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Jeep Grille Significance
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=39381
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Author:  gmctd [ Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:02 pm ]
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IIRC, Jeep is from the military classification Vehicle, 1/4 ton, 4 wheel drive, general purpose, where gen purp became gp, then geep, as is the grunt's way with word phrases: 2-by, 4-by, 6-by, duece and a half, big 18wheel m-f that bends in the middle and sez pshshshshshsh, etc - military Jeeps, as with all wheeled vehicles, weapons, other stuff, were made to a set of DOD specifications, such that GM, Studebaker, Chrysler, Ford, Inland, NCR, Willys Overland, etc, turned out military products with parts and components that could be directly interchanged in the combat arena - of the various oem's, only Willys Overland continued making the GP\Jeep after WWII ended - Willys upgraded the GP vehicle body in the 1950's, and much of the WWII stuff found service in the Korean Conflict, some again in Viet Nam, tho the all aluminum Colt AR-15\M16 debuted therein over the M1 rifle and M1A1 and M14 carbine, to reduce infantryman's gross combat weight - between Korea and Viet Nam Ford had designed an alternate all-aluminum Vehicle, 1/4T, 4wd, general purpose substitute with 4wd all-aluminum drivetrain and 4-wheel indepedent suspension, intended to improve fuel economy and off-road navigation resulted from lighter vehicle weight - roll-over instability was it's main failure, as the wheels would tuck when cornering, flipping the vehicle - Kaiser bought Frazier and Henry J, then Willys - AMC eventually bought Willys, and the Willys name disappeared, as had Overland earlier, and the Jeep name emblazoned the vehicle line

Regarding the overall grille design, purpose of a grille is to protect the engine-coolant radiator, provide rigid panel to connect and support the fenders and hood - the design was cheapest to build, being a simple stamped-steel flat panel, with openings designed for sufficient airflow, yet be rigid enuff to block heavier road-debris thrown from leading vehicle - additionally, at a time when raw materials were in short supply (rationing and recycling were enforceable law, at the time), the max ratio of openings to supporting bars saved material - so, what you see is what was required in those times, and resulted from that, wysiwyg - the later designs are more pleasing to the public eye, where the military offered no choices, the military eye being not prone to esthetics

Author:  tonycrd [ Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:54 pm ]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep :wink:

Author:  gmctd [ Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:51 pm ]
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Veddy interesting, and thanks for the link - I disagree with the Wiki reference to not being assigned a general purpose vehicle rating, as the Jeep carried troop, from Command officers down to grunts, mail\courier service, medical, ammunition, and general supplies, towed trailers and wheeled artillery, and was mounted with lighting, machine guns and rocket launchers, doing general purpose duty, not specific purpose, as indicated - unless the article meant specifically general purpose

Willys-Overland had disappeared several other marquees by the start of WWII, and the several '40's-'50's flat-fendered panel wagons my dad had in the '50's all had Willys on the standard angled grille and the tail door\gate panel

Author:  mikes07kj [ Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:09 am ]
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There's a show called "Man and Jeep" its a 1hr show, pretty interesting about the history of the jeep. I saw it the ID chanell 285 for those who have directv. Don't know when it will be on again but its worth watching.

Author:  oddball [ Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:05 pm ]
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Yeah these stories have been going around for sometime. I first started hearing them back in '84 when I bought my new CJ 7. Oddly enough, whenever I've read a piece attempting to explain where the names and symbols came from, the serious writers generally include that this is legend or that it is believed, and that no one really knows for sure.

Author:  gmctd [ Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:27 pm ]
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Possibly because most owners and writers today are just kids, comparatively - f'rinstance, first time someone owned a Jeep and became aware of Jeep history may have been in 1984, during era of AMC's ownership - some others may have had first rides as teenagers in early '50's, owned by fathers\relatives\acquaintences who actually used and rode in those first geeps in the 40's during WWII, during '40's-'50's era of Willys-Overland and Kaiser-Frazier-Willys ownership, at a time when the stories were freshly current - word of mouth becomes myth\legend - documented documentation becomes fact - Jeep mythology is interesting.................

Author:  LIBERTYinLIBERTY [ Thu Jan 04, 2018 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jeep Grille Significance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep

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