История Jeep CJ: от военного прототипа до легенды бездорожья.

Jeep motor vehicle model
From then on, all CJ Jeeps consistently had a separate body and frame, rigid live axles with leaf springs both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, and a fold flat windshield, and could be driven without doors. Also, with few exceptions, they had part time four wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and open bodies with removable hard or soft tops. A few stand out changes during 42 model years were the introductions of round fendered vs. flat fendered bodies (1955 CJ 5), straight 6 and V8 engines, automatic gearboxes, and different 4 wheel drive systems. The 1976 CJ 7 stretched the wheelbase by 10 inches (25 cm), and made doors and a removable hardtop common items. After remaining in production through a range of model numbers, and several corporate parents, the Jeep CJ line was officially ended after 1986. More than 1.5 million CJ Jeeps were built, having continued the same basic body style for 45 years since the Jeep first appeared. Widely regarded as "America's workhorse", the CJs have been described as "probably the most successful utility vehicle ever made." American Motors VP Joseph E. Cappy said the end of "CJ production will signal an end of a very important era in Jeep history." In 1987, the Jeep CJ 7 was replaced by the first generation Jeep Wrangler. Looking very similar and riding on the same wheelbase as the CJ 7, it carried over some important components, including its use of leaf springs. The similar model the DJ "Dispatcher" was introduced in 1956 as a two wheel drive version with open, fabric, or a closed steel body in both left and right hand drives for hotel, resort, police, and later United States Postal Service markets.

In 1942, the US Department of Agriculture tested the MB. By 1944, the Allies were confident the war would be won, and wartime production looked to be winding down. This allowed Willys to consider designing a Jeep for the postwar civilian market. Documentation is scarce, but in early 1944, Willys seemed to have found time to start drawing up plans, and one or two prototypes dubbed CJ( 1), for "Civilian Jeep", were running by May of that year. The first CJs had apparently been created by quick modification of the regular military MB, adding a tailgate, lower gearing, a drawbar, and a civilian style canvas top. The first CJ served as a quick proof of concept test, and when a further design evolution materialized, probably became the CJ 1 by default. They were manufactured until the CJ 2s appeared, and they were the first Jeeps built from the ground up for civilian use. No CJ 1s built have survived, and how many were made is unknown.

The Willys Overland CJ 4 or "X 151" was only built as an experimental concept in 1950 or 1951. It used the new Willys Hurricane engine and had an 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. Evidence has surfaced, that derived prototypes called CJ 4M and CJ 4MA (XM170) have also been seriously considered, as precursors to the 1951 M38A1 and M170 military Jeeps. Although the CJ 4M prototype may not have been actually built, the stretched wheelbase ambulance prototype with registration "CJ 4MA 01" turned up in 2005.

The Jeep was introduced to the Japanese market as the Jeep J3 in July 1953 after Willys agreed to allow Mitsubishi to market the car, competing with the Nissan Patrol and the Toyota Land Cruiser. The name wasn't in reference to "CJ3", but rather denoted the fact that 53 "J1"s (CJ 3A with 6 volt electrics) had been built for the Japanese regional forest office and around 500 "J2"s (CJ 3A with 12 volt electrics) were built for the National Safety Forces. Short, medium, and long wheelbases were available, as well as a variety of bodystyles, and gasoline and diesel engines. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Galant Shop. The Japanese GSDF refers to them as Type 73 Light Truck. The original J3 was a basic, doorless, and roofless version, with steering on the left, rather than the right, despite Japan having left side traffic. The first right hand drive versions did not appear until nearly eight years later (J3R/J11R). The original J3 and its derivatives were equipped with the F head "Hurricane" (called JH4 by Mitsubishi, for Japanese Hurricane 4 cylinder) inline four cylinder, originally producing at 4,000 rpm. In 1955 a slightly longer wheelbase J10 which could seat six was added, and in 1956 the J11 appeared, a two door "delivery wagon" with a full metal body. This was considerably longer, at versus for the J3. Local production of the JH4 engine commenced in 1955. A locally developed diesel version (KE31) was introduced for the JC3 in 1958, originally with at 3,500 rpm but with at 3,600 rpm a few years later. The last iteration of the Japanese Jeeps was the J53 with diesel turbo engine.

In Australia, a unique variant of the CJ5/CJ6 was produced in limited numbers. In 1965, when the CJ was given the all new Buick V6, Jeep saw the need for something similar in Australia. So, they began to fit Australian Ford Falcon 6 cylinder engines to them at their Rocklea factory in Queensland. The Jeep was fitted with an engine, pedal box, and clutch/brake system corresponding to the equivalent Falcon at the time; a 1965 CJ5 would be fitted with 1965 Falcon engine/clutch components. Combat 6 jeeps were also fitted with Australian Borg Warner differentials, and Borg Warner brand gearboxes. Very little documentation about these Jeeps remains, and often the only way to conclusively identify them is by owner history.

From 1964 to 1968, Kaiser elevated the Tuxedo Park from just a trim package to a separate model for the CJ 5A and CJ 6A. A Tuxedo Park Mark IV is signified by a different prefix from a normal CJ 5 with a VIN prefix of 8322 and a CJ6a is 8422, while a normal CJ 5 VIN prefix is 8305 from 1964 to 1971.

The Jeep CJ 7 featured a wheelbase 10 inches longer than that of the CJ 5, with its curved side entry cutouts partially squared up to accommodate hinged doors. The other main difference between CJ 5 and CJ 7 was to the chassis, which 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 springs and shock absorbers to be mounted closer to the outside of the body. It was introduced for the 1976 model year, with a total of 379,299 built during eleven years of production. 4.2L). with only 630 units produced (560 Topaz Gold Metallic and 70 Olympic White), the CJ 7 Jamboree is the rarest CJ 7 ever built and one of the rarest Jeeps of all time. The Jamboree is in the same production rarity class as the 1971 CJ 5 Renegade II. It is the most heavily optioned CJ ever built; it was the Rubicon of its day. All units were uniquely numbered via a dash plaque; it is the only AMC Jeep to have been numbered. and a removable half cab, creating a small pick up style box instead of using a separate pickup bed. Scramblers used the traditional transfer case with manual front locking hubs to engage the four wheel drive. Most had either a four or five speed manual transmission, but a three speed automatic transmission was an option. The Scrambler would be discontinued in 1986 and effectively replaced by the Cherokee based Comanche. Former President Ronald Reagan owned a Scrambler and used it on his California ranch.

A full length steel hardtop Scrambler was made for the Alaskan Postal Service, using right hand drive and automatic transmissions. Instead of the rear tailgate, the steel hardtop used a hinged barn door opening to the back. Only 230 were produced and sold in the U. S. It was also widely sold in Venezuela and Australia as the CJ8 Overlander, with small differences, including full length rear windows on the Overlander. Steel hardtops used on these postal Scramblers and Overlanders were known as "World Cab" tops.

The Jeep CJ 10A was a CJ 10 based flightline aircraft tug. Produced in Mexico from 1984 to 1986, it was used by the United States Air Force as an aircraft tug. It was a 4x2 bobtail design. About 2,300 were produced.