Jeep CJ-3B

1953 to 1968 · Civilian utility 4x4 · North America, Export Past model

The CJ-3B was the flat-fender CJ-3A with a taller grille and hood to clear the new Hurricane F-head engine, giving the Universal Jeep more power and torque. Meant as a stopgap before the CJ-5, it stayed in production from 1953 to 1968, with much of the later output going overseas, and licensed versions lived on abroad for decades.

Generations, newest first

1953–1968

Jeep CJ-3B

Willys needed more power in its civilian Jeep, and the new F-head Hurricane four, with its intake valves in the head, was too tall for the CJ-3A's low hood. The answer was the high-hood CJ-3B, launched for 1953 with the Hurricane, a quieter transfer case, and the 3A's 80-inch flat-fender body. It sold more than 30,000 a year in 1953 and 1954, then lived in the CJ-5's shadow from 1955 as a short-wheelbase choice, getting only small updates such as a new instrument cluster and a four-speed option. Production for North America stopped in 1965, but export and military-aid orders, including the M606, kept it going until 1968, with about 196,000 built in all.

Willys F-134 Hurricane F-head I4 · Willys F-134 Hurricane F-head I4 (higher compression)

Open body with tailgate · Stripped chassis

In the family

Came beforeJeep CJ-3A (1949–1953)Came afterJeep CJ-5 (1955–1983)RelatedJeep M38A1 (Willys MD) (1952–1971)RelatedJeep Dispatcher (1956–1984)