1957 Jeep FC-150 - Jeep Encyclopedia - Four Wheeler Magazine
The Forward Control did neither for Jeep, but it now provides an interesting collectible. The Brooks Stevens-designed Forward Control trucks were first offered in two models, the FC-150 and the FC-170. The FC-150 was built on an 81-inch CJ wheelbase and nominally rated at 1?2-ton. Its 74-inch bed was equivalent to a regular short-bed truck but because of the cabover design, the truck could be much shorter. Along the same lines was the FC-170, which was built on a 103. 5-inch wheelbase, had 9-foot bed and a 1-ton rating (which was a bit optimistic). Again, the cabover design made it much shorter than a regular long-bed pickup. The FC-150 debuted in December of 1956 as a ’57 model and the FC-170 came a few months later in May of 1957. There was a lot of initial press hoopla and sales were decent, but never really developed into blockbuster status. There were many variations on both chassis, and you’ll see some in future installments of “Jeep Encyclopedia,” but the basic trucks were sold from 1957 into 1965. The FC-150 bed was a full six feet in length but a little narrower than a standard... The first FC-150 bore a lot of mechanical resemblance to the CJ, using the same F-head 134-cube four-cylinder engine, T-90. Source: www.fourwheeler.com
