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| 1956 Jeep Wagon |
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| 1950's Jeep Pickup |
Jeep was first into the SUV market. After World War II which made the military Jeep famous, Willys Motor company became part of Kaiser which eventually became part of American Motors who brought us the Rambler auto before folding into Chrysler. Beginning around 1950 they started producing pickups and station wagons as we called them then using the body style shown here. Unlike the Jeep which was narrow gauge these vehicles were of standard gauge.
The transmission/transfer case was the same as used in the famous 'Jeep', but the axles were wider but otherwise similar. The brakes were generally larger. In the early 1950's they had the same 4 cylinder engine as the classic jeeps (by then an F-head model instead of the original flathead), but still gutless for a vehicle this heavy. By 1956 they were using a Continental 226 flathead, but it was a disappointment as well. In their day there was a robust business repowering things vehicles. Usually they got a GM engine of some type although I've seen Dodge flathead 6's in them. We had one with a GMC V6 in it. It was a real goer. As for this wagon, it got a Chevy 6 which was like a rocket motor compared to the Continental that was in it.