Jeep Engines - Oljeep

JEEP HISTORY 7Jeep HistoryThe Jeep has evolvedfrom utilitarianmilitary vehicle, tosun-and-fun off-roader, topopular boulevard cruiser.It has been producedfor better than 50 years,exported worldwide andis arguably one of themost recognizable vehiclesever made. It is soughtafter by collectors and Walter I?fans, and widely regardedas a leader in thesporthtility and off-road markets. Compact andfull-size pickup trucks and SUVs have carriedhowcarry the Jeep nameplate, placing Jeep in many differentcategories in the industry. But were it not for theintervention of Walter Chrysler to aid thc Willys-Overland Company, and events relating to the SecondWorld War, the Jeep may never have existed.Willys-OverlandIn 1929, John North Willys sold his interest in the Toledo,Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company to become U.S.Ambassador to Poland. He returned to Willys-Overland thenext year as active head of the company. Unfortunately, hiscompany was now facing the same financial hardship thathad befallen many other companies following the 1929Stock Market Crash.By 1933, the Willys-Overland Company was in seriousfinancial trouble and might have shut down operationswere it not for the generosity of John North Willys’good friend, Walter P. Chrysler. Chrysler allowedWillys to use the Chrysler-created “floating power”principles for engine balance.“Floating power” had firstappeared in late 1932 onthe 1933 Plymouth SeriesPA, but had originallybeen developed by Chryslerengineers during the firstfew years of the company’sexistence. Floating powerreduced noise and vibrationby adding a third mainbearing to the crankshaft.A floating platform springsupported the front of theengine while rubber padsand bushings helped to absorb shock and eliminate themetal-on-metal contact at the rear. This innovation was oneof the earliest uses of rubber to reduce engine vibration, andallowed a four or six cylinder engine to maintain operatingsmoothness comparable to an eight cylinder engine.Chrysler (pictured here with his original1924 Chrjysler Six)Chrysler patented the floating power principle, but allowedWillys-Overland to use the system in the 1933-36 Willys 77.This was a small, four cylinder economy car whose saleshelped to keep Willys-Overland in business, as they had goneinto receivership in 1933. John North Willys died shortlyafter the production of the Willys 77 in 1937, at the age of 64.Birth of the “Quad”Dating back to World War I, the US. Army had been lookingfor a fast, lightweight all-terrain reconnaissance vehicle. Thehorse cavalry and sidecar motorcycles used before were nowantiquated. In addition, the Axis powers were beginning toscore victories in Europe and Northern Africa. The Armynow needed rapid development of this vehicle. In thesummer of 1940, automobile manufacturers were calledupon to produce a running prototype for such a vehicle in just49 days, and 70 production vehicles in 75 days.