The Jeep CJ-3B

A look At The Jeep® CJ-3B (1953-68)
Posted on Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:00 am by Jeep in Heritage

As you have probably noticed, we’re delving into historical Jeep brand models over the course of our history (70 years, as of this year!). With this post, we’re shining a light on the famous Jeep CJ-3B.

The 3B was the third generation of our CJ model, and was a significantly more substantial update than the previous CJ-3A’s update over the original CJ-2A. The year it came out, 1953, was an important turning point in our long history as a brand, as it marked the moment that the entire Willys-Overland brand was sold to Henry Kaiser (60 million 1953-dollars, in case you were wondering). This change in ownership resulted a vast broadening of the entire Jeep brand range thanks to an extensive R&D program.

Now, let’s get back to the CJ-3B. This CJ is one of the most classically recognizable Jeep brand vehicles and was in production until 1968 – a good deal longer than the four-year lifespan of the previous two generations. Its new look featured a taller front grill and hood, both necessary changes in order to accommodate the taller valve train of the new four-cylinder engine, the “Hurricane” F-Head.