Posted: 11/28/23
The Civilian Jeeps
Highlights from the History of the CJ and Wrangler
By Wally Armstrong and Matt Higgins
Among fans of Axial RC rigs, our officially licensed scale versions of Jeep Wranglers have proven to be big favorites. Here’s a brief look at the history of the full-size vehicles, from their first civilian use after WWII to their popularity today in the mid-size truck market.
THE CIVILIAN JEEP
CJ-2A (1945 to 1949)
Offered from 1945 until 1949, the CJ-2A was the first CJ that went into full production and was marketed for civilian use. This is where the iconic seven-slot grille debuted — the military Willys MB had a nine-slot grille. The CJ-2A also had a short, 80-inch wheelbase and was only 59 inches wide. Along with the small footprint, these original civilian Jeeps were extremely spartan. The passenger’s windshield wiper was manually operated, and the passenger side rear taillight was just a reflector. The CJ-2A was so clearly intended for life on the farm that only a driver’s seat was installed in the stock package.
CJ-3A (1949 to 1953)
First produced in 1948 and taking over from the CJ-2A in 1949, the CJ-3A continued running off of the assembly line until 1953. Though very similar to the previous model, the CJ-3A had refinements that included a distinctive one-piece windshield with bottom vent and dual bottom-mounted wipers. The CJ-3A Jeep Go-Devil engine was visually identical to the 2-series engine but featured revised piston and valve-tappet clearance and a different flywheel. Front passenger leg and knee room were improved by tweaking the rear wheel wells to push the driver’s seat back, at the expense of some rear passenger comfort.
CJ-3B (1953 to 1968)
The CJ-3B enjoyed a long production run, from 1953 to 1968. This was the first CJ series model with a dramatically different style compared to their Willys MB military ancestor. One of the most distinctive differences was a high grille and hood combo, needed to provide clearance for the taller Hurricane F-head engine. With 25% more horsepower than the 2A and 3A, plus a leaf spring suspension with stouter 10-leaf stack, the CJ-3B was more capable of managing the heavy farm implements often used with Jeeps. Kaiser Motors acquired Willys-Overland in 1953 and the company changed its name to Willys Motors.
CJ-5 (1954 to 1983)
In 1954, while the CJ-3B was still being offered, the CJ-5 went into production with what was called a 1955 model. The CJ-5 remained in production all the way to 1983. It was originally the Willys CJ-5 and later became the Jeep CJ-5. Regardless of its name, the CJ-5 marked a major cosmetic change for the Jeep — it was the first model clearly aimed at more than a utilitarian market.
The original CJ-5 was almost ten inches wider than previous models at 68.5 inches. Its wheelbase was only an inch longer, but did grow to 83.5 inches in 1972. The CJ-5 also introduced softer styling lines that distinguished it from military counterparts. But it’s worth noting that the CJ-5 and its round fenders still saw military use in variations such as the Willys M38A1. Special editions became a big thing with the CJ-5. These included the Laredo, Silver Anniversary, 462, Tuxedo Park editions, Golden Eagle package, the Super Jeep, the Renegade editions, and the Camper Edition.
In 1970, American Motors Corporation (AMC) bought the Jeep brand. By the end of the decade, French-based Renault invested in AMC and purchased 25% of the U.S. company.
CJ-6 (1956 to 1981)
Responding to the requests of early CJ owners for more storage capacity and passenger comfort, Willys Motors introduced the CJ-6 in 1956. It was basically a CJ-5 with its wheelbase lengthened by 20 inches to just over 100 inches. The long-looking CJ-6 had a production run that lasted until 1981. Despite this healthy lifespan, they remain rare. Only slightly over 50,000 were produced and most, though not all, were sold outside of the United States.
CJ-7 (1976 to 1986)
Made from 1975 to 1986, with a first model year of 1976, the CJ-7 is arguably the most iconic of all Jeeps. It is inarguably synonymous with off-roading, being far more about adventure than the military.
The CJ-7 enjoyed tremendous mainstream popularity, changing the history of Jeep and of off-roading. The CJ-7 started with a whole new chassis that was built for the improved handling of a longer 93.3 inch wheelbase. The width was the same as the CJ-5, so despite its new, squared-off door design, the CJ-7 retained the styling of the shorter model. The longer body, however, created a far more practical vehicle. CJs were now officially not just utilitarian.
Close to 380,000 CJ-7s were sold in the eleven years that they were produced. This popularity wasn’t driven just by the improved road manners and increased size. New features, such as an optional hard top, air conditioning, and automatic transmission, all went a long way towards increasing the CJ-7’s mainstream appeal.
In 1982, Jeep offered the Jamboree Commemorative Edition — named to celebrate the 50th anniversary of what was originally called the Jeepers Jamboree, held on the famous Rubicon trail in California. These CJ-7s, known as Jambos, came in Topaz Gold or Olympic White. They were outfitted well for off-road use and remain one of the rarest and most highly desired CJ models.
Today, companies such as GenRight offer body armor, roll cages, bumpers, and suspension packages that retain the look of the iconic CJ-7 but take the performance to modern day levels. Axial's 1/10-scale SCX10 III Jeep CJ-7 RC rock crawler faithfully recreates an off-road ready CJ-7 with GenRight licensed products.
CJ-8 (1981 to 1986)
Just as the CJ-5 had its long version in the CJ-6, the CJ-7 also had a stretched brother. This time, it came in a small pickup configuration known as the CJ-8 Scrambler. The Scrambler was introduced in 1981 and ran until the entire CJ line was discontinued in 1986. A fiberglass half-cab gave the CJ-8 its pickup look and functionality. Compared to the CJ-7, the wheelbase was stretched by a little over 10 inches to a total of 103.5 inches. A long rear overhang provided some extra cargo space.
THE WRANGLER
YJ (1987 to 1995)
In 1987 Jeep replaced the long-lived CJ Series with the YJ, representing both the end of an era and the dawn of the age of Wrangler which continues to this day. With wider leaf springs for a better ride and a refined, modernized interior, the YJ continued Jeep’s focus on providing comfortable vehicles with plenty of mainstream appeal. Its wheelbase measured 93.4 inches and the width was 66 inches. The most distinctive feature was rectangular headlights, which made it instantly stand out from its CJ predecessors. But while looking all-new, the YJ was similar enough to the CJ-7 that many of body parts were easily interchangeable.
Right after the YJ was launch, Chrysler Corporation, under the leadership of Lee Iacocca, purchased Jeep.
TJ (1997 to 2006)
The second-generation Wrangler TJ actually provided a much bigger departure from previous models than the first-generation Wrangler YJ did. On-road and off-road performance both reached a new level with the modern multilink suspension and coil springs. The TJ featured the same 93.4-inch wheelbase as its predecessor, but round headlights returned. A long version of the TJ, commonly referred to as the LJ, was the official Unlimited model and took the wheelbase to 103.4 inches. The TJ series also offered the first Rubicon model. Because the TJ debuted in the 1997 model year and the last YJ model year was 1995, there is technically no 1996 model Wrangler.
In 1998, Chrysler merged with Daimler AG forming DaimlerChrysler.
THE JEEP GETS BIGGER
JK (2007 to 2018)
The JK Wrangler brought two big changes. First, a long-awaited 4-door version, the Unlimited, joined the standard 2-door version. The second change was an overall bigger footprint. With its significantly larger size and more doors for easier passenger access, this Wrangler was far more practical for daily driving. The 2-door JK measured 73.7 inches wide with a 95.4-inch wheelbase. The 4-door stretched the wheelbase out to 116 inches. So while the 4-door was, as expected, a larger vehicle, the 2-door was also notably bigger than the TJ, YJ, and CJ, all of which were about the same size.
JL (2018 to present)
While the JK enjoyed the bigger growth spurt, the JL still grew even more, with a 96.8-inch wheelbase for the 2-door and a slight increase in width to 73.9 inches. The 4-door JLU wheelbase is 118.4 inches.
In 2020, Jeep released the Jeep Gladiator, which features four doors and a five-foot bed. This allowed Jeep to compete in the increasingly popular mid-sized truck segment currently populated by the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Chevrolet Colorado. Like the release of the 4-door Wrangler that preceded it, the Gladiator was an instant hit.
AXIAL JEEPS
- SCX24 2019 Jeep Wrangler JLU CRC RTR
- SCX24 Jeep JT Gladiator RTR
- SCX10 III Jeep CJ-7 RTR
- SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon RTR
- SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler JLU Rubicon Kit
- SCX10 III Jeep JT Gladiator RTR
- SCX10 III Jeep JT Gladiator Limited Edition RTR
- SCX10 II 2017 Jeep Wrangler CRC Edition RTR
- SCX10 II 2000 Jeep Cherokee RTR
- SCX10 II 2000 Jeep Cherokee Kit
- SCX10 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Kit
- SCX10 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited C/R RTR (Currie /Rigid)
- SCX10 Jeep Wrangler G6 Falken Edition RTR
- SCX10 Jeep Wrangler G6 Kit
- Axial Jeep Wrangler Wraith Poison Spyder Rock Racer RTR
- SCX6 Jeep Wrangler JT RTR
Images courtesy of Jeep and GenRight.
