# The June 6 D Day 4x4 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081 "2024-06-06T22:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/1 "2024-06-06T22:33:24Z")
[https://www.motor1.com/news/722412/willys-mb-jeep-normandy-landings/](https://www.motor1.com/news/722412/willys-mb-jeep-normandy-landings/) ---
**Author:** ![SteveCBT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevecbt/32/3192_2.png) [@SteveCBT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveCBT)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/2 "2024-06-06T23:20:39Z")
The Jeep was developed by the Bantam car company in Butler PA The company did not have the manufacturing capacity to meet the military’s needs. The design was given to Ford and Willys > **[American Bantam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Bantam)** > > The American Bantam Car Company was an American automobile manufacturing company incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania. American Bantam is credited with inventing the original World War II '"\`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000007-QINU\`"'1⁄4‑ton jeep in 1940.\[nb 1\] The company's founders, Roy Evans and William A. Ward Jr., combined resources to purchase the assets of the bankrupt American Austin Car Company in August of 1935 during liquidation. > In 1935 the new company produced vehicles based on t... ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/3 "2024-06-06T23:41:01Z")
Towards the end of the article they say this 4x4 is now considered a “collector’s item”. Repair parts must be pretty hard to find, so hard to keep this jeep in operating condition. Maybe the collectors just park and look at them. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/4 "2024-06-06T23:45:25Z")
Reproduction Jeep parts are freely available because there are so many still running. Another history point… the iconic Jeep 9 vertical slot grill was created by Ford so the grill panel could be stamped from a single part. The Willys grill was welded slats. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/5 "2024-06-06T23:53:45Z")
I like the look of that 9-slot grill. Ford indeed had a better idea. I’m presuming this Jeep was full-time 4WD, with no differential in the xfer case. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/6 "2024-06-07T00:16:06Z")
No, it was part time 4wd. Normally driven as rwd until 4wd is needed. With a low range in the transfer case. To be full time 4wd, a diff is required in the transfer case. ---
**Author:** ![Clueless33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Clueless33](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Clueless33)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/7 "2024-06-07T00:50:36Z")
I’m in love with Jeep because my family all owned the land rovers when I was a kid. It’s on this forum that I learned land rovers and Jeep are two different brands. Jeep wrangler today looks so much like the Land Rover defenders ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 2:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/8 "2024-06-07T02:44:16Z")
Just go off topic for your listening pleasure, it was the 80th today but I listened to Reagan’s speech on the 40th which was great. I’ve been there looking up at the pill boxes and the cemetery. All quite amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/9 "2024-06-07T04:06:35Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > Repair parts must be pretty hard to find, so hard to keep this jeep in operating condition. As a daily driver? Vehicles of this age are usually only used about as much as you use your truck. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/10 "2024-06-07T15:07:28Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > Reproduction Jeep parts are freely available because there are so many still running. +1 There are MANY MANY used and aftermarket parts available for the old Jeeps. In fact - I don’t know of any vehicle of that era that has so many aftermarket parts available. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/11 "2024-06-07T15:13:10Z")
I saw a video of a reproduction Jeep-in-a-crate just as they were shipped to Europe in WW2. I didn’t see what engine they had, maybe a repo Go-Devil. Edit… They come without a drivetrain. Maybe sourcing a slightly more modern drivetrain would be good idea. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/12 "2024-06-07T15:28:01Z")
> [@SteveCBT](#): > > The Jeep was developed by the Bantam car company in Butler PA This weekend is the Bantam Jeep Festival there, coincidentally. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/13 "2024-06-07T16:46:58Z")
Yeah but I think the production contract was then given to ford and Willys, ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/14 "2024-06-07T19:48:35Z")
As mentioned above, Bantam could not produce the numbers required. DoD gave Bantam a contract to produce trailers IIRC. See @SteveCBT’s post above. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/15 "2024-06-07T21:09:49Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > Normally driven as rwd until 4wd is needed. Thanks. Still curious about its configuration. Do you know when in 2wd (rwd) mode, did the front wheels freely rotate on the spindle (i.e. locking hubs), or did the front axle shafts continue to rotate (no locking hubs). When I would drive my truck in 4WD country w/hubs locked, sometimes I’d have to travel 2-3 miles on paved roads to the next dirt road. In that situation I wouldn’t unlock the hubs, I’d just shift the xfer case to 2WD mode for the paved road segment. Convenient b/c I didn’t have to exit the truck. The compromise was that it didn’t handle as smoothly compared to getting out & unlocking the hubs. My truck has an illegal mode, with the hubs unlocked, but with the xfer case in 4WD mode. It seems like for a military jeep driven daily by different drivers, you wouldn’t want it to have any illegal modes that could damage something. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/16 "2024-06-07T21:19:12Z")
Photos don’t look like they have locking hubs. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/17 "2024-06-07T21:21:07Z")
That would be the best configuration for a military jeep b/c there’s no illegal modes. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/18 "2024-06-07T22:20:39Z")
@texases is correct. Jeeps had no locking hubs, just the transfer case to select 2wd, 4wd Hi and Lo. NO one wants to get out and lock the hubs when the shooting starts! And no one cares much about fuel economy when the Army is paying the bill. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 9:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/19 "2024-06-08T09:29:41Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > My truck has an illegal mode, with the hubs unlocked, but with the xfer case in 4WD mode. What’s the point of that? Why illegal? Am I missing something. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081/20 "2024-06-08T13:12:29Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > That would be the best configuration for a military jeep **b/c there’s no illegal modes.** OK, I will bite, what do you mean?? [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-june-6-d-day-4x4/195081.md?page=2)