LarrBeard
05-28-2020, 09:20 AM
The 2 WD Trucks are the stealth trucks of the Jeep Truck world. Many sources do not even admit that W-O made 2 WD trucks as they tell the truck story.
But - here is a very interesting posting on the KWAS Blog:
https://blog.kaiserwillys.com/every-time-we-drive-our-willys-mb-and-truck-its-a-parade-every-time-we-park-em-its-a-car-show#comment-1295215
AS detailed in my comment - this truck does not exist by any account I can find. The 2 WD I-Beam axle is clearly visible in the attached picture; it's a 2 WD!
I hope the owner will come over here with more pictures and details to share this few-of-a-kind critter with us.
If you poke around long enough, you can find some information about most anything Jeep - but you have to read closely:
In 1950, the truck became the "473" with the "Hurricane" 4-cyl engine as an option. Like the Station Wagon, the 473 model included a modification to the grille, which now formed a "V" shape in the center, and included the addition of 5 horizontal bars. When this happened, the radiator attachment was changed from the chassis to the nosepiece. Another change in 1950 saw the discontinuation of the two-wheel drive model. In the following year (1951), the 2WD 1-ton and 1/2-ton trucks were also discontinued, leaving only the 4WD models.
From the above excerpt, it appears that the 2WD Station Wagon was discontinued in 1950, but the 2WD Truck wasn't discontinued until 1951. Serial number lists show 9,338 Model 473 4WD trucks produced and 4,678 Model 478 HT (Half-Ton/2 WD?) built. Is a Model 478 HT the last of the Jeep 2WD Trucks?
But - here is a very interesting posting on the KWAS Blog:
https://blog.kaiserwillys.com/every-time-we-drive-our-willys-mb-and-truck-its-a-parade-every-time-we-park-em-its-a-car-show#comment-1295215
AS detailed in my comment - this truck does not exist by any account I can find. The 2 WD I-Beam axle is clearly visible in the attached picture; it's a 2 WD!
I hope the owner will come over here with more pictures and details to share this few-of-a-kind critter with us.
If you poke around long enough, you can find some information about most anything Jeep - but you have to read closely:
In 1950, the truck became the "473" with the "Hurricane" 4-cyl engine as an option. Like the Station Wagon, the 473 model included a modification to the grille, which now formed a "V" shape in the center, and included the addition of 5 horizontal bars. When this happened, the radiator attachment was changed from the chassis to the nosepiece. Another change in 1950 saw the discontinuation of the two-wheel drive model. In the following year (1951), the 2WD 1-ton and 1/2-ton trucks were also discontinued, leaving only the 4WD models.
From the above excerpt, it appears that the 2WD Station Wagon was discontinued in 1950, but the 2WD Truck wasn't discontinued until 1951. Serial number lists show 9,338 Model 473 4WD trucks produced and 4,678 Model 478 HT (Half-Ton/2 WD?) built. Is a Model 478 HT the last of the Jeep 2WD Trucks?