The front bore the unmistakable jeep grille, even in later models (like above) where the grille angled out in the center, it was unmistakably jeep. Unlike the wooden station wagons of the time, the Jeep Station Wagon was fully steel construction. At first they were available only with a paint job which mimicked birch and mahogany paneling. The Sedan Delivery was missing the rear windows and seats and came with "panel doors" - two upright doors which open outward, while the regular Station Wagons had a liftgate and tailgate setup. The Chrysler Corp. took until 1949 to introduce a steel wagon, while Ford waited until 1951 to catch up.
When first released, the Wagons were only available in two-wheel-drive. The Wagon's front suspension was Willys' Planadyne Ride, basically independent front suspension using control arma and a single transverse leaf spring. In 1949, four-wheel-drive was intorduced in the Wagons, this option remained available until Wagon production ended in 1963 (This year is questionable, I have owned a 1962 Wagoneer (the successor to the Wagon) while I have read a magazine article claiming that the vehicle pictured was 1964 Wagon, I have hear conflicting dates, and even Chrysler Corp doesn't have any idea.). The first engine offered in these rigs was the venerable Go-Devil four cylinder. In 1950, the Hurricane Four replaced the Go-Devil. The Lightening six-cylinder, available after 1948, was replaced by the Super Hurricane six-cylinder (a good engine, my father's 1960 Wagon still runs the original engine after thirty years on the ranch) in 1954. In 1962, a new inovation was made in the Wagon, and over-head-cam engine, which is very common and actually preferable these days, was placed into service. The Tornade OHC (for Over-Head-Cam) in-line six-cylinder engine was said to be a strong runner, despite its abilities to burn oil, but its uncommon design made it difficult to work on at the time. It is my opinion (after owning two vehicles which had this engine) that the engine is good, but was a little before its time. This engine carried over to the 1962 Wagoneer and continued production until its unpopularity caused its demise in 1965.
The styling changes of the Station Wagon and Sedan Delivery paralleled those of the Jeep Truck. 1950 brought the new grille (as seen above, see the picture of the Jeep Truck in chapter 6 to see the original style grille), rounded fenders replaced the CJ style flat fenders, and the new grille cross bars. 1960 saw a slight bodyside moulding change. Not only are these vehicles a good investment, but you would be hard-pressed to find a new family vehicle that would come close to the space provided by these vehicles.
