I've never aspired to own one of these but I do believe in any proper museum of motor vehicles, an entire wing should be dedicated to the grand daddy of all SUV's, cross overs and really anything with all wheel drive, the Jeep CJ. Our subject here is freshly restored 1967 CJ-6 for sale up here in Cleveland for a not unreasonable $8,800. Here's the listing.
The Jeep "CJ" was a series of vehicles built by Willys-Overland, Jeep-Kaiser and The American Motors Corporation between 1945 and 1986 and was essentially a commercial version of the "general purpose vehicle" (Jeep for short) used by the military during World War II. "CJ" was short for "Civilian Jeep" and accompanying numbers early on denoted the series, as in CJ 1-4 and later, wheelbase length; CJ 5-10.
The myriad manufacturers of the CJ continually upgraded suspension, engine and drive train components in attempts to make them more civilized or "car like". No easy task given live, rigid axles fore and aft sprung by leaf springs. Our '67 CJ-5 here, brutally crude and primitive by today's standards, was fairly docile compared to what came before it and in particular the military grade Jeeps it was based on. Still, compared to a modern cross over, they rode like garden tractors.
One of the most significant upgrades to the CJ came after Willys sold Jeep to Kaiser in 1964. To counter complaints that the CJ's flat head "Hurricane" in line 4 cylinder engine was underpowered, Kaiser bought a license from General Motors to produce Buick 225 cubic inch V-6 engines. The 90 degree "Odd-Fire" V-6 was so popular that by 1968 more than 75% of CJ's sold were powered by it. When Kaiser sold Jeep to AMC in 1970, they dropped the V-6 for their own in line six and V-8.
Allegedly, there are charms to these things above and beyond their manly good looks - but they're lost on me; they're too crude, too loud, too rough - what's the point? To me, I can hit myself in the head with a hammer and get the same experience. Blame my suburban upbringing for that as much as anything else. There weren't many near by places to off-road twenty minutes east of Times Square. Perhaps if I grew up in a rural part of the country, areas I find far more conducive to a healthy, family first lifestyle than living outside one of the world's largest population centers, I'd feel differently about them and I'd "get it".
As it is, I see them only for what they are - seminal vehicles that literally paved the way for the modern sport utility and cross over vehicles. The most popular vehicles on the planet had to had to start to somewhere and what better way than with with a vehicle so important to the United States during World War II. If you're interested in getting your own part of American history, here's the listing again.
Allegedly, there are charms to these things above and beyond their manly good looks - but they're lost on me; they're too crude, too loud, too rough - what's the point? To me, I can hit myself in the head with a hammer and get the same experience. Blame my suburban upbringing for that as much as anything else. There weren't many near by places to off-road twenty minutes east of Times Square. Perhaps if I grew up in a rural part of the country, areas I find far more conducive to a healthy, family first lifestyle than living outside one of the world's largest population centers, I'd feel differently about them and I'd "get it".
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