Harry Wagner's "Tinker Toy"

Nice story Harry!

This represents "Hot Rod" so much better than the "Hot Rod Waggy" from a few months back. The story names should have been switched because this is a hot rod and that was a tinker toy.

Harry used a term that got me think'n... "genuine Jeep engine".

At first I thought, "Ok, you could make an argument to support that". But the more I thought about it the more I've decided there is no such thing as a "Jeep Engine".

Willys Motors created the "F" head I4 and the "L" head I4 and I6. But there was no "Jeep" at the time. At some point Jeep became a trademark but not really a company until Kaiser changed their name from Willys Motors to Kaiser Jeep.

In the '60s, Jeep products used motors from Willys, Kaiser, AMC, Buick, and some others. But still no Jeep motor.

AMC bought Kaiser Jeep and created the Jeep Corporation. No Jeep motors were ever created all through the '70s and '80s. AMC was the predominate supplier of motors for Jeep.

So, the 401 V8 is not genuine Jeep but is genuine AMC.

Unless genuine means came from the factory... Hmm, is there a genuine Jeep motor?

It seems like all the motors used in Jeeps had their designs rooted in some other company. Even those companys that eventually owned Jeep seem to have created the motors before they owned Jeep.  

Hmmm, good point. But with that logic the 4.0L could be considered a genuine Jeep engine since it cannot be found in any other vehicle models, only Jeeps. But is it the only one?  

I came up with one. Maybe the 2.5L 4cyl that was completely designed and built by AMC while they owned Jeep. But then there was Renault. How much of the 2.5L and latter the 4.0L 6cyl was really AMC designed vs. Renault designed? Did Renault ever really own AMC?  

ftgiles:
So, the 401 V8 is not genuine Jeep but is genuine AMC.

Unless genuine means came from the factory... Hmm, is there a genuine Jeep motor  



As you know the 401 (or any V8) was never offered in a YJ, so I guess that argument is out the window.  My point was just that it wasn't a Small Block Chevy (although there will be a 2WD Jeep with a SBC in next month's Jp), it was an engine originally offered in a Jeep.  I guess the logic came from Rick Pewe in how he built his flatfender with only "Jeep" parts.  Even though it had an SM420, Rick's argument was that Jeep used GM-sourced automatics and he just had a GM-sourced manual.  

On a related note, is a Jeep more "authentic" if it uses a Hemi engine than a Gen III GM engine???  
***********************
www.harrysituations.com

I guess all this thought proves Jeep is the Sexy step-sister!  

The GEEP as it was called was a WW2 get it out quick by who ever made it cheap and fast vehicle. Ford, Willys, Gen Motors, you name it so the l and F head were the little engines that could,  and took them to places i'd be afraid to take a modern 4.0. Although i would have to agree the 4.0 is the modern jeep only engine. To bad they are no more.