9 Comments on “1951 Jeepster Canton, OH $11,500”

1. Craig December 28, 2016 at 4:31 am

   I’m baffled….what brand 6cyl. is in this? Jeep six manifold is on opposite side. Was there a third option engine available besides the F-head 4 and Hurricane 6?
2. David Eilers Post authorDecember 28, 2016 at 8:41 am

   Hi Craig,

   That is the L-161 “Lightening” inline 6 engine. The Hurricane replaced the Lightening. Here’s another example: http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/75-years-of-jeep-part-3-in-civvies-mainstream-legends/photo-10.html

   – Dave
3. Colin Peabody December 28, 2016 at 10:41 am

   This is not a 1952 Jeepster. Jeepster production ended in late 1950 with leftover 1950 models being sold as 1951 models. There may have been a very few 1951s that were built using the leftover parts, but this hasn’t been confirmed as fact. Many of the leftover 1950 Jeepsters carried the 1950 Willys Serial number designations but were sold as 1951 models. If you have a 1951 with the new 1951 Willys serial number designation, it may have been a leftover 1950 but with the 1951 serial numbers added by the factory or the dealer. 1950 Jeepsters had their serial number designated as 473VJ3 1xxxx for 4 cylinder cars, 673VJ3 1xxxx for 6 cylinder cars; 1951 Serial number were designated 473VJ 451BA1 1xxx for 1951 4 cylinder cars and 673VJ 651BA1 1xx for 1951 6 cylinder cars. Records complied by Norton Young at Willys Engineering do not show any 1951 Jeepsters being built. No Jeepsters were built in 1952.

   Dave is correct about the engine. This is the Lightning 6, L head engine, which put out 75 hp for 1950-51 in the Jeepster. In the 1948-49 463 series Willys cars, the engine was 148 cubic inches and rated at 72 hp. The Lightning 161 had a 1/8th inch larger bore than the L-148 and was used in the 1952-54 Willys Aero sedans, Willys station wagons and panel deliveries as well as the 1952-53 Henry J and Allstate (Henry J) cars. The Hurricane F-head 6 was introduced in 1952 and was basically the Lightning 161 modified with a new cylinder head that had the intake manifold and valves in the head and the exhaust valves in the block. This was the optional 6 cylinder in the 685 series Willys vehicles and in the Aero sedans as well as the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. This engine put out 90 hp. It found its way into many earlier Jeepsters and was an excellent replacement engine for the Go-Devil 4 cylinder 63 hp engine. The Hurricane 4 cylinder F-head engine was introduced in 1950 and was basically the old Go-Devil 4 cylinder 134.2 cubic inch engine fitted with a new cylinder head having the intake manifold and valves in the head and the exhaust valves in the block. This engine produced 72 hp. This engine also found its way into a bunch of Jeepsters that had been equipped with the L-head Go-Devil. With similar horsepower ratings, many people wondered why Willys offered six and four cylinder engines producing the same amount of power. The primary reason was the smoothness of the six cylinder engine over the four, plus the six had a 3/4 inch shorter stroke and was more comfortable at speeds over 50-55 mph, even with the overdrive. Fuel economy was nearly the same for both engines.

   So if you have a 1948-49 or even very early(flat front grille) 1950 Jeepster or station wagon with an F-head 4 or F-head 6 engine, be assured, it wasn’t built that way. If you have a 1950-51 (V-front grille) with an F-head 6 you can also be assured it wasn’t built that way either. But, you can be sure the F-head 4 or 6 engine was and is an excellent replacement engine in your 1948-51 Willys vehicle.

   Incidently, when the L-148 was introduced in 1948, it was the smallest 6 cylinder engine in production in the USA. The Studebaker Champion 6 had 169 cubic inches(this went into a lot of Willys vehicles including the CJ2A and 3A 4wd Jeeps, Jeepsters and wagons, due to its compact dimensions), Chevy was 216, Ford was 225, Plymouth was 217, the small Nash 6 was 172 cubic inches, Kaiser was 226 cubic inches, Oldsmobile had 257 cubic inches in their L head 6, Hudson’s small 6 had 262 cubic inches, Dodge was 230 and DeSoto was 236 cubic inches.
   OK, I have rambled enough.
4. Colin Peabody December 28, 2016 at 11:08 am

   Spoke with the seller, he knows the car is incorrectly titled as a 1952, but it was titled that way in Illinois several years ago and that title information simply transferred to Ohio. The serial number is 473VJ 11943, which indicates a 1950 4 cylinder Jeepster. Could have been built in 1950, sold in 1951, but somewhere along the way, it became a 1952. The previous owner changed out the 4 cylinder engine for the later 6.
5. Dave December 28, 2016 at 11:49 am

   Looks like the same vehicle advertised as a 48 Jeepster on Dec. 3rd for $8900.(both in Ohio)
   Did the price go up or is it a new seller?
6. Colin Peabody December 28, 2016 at 3:14 pm

   The text on the Dec. 3 ad actually says it is a 1951 Jeepster convertible. I suspect it is the same seller. He is advertising it on craigslist in Akron in the current ad and in Pittsburgh on the previous one. The guy, Bill, that I talked with indicated he had owned it for a while, but didn’t say how long. Canal Fulton and Akron are about 10-12 miles apart.
7. David Eilers Post authorDecember 28, 2016 at 5:29 pm

   I thought I had seen this elsewhere … I’ll harmonize them.
8. Pascal December 30, 2016 at 7:05 am

   Well, if I had to bough a Jeepster it would be a 1950 with a 6 cyl. I really like it.
9. Bob January 4, 2017 at 6:18 am

   This is in my stomping grounds if anyone wants me to go take a look.