Kaiser Jeep Junkyard - Kaiser Geyser

Jeep FC-150 PickupBuilt on a lightly modified CJ-5 chassis and sharing the same 81-inch wheelbase, the '57-'65 Jeep Forward Control FC-150 wasn't intended as a serious off-road machine. Rather, Kaiser targeted the light commercial truck market with the FC-150's blend of exceptional maneuverability, a modern enclosed cab (designed by Brooks Stevens), generous 1/2-ton cargo capacity and a frugal 72-hp F-head Hurricane four-cylinder. The FC-150 had a big brother in the form of the FC-170. With its 103.5-inch wheelbase, more powerful 105-hp L-head Super Hurricane six-cylinder, 1-ton frame, wider 63-inch track and longer bed, the FC-170 was a more useful machine. Still, today's collectors greatly prefer the FC-150's cute, stubby proportions. This FC-150 has been fitted with a '67 (no rectangular side marker lights) Chevy C/10 Fleetside pickup bed but the cab and frame are virtually rust free. It could be restored.

Lifting the engine cover reveals another bowtie surprise. That's a 350 small-block V-8. By mounting the V-8 low in the frame, the installers didn't have to butcher the floor or engine cover for extra clearance. The restoration urge is strong but with at least four times the power of the stock four-banger, this thing'd be a blast to beat on. V-8 powered FC's were never factory built but it's a little known fact that Jeep was toying with a heavy-duty FC variant that would have used an outsourced Ford 292 Y-block V-8 for power. A few engineering mules may have been made but that's as far as the project got before cancellation. This ain't one of 'em!

Only one engine was available when this one was built, the 134-cube Hurricane four-banger (the 226-cube Super Hurricane six wasn't available until 1954). But one look at the butchered firewall proves something bigger, probably a Chevy small-block, was swapped in at some point.

The stock pedals and shifters appear to be intact but we didn't poke around long enough to see if there's an automatic behind the 350 or if the front axle is still connected to the transfer case. Total FC-150 production numbers are not fully known but it is safe to say at least 20,000 were built-plus a similar number of long-wheelbase FC-170's. We dig the optional under-dash factory heater unit and original beige interior paint.

Willys 4X4 PickupVery subtle exterior changes were made to Willys trucks during their 1947-1965 production run so nailing down the exact model year can be tough. Let's add up the clues on this burly 1-ton 4X4 pickup. The two-piece windshield was used until a one-piece replacement arrived in 1960. The small rear window tells us the cab was built before 1954 - when larger cab-width glass was added. But it's the grille that tells us this one's a '50-'53 model. Though the bottom horizontal bar has gone missing on this example, this prow-shaped five-bar grille was used from 1950 to 1953. From 1954 onward, a simpler three-bar grille was used.

Jeep trucks used three different instrument cluster arrangements-with holes in the steel dash panels punched to match. Trucks built from 1946 through the middle of 1950 have a large rectangular instrument cluster. The second design -seen here-was used from mid-1950 until 1956 and features a trio of gauge pod holes. In 1957 the speedometer, fuel, temperature, generator and oil pressure gauges were consolidated into a single circular unit. These dash boards are stamped with a single round hole and were used until the last trucks were sold in 1965. The AM radio positioned directly ahead of the driver is non-stock and appears to have been borrowed from an early '60s Mopar passenger car.

Willys 4X2 Station WagonSince Willys and Jeep have always been synonymous with four-wheel-drive and extreme off-road capability, it's a surprise to learn that the Willys Station Wagon was 2WD-only from 1946 through 1948-a 4X4 option arrived in 1949. The grille and front fenders are missing from this early 4X2 Station Wagon making exact model year identification difficult.

Willys 4X4 Station WagonDespite its early intentions as a versatile passenger car, Jeep realized its Station Wagon could never compete with traditional Detroit family car offerings and the company re-focused on what it did best, four-wheel-drive. Although 2WD Station Wagons were offered all the way up to 1965, they were regularly outsold by 4WD Station Wagons by as much as a 5:1 ratio. The delta-shaped chrome trim on the cowl of this 4X4 Station Wagon identify it as a '60-up model. The one-piece windshield shown here replaced the two-piece item used through 1960.

The rectangular gauge cluster in the center of the dash board was only installed on Station Wagons from 1946 until mid-1950, proving this to be a pre-'51 unit. The hub of the white plastic steering wheel is crumbling from continuous exposure to the hot desert sun. Check out the untouched factory paint inside this groovy relic. The small chrome knob to the left of the steering column once controlled the overdrive transmission-now missing.

Here's a look at the unique Planadyne independent front suspension used on all 4X2 Station Wagons until midway through 1955. Consisting of wishbones connected by a transverse leaf spring, it provided post-war buyers with passenger-car ride comfort at a time when Willys was eager to break away from the wartime connotations associated with the 4WD CJ. Kaiser replaced the Planadyne setup with a traditional beam axle and parallel leaf springs in the latter part of 1955 as a move to cut costs and increase load capacity.

Unlike the Planadyne independent front suspension used on 2WD Station Wagons until mid-1955, all 4WD Station Wagons featured parallel leaf springs and a Spicer front axle since the first one was sold in 1949. Somebody sliced the frame horns off this poor Wagon leaving the husky 12-leaf springs dangling in the wind.

Like the exterior, the interior is still coated in the original blue paint. Here we see the third and final instrument configuration used in Station Wagons (and trucks) from 1957 through 1965. The simplified circular instrument pod houses the speedometer, temperature, fuel level, ampere and oil pressure gauges in one removable unit.