What Is a Jeep FC Forward Control?

"What is that, a VW microbus with a Willys pickup truck bed stabbed on the back of it?" Although we've never actually heard somebody ask that exact question upon first laying eyes on a Jeep Forward Control FC-150 or FC-170, we can see where somebody would have a hard time positively identifying exactly what a Jeep Forward Control was. But to understand this weirdo child of the 1950s, you've got to first understand the mindset of the Willys Overland corporation at the time.

They were sort of on the downward slide in terms of overall market share. True, the Jeep CJs were killing it for their market space, but back then Jeep CJs didn't enjoy a fraction of the daily-driver popularity of today's Wrangler offerings. So faced with a need to branch into new customer areas, in 1956 Jeep took stock of what it was manufacturing and came up with a relatively cheap to produce, highly utilitarian design that it hoped would appeal to work-oriented consumers and began offering its Forward Control FC-150 and FC-170 as 1957 models. They were produced for sale in the U.S. and later to the export market up until 1965.

The FC-150 was a short-wheelbase pickup built on a slightly modified 81-inch-wheelbase Jeep CJ chassis. By straddling the seats directly atop the front tires and astride the engine, the FC-150 allowed for a much longer cargo bed than would be feasible if it had used the traditional CJ layout with the interior occupant and controls placed behind the engine. Thus, the forward control Jeep was born. It was a design that offered a good amount of utility in a relatively compact footprint, so for industries where overall vehicle length was a concern, it was a handy solution. In truth, the FC-150 seems a little gangly, with a body that's much wider than the axle track width. Powered by the same 72-hp, 115-lb-ft F-head four-cylinder found in the Jeep CJ, it was available with a T-90 three-speed transmission and a Spicer 18 T-case that sent power down to a Dana 25 front and Dana 44 rear axle. After 1958 the front axle was a closed-knuckle Dana 44, but the 5.38 gear ratio remained, which no doubt helped the little four-cylinder pull grades with the bed fully loaded and the FC-150 running at its max advertised 5,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating.

If you needed more carrying capacity, in terms of both weight and volume, the FC-170 was a longer-wheelbase version of the FC-150 built atop a 103.5-inch-wheelbase chassis that shared much with the 104-inch Willys Wagon chassis. While the FC-150 made do with narrow CJ axles, the FC-170 enjoyed a nice, wide Willys pickup axles to the tune of a Dana 44 front and either a Spicer 53 rear in the single-wheel versions or a Dana 70 in the dual-rear-wheel models. Axle gearing was 4.88, and that complemented the more powerful 226-cube L-head inline-six that produced 105 hp and 190 lb-ft. The transmission backing this six-cylinder was either the three-speed T-90 or an excellent optional T-98 with a 6.40:1 First gear. The FC-170 could be had with a gross vehicle weight rating up to 9,000 pounds in the dual-rear-wheel, four-speed variant. The three-speed dual-rear-wheel model had a gross rating of 8,000 pounds, and the single-rear-wheel versions were 7,000 pounds.

Although the civilian market had a choice of only the FC-150 or FC-170, a number of military versions were built, but not too many exist today in the public sphere. The M-676 was little more than a militarized version of the FC-170. Our own Fred Williams owns a highly prized and desirable M-677 crew-cab version powered by the unique three-cylinder, two-stroke Cerlist diesel engine that puts out 85 hp and 170 lb-ft. It also feels about as loud as a Who concert when you're riding inside it. Finally, the uber-rare M-678 and M-679 were full-bodied military wagon versions, with the M-678 featuring windows for transport or ambulance service and the M-679 with panel sides and only vents for airflow. Notvery many of the wagon-bodied FCs exist today, so if you stumble across one in a barn somewhere, buy it!