Jeep YJ 2.5 1994

The MB-CJ3B, is the first model of Jeep built in Spain.

At the end of the 50's, Kaiser, owner of Willys-Overland (renamed Willys Motor Company) gave license to the company C. A. F. for the manufacture exclusively of Jeep Universal in our country. C. A. F. assigned the production to its subsidiary V. I. A. S. A.

Exactly in 1959, was granted the first licenses for import of machinery and parts by the Ministry of Commerce, to mount in the factory of V. I. A. S. A in Zaragoza the first Jeep spaniards, who would not leave the market until 1960.

It seems to be that such a license allowed you to build the model of Jeep CJ3B, but with the motors and the different features of the model genuine american.

According to information collected, the first unit is mounted is photographed in 1959, at the gates of the factory, and you can see here courtesy of Miguel.

It seems that the first units of the Jeep were assembled with material from surplus american, at least in mechanical terms, though from the unit no. 200 all of the components were already 100% of national origin.

V. I. A. S. To market the vehicles under the brand Willys-V. I. A. S. A, and the first model manufactured was called MB-CJ3B, very probablemte by the fact of mounting the engine and chassis of the MB, with a body of CJ3B.

This appellation brings to misunderstandings, not a few times, due to the combination of both acronyms, MB always making reference to the well-known model military Willys and CJ, referring to the line civilian Jeeps.

We also manufactured models CJ3B with engines Perkins, exactly with the P4-192, some units on-demand with Barreiros and it seems to be that there was even a long version called the CJ6 that in addition to the Go-devil (MB-CJ6) rode also, among others, the Hurricane original CJ3B american, denominandose HU-CJ6.

It is the model with the Go-devil in the that I'm going to focus, although you can find more information about the Jeeps Spanish on the website of the CJ3B.

The engine, as I have mentioned, was the model Go-Devil, instead of the more modern and powerful Hurricane that already had the CJ3B of american manufacturing, and to which they had been amended, specifically the 'morro' to accommodate the new engine (F-Head, intake valves in the cylinder head and of a greater height.

The Go-devil that were mounted were after the 2nd world war, so that the cylinder head was already reinforced and the distribution was by sprockets unlike the first.

Was also replaced the carburetor with a Solex 32PBIC (as in the Hotchkiss French) in place of the carburetor, Carter mounted in the Go-devil of MB and Ford GWP.

It is very likely that most of these units were intended for the Spanish Army.

There really is very little information of this model, and so that you can see in the documentation there are differences between the first and the last units of the series, as for example the indicators of speed, or that a lead glove compartment and others do not.

Unlike manual american Jeep, the manual of mechanics of the MB-CJ3B published by V. I. A. S. A does not give many details, with which you can't see, for example, as was the rear or that pilots wore, or where they housed the spare wheel.

Although this information is not confirmed, it is possible that there were more than a thousand units. At least none of the few units located has a number of major series, a thousand, and none has the date of construction higher than the year 1966, so this must be the year of the end of production.

As I have already mentioned, the Jeeps were manufactured by V. I. A. S. A. (Industrial Vehicles and Agricultural, a limited liability Company) in the factory of Zaragoza, and distributed by Autotrade.

As previously mentioned, even among Jeeps with the same denomination there are differences. The most visible are in the box.

According to the 'Catalogue of original parts Jeep Willys-Viasa' the instrument panel of the MB-CJ3B was as the figure below. On the other hand, there is a user manual of Viasa by reference to the Jeep Universal (available in Documentation), where you are shown a dashboard different, and which coincides with some boards identified as the MB-CJ3B. In the figure below you can see the differences between the two, among which are the number of clocks, indicators, and the existence of the glove box.

The following figure shows the instrument panels of the CJ3B american, 1953 (left) and 1957 (right). You can see as a match with the panels of the Spanish models, with the exception of the hole for the glove box, that none of the americans had. Neither match up to the windscreen, with which it is possible that in the factory of V. I. A. S. A. is to build both models of panel with the same windshield.

I imagine that the early MB-CJ3B were mounted as the American model of 1953, and the last, as the american model of 1957.

Although the Spanish model shares the body with the american, there is a multitude of small differences, and some obvious and that characterize both.

The main difference by viewing both models in front of it is the plate with the name of the brand in the Spanish model where in the u.s. is indicated by the word WILLYS embossed on the same sheet of the grill.

You can also see that the american model leads to studs on the hood to support the windshield when it is killed, while the spaniard has a few brackets in the upper part of the windshield which are supported on the hood.

The tailgate of the Spanish model is completely flat and only shows the word WILLYS embossed in the center, unlike the characteristic gate of the american model. Although there is no accuracy as were the rear lights of the MB-CJ3B, it is for sure that they were not like the headlights of the american. Also the location of the spare wheel was different, as in the Spanish model was in the back and not on the side.