1946 Willys Jeep CJ-2A

A 1941 Chevy coupe weights 3,025 lbs. So it's not clear what the Army was thinking when it asked for designs for a general purpose vehicle weighing no more than 1,300 lbs. Bending to reality, the spec was changed but still limited to only 2,160 lbs. That's most of the reason why the initial Jeep contracts were awarded to American Bantam and Willys-Overland, makers of America's smallest cars.

Four levers?! To the right of the driver, the first lever is the gear shift. The second takes the front axle in and out of four-wheel drive. The third shifts the transfer case between high-range gears (good for driving on pavement) and low-range gears (good for driving off-road). The little lever on the floor is for overdrive.

The civilian model (hence the model name "CV") is the same as the military model, except that the military model doesn't have the gate on the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweet

1946 Dodge WF32 1.5 Ton Dump Truck

The 1939-47 Dodge is absolutely my favorite truck. Observations:
* This truck is parked in the same spot I saw an unrestored 1937 Plymouth a while back. This owner must have some interesting stories.
* Also sold as the Fargo in Canada. You may remember the Fargo from Mad Max: Fury Road.
* Trucks sure had tiny cabs back in the day.
* Just open the bottom of the windshield for free air conditioning.

Tweet

Not Dead Yet: 1951 Ford F3, 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe, 1952 Chevrolet Styleline, 1946 Mack E-Series

The three vehicles on the street all appear to be in working order. I once saw the Chevy homebrew El Camino driving downtown.

Tweet

1946 Dodge Power Wagon

If you like old cars and trucks, you cannot help but stand in awe of a vintage Dodge Power Wagon. Mechanically derived from Dodge's 1942–1945 3/4-ton WC series military trucks, the Power Wagon was introduced in 1946 as the first civilian production 4x4 truck.

It's always been curious to me why Ford and Chevy didn't make anything like this or indeed any 4x4 vehicles at all in the mid-20th century. America's population was a lot more rural then, with a lot more folks driving on terrible roads. Apparently it just never occurred to people to buy 4x4s. I'm told by old timers that people living in the hills of Kentucky back in the day usually bought Oldsmobiles because that was the car that survived longest on the state's terrible roads.

In the 1950s and 60s there were two Power Wagons. One as a 3/4 ton that looked like other trucks and vans made at the time. But Dodge was also selling the same straight-outta-WWII vehicle you see pictured as late as 1963.

Tweet

1946 GMC EC350 1 and 1/2 Ton Truck

GENERAL MOTORS TRUCK. Too tough to die. This truck used to be parked in a different spot in Fremont, so I'm pretty sure it can still move under its own power.

Tweet