You know you've heard it all before, just as we have: surplus Jeeps and Jeeps in a crate for $50. Hundreds of abandoned CJ-3Bs. The '96 YJ. Tech that doesn't make sense, such as a limited slip being equal to locker, and a Dana 60 not being able to fit in a Jeep. Most of this is as likely to be true as unidentified submersible objects off the Pacific Coast (wait, the USOs actually are true...). Therefore, we've decided it's time to get to the bottom of this Jeep lore once and for all, thanks to help from some industry experts like Jim McGean of Dynatrac, Trenton McGee of Superlift, and Keith Buckley, who is a Jeep consultant. We also got the dirt from a couple of Jeep Throats!
Does the CJ-1 exist?It was a transitional prototype between the MB and CJ-2A, kind of an MB with a tailgate. Two existed and were known as X-18 and X-19.
Was there a '96 YJ?
Negative. The serial suffix for 1996 would have had a "T" as the tenth digit of the VIN. And it's based on the model year, not necessarily the year the vehicle was built. For example, you may have bought a new Jeep in December of 2005, but it would be an '06 model. If you come across a YJ with a title that says "1996," you've been DMV'd.
Are CJ-3Bs sitting abandoned in warehouses on the East Coast?
The "discovery" of mass quantities of CJ-3Bs resulted in the Jeepgasm heard 'round the world, but the proof of all of them was based on a photo done with some basic trickery of duplicating CJ-3Bs, including inverting the steering wheel on the other side. And it's really not all that interesting a story since CJ-3Bs can be easily found.
What about the $50 Jeeps in crates?
Fake. At the outset of World War II some MBs and GPWs were shipped in crates overseas. They were then quickly assembled for duty. Later, the Jeeps were shipped crateless and rolling on their own. A man named Ray Crowdery had an offer of $50,000 for one of these legitimate crated Jeeps. No one claimed the prize in the 15 years it was available.
Was there a Jeep "Bob Cat"?
In the early 1950s there was a Bob Cat, or Aero Jeep, pitched as a vehicle "capable of unsurpassed performance to meet the current requirements of fast, speedy transportation, versatility of usage, and compactness of size." It was to be a 1,500-pound "truly Air Borne Compact Vehicle," and would share parts with the M38 and M38A1. It never went into production because the Marines Mighty Mite M-422 scored the contract.
What's the M676?
The Navy M676 was an FC-170; the M677 was a four-door FC-170. The M678 was a four-door van built on the FC-170 frame, and the M679 was a two-door ambulance version. All had a Cerlist diesel.
The M151: real or fake Jeep?
Many would argue fake, because it had a four-speed tranny with front and rear outputs, but it was without low range. Plus, early production was by Ford; it outbid Willys every year until the mid-1960s. Some would argue it was real, since it had Dana axles (although independent) and a military heritage.
Is there a long-wheelbase CJ-2A?
Willys made them in 1948 for the Navy as stretched carriers and they were called CJ-2E. At least that would be true if a Navy contract for the vehicles had ever been found, or if such a Jeep was seen leaving the Willys factory at any point. Additionally, in 1946, Willys standardized its design process, which meant that the model designation would have been listed in the index of calculations by model. Also, there is no engineering release number, and it would have been given a unique serial and included in the "Norton Young" (a Willys employee) factory serial number list. Experts who have seen this supposed long-wheelbase CJ-2A noticed they had later-model frames. When Willys did make extended-wheelbase vehicles like the M170/MDA and CJ-6, the company used existing body-panel dies and "flanged" in a body extension with an obvious seam.