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Jeep origins... Ford?

Fordmanbob

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Watched a documentary today talking about the Origin of the Jeep...

While Bantam made the initial contract and design, Uncle Sam sent the plans out to both Willys and Ford to create prototypes.

All three companies were awarded the contracts to make the vehicles.

The Willys vehicle had the designator of MA (Military model A)

The Ford was given the name GP (Government 40" width)

The Bantam was called the BRC-40

The Army required all three vehicles to have interchangeable parts. But Ford didnt want their parts to end up in Willys vehicles without getting credit so they stamped all the parts, down to the nuts and bolts with a script letter "F"



https://olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_ford_gp.php

So while Ford didn't invent the Jeep, they were there at the beginning for the origin of the vehicle...

Both the Land Rover and the Toyota Land Cruiser were based off of the original military GP Platform.
Also a reason for the stamping of an "F" was for warranty purposes.....Ford didn't want to warranty Willys jeeps that Ford didn't build
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jasonkosi

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Wasn’t the seven slot grille that Jeep loves to flaunt originally designed by Ford too?
 

Stitches1974

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Wasn’t the seven slot grille that Jeep loves to flaunt originally designed by Ford too?
Yes, was mentioned on page one. Better clarification.

" It had initially 13, then 9 slots, but was eventually reduced to a 7-slot grill. Jeep stuck with this design ever since. It’s one of the very few major contributions from Ford on the original Jeep. "
 

gentlemanbronco

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Watched a documentary today talking about the Origin of the Jeep...

While Bantam made the initial contract and design, Uncle Sam sent the plans out to both Willys and Ford to create prototypes.

All three companies were awarded the contracts to make the vehicles.

The Willys vehicle had the designator of MA (Military model A)

The Ford was given the name GP (Government 40" width)

The Bantam was called the BRC-40

The Army required all three vehicles to have interchangeable parts. But Ford didnt want their parts to end up in Willys vehicles without getting credit so they stamped all the parts, down to the nuts and bolts with a script letter "F"



https://olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_ford_gp.php

So while Ford didn't invent the Jeep, they were there at the beginning for the origin of the vehicle...

Both the Land Rover and the Toyota Land Cruiser were based off of the original military GP Platform.
Didn’t Ford later “borrow” the design of the amc scout for their production civilian bronco?
 

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Watched a documentary today talking about the Origin of the Jeep...

While Bantam made the initial contract and design, Uncle Sam sent the plans out to both Willys and Ford to create prototypes.

All three companies were awarded the contracts to make the vehicles.

The Willys vehicle had the designator of MA (Military model A)

The Ford was given the name GP (Government 40" width)

The Bantam was called the BRC-40

The Army required all three vehicles to have interchangeable parts. But Ford didnt want their parts to end up in Willys vehicles without getting credit so they stamped all the parts, down to the nuts and bolts with a script letter "F"



https://olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_ford_gp.php

So while Ford didn't invent the Jeep, they were there at the beginning for the origin of the vehicle...

Both the Land Rover and the Toyota Land Cruiser were based off of the original military GP Platform.
Even 15 years ago I figured if I was ever going to get a heep, it would be a ford heep Prices were insane even back then. Can't imagine what they are now.
 

VelocityBronco

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Wasn’t the seven slot grille that Jeep loves to flaunt originally designed by Ford too?
The 9 slot stamped grille was designed by Ford, it was easier and cheaper to manufacture.
Willy's couldn't make a vehicle with 9 slots for the public as it was a Ford trademark. So they went to 7 slots...
 

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Heath Aggen

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Just a few clarfications and to answer the orginal question. No, Ford is not the orgins of Jeep. In the goverment trials Ford did terrible, to heavy and did not perform well. Bantam did the best and meet most criteria. Willys a close second. Due to production abilities, the government chose Willys Overland to further develop based on Bantams design and the MB was born. When WWII broke out and with Ford being butt hurt they used there "influence" to get a large chunk of the contract to produce the Willys, really Bantam, design for the war effort. The arrongance of Ford the man was what drove the "f" on the bolts and they did make some changes, a square front cross member, cast pedals, rolled bead in the cargo lids to name a few. They also put a big "Ford" on the back in 1942 that was promply ended by the government. After the war Ford saw no market for a light utility 4x4, it took them 21 years to try to fix that mistake with the Bronco, AKA international Scout, and then they killed it in 1978 making the Bronco a full size truck based SUV. It then took them 43 years to fix that mistake. Jeep had a lot to do with that.
I own a 43 GPW and love the uniqueness of it but it was not the origins of Jeep.
The most inovative ideas in the automotive industry were often developed by the little guy and swallowed by the big guy. Bantam, Willys, Kaiser, International, AMC, Nash, Studebaker, all names that were innovators that many of you have never heard of.
With that said, i cant wait to add a new Bronco to my garage.

20210321_193702.jpg


20210130_163543.jpg


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20200405_133126.jpg


20190126_091429.jpg
 

Bronco21fan

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All I know is jeep is going to get a lot of female buyers with the new tuscadaro pink color coming out in the fall it’s the same color as the furious fucia that used to be on the challenger. I give jeep credit the give there buyers a ton of differ t colors to choose from wish ford would do the same
 

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Just a few clarfications and to answer the orginal question. No, Ford is not the orgins of Jeep. In the goverment trials Ford did terrible, to heavy and did not perform well. Bantam did the best and meet most criteria. Willys a close second. Due to production abilities, the government chose Willys Overland to further develop based on Bantams design and the MB was born. When WWII broke out and with Ford being butt hurt they used there "influence" to get a large chunk of the contract to produce the Willys, really Bantam, design for the war effort. The arrongance of Ford the man was what drove the "f" on the bolts and they did make some changes, a square front cross member, cast pedals, rolled bead in the cargo lids to name a few. They also put a big "Ford" on the back in 1942 that was promply ended by the government. After the war Ford saw no market for a light utility 4x4, it took them 21 years to try to fix that mistake with the Bronco, AKA international Scout, and then they killed it in 1978 making the Bronco a full size truck based SUV. It then took them 43 years to fix that mistake. Jeep had a lot to do with that.
I own a 43 GPW and love the uniqueness of it but it was not the origins of Jeep.
The most inovative ideas in the automotive industry were often developed by the little guy and swallowed by the big guy. Bantam, Willys, Kaiser, International, AMC, Nash, Studebaker, all names that were innovators that many of you have never heard of.
With that said, i cant wait to add a new Bronco to my garage.

Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20190126_091429


Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20190126_091429


Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20190126_091429


Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20190126_091429


Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20190126_091429
Great write up and stable, some of us know history, few know what the original SUV was...

Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 1947 Willys Overland
Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 1946 Willys Station Wagon
 

Heath Aggen

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Great write up and stable, some of us know history, few know what the original SUV was...

1947 Willys Overland.png
Great write up and stable, some of us know history, few know what the original SUV was...

Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 1946 Willys Station Wagon
Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 1946 Willys Station Wagon
Nice. My dad is restoring ,for the second time, his 52 WO Jeep pickup, those years are iconic. WO always filled a the void for the rural driver. I give credit to the 1963 Wagoneer as the father of the Luxury SUV, and it lasted almost 30 years, thats why I love my 89.
 

okbob

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The F bolts were all over the original bronco as well.....and when they ran out of rivets in 66, they used F bolts/screws until more were available lol. There's a bunch of 66 built in 9/65' with 748 vins that got them.

Ford Bronco Jeep origins... Ford? 20210904_155948
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