Mitsubishi · 1944–1986

Mitsubishi Jeep

The Jeep CJ models are a series and a range of small, open-bodied off-road vehicles and compact pickup trucks, built and sold by several successive incarnations of the Jeep automobile marque from 1945 through 1986. The 1945 Willys "Universal Jeep" was the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive car. In 1944, Willys-Overland, the primary manufacturer of the World War II military Jeep, built prototypes for a commercial version – the CJ, short for "civilian Jeep". The design was a direct evolution from the wartime Jeep, but the most obvious change was adding a tailgate, and relocating the spare wheel to the side. Also, besides adding basic civilian amenities and options and legally-compliant lighting, the CJ required a sturdier drivetrain than the wartime model, because the targeted rural buyers would expect years of durability, instead of mere weeks as during WWII. From then on, all CJ Jeeps consistently had a separate body and frame, rigid live axles with leaf springs both front and rear, a tapering nose design with flared fenders, and a fold-flat windshield, and could be driven without doors. Also, with few exceptions, they had part-time four-wheel drive systems, with the choice of high and low gearing, and open bodies with removable hard or soft tops. A few stand-out changes during 42 model years were the introductions of round-fendered vs. flat-fendered bodies (1955 CJ-5), straight-6 and V8 engines, automatic gearboxes, and different 4-wheel drive systems. The 1976 CJ-7 stretched the wheelbase by 10 inches (25 cm), and made doors and a removable hardtop common items. After remaining in production through a range of model numbers and several corporate parents, the Jeep CJ line was officially ended after 1986. More than 1.5 million CJ Jeeps were built, having continued the same basic body style for 45 years since the Jeep first appeared. Widely regarded as "America's workhorse", the CJs have been described as "probably the most successful utility vehicle ever made." American Motors VP Joseph E. Cappy said the end of "CJ production will signal an end of a very important era in Jeep history." In 1987, the Jeep CJ-7 was replaced by the first-generation Jeep Wrangler. Looking very similar and riding on the same wheelbase as the CJ-7, it carried over some important components, including its use of leaf springs. A similar model, the DJ "Dispatcher", was introduced in 1956 as a two-wheel drive version with open, fabric, or a closed steel body in both left- and right-hand drives for hotel, resort, police, and later United States Postal Service markets.

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CJ-1

In 1942, the US Department of Agriculture tested the MB. By 1944, the Allies were confident the war would be won, and wartime production looked to be winding down. This allowed Willys to consider designing a Jeep for the postwar civilian market. Documentation is scarce, but in early 1944, Willys seemed to have found time to start drawing up plans, and one or two prototypes dubbed CJ(-1), for "Civilian Jeep", were running by May of that year. The first CJs had apparently been created by quick modification of the regular military MB, adding a tailgate, lower gearing, a drawbar, and a civilian-style canvas top. The first CJ served as a quick proof-of-concept test, and when a further design evolution materialized, it probably became the CJ-1 by default. They were manufactured until the CJ-2s appeared, and they were the first Jeeps built from the ground up for civilian use. No CJ-1s built have survived, and how many were made is unknown.

CJ-2

Although at least 40 were built, the Willys-Overland CJ-2 was not available for retail sale. The CJ-2s, also known as "AgriJeeps", were the second-generation prototypes for the first production civilian Jeep, and were used solely for testing purposes. Although their design was directly based on the military Willys MB, using the same Willys Go Devil engine, they were not only stripped of all military features, particularly the blackout lighting, but also the CJ-2s had many significant differences in body features and construction versus the military Jeep. They had tailgates, power take-offs, engine governors ($28.65), column-shift T90 manual transmissions, 5.38 gears, 2.43:1 low-range transfer cases, and driver's-side tool indentations. Rear wheelwells were redesigned so that seats could be enlarged, improved, and moved rearward, and new, more weather-tight top designs were tried. A canvas half-top with roll-down doors was one of several top designs tried before production. The CJ-2 Go-Devil L-head engine was largely the same as the wartime Jeep, but used a different carburetor and ignition system. The CJ-2s were built in two main batches, but even within the two groups, each was a little different, as they evolved and were modified for various types of work. For instance, several experimental combinations of powertrain components were tested. Earlier models were dubbed “pilot models” because they still had so many differences from the production Jeeps. They were painted olive-drab and had brass “JEEP” badges on the windshield base, the hood sides, and the rear. Some CJ-2s also had an "AgriJeep" plaque fixed to the dash. Later models were stamped "JEEP" and were painted in a few civilian colors that translated into the "WILLYS" stamping and the colors that appeared on th

CJ-2A

The lessons learned with the CJ-2 led to the development of the first full-production CJ, the 1945-1949 Willys-Overland CJ-2A, or Universal Jeep. A trademark for "AGRIJEEP" was granted in December 1944, but was not used. The CJ-2A looked very much like a civilianized MB with a tailgate and side-mounted spare wheel. A distinct difference between the MB and the CJ-2A lay in the grilles of the two vehicles. Where the MB had recessed headlights and nine-slot grilles, the CJ-2A had larger, slightly bulging headlights, flush-mounted in a seven-slot grille. While still powered by the reliable L-134 Go-Devil engine, the CJ-2A replaced the MB's T-84 transmission with a beefier T-90 three-speed. Production of the CJ-2A started on 17 July 1945, sharing production time with the MB roughly 9000 more MBs were produced through September 1945. Many of the early CJ-2As were produced using remaining stock of the military jeep components, such as engine blocks, and in a few cases, modified frames. Up to serial no. 13453, the MB-style full-floating rear axle was fitted. Once they were used up, the CJ got a stronger Dana / Spicer model 41. Sometimes the use of MB parts was due to strikes at suppliers, such as Autolite. Since Willys produced few parts in-house and relied heavily on suppliers, it was vulnerable to strikes. Unfortunately for Willys, strikes were common after the war, and this likely contributed to low production totals in 1945 and early 1946. Since the CJ-2A was primarily intended for farming, ranching, and industrial applications, stock CJ-2As only came with a driver seat and driver side mirror, and a wide variety of options was available, such as: front passenger seat, rear seat, center rear-view mirror, canvas top, front power take-off (PTO), rear PTO, belt pulley drive, ca

CJ-3A

The Willys-Overland CJ-3A was introduced in 1949, and was in production until 1953, when replaced by the CJ-3B. It was powered by Willys' 60 hp (45 kW; 61 PS) L-134 Go-Devil four-cylinder engine, with a T-90 transmission and Dana 18 transfer case, a Dana 25 front axle, and Dana 41 or 44 rear axle. It featured a one-piece windshield with a vent and wipers at the bottom. The CJ-3A had beefed-up suspension (10 leaf) to accommodate the various agricultural implements that were being built for the vehicle. Another difference was a shorter rear wheelwell (the wheelwell from the top front edge to the rear of the body is 32 in (810 mm) on the 3A compared to 34 in (860 mm) on the 2A) and moving the driver's seat rearward. As of 1951, a Farm Jeep and a Jeep Tractor version were offered; the latter was very bare-bones, for field use only, and featured a power takeoff. In total, 131,843 CJ-3As were produced before the series ended in 1953. About 550 of the CJ3-As were assembled by Mitsubishi as the J1/J2 in late 1952 and early 1953, exclusively for the Japanese police and forestry agency. The CJ-3A-derived military jeep was the Willys MC (or M38), and it began complementing the Ford and Willys World War II jeeps starting in 1949. The CJ-3A, along with the later CJ-3B and CJ-5 models, was used as a platform for early Zamboni ice resurfacers produced from 1950 until 1964, which were mounted on top of Jeeps to clean and smooth the surface of ice rinks. Zamboni resurfacer models produced from 1964 onwards have since been constructed using original chassis designs, eliminating the need to source Jeep parts.

CJ-4

The Willys-Overland CJ-4 or "X-151" was only built as an experimental concept in 1950 or 1951. It used the new Willys Hurricane engine and had an 81 in (2,057 mm) wheelbase. The CJ-4 body tub was an intermediate design between the straightforward raised hood of the CJ-3B and the all-new curved body style of the CJ-5. The design was rejected, and the vehicle was eventually sold to a factory employee. Evidence has surfaced that derived prototypes called CJ-4M and CJ-4MA (XM170) have also been seriously considered, as precursors to the 1951 M38A1 and M170 military Jeeps. Although the CJ-4M prototype may not have been actually built, the stretched wheelbase ambulance prototype with registration "CJ-4MA-01" turned up in 2005.

CJ-3B

The Willys CJ-3B replaced the CJ-3A in 1953, the same year Willys-Overland was bought by Kaiser Motors. The Kaiser parent company removed "Overland" from the Willys Motors subcompany name. The CJ-3B introduced a higher grille and hood to clear the new Willys Hurricane engine. A four-speed manual transmission became optional in 1963, at an extra cost of $194 (~$2,040 in 2025). The turning radius was 17.5 ft (5.3 m). Until 1968, about 196,000 CJ-3Bs were produced, of which 155,494 were assembled in the U.S. The CJ-3B was turned into the M606 military jeep (mostly used for export, through 1968) by equipping it with commercially available heavy-duty options, such as larger tires and springs, and by adding blackout lighting, olive drab paint, and a trailer hitch. Shipments of the M606 militarized version of the Jeep CJ-3B, exported for military aid under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, accounted for a substantial percentage of the limited CJ-3B production in the 1960s. International licenses and derivatives. The CJ-3B design was also licensed to several international manufacturers, which produced civilian and military variants long after 1968, including Mitsubishi of Japan and Mahindra of India. Mitsubishi's version was built from 1953 until 1998, while Mahindra continued to produce vehicles based on the Willys CJ-3B until October 1, 2010. The CJ-3B was also built by Türk Willys Overland in Tuzla County of Kocaeli city. It was the first off-road vehicle plant to be opened in Turkey, in 1954. It was produced under Tuzla 1013 brand. Mahindra's "Mahindra CJ" was produced in two versions: four-seater CJ 340 and six-seater CJ 540. Both were equipped with Peugeot-sourced 64 hp (48 kW; 65 PS) engines. Mitsubishi Jeep. The Jeep was introduced to the Japanese market as the Jee

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Jeep CJ

Manufacturer

Willys-Overland (1944–1953), Willys Motors (1953–1963), Kaiser Jeep (1963–1970), American Motors Corporation (Jeep) (1970–1986)

Body style

doorless / 2-door SUV, doorless / 2-door convertible, 2-door pickup truck

Production

1944–1986, More than 1.5 million

Class

Compact sport utility vehicle

Layout

Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive

Assembly

United States: Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Complex), United States: Maywood, California, Argentina: Santa Isabel (IKA), Australia: Rocklea, Queensland, Brazil: São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo (Willys Overland do Brasil S.A, later Ford Brasil), Canada: Brampton, Ontario (Brampton Assembly), Egypt: Cairo (AAV), Israel: Haifa, Israel: Nof HaGalil (AIL), Iran: Tehran (Pars Khodro), Mexico: Toluca (Willys Mexicana, later VAM), Spain: Zaragoza (VIASA), Turkey: Istanbul (Türk-Willys Overland)

Predecessor

Willys MB (For World War II), Jeep Commando (For pickup version)

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q829521CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_CJCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1375301894 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitsubishi_Jeep_J-37_001.JPGCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Tennen-Gas · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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