Jeep is an American brand of off-road passenger cars. It is from the Jeep brand that the colloquial name for all off-road vehicles, referred to as “Jeeps”, was derived. Its history is closely linked to the military and refers to 1941, when the Willys company introduced a small off-road vehicle for frontline operations. Quickly, small Willys from the war zones found their way into the hands of civilian owners. In 1987, the Chrysler conglomerate took control of the company. Today, the indirect owner is Italian Fiat as well as the US government and private investors. The main activity of the Jeep brand continues to be the production of off-road and off-road vehicles. The most famous models in the range are: Wrangler, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. It is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio in the United States.
Willys To War
On May 27, 1940, the Army Technical Supply Committee announced a competition for a lightweight vehicle. Important to this was the specified short deadline for the submission of the design. On July 22, 1940, two bids were presented: American Bantam Co. and Willis-Overland. On September 23, Bantam delivered the first car, followed by a series of seventy more. A design based on Austin parts and components was presented by the chief engineer, Karl Probst. However, the design was not accepted. After testing, the vehicle was found to be structurally too weak, so the weight limit was raised to 978.5 kg. In November, Willys-Overland presented a vehicle called Quad with a 442 engine with 54 hp.
On July 23, 1941, the U.S. Army signed a contract to produce Willys with Bantam and Ford revisions. The order for 16,000 units was to be fulfilled by both Willys and Ford. The first production models were thus built: Willys MB and Ford GPW. At this point, the history of Jeep also began.
The First Civilian Willys
After World War II, American soldiers very willingly, already in civilian life, sat behind the wheel of a simple and inexpensive Willys. Already at the end of 1943 there were proposals to use civilian Willys. The first CJ1 prototypes were built, and the Willys-Overland company applied for the Jeep name. The following year, the first civilian vehicle of the American brand (CJ2) rolled off the production lines and was given the nickname Agrijeep. In mid-1945, Ford lost the licensing rights for the production of its GPW, but Willys did not let go and decided to modernize the engine (it gained more power – 60 hp). By 1949, 214,000 units were produced ? The success of the company was enormous.
The first stage was the Willys. Designed and manufactured for the needs of the American army, it performed excellently during the Second World War; returning soldiers were eager to purchase used vehicles from demobilized stocks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the company, seeing the interest of customers, immediately after the war started production of a civilian model CJ-2A. It differed from the military version by having larger headlights, a seven-slot grill and the location of the spare wheel, which was moved from the tailgate to the side of the vehicle. The CJ-2A was only produced for four years, as it was replaced by the CJ-3A in 1948. A number of license cars contributed to the popularity of the Willys, including the Hotchkiss produced in France after the war.
Wagoneer? The World’s First SUV
When the offer of the American company already included utility and recreational models, Jeep decided to introduce the first SUV ? SJ Wagoneer (1962). The vehicle resembled the Wagon in front styling, but its dimensions were much larger. Additionally, the SUV was more dignified and exquisitely equipped. Interestingly, the Jeep Wagoneer until 1965 was available as an option with independent suspension, which, however, was not very popular, so it was withdrawn.
Crisis and Ownership Changes
The years of crisis were not bypassed by the concern to which the Jeep brand belonged. Changes in ownership and modernization of individual models proved necessary. Initially, DaimlerChrysler Group was divided, resulting in the establishment of an independent Chrysler LLC. In the following years, after numerous transformations, the FCA Group started to function, being a combination of Fiat and Chrysler, of course with Jeep as the leading brand. Such transformations quickly resulted in a serious product offering. In 2011, a new model entered production ? Grand Cherokee WK2, which was a huge success. In 2014, the redesigned Jeep Cherokee debuted, which has already returned to a unified name worldwide. In 2015, there was the premiere of the smallest model of the American brand ? Jeep Renegade, which was produced in several parts of the world, including Europe near Naples, was a huge success. In 2016, the new Jeep Compass was presented based on the Renegade platform which replaced the first generation Compass and Patriot. The long-awaited newest Jeep Wrangler JL was unveiled in 2017.
What A Car Is Made Of: Main Parts, Units and Assemblies
If your car broke down, more information on where to buy new parts can be found here. The first car in the world with a gasoline engine was patented back in 1885 by the brilliant German engineer Carl Benz. Amazingly, even today a car consists of the same basic parts as a hundred years ago – the body, chassis and engine. Let’s take a closer look at what a car consists of and its main parts.
General Structure of The Car
The main components in the structure of the car, as we have already written above, are:
- Engine;
- The body;
- Chassis;
- Electrical equipment.
All of them consist of many individual elements, parts, units and assemblies.
The engine is the heart of the vehicle. It is the source of mechanical energy and drives our car in motion. The most widespread engines in the automotive industry are internal combustion engines and diesel engines. However, in recent years, cars equipped with electric and hybrid engines are becoming more and more popular.
The car body can have a frame or frameless design. As a rule, in modern passenger cars there is no frame, and all the nodes and units are attached directly to the body. This is why this body is called a carrier body – this design solution of the car device allows reducing its weight as much as possible.
The car chassis deserves special attention. It is a set of mechanisms that transmit torque from the power unit (engine) to the drive wheels, moving the car and controlling it. These groups of mechanisms are called transmission, running gear and car control mechanism.
- The vehicle transmission is used to transmit torque from the engine to the drive wheels, thereby allowing the torque to change in magnitude and direction. The transmission of a two-axle, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle typically consists of the following mechanisms: clutch, gearbox, driveline, main gear, differential, and half axles.
- The undercarriage of a vehicle consists of a frame or supporting body, front and rear axles, suspension (springs and shock absorbers), wheels and tires.
- The steering system of a vehicle consists of the steering system and the brake system (with drum and disc brakes). It allows you to change the direction and speed of the car, stop it and hold it in place.
In addition to the above nodes, units and mechanisms, absolutely all cars are equipped with electrical equipment, consisting of sources and consumers of electric current.
Electric equipment of the car starts and allows the engine to work, lights and heats the car interior, allows moving without problems in the dark and in bad weather, supports anti-theft system, takes care of our safety on the road, turns the car into a concert hall or even a cinema, and performs many other useful and very important functions.
It is also worth noting that ignorance of the general structure of the car and the principle of operation of its major components and assemblies, leads to increased costs for repair and maintenance of the car. Therefore, we can recommend you jeepequipment.com parts.
How to Request Your Free Jeep Parts and Accessories
From our experience, you’re unlikely to get free Jeep parts or accessories, but you’re more likely to get free shipping. And don’t forget about the free catalog where you can find the part you need.
We just wish you to be careful, and take care of your cars, so they don’t break down at the most inopportune moment!