1952 Willys Trayback Utility (Modified)

Description

One by-product of military conflict is the rapid pace of technical development and an example of this was the United States Army, which created an entirely new class of vehicle during World War II, one that remains hugely popular today - the off-roader. Willys-Overland Motors, best known for its iconic Jeep CJ that proved so effective in wartime, also produced a four-wheel-drive truck between 1947 and 1965. The Truck’s styling and engineering was based on other existing models, the Willys Jeep Station Wagon, and the Jeep CJ-2A. Introduced as a one ton truck with a 2997mm wheelbase, it was available as a utility truck, a platform stake truck, a chassis cab, or a bare chassis. A three-quarter ton two-wheel drive version also became available in 1949. For 1950 the Willys Truck was restyled with a V-shaped grille with five horizontal bars (which has since become the Jeep trademark) and the following year its original flathead four was replaced by a Hurricane four-cylinder engine, increasing power from 47 kW to 54 kW. It was available only with a Borg-Warner T-90 three-speed manual, with synchro on second and third gears, while a Spicer/Dana 18 transfer case was used on the four-wheel drive models, replacing a Timken 51540 and then the Dana 53 used in the early years of production. The front axle was a Dana 25. Over 200,000 of the Willys Trucks are thought to have been manufactured.