side-mounted spare tire. One major difference between the MB and the CJ-2A was the grilles of the two vehicles. The MB had recessed headlights and nine-slot grilles while the CJ2A had larger headlights flush-mounted in a seven-slot grille. In place of the MB's T-84 transmission, the CJ-2A was equipped with the beefier T-90 three-speed transmission. The CJ-2A was still powered by the reliable L-134 Go-Devil engine. Many of the early CJ-2As were produced using surplus military Jeep parts such as engine blocks and, in a few cases, modified frames. Some of the use of surplus parts was due to strikes at suppliers such as Autolite. Since Willys produced few parts in-house and relied heavily on suppliers, it was vulnerable to strikes. Unfortunately for Willys, strikes were common postwar. This undoubtedly contributed to low production totals in 1945 and early 1946.

 A total of 214,760 CJ-2As were produced.

 The Willys-Overland CJ-3A was introduced in 1949 and was in production until 1953 when replaced by the CJ-3B. It was powered by Willys' 60 HP L-134 "Go-Devil" 4-cylinder engine, with a T-90 transmission and Dana 18 transfer case, a Dana 25 front axle and Dana 41 or 44 rear axle. It featured a one-piece windshield with a vent as well as wipers at the bottom. The CJ-3A had beefed up suspension (10 leaf) to accommodate the various agricultural implements that were being built for the vehicle Another difference was a shorter rear wheelwell (the wheelwell from the top front edge to the rear of the body is 32 inches (810 mm) on the 3A compared to 34 inches (860 mm) on the 2A) and moving the drivers seat rearward. A bare-bones Farm Jeep version was available starting in 1951 with a power takeoff. 131,843 CJ-3As were produced before the series ended in 1953. About 550 of the CJ3-A were assembled by Mitsubishi as the J1/J2 in late 1952 and early 1953, exclusively for the Japanese police and forestry agency.

 Only one Willys-Overland CJ-4 was ever built as an experimental concept in 1951. It used the new Willys Hurricane engine and had an 81-inch (2,057 mm) wheelbase.
The CJ-4 body tub was an intermediate design between the straightforward raised hood from the CJ-3B and the all new curved body style of the CJ-5.
The design was rejected and the vehicle was eventually sold to a factory employee.

 The Willys CJ-3B replaced the CJ-3A in 1953, the same year Willys was sold to Kaiser. Kaiser removed "Overland" from the subcompany name. CJ-3B introduced a higher grille and hood to clear the new Willys Hurricane engine. A four-speed manual transmission became optional in 1963, at the cost of $194. The turning radius was 17 ft. 6 inches.^[11] The CJ-3B was produced until 1968 with a total of about 196,000  produced, although the design was licensed to a number of international manufacturers, including Mitsubishi of Japan and Mahindra of India. Mitsubishi's version was built from 1953 until 1998, while Mahindra continues to produce Jeeps based on the Willys CJ-3B today. The M606 was a militarized version of the Jeep CJ-3B.

 The Willys CJ-5 (after 1964 Jeep CJ-5) was influenced by new corporate owner, Kaiser, and the Korean War M38 Jeep. It was intended to replace the CJ-3B, but that model continued in production. The CJ-5 repeated this pattern, continuing in production for three decades while three newer models appeared. "The CJ-5 has the distinct honor of being a vehicle that was hard to kill off... equaling the longest production run of note." A total of 603,303 CJ-5s were produced between 1954 and 1983.


Several special CJ-5 models were produced:

• 1961-1963 Tuxedo Park Mark III
• 1965 "Tuxedo Park Mark IV"
• 1969 Camper
• 1969 462
• 1970 Renegade I
• 1971 Renegade II
• 1972-1983 Renegade Models — featuring a 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8, alloy wheels, and a Trac-Lok limited-slip differential
• 1973 Super Jeep
• 1977-1983 Golden Eagle
• 1979 Silver Anniversary 

 The CJ-6 was simply a 20-inch (508 mm) longer-wheelbase (101 in, 1955-1971 - 104 in, 1972–1981) CJ-5. Introduced in 1955 as a 1956 model, the CJ-6 was never very popular in the United States. Most CJ6 models were sold to Sweden and South America. The U.S. Forest Service put a number of CJ-6 Jeeps in to use. American sales ended in 1975. Just 50,172 had been made when the series went out of production completely in 1981. Just as in the CJ-5, the V6 and V8 engine choices appeared in 1965 and 1972. Former President Ronald Reagan owned a CJ-6 and used it on his California Ranch.
The Military version, the M-170, actually entered production in 1953. It shares many of the features of the M38A1 (Military CJ-5), but had the passenger door opening extended back to the rear wheel well. Most were used as front-line field ambulances, able to carry 4 litters. A few were also used as radio units.

 The Jeep CJ-7 featured a longer wheelbase than the CJ-5 and lacked the noticeable curvature of the doors previously seen on the CJ-5. The other main difference to the CJ-5 was to the chassis which hitherto consisted of two parallel longitudinal main c-section rails. To help improve vehicle handling and stability the rear section of the chassis stepped out to allow the road springs and dampers to be mounted closer to the outside of the body. It was introduced in 1976 and 379,299 were built during 11 years of production.

 The CJ-7 featured an optional new automatic all-wheel drive system called Quadra-Trac, as well as a part-time two-speed transfer case; an automatic transmission was also an option. Other features included an optional molded hardtop, and steel doors. The CJ-7 was also available in Renegade and an upgraded Laredo model. Noticeable by their different body decals, the Laredo model featured nicer seats, steering wheel tilt, and a chrome package that included the bumpers, front grill, and mirrors. An optional Trak-Lok differential was available for the rear. Rear axle ratio typically 3.54, but later went up to 2.73.


During its 11 years, the CJ-7 had various equipment packages:

• Renegade 1976-1986 (2.4D L6-2.5-4.2-5.0 AMC 304 V8)
• Golden Eagle 1976-1979 (5.0 AMC 304 V8)
• Laredo 1980-1986 (2.4D-4.2 I6)
• Jamboree Edition (2,500 units that were built for the 30th anniversary) 2.5 L and 4.2 L

 The Jeep CJ-8 was a long wheel-base version of the CJ-7, introduced in 1981. It featured a 103-inch (2,616 mm) wheelbase and a removable half-cab, creating a small pick-up style box instead of utilizing a separate pickup bed. Only 27,792 were built in the five years of production before being replaced by the similarly sized Comanche.
CJ-8s used the traditional transfer case and manual front-locking hubs to engage the four-wheel drive. Most had a four- or five-speed manual transmission, but a three-speed automatic transmission was an option.
Many CJ-8's were equipped with the "Scrambler" appearance package which included tape graphics and special wheels.

 The Jeep CJ-10 was a CJ-bodied based pickup truck that had a modified J series chassis. Produced from 1981 through 1985, it was sold mainly as an export vehicle. They featured square headlights mounted in the fenders and a 9-slot grille, a homage to the old Jeeps of WWII which originally had a 9 slot grille (the civilian model, the CJ-2 and 2a, were given a 7 slot grille as a distinction between the military and civilian models). These were equipped with either a Nissan 3.3 diesel, or a 258 AMC engine. The driveline consisted of a Tremec T177 four-speed manual or 727 automatic, a New Process 208 transfer case, and a Dana 44 front differential combined with a Dana 60 rear differential.