In the eye of the beholder
Things Jeep would prefer we forgot
“What is that?” A dark moment in Jeep history, the FC was arguably proof of the phrase ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’.
American media wondered if it was a VW microbus with a Willys pickup truck bed slapped on the back.
There may well be a Kiwi afficionado who thinks this is a thing of beauty – we just haven’t met him/her yet.
The Jeep Forward Control FC-150 or FC-170 was a strange child of the 1950s, when the Jeep nameplate was owned by the Willys Overland corporation.
Facing a downward slide in terms of overall market share, there was a push to broaden the appeal of the range.
True, the Jeep CJs were starting to dominate the market for small utility
4WDs.
But back then, Jeep CJs were barely civilianised versions of the original, and only the dedicated would use one as a daily driver.
In 1956 Jeep came up with an affordable utilitarian design that it hoped would appeal to work-oriented consumers. The Forward Control FC-150 and FC-170 arrived late that year.
The FC-150 was a short-wheelbase pickup built on a slightly modified 81-inchwheelbase Jeep CJ chassis. By placing the front seats directly atop the front tires and astride the engine, the FC-150 allowed for a much longer cargo bed than would be feasible if it had used the traditional CJ layout with the interior occupant and controls placed behind the engine. It was a design that offered a good amount of utility in a relatively compact footprint, so for industries and agriculture where overall vehicle length was a concern, it was a handy solution. Powered by the same 53kW (72bhp), 155Nm (115lb-ft) F-head four-cylinder found in the Jeep CJ, it was available with a T-90 three-speed transmission and a Spicer 18 T-case that sent power down to a Dana 25 front and Dana 44 rear axle. Not winning any gravel drag races then.
After 1958 the front axle was a closedknuckle Dana 44, but the 5.38 gear ratio remained, which no doubt helped the little four-cylinder climb grades with the bed fully loaded.
The FC-170 was a longer-wheelbase version of the FC-150 built on a 103.5-inch-wheelbase chassis that shared much with the 104-inch Willys Wagon chassis. While the FC-150 made do with narrow CJ axles, the FC-170 had wider Willys pickup axles with a Dana 44 front and either a Spicer 53 rear in the singlewheel versions or a Dana 70 in the dual-rear-wheel models. Axle gearing was 4.88, which complemented the more powerful 226-cubic inch L-head inline-six that produced 78kW (105bhp) and 257Nm (190lb-ft). The transmission backing this six-cylinder was a three-speed T-90.
Although the civilian market had a choice of only the FC-150 or FC-170, a number of military versions were built, but not too many exist today in the public sphere. The M-676 was little more than a militarised version of the FC-170. The M-677 was a crew-cab version powered by a unique three-cylinder, two-stroke Cerlist diesel engine that puts out 63kW (85bhp) and 230Nm (170lb-ft).
Finally, the M-678 and M-679 were full-bodied military wagon versions, with the M-678 featuring windows for transport or ambulance service and the M-679 with panel sides and only vents for airflow.
Today, the few FCs that survive are cherished by a sub-set of Jeep-lovers. Proof positive that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.