Jeep Station Wagon and Utility Wagon
With no modern car ready after the war, Willys asked Brooks Stevens for a family vehicle that could be built without a big body supplier, and he designed a steel wagon whose shallow panels could be pressed by appliance makers. Launched in July 1946 as a two-wheel-drive four-cylinder, it was easier to build and maintain than wood-bodied wagons, and it was the first Willys with independent front suspension. A six arrived for 1948 and four-wheel drive for 1949, and the 4x4s were renamed Utility Wagons in 1955 when Willys left the car market. Updates came slowly, mainly grilles, engines, and a one-piece windshield, and more than 300,000 wagons and deliveries were built in the U.S. before the Wagoneer replaced it.
Engines
| Engine | Power | Torque | Fuel | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willys L-134 Go Devil L-head I4 JeepTech rating for wagons and pickups to mid-1950; Wikipedia's truck article gives 63 hp. |
60 hp (45 kW) | 106 lb-ft (144 N·m) | Gasoline | 1946 to 1950 |
| Willys L-148 Lightning L-head I6 Model 663. |
70 hp (52 kW) | — | Gasoline | Late 1947 to 1950 |
| Willys L-161 Lightning L-head I6 Model 673; 6.9:1 compression. |
75 hp (56 kW) | — | Gasoline | 1950 to 1951 |
| Willys F-134 Hurricane F-head I4 Models 473 and 475; JeepTech rates later higher-compression versions at 75 hp. |
72 hp (54 kW) | 114 lb-ft (155 N·m) | Gasoline | 1950 to 1965 |
| Willys F-161 Hurricane F-head I6 Model 685; BF-161 rating per Wikipedia. |
90 hp (67 kW) | 135 lb-ft (183 N·m) | Gasoline | 1952 to 1955 |
| Super Hurricane 226 L-head I6 Continental-based; JeepTech rating. |
115 hp (86 kW) | 190 lb-ft (258 N·m) | Gasoline | 1954 to 1958 |
| Super Hurricane 226 L-head I6 (retuned) Torque peak moved down to 1,400 rpm (JeepTech). |
105 hp (78 kW) | 190 lb-ft (258 N·m) | Gasoline | 1959 to 1962 |
| Kaiser Tornado 230 OHC I6 JeepTech lists this as a net rating; a 133 hp lower-compression version was offered in 1964 and 1965. |
140 hp (104 kW) | 210 lb-ft (285 N·m) | Gasoline | 1962 to 1965 |
Transmissions
- 3-speed manual (1946 to 1965)
- Overdrive (option) (Until 1955)
Sizes and weights
| Measure | Size |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 104 in2,642 mm |
| Length | 176.3 in4,477 mm |
| Width | 68–72 in1,727–1,829 mm |
| Curb weight | 2,881–3,345 lb1,307–1,517 kg |
A range covers the body styles and trims of this generation.
Trims and editions
- Station Sedan (1948 to 1950)
- Maverick Special (1958 to 1964)
- Traveler (1960 to 1961)
Worth knowing
- Stevens kept every panel shallow, about six inches of draw at most, so sheet-metal shops that made household appliances could press them.
- The wood look on the sides was painted stamped steel.
- Barney Roos's transverse-leaf 'Planadyne' independent front suspension was used on two-wheel-drive wagons until 1955.
- The Maverick Special was named after the TV western Maverick, which Willys sponsored.
- A 1953 Army manual listed the 4x4 463 and 473 wagons as non-standard quarter-ton trucks.
- Versions lived on abroad: IKA built the Estanciera in Argentina from 1957 to 1970, and Willys do Brasil, later Ford, built the Rural until 1977.
Year by year, newest first
- Final model year in Jeep's records; some were leftover 1964 wagons retitled as 1965s.
- A lower-compression version of the Tornado six was added.
- The Maverick Special trim is believed to have ended this year.
- The new Wagoneer arrived as its replacement, but the old wagon stayed in production alongside it.
- The overhead-cam Tornado 230 six replaced the flathead Super Hurricane in May 1962.
- Four-wheel-drive wagons and deliveries got a one-piece windshield late in the year.
- A delivery-based Traveler model appeared in factory records.
- Two-wheel-drive wagons got a one-piece windshield.
- The Super Hurricane six was retuned for a little less peak power but torque lower in the rev range.
- The two-wheel-drive Maverick Special added two-tone paint and interior, an AM radio, and extra stainless trim, with the four-cylinder engine only.
- The grille went back to three evenly spaced bars.
- The middle grille bar sat higher, leaving the three bars unevenly spaced for this year only.
- The four-wheel-drive wagon became the Utility Wagon, and the panel the Utility Delivery, as Willys left the passenger-car market.
- The seventh seat and overdrive were dropped, and two-wheel-drive wagons traded Planadyne independent suspension for a beam axle.
- Stripped chassis, cowl, and ambulance versions were added, and Warn locking hubs became optional on 4x4s.
- First year under Kaiser ownership; the 226 cu in Super Hurricane L-head six arrived.
- The grille was simplified from five horizontal bars to three.
- Kaiser-Frazer bought Willys-Overland; the wagon carried on with few changes.
- The F-head Hurricane 161 six replaced the Lightning in the new 685 model.
- Key starting replaced the floor starter, and flush side-mounted taillights replaced the single lamp.
- A new front end with a pointed V-shaped grille and five horizontal bars arrived in April.
- The F-head Hurricane four (473 models) and a 161 cu in Lightning six (673) replaced the earlier engines.
- The Station Sedan was dropped.
- Four-wheel drive became available, creating what is often called the first SUV.
- The six-cylinder 663 with the 148 cu in Lightning engine went into full production.
- A better-finished Station Sedan was added, with solid colours and basket-weave side trim.
- A panel delivery joined the wagon, with rear doors in place of the tailgate and no side windows behind the doors.
- The Lightning-powered 663 appeared late in the year, with about 50 built.
- Introduced in July 1946 as the two-wheel-drive 463 with the Go Devil four and a flat ten-slot grille.
Notes
No single factory code covers the run (model numbers include 463, 663, 473, 673, 475, 685, 6-226, and 6-230), so the slug is 'first'. Four-wheel drive is dated to 1949 by Wikipedia and Norton Young's factory figures, but to 1947 by cj3b.info. The end of U.S. production is given as 1964 (Wikipedia) or 1965 (cj3b.info, JeepTech). Length is 176.25 in in a 1953 brochure (Wikipedia) or 174 in (JeepTech); height is 72 in (JeepTech) or 74 in (Wikipedia), so it is left null. Width is 68 in for deliveries and 72 in for wagons (JeepTech). Curb weights run from 2,881 lb (1963 four-cylinder 4x2 delivery) to 3,345 lb (1963 Tornado 4x4 wagon). Go Devil output is given as 60 or 63 hp. The transmission model was not confirmed. Empty years mean no change was found.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Willys_Jeep_Station_Wagon
- cj3b.info /Siblings/Wagon.html
- terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/models/willys-wagon/
- cj3b.info /WOfigures.html
- en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Willys_Lightning_engine
- en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Willys_Hurricane_engine
- terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/godevil134/
- terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/hurricane134/
- terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/hurricane226/
- terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/tornado230/