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Jeep CjThe Jeep CJ (or Civilian Jeep) was a commercial version of the famous Military Jeep from World War II. The first CJ (the CJ-2) was introduced in 1944 by Willys, and the same basic vehicle stayed in production through 7 variants and 3 corporate parents until 1986. In fact, a variant of the CJ is still in production today under license. The last CJ's, the CJ-7 and CJ-8, were replaced in 1986 by the reworked Jeep Wrangler. CJ-2 Although it bore the CJ name, the CJ-2 was not really available at retail. Willys produced less than three dozen CJ-2 Agrijeeps in 1944 and 1945. It was very closely-related to the Military Willys MB, using the same Willys L-Head engine, but there were some changes. It had larger headlights, a side-mounted spare tire and opening tailgate, and an external fuel cap. CJ-2A Lessons learned with the CJ-2 led to the development of the first full-production CJ, the 1945-1949 CJ-2A. Like the CJ-2 and the Military version, the CJ-2A featured a split windshield. An early column shifter and floating axle gave way to a more modern gearbox early in production. In the end, 214,202 CJ-2A's were produced. CJ-3A The CJ-3A was introduced in 1949, and replaced the CJ-2A by the next year. It featured a one-piece windshield with a vent in the frame. A bare-bones Farm Jeep version was available starting in 1951 with a power takeoff. 131,843 CJ-3A's were produced before the series ended in 1953. CJ-4 Only one CJ-4 was produced. It used the new Willys Hurricane engine and had an 81-inch wheelbase. It was a test model, but was sold to a factory employee. CJ-3B The CJ-3B replaced the CJ-3A in 1953, the same year Willys was sold to Kaiser. It introduced a higher grille and hood to clear the new Willys Hurricane engine. The CJ-3B was produced until 1968 with a total of 155,494 produced, although the design was licensed to a number of international manufacturers, including Mitsubishi of Japan and Mahindra of India. Mitsubishi ceased production of vehicles derived from the CJ-3B design in 1998, but Mahindra continues to produce Jeeps today. CJ-5 The CJ-5 was influenced by new corporate owner, Kaiser, and the Korean War M-38 Jeep. It was intended to replace the CJ-3B, but that model continued in production. The CJ-5 repeated this pattern, continuing in production for 3 decades while three newer models appeared. 603,303 CJ-5's were produced between 1954 and 1983. In 1965, the CJ-5 and CJ-6 got a new Dauntless V6 from Buick with 155 hp. The company was sold to American Motors in 1970, and the GM engine was retired. AMC began offering two V8 engines - 304CID and 360CID. V8 Jeeps got bigger brakes, tougher axles, and the track was widened. In the early 1980s, the CJ used a "Hurricane"-branded version of the GM Iron Duke I4. Several special CJ-5 models were produced: CJ-6 The CJ-6 was simply a long-wheelbase (101 in) CJ-5. Introduced in 1955, the CJ-6 was never very popular. American sales ended in 1975. Just 50,172 had been made when the series went out of production completely in 1981. Just as in the CJ-5, new V6 and V8 engine choices appeared in 1965 and 1970. CJ-7 The CJ-7 featured a longer 93.4 in wheelbase than the CJ-5. It was introduced in 1976 and 379,299 were built in 10 years of production. The CJ-7 featured a new automatic all wheel drive system called Quadra-Trac, and an automatic transmission was also an option. Other comfort features were an optional molded hardtop, and steel doors. CJ-8 The CJ-8 Scrambler was a pickup truck version of the CJ-7, introduced in 1981. It featured a 103 in wheelbase and a pickup bed. Only 27,792 were built in the 4 years of production. CJ-10 The CJ-10 was a CJ-based pickup truck. Produced from 1981 through 1985, it was sold mainly as an export vehicle, though some were used by the United States Air Force for use as an aircraft pulling vehicle. They featured square headlights like the Jeep Wrangler and an unusual 9-slot grille. See also CJ
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