Rare FC
In your July '97 story "Best 4x4s of All Time," you figure any crew-cab shortbed ranks as one of the coolest pickups ever. Jeep Forward Control pickups were also high in the ranking. So I was wondering, do two cools cancel out each other, or do they just double into super cool?
This '64 Jeep FC-170 crew cab (or M-677 to the military) is my dream machine. This model seems to be a limited-production military secret, since no one knows exactly how many were made (or perhaps their memories were erased by the same government agencies that are hiding all those UFOs). I wanted the FC because my dad had one when I was in kindergarten. I began my search after college, and ultimately found the perfect truck just an hour from home. After a lot of work, it's finally on the road. Now it's a daily driver except when it breaks, which is often.
The truck currently has a 170ci Cerlist inline three-cylinder, two-stroke, supercharged diesel/multifuel engine. The trans is a Borg-Warner T90, the T-case is a Spicer 18, and I've added a Warn overdrive. The front axle is a Dana 44 and the rear is a Dana 53, both with 4.89 gears.
To me, the Jeep's perfect and really cool. In fact, I'm trying to start a Jeep Forward Control Registry, and I'd appreciate it if you'd put my address in the magazine so other owners can write me.
Fred Williams
Forward Control Registry
P.O. Box 10463
Greensboro, NC 27404