The original WWII Willys Jeep was as simple as it gets, no airbags, no seatbelts, no electronics just steel and guts.

It was a light and tough 4x4, easy to work on and you could fix almost anything with basic tools. You could tear the whole Jeep down in less than 5 minutes.

If someone tried to build one today, same size, same style, could it actually pass modern safety and emissions standards?

Or would the rules make a true “modern Willys” impossible?

Curious what engineers, mechanics, and everyone else thinks. It would save people so much money.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    4·
    10 hours ago

    Not specific to that vehicle, but I think that generally, the way type certification works for vehicles is that existing certifications remain valid for already-manufactured vehicles, but once regulations change, you can’t just go back and produce more of something.

    I am confident that doing the Willys in particular would violate existing regulations. One off-the-cuff issue is that the original engine in that thing would have used leaded gasoline, and I’m pretty sure that you can’t make new cars that use leaded gasoline in the US.

    EDIT: It might be possible to build an "experimental’ car for yourself — I forget the term, but there’s some class of vehicles in the US that DIYers and experimenters build, and I believe that it has a lighter set of requirements. Even if you could, though, it wouldn’t permit for mass production, which I assume is what you’re after.

    kagis

    Sounds like at least some, if not all, of that classification is state-level. So I suspect what’s permissible would vary by state.

    https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/9492

    https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/new-registration/register-a-specially-constructed-or-modified-vehicle/

    • Weirdfish@lemmy.world
      6·
      10 hours ago

      My brother built his own car, someone from the state had to come out, certify it, and put the VIN stamp on it. Had to have a roll bar, seat belts, and pass modern emissions standards.

      For a Willy’s jeep, the best thing you could do is find a roached out one and build it up from scratch. Like a firearm, there are just some key components that have to remain original. The frame and VIN might be all you actually need, and since it’s vintage, you’d only have to pass the safety and emissions standards of that era.