shot near Mt. Hood by Teddy
As you most likely know, it’s official now: Jeep will build a pickup version of their next gen Wrangler, to be called the Scrambler. We looked at the original Scrambler here the other day; frankly, it was a bit of a dud. But the original Jeep pickup wasn’t. Maybe the new one should be called the “Willys”?
Frankly, the previous Scrambler wasn’t really much of a pickup. But then that might apply to the new Scrambler too. No one can say that about this work horse,
The license plate says 1956, which may or may not be the original, but I’m guessing it is. The 1953-up 475 model had the three horizontal bars on the grille that this one does.
The old barrel in its bed is showing about the same amount of patina as the Jeep is.
It’s a 4WD model, obviously. Under the hood could either be the Hurricane F-head 134 four, or the Super Hurricane 226 inch flathead six, built by Continental.
It apparently gets towed. In its day, these were not uncommonly used as tow trucks.
Back then, these were strictly work truck; the concept of life-style truck hadn’t yet been invented yet. But that’s what has propelled the Jeep name to one of the most recognizable and marketable brand in the world. No wonder there’s talk about the Chinese wanting to buy Jeep. And about Chrysler talking about how Jeep’s best days as the #1 global SUV brand are still ahead of it.
Interesting to note the last few days have shown a fondness for the old-school pickups. I know it may seem that I don’t like trucks in general (although I really do), but I see the nostalgia for these and cannot help but think it is based on the honesty of these beasts. They came from a time when utility came before lifestyle. Owners bought these to tow or tote, not to be seen in. We laugh at the rich asian kids in supercars that have never driven one faster than 30MPH, yet we don’t do so as much with those with a lifted 4X4 that has never seen dirt. Posers pose, so it goes, but the honesty of these old soldiers march on….
Agreed. I think that these old trucks appeal to us on the same visceral level that old tractors do. There is something attractive about a “pure machine”. I have spent enough time in trucks like this to know that I would not want one as a daily driver, but they would sure be a fun weekend antidote to our computerized, plastic-encased and airbag festooned modern appliance.
Yup, I can sure appreciate this jeep, I also like steam locomotives, sewing machines and mechanical clocks.
Agreed, it would probably be torture as a daily driver and I do appreciate some comfort and crash safety features.
Still, even with my dispassionate engineer’s eye for machinery I am occasionally temped by the Wrangler Unlimited…..
The only real hindrance to DD’ing something like this would be its ability to keep up on the freeway and the need for better brakes. That could be mitigated if you only stuck to backroads or around town…but ideally some upgraded running gear would fix that in no time.
This wouldn’t coddle you, that’s for sure. I DD’d the bare bones ’84 Power Ram my dad has owned since I had it in HS, and several Jeep CJs and Wranglers. We’re talking a 30 mile one way commute when I was in community college. Its not a big deal, really. I had decent enough seats, and my perspective on ‘plush’ was my ’81 CJ-7 with the Laredo package–amounted to some tape stripes, carpet, and a fancier design on the vinyl buckets. Id rather something was fun and invigorating to drive than an isolation chamber.
Hell, my sister and I drove my ’95 4 cyl YJ from Memphis to northern NJ and back. Just wished for more top end speed. My ’00 TJ took me and everything I owned on a 4×8 trailer from TN to OR when I moved here in ’06.
I guess its a matter of what youre used to. I don’t need much in the way of creature comforts, as long as I like my vehicle. Having decent music is a must though.
Yep, give me an old C1500 or a F-150 with a single cab and a V-6 with a stick and I’ll be completely happy with it.
V6? Bah… gimmee one with a straight six any day!
And now for the hard question: For the guy who needed this kind of utility in 1949 or 1956 or 1965, would the best choice be a Jeep like this one or a Dodge Power Wagon like we saw yesterday?
I suspect that the PW was quite a bit more expensive than the Jeep, a quick lookup shows this true – one source (NADA) puts the Jeep 4X4 base price at $1946 and Allpar puts the Dodge at $2499, both for 1956. A 25% premium was significant but not crazy.
It is a tough call for me. The Jeep is smaller and more maneuverable while the Dodge probably has more brute strength. I guess it would depend on the need. By 1957 some mainstream pickups were offering 4X4 versions (Chevy/GMC and Studebaker come to mind).
I don’t know if you can really call Studebaker trucks mainstream. I know by 1957 the GM trucks had the NAPCO 4×4 kits installed at the factory instead of shipped with the truck as a kit but no clue on the Studebakers. When GM started installing it at the factory it did bring the price down as you weren’t left with the brand new driveshaft and front axle assembly that was essentially useless for the owner. And of course there wasn’t the wasted labor of installing those 2wd parts on the assembly line, removing them later and installing the 4wd components. The article I found puts the base price of the Chevy 3100 4×4 at ~$2500 a ~$500 price drop from the truck and the kit.
AFAIK, NAPCO 4WD was catalogued for Studes for the 1958 model year. It was factory installed in calendar 1957, and the 58 Studebaker trucks were carryovers in the fall of 57, so there may be factory-built Studebakers with NAPCO 4WD titled as 57s.
The other day I pulled up at the gas station as a huge, late-model, lifted, 4X4, diesel, crew-cab Ford roared up so that its 20-something-year old driver could literally jump out and buy a quick energy drink in the convenience store before climbing back in and roaring down the alley. This humble Jeep has so much more class than that guy’s truck, the bed of which was impractically high for any standard utility. Are women impressed with men who drive these trucks that they don’t need? Do men feel more viral? It makes me wish for higher fuel prices.
Perhaps feeling viral is replacing feeling virile.
Nice one!
I believe you are right, Speedy k.
Few people are interested or impressed by their oversized, lifted pick-ups, except for other young men. It’s a popular theme that these truck-owners are compensating for other, um, shortcomings, by driving them.
I don’t begrudge their interests in vehicles or customizing. To each his own. However these trucks are simply a male fashion statement first and formost because their extreme tires and suspension inhibit their function in every meaningful way.
I’m tempted by a crew cab 4×4 truck (mid-level trim and basically stock please) for my next vehicle purchase simply because they are the closest I’m going to come to a brand new version of the great American sedans of yore AND honestly the resale values are very high compared to the current crop of sedans.
But then again I don’t feel the need to make one look like “Son of Bigfoot” either.
Yup the F150 SuperCrew is the Biscayne/Bel Air/Impala/Caprice/Ninety-Eight/Electra of today.
XL-Biscayne, intended for fleets and as a loss leader for the dealership.
XLT-Bel Air, intended as the entry level retail vehicle.
Lariat-Impala, the volume seller that is “just a few more dollars per month than that plain XLT/Bel Air
King Ranch-Caprice
Platinum-98
Limited-Electra
While the Harley Davidson trucks filled the Impala SS role though they were to the higher end of the price range.
In the (slightly less image-conscious) world of real 4wd truck enthusiasts, such lifted full size trucks are known as “bro-dozers”. Especially if sporting 20″ wheels that are then fitted with impractically low profile mud tires to keep the overall tire diameter low. A similarly equipped Toyota pickup is a “bro-Coma”. This Willys is certainly the real thing by contrast.
No there are people other than young men who are “impressed” by lifted 4x4s. Just as there are women that want to date the guy in the BMW or Mercedes there are women, young and older that do want to date the guy in the lifted 4×4.
While certainly many are purely fashion statements the lift kits and large tires do not inhibit their function and every meaningful way, at least when done right. They do in fact increase their functionality in some ways.
Agreed. While I have no personal interest in turning my F-150 Lariat 4×4 into some lifted monster, it has been kind of fun to watch some of the neighborhood kids overbuild their trucks. And, those guys like to show them off on date night. Heck, their girlfriends are driving Wranglers that sit plenty high from the factory.
Not much different really from when I was a little kid and the teens were lifting (jacking as they used to say) up the backs of their ’72 Chevelles or Torinos or Mustangs and putting Cragars on them. My high school years were a bit duller in the later years of the Malaise era.
And, I guess everything has its shining moment. Last night I watched a very lifted truck moving on the streets of Houston, rescuing people from the floodwaters.
Around here, it’s almost as likely it’s a young lady behind the wheel as a young man…
“While certainly many are purely fashion statements the lift kits and large tires do not inhibit their function and every meaningful way, at least when done right. They do in fact increase their functionality in some ways.”
This! And the ‘when done right’ couldn’t possibly be shouted loudly enough.
So fuel prices should rise and EVERYONE should suffer an increase in an already out of wack cost of living since you don’t like lifted trucks? Last I checked, its a (sort of) free country and if you want some depressing soul sucking appliance type mobility device you can buy plenty of them. If you’re REALLY ready to sell out, you even get tax subsidies for it, paid in part by those who can and do afford to buy higher margin vehicles. I find it terrifying that people in a free society think its ok to use political and economic bully tactics against those who don’t toe the PC line.
It really is not a free country as everything comes at a cost. I don’t think the OP was saying he wanted higher fuel costs, but rather if fuel was more expensive, there would be a lot less posers driving bro-dozers.
MR74, you are a smart guy, you make some very good points, and I am thinking you are of a certain political bent, and more power to you, even though we do not share the same views. But this was not someone using bully tactics, and there was no line crossed, PC or otherwise. It goes both ways. There are tax breaks for certain business owners to purchase heavy GVW trucks for businesses, but I have seen CPAs and Attorneys using that break to buy Hummers, and their business does not involve hauling or going off road. How is that fair to everyone? Not everything is a conservative/liberal battle, nor should it be.
Everything comes at a cost, no one is arguing that…having the personal freedom to make your own choices doesn’t imply one isn’t constrained by their own means. The original comment straight up called for higher fuel prices as a way to ‘punish’ choices he doesn’t agree with. I don’t like blingy luxo dozers either, but that’s a matter of personal taste. Politics aren’t relevant here either but policy that affects us all gets swayed when people act on selfish and irresponsible statements out of spite.
Case in point: it’s no mystery how I personally despise hybrid cars. A lot of that is because of the subsidies and artificial perks they get while others are punished with gas guzzler taxes. Im against any attempt at artificially swaying personal choices. If the hybrids were artificially punished while more powerful vehicles were subsidized id be against that too. As hideous and idiotic as I think those ‘spinner wheels’ were, I had a serious problem with them being outlawed in certain areas. The only way it could be justified is in keeping cheap Chinese made junk off the road since a poorly designed spinner bearing could fail and cause that center to become a giant sawblade. Im all for banning front lift blocks for a similar reason.
Dude, it’s been a long time since hybrids got any subsidies or perks. That and you’re sounding like a broken record…again. Your rants against hybrids and “soulless appliances” are much more vociferous than his preferring higher gas taxes. The pot calling the kettle black.
Paul, you’ve totally missed the point. Being loudly opinionated even dickishly so against something you don’t like…that’s every persons right. Imposing that opinion on another person thru increased taxation or penalties…that’s what’s NOT ok.
This is besides the point, but hybrids absolutely DO get little perks. Tax credits (subsidized) are indeed drying up at the federal level, but state and local credits are still out there. Drivers of ‘regular’ vehicles are the ones paying for that. In some areas, theyre allowed to use the HOV lane with one person inside (asinine, given that theyre most efficient at crawling speeds) as well as all the ‘free’ plug in chargers in different locations. That stuff isn’t free…someone has to pay the freight somewhere and its people like you and me. I cant speak for you, but I don’t like being fleeced of my hard earned money to have it given to someone who made choices preferred by someone else.
Washington State charges $150 a year for electric vehicles in additional registration fees, this also includes the Volt which has a gas engine as well, after about 30 miles you have to switch to gas, so they get double taxed. In 2016 they did stop sales tax on new electric vehicle sales, but increased the yearly fee from $100 to $150. Georgia charges $200 a year, more than any other state.
Oregon and other states have been looking in to tracking electric vehicle miles and basing taxes on this. When it comes to money and taxes, they are happy to create penalties on environmental friendly cars as well.
Pay by miles traveled does make sense, but a flat fee (especially on a Volt) is unfair.
We pay approx $10 local peso for gas and bro dozers arent really that rare here with more being imported every day, but in this country we are actually free to drive what we want and pay accordingly.
People build/buy what they like. It’s not much different than the kids in the 70s and 80s that would shove glass packs, 12″ extended spring shackles and 14″ wide rear tires under their Camaros or Chargers.
Three guesses about the upcoming Scrambler.
1) It will be fugly. There will be an old Scrambler styling cue here or there, but it will still be fugly.
2) It will quickly attain an honored and permanent place on CRs ‘Not Recommended’ lists
3) It will cause the value of original Scramblers to go up
Add your guesses in the replies, guys!!
I agree that it will renew interest in the original Scramblers which will cause them to go up in value, at least in the near term.
What the Scrambler will look like is anyone’s guess. It will probably resemble the AEV Brute double cab. Anything about it that’s ‘fugly’ will be due to meeting some stupid regulatory nonsense like making the bumpers out of foam so it’s safer for unattentive smartphone zombies to get hit by a car.
Of course CR will crapball over it…its an FCA product so if the Bluetooth doesn’t sync right away, that’s as catastrophic a failure as a puked up Hyundai motor. Since CR has all the automotive creds as Aunt Edna, it’ll be judged on the same criteria as some pedestrian grade econoblob. If Four Wheeler magazine tried to take a nissan leaf rock crawling and shit all over it for its incompetence off pavement, the Petersen’s building would be mobbed.
I don’t know about the CJ8 prices getting pumped up. The ones that are left are already pricey. There’s one near me that needs work and they’re looking for $14,000. Ebay has a few ranging from $10,000 all the way to $60,000.
Ugly? It’s a Jeep. They’re all on the ugly side. That’s what makes them attractive.
One good thing about Jeep is how long it has managed to stick around. Competitors such as GM’s Hummer and Toyota’s FJ Cruiser did not survive, but Jeep did. It has passed through many hands along the way including AMC, Chrysler, Daimler, and Fiat. Although it would be sad to see it sold to a Chinese company, it has not been American owned for quite some time.
There is a special mythos about jeep. When you mention the name Jeep even to a non car person it conjurers up visions of outdoors activities or driving up the side of a mountain. It has an Iconic image of a vehicle that helped to with WWII. Despite the fact that most of Jeep’s current line up could have simply been branded Dodge and nobody would have been the wiser, the Wrangler is the link back to those tough beasts that helped to win WWII. The brand equity is still intact and high.
The FJ Cruiser was just way to cartoonish looking and the Hummer despite its looks and relation to the military vehicle is known for being a vehicle of choice for Tools
I am surprised that no one has mentioned the step between the Willys and the Scrambler, namely the Comanche pickup.
A legitimate pickup in its own right. Capable of doing the work then cleaning up nicely.
I just can’t get behind the new one(s) or the aftermarket CJ versions, but that’s just me.
That’s no Comanche. It’s a full sized J seres. If that front clip is original, it’s likely a Gladiator. The Comanche was a compact based on the XJ Cherokee.
Hmmm.
The previous farm truck when I was growing up (the current one is a ’97 Ram 1500) was a 1980 Jeep J20, looked just like this one – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Jeep_Honcho.jpg
That truck and its 360 V8 did a hell of a lot of work for 18 years, until it was just too rusted out to drive it anymore.
I miss that truck sometimes
There are plenty of honest pick ups out there, even some new ones.
You can definitely still get a single cab 4×4 with rubber floor mats, crank up windows, minimal (but not altogether absent) infotainment tech and some hardware like an offroad or tow package and engine upgrades. No manual transmission except on a HD Ram with the Cummins.
I priced out a Ram 1500 much like this, still a bit over $30K. For what you get today, that’s not horrible considering that its not THAT much more than a basic econobox which is nearly $20K. Matter of opinion, but having to drive a crappy sedan would be as good as torture.
I still like and use / drive my old Chevy C/10 stripper :
Noisy and slow (65 +) but it gets the job done and I’d not trade it for any new rig .
These Willys pickups could had overdrive fitted easily and then make *very* basic work rigs .
-Nate
OOPS ~ I see my jpeg didn’t make it
I just priced out the most basic 4×4 pickup I could find. $25k delivered for a Tacoma 4 cylinder 5 speed manual transmission one with the “Utility Package” available only in white. The regular cab is no longer offered, but this “access cab” has no back seat.
These rigs must have been tough as nails
BTW, I just spotted this one near home (São Paulo – Brazil)
My high school friend’s older brother thought he could make money with a sawmill. The logs were delivered but the low grade lumber had to be delivered to the customers. The fleet was a 1948 Diamond T single axle flatbed, a 1952 White single axle tractor , and a 1952 or 53 Jeep pickup.
We used the Jeep to haul a jukebBox we bought from an old bar in Beach City Ohio. 4 of us managed to lift juke box up on the tailgate, which bent. Nothing that backing into a tree did’nt fix. Top speed was 50 mph or so. loaded or empty.
I love that wonderful ‘ol Willys Jeep pickup. It’s an honest straightforward truck as most trucks of that era was.
I hear the Chinese automaker Great Wall is interested in buying the Fiat Jeep division. It was bad enough to have the iconic Jeep taken over by a foreign auto maker, but the Chinese would be the end. What’s the latest?
Re those lifted “bro-dozers”: Many years ago one of my neighbors was building up his F-250 IN his garage, lifts, oversized rims and tires and all. When the project was finished, he couldn’t get the truck out of the garage. It was funny.