So I recently was overseas in East Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) and there were actually a decent number of old jeeps and M151s in Cambodia. I came across this guy at one of the temples I visited, and couldn't figure out for the life of me what it is! It looks like a stretched CJ-3B, but the lines looked too clean (such as the doors) for it to have been done on site in Cambodia, so if anyone has ever seen anything like this before, fill me in on it, I've been curious since I saw it.
Side of the hood:
My best guess is that it was a model only made for export, such as the diesel WKs or the CJ10.
Just for kicks, here's a few shots of an M151 I saw as well. Thought the mud flaps were pretty funny and ironic.
It was the picture along side the description that made me do it, I swear! That illustration turns out to be the high hood M-606, now there's an oddity.
From the Illustrated Buyers Guide JEEP by Jim Allen
The M-170 developed from the CJ-4MP prototype of 1951. It bore the Willys designation of MDA and was designed as a front-line ambulance, though a conversion was built with a recoilless rifle. The MDA went into production on Oct. 27,'53, and the last US Army models were built in June of '55. A total of 12,221 were purchased by the US Army, but records show 1,906 more were built from '62 to '67. It appears that these were export models.
The M-170 had a 101" wheelbase, the body was very similar to the MD, but longer and was equipped with an enlarged opening on the passenger side and had an operable tailgate. The unit could carry either three litters and two crew, or six seated patients and two crew. Mechanically, virtually identical to the M-38A1, except it had a larger 20-gal. fuel tank. Spec sheets show a winch as an available option, but so far no collector that this writer could find has ever seen one originally equipped.
The M-170's are quite rare and have a small following among the MV collectors. Like the MD, they provided the basis for a civilian model, the '55-'76 CJ6.
I will note that the fenders are flat in the pic.
Referencing the wider driver side opening, no driver side shot is available.
Unless I just misread all of my Jeep books or I missed something, that is not the M-170 at all, by any means. That looks like one of the MANY knock off copies of the older Jeeps that are still being made today in various overseas markets using some of the old stamping machinery. I would say is a newer (in the 1990s) stretched 3B clone.
I've heard of Mahindra over in India still making a 3B with the stamping equipment, but what other companies are still doing that? It's too bad none of them are legal for US import.
That is NOT an M170. The M170 was the military ambulance version of a CJ6. A simple google image search will verify this in 0.05 seconds. The M170 looks nothing at all like the stretched CJ3b shown above.
The Jeep pictured looks like either a Mitsubishi or Mahindra manufactured variant of a CJ3B.
That is NOT an M170. The M170 was the military ambulance version of a CJ6. A simple google image search will verify this in 0.05 seconds. The M170 looks nothing at all like the stretched CJ3b shown above.
The Jeep pictured looks like either a Mitsubishi or Mahindra manufactured variant of a CJ3B.
I agree, looking at the google images, the fenders are the most noticable difference between the two. If it is a knock-off though, would they still be using the "Willys" stamped hood?
Yeah, a LOT of things over there were really old. Hanoi looks about the same as it did right after it was rebuilt in the 70s, still very Soviet-esque. But I guess when you don't have a lot, you make do with what ya got. Plus, I bet it's hard to find tires that would fit those rims other than the originals, over in Nam there are hardly any cars, people ride scooters EVERYWHERE and use them for everything, I've got some pictures of guys with 6 or 7 bags of concrete mix strapped to the back of a scooter, families of 4 all on one scooter, all kinds of crazy stuff.
the first one looks like the Mitsubishi model that was made in Japan,after WWII Japan reached out to Willys for a Jeep like vehicle for their newly formed Japanese Defense Forces as well as for American Military use in Asia. There were Toyota Landcrusiers, Nissan Patrol. In 1953 Mitsubishi formed an Alliance with Willys and began building Jeeps under license. First they were chassis knock downs of the CJ-3A,called the CJ3a-J1 or J2. The CJ-3B high hood was used because the low hood was being retired,it also allowed the room for different engine combos,and it didn't compete with the new American CJ's rounded fenders. They put the F-head 4cyl,the 2.2L KE31 diesel that started in 1955 and the had a 4DR6 direct injected turbo diesel that replaced the 2.3L OHV gas engine. In the early 70's there was a swb version of the Mitsubishi medium wheel base,called the J-24A. As for the other pictures they were built by Toyota: The Toyota Jeep BJ was initially produced to meet the needs of the Japanese National Police Reserve Forces. The early prototypes in 1951 were inadequate, but stimulated a series of improvements that led to delivery of the first 298 Toyota Jeep BJs in 1953. Tests proved the BJ to be superior to the Willys Jeep models of the time and the BJ was adopted by various police and civilian agencies of the Japanese government. In 1954 the Toyota Jeep BJ was renamed the "Land Cruiser" after Willys asserted their claim to the name Jeep.
Thats the history lesson for today kids.
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