Jeep'n Then and Now
Hedgehog
Always Off-Roading Jeeper
- Posts
- 9,370
- Thanks
- 3
- Location
- Tucson/Marana Arizona
- Vehicle(s)
- -1975 Jeep CJ5, 360 V8, Headers, Duel Exhaust,T15 transmission, D-20 Transfer case, Twin Stick Conversion, Warn 8274 Winch
-1951 Willys Wagon, 4 cylinder, "F" head, little rust, very close to stock
There is some humor involved in the Jeep vs. Wrangler discussion. In a way the Wrangler is a true Jeep. With that being said, I enjoy arguing that a Wrangler is NOT a Jeep, it's completely a Chrysler product. It is a Jeep in the same way the new Beetle is not the same as the original Beetle. It could be argued that the new Beetle is more closely related to the original because at least the same company is producing it. Unlike the mini Cooper, the new Mini is not a Mini.
But it can't be argued that the line from WWII to 1986 was not broken. I remember it well. "The after 1986 the CJ will no longer be made." "Come buy the last of a breed." "In 1987 the CJ Jeep will be gone." Then about 6 months later we were all saved by the introduction of a pair of pants, Ooops not by a soldier but by a cowboy, the completely new Wrangler hit the streets. Chrysler had no problem telling everybody that the Wrangler was far more closely related to the Jeep Pickup than it was to the Civilian Jeeps of the past. It was as if we should be ashamed of the previous Civilian Jeep. To me it was Chrysler that forced the thought that a Wrangler was NOT a Jeep.
I believe that the changes to the true Civilian Jeep that made it safer for the highway and grocery store run made it less capable in the dirt. Take the wonderful video that started this thread. People that worked with their hands, loading hay, work boots, getting dirt under their nails. You NEVER saw a Wrangler advertised to these people, you never see a bail of hay tossed into a pair of pants, or a Wrangler for that matter. The toughest part of the Wrangler is the true cowboy it was named after.
Edit: BajaEdition - Some great points about the changing idea of who a Jeeper was.
But in a earlier time I did not like the changes that made the CJ5 a CJ7. I did not like the addition of a dash or square doors. I saw it as the taming of a once wild and powerful stallion. A fire breathing bull that has been turned into an Ox willing to pull a velvet plow. At the time it seemed like they were making the doors longer so it was easier to get in without soiling our proverbial or literal skirts.
and that's my rant for the day......
But it can't be argued that the line from WWII to 1986 was not broken. I remember it well. "The after 1986 the CJ will no longer be made." "Come buy the last of a breed." "In 1987 the CJ Jeep will be gone." Then about 6 months later we were all saved by the introduction of a pair of pants, Ooops not by a soldier but by a cowboy, the completely new Wrangler hit the streets. Chrysler had no problem telling everybody that the Wrangler was far more closely related to the Jeep Pickup than it was to the Civilian Jeeps of the past. It was as if we should be ashamed of the previous Civilian Jeep. To me it was Chrysler that forced the thought that a Wrangler was NOT a Jeep.
I believe that the changes to the true Civilian Jeep that made it safer for the highway and grocery store run made it less capable in the dirt. Take the wonderful video that started this thread. People that worked with their hands, loading hay, work boots, getting dirt under their nails. You NEVER saw a Wrangler advertised to these people, you never see a bail of hay tossed into a pair of pants, or a Wrangler for that matter. The toughest part of the Wrangler is the true cowboy it was named after.
Edit: BajaEdition - Some great points about the changing idea of who a Jeeper was.
But in a earlier time I did not like the changes that made the CJ5 a CJ7. I did not like the addition of a dash or square doors. I saw it as the taming of a once wild and powerful stallion. A fire breathing bull that has been turned into an Ox willing to pull a velvet plow. At the time it seemed like they were making the doors longer so it was easier to get in without soiling our proverbial or literal skirts.
and that's my rant for the day......
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