Jeep Engines - Oljeep

8 MOPAR PERFORMANCE PARTSWillys-Overland MA (Prototype)Additionally, the Army had very tight specifications for their vehicle:Cooling System: Able to allow a sustained low speed without overheating the engineWeight: Approximately 1,300 lbs.Four-wheel-driveEngine (power): 85 Ib-ft of torqueTread: Not more than 47“Payload: 600 lbs.Wheelbase: Not more than 80”Ground Clearance: Minimum of 6.25“Manufacturers scrambled to put together mock-ups in effort to secure the contract. Many different vehicleswere submitted for approval ranging from a rolling platfcirm to heavily armored trucks. Due to theconstrictive 49-day development deadline, many manufacturers were eliminated. Ultimately, only Willys-Overland, the Bantam Car Company, and to an extent Ford Motor Company were involved in the project.The Bantam Car Company had worked to supply reconnaissance vehicles to the Army in the past andfelt able to meet the deadline (Willys-Overland requested additional time for completion). With the helpof engineer Karl Probst, Bantam developed a prototype which would later evolve into the Jeep. TheArmy forwarded plans for the Bantam prototype to Willys-Overland and Ford, who submitted theirown prototypes based on the Bantam design. Willys-Overland’s vehicle, the “Quad,” came in over theweight limits (at 2,400 pounds), due in large part to its more powerful engine, the “Go Devil.” The GoDevil had been tried and tested in the Willys Americar, and its torque rating of I 05 eclipsed that of theBantam and Ford engines at 83 and 85 respectively.With all three prototypes in hand, the Army ordered 1,500 vehicles from each of the manufacturers tobe field tested. Probably due to their pleasure with the power of the Go Devil, the Army raised theweight requirement to 2,160 pounds. This meant the Quad still needed to shed weight.Knowing that the engine, as heavy as it was, was the streng,th of the Quad, Willys-Overland decided tokeep the same engine under the hood and trim the weight elsewhere. The Quad was completelydisassembled, part by part, and evaluated for possible use of lighter materials. Bolts were shortened,material was trimmed, and the final product came in 7 oz. under the weight limit.Delivery of the first 4,500 vehicles (1,500 each from Willys-Overland, Bantam and Ford) came in June,1941. After careful study and testing, the Army decided to standardize one basic design. Based on itslower bid and Bantam’s shaky financial and manufacturing position, the Army awarded an all-ornothingcontract to Willys-Overland to produce 16,000 vehicles at the rate of 125 per day. Securing thecontract allowed continued business operation for Willys-Overland.As the war grew in intensity, the demand for the Quad also grew. Willys-Overland was ordered to turn overdesigns to Ford so they could produce 15,000 of the same vehicle. During World War 11, Willys-Overlandand Ford produced more than 600,000 Jeep vehicles, with Willys-Overland accounting for 330,000 units.