This is one you don’t see often, as a matter of fact have you ever seen one before? It is a 1957 Jeep FC-170 and is certainly unique, it even includes a snow plow. I guess you might actually use it for plowing snow if you live in snow country, but wouldn’t it also make a great toy hauler or an attention grabbing promotional truck? I hope the new owner gets this back on the road and has some fun with it! What do you suppose the paint is like under the oxidation? I don’t see any rust or body damage. The seller is asking $7995, but perhaps he’s willing to entertain a more reasonable price. It’s listed here on craigslist in Rogers, Minnesota. So if this Jeep were your’s, what would you do with it? Would you leave it rough or give it a proper restoration?
I can remember seeing them as a kid, growing up in 50s-60s Detroit. One of my uncles even drove one over from Elkart, Indiana once.
Doesn’t look like we’re going to get to see this one though, as it looks like the CL ad was already yanked… ;(
New link? http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/5094777699.html
The FC 170 is a great vehicle with limited seating capacity. This one looked to be about as good as you’ll find one in origianl consition, but those STUPID wheels have probably already caused wheel bearing damage. When you change the load center of effort by installing punched rims like this, what you do is create a lever arm that moves all the stresses of weight and lateral forces out of alignment with the factory engineered components. You also make the wheels and axles much more vulnerable to accidental impact. This rig is designed with 16″ wheels and 700 – 16 tires or, in some cases, 750 – 16’s with lock rings in the 3/4 ton version.
I have one of those and it is a 1957.
Hi Darrell, your truck looks awesome!
I agree yours look super nice and the way they should look.
Beautiful truck, Darrell!
I never knew Jeep ever made a cab over! The cab reminds me of the Ford Econoline Pick up!
Looks like an oversized toy.
Beautiful. If I had a way to get it home I would have it in a heartbeat!
I remember seeing these around. None of them ever had a shine. Maybe they were made that way. I would not change that. Just fix it up to be safe and drive it.
I’ve seen maybe three of these — two in Utility Gray and one in Olive Drab — and really like ’em. I would, in fact, like to have one, even though I have minimal need for a pick-’em-up. I’m guessing, however, that they are (as Tom McCahill once said) “slower than a sleepy turtle in a Kansas mudhole.” No matter: it’s the looks that get me. In Utility Gray, please.
And yes, I would ditch the extra-wide wheels (as Matthew Tritt pointed out), and replace the wheel bearing. It’s not fun to have one fail, even in a slow vehicle. I know that.
Interesting that this one would show up because my friend Jack and I were talking about them yesterday. I remember them and I always thought (and still do) that the cab-over feel was very cool.
Jack drove them and knew a number of DPWs and forestry agencies in the area that had them. He said it was a great plow truck because you were right over the blade and could see what what going on but that they had a bad habit of nose diving with hard braking (remembering the comment about the rear weight in the post in the last week or so.) Seems that one was a retro-concept concoction on newer underpinnings.
I had to look them up to find the stats. It seems that this model is a stretched CJ5, the bed is about 9′ and the payload is somewhere around a ton or a bit more. Only the M646 military version writeup on Olive-Drab has details on like that, so I suspect this civilian model is on the lower end. Depending on which site you read, there were 600 – 1000 of those to the Navy and Marines.
To answer the question posed, however, I’d have to see it in person. The wheels go and repairs made if necessary and the plow would go with them.
Even garaged, there’s some rust starting up that needs attention before it gets worse. There are some odd bends below the tailgate that I can’t tell whether they’re contours or bangs. I suspect the latter and they’d need cleaned up. There are some pretty good dings on the tailgate that I’d want to take care of as well. A coat of paint wouldn’t be ruled out depending on what the above dictated.
The prices for showroom restorations are just south of double the asking price, and it’s not a bad place to start to that end. The specs would be very attractive as a well-kept working truck — certainly more likely to buy than the current generations of pickups at their prices. I could see it earning its keep while looking somewhat like that Willys stake body. I’m not sure I’d spend that money on it because a good running utilitarian M37 in like condition is about $2K less with a shorter bed.
Lots of good info and ideas if you poke around the Internet with the model number. I’d buy it before a late model pickup, but not necessarily in place of another working collectible.
Steve
Love older Jeeps, had a few. There were 2 basic models of the FC ( Forward Control)( among others), this and the FC 150. This is the 1st year for the 170, and was longer than the 150, and was based off the CJ-5 originally. These were designed by, none other, than Brooks Stevens, after big rig cabovers.Truth be known, these were miserable vehicles to drive. They were great for plowing snow, but at any kind of speed, say your prayers. Very, very rare today, as most, being used for plow duty, rusted away to nothing.
Good comments. I can testify to the somewhat interesting behavior of these trucks when stepping hard on the brakes while decending a steep hill. Gulp. As long as there’s a good load in the bed, not too scary – unless it isn’t secured and slides to the front. They must be driven with skill and care to be safe.I attempted to buy one in the Sierras a few years ago that had a big service body, folding A frame and big winch at both ends. Somone had installed a later Hurricane 6 OHV engine in it. I believe that one of the fires up there took it before I could.
I laughed out loud at the beginning of this post because there was a red one in my hometown when I was in high school, and yes, it had a snow plow on it!
I’ve seen one in the small town I lived in when I bought my first GTO, it belonged to some guy who used it to plow his parking lot and it was a drab red. I think their cool and if I had the room this one would be mine if it isn’t too rusted out and I would just make it safe to drive while putting the original wheels and tires back on and use it for hauling parts and whatever.
I had a Corgi toy one as a kid, but living in England, I have never seen one in real life. Cool trucks !
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORGI-478-TOWER-WAGON-FORWARD-CONTROL-JEEP-WITH-ORIGINAL-BOX-AND-FREE-POST-/201375259146?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ee2e69a0a