Willys Overland Production Figures¶
You won't find more accurate Willys-Overland production information anywhere else. This production information was transcribed into electronic form by Charlie Weaver from a hand written a compilation Norton Young did between 1959 and 1961. Norton Young was an employee of Willys/Kaiser at the time and did the compilations so that executives at Kaiser would have yearly production information.
There are disparities between this production information and production information from other sources. Many things could cause these disparities, but the most likely thing to cause them would be the choice of start and end times. In the early years Willys-Overland did not have model years like automobile manufactures do today. In fact, it was common for mid year changes to be made when ever the engineering department came up with new ideas. Norton Young's production numbers are based on build date and a regular calendar year.
Titling practices in the 40s and 50s were very relaxed by today's standards. Many states in the US didn't title cars at all and a sales receipt was enough for proof of ownership. Often, vehicles were titled the year they were sold or the dealerships would send away to the manufactures for "fresh" paper work so last years models could be sold as current year models. If you have an older Jeep, chances are the title is wrong.
It is common to look up a serial number for a Jeep to determine the year the vehicle was built, because it is common to have an incorrect title or no title at all for an old vehicle. To make this process easier, the serial numbers have been organized by model. The original data compiled by Mr. Young was organized by year.
It is a shame that Norton Young didn't continue to keep production statistics. Charlie contacted Mr Young to talk about his work:
In a talk with Norton Young a week or 2 ago, he told me that by 1961, the folks in the corner offices at K-F had no more interest in these statistics so he quit keeping them. He also said that he had difficulty getting "timely" reports from the production people, and often had to go through the unit sheets himself and try to piece the info together. He admitted that there may be some errors.
This article is not meant to cover passenger cars, but the information was available in the original, so it has been included rather than edited out.
The following abbreviation key explains some of the known abbreviations used in the original. If you have information on the unknown abbreviations, please email me.
Abbreviation Key¶
| AMB | Ambulance |
|---|---|
| AVA | ??? |
| CAB | Cab only |
| CPC | ??? |
| C/WS | Cowl/Windshield |
| FFC | Flat Face Cowl |
| PU | Pickup |
| RT | ??? |
| ST CH | Stripped Chassis |
| STK | Stake bed |
Production information now on models pages.
Yearly Totals¶
| YEAR | TOTAL |
|---|---|
| 1946 | 78088 |
| 1947 | 97581 |
| 1948 | 148676 |
| 1949 | 86542 |
| 1950 | 90424 |
| 1951 | 101234 |
| 1952 | 92134(4) |
| 1953 | 125620 |
| 1954 | 61389 |
| 1955 | 78980(9) |
| 1956 | 64270 |
| 1957 | 65417(12) |
| 1958 | 44703 |
| 1959 | 60471 |
| 1960 | 72753 |
| 1961 | 66756(19)(21) |
Footnotes¶
Obvious errors from the original have been corrected, but sometimes it is not possible to determine what is right and what is wrong. Errors that have been found have been noted here. Also noted here are some corrections that have been made that could be questionable.
(1)¶
Ending serial numbers are based on units by CW. The original only contained total units for all variations of the 473 HT pickup.
(2)¶
Original number of 18682 changed to 18706 by NY.
(3)¶
Original number of 11512 changed to 11537 by NY.
(4)¶
Reflects total with added units from (2) and (3) by CW
(5)¶
No body types given in original. Body types shown are surmised from serial and model numbers.
(6)¶
No model numbers given in original. Model numbers shown are surmised from body types and serial numbers.
(7)¶
Note by NY: Serials 5001-10000 for '53 conversions as "specials". What Mr. Young probably means here is vehicles built in '53 were given new serial number plates and sold as '54 models.
(8)¶
Serial numbers beginning at 5001 are just as shown on NY list. No explanation of disparity in individual units total.
(9)¶
Year total shown is 360 more than the sum of the individual unit production figures. No explanation.
(10)¶
No type designation given in original. From serial and model numbers, they appear to be 6-226 4WD by CW
(11)¶
The serial number 10002 shows up twice in the original in 1956 and 1957.
(12)¶
Original gives units as 780, which does not compute with serial numbers. 1958 serial number begins with 12231 indicating 1957 production figure should be 580. Original yearly total shown as 65617, should be 65417 in light of above.
(13)¶
The serial number range does not match the number of units produced in the original.
(14)¶
According to the serial number ranges, the unit totals are understated by one.
(15)¶
Serial number 12511 does not show up in the serial number range for 1956 or 1957.
(16)¶
No model numbers given in original for 1958 and 1959. The model numbers shown for these years are surmised from body types and serial numbers. The serial number ranges have been changed to align with the units produced.
(17)¶
The serial number for 17094 is shown for both years and the production totals for both years include a unit for this serial number.
(18)¶
Note on original beside "Face Lift" says "Was Maverick".
(19)¶
Several figures which do not agree with serial numbers on original, corrected here.
(20)¶
Original 1957 production list shows FC 170 Model number as 65168, it should be 61568.
(21)¶
The 1961 numbers are the worst for errors. The totals show 6412 more units produced than the serial numbers indicate on the original sheets and the corrected numbers are shown. For instance, 6-226 4WD 55268, shows only 255 units produced, but serial numbers indicate 7747 units. Based on 1960 figures, 7747 seems to be correct. Also, 475 2WD Maverick 58147 shows only 202 units on original, understated by 1000.
(22)¶
Original specified 40 units produced, corrected here to 30 units. Total for 1958 may be overstated by 10.
(23)¶
In the original, there was no model name given. Currently, there is no information on what a JT is or what the correct models names are for these vehicles, but they are passenger cars.