NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) was a four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicle parts manufacturing company founded in 1918 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. Besides four-wheel drive units, NAPCO also provided winches, auxiliary transmissions, tandem drive axles, hydrovac systems, and dump truck bodies.
In a partnership with Sherman Products Inc., NAPCO also produced a Front Wheel Drive (FWD) Assist kit for Ford 600 and 800 series tractors in the mid-1950s. Marketed under the name Sherman NAPCO, [1] the kit did not sell in large numbers, as it was competing with the more common Elenco FWD Assist [2] [3]
The 4x4 business was eventually acquired by Dana Corporation, but the company survives as NAPCO International and still produces parts and equipment for the military.
Four Wheel Drive vehicles have been around since the 1890s, but were generally unheard of before World War II. The most well-known early American manufacturer was the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, which began production in 1909. Marmon-Herrington conversion units were installed into Ford trucks in the late 1930s, but it was an expensive and time-consuming effort resulting in few conversions.
Like many USA companies during World War II, NAPCO refocused their operation on producing specialized automotive parts and assemblies for USA military contractors and vehicles.
Overseas, soldiers were driving Jeeps and experiencing the versatility and usefulness of four-wheel-drive. They realized the advantages 4x4 vehicles could offer for construction, farming, logging, prospecting, ranching, sportsmen, and simply exploring the backwoods. They wanted 4x4 in their civilian trucks when they returned home. [4]
The US Army sought rapid production of a lightweight reconnaissance car. Production of the Willys MB, better known as the Jeep, began in 1941. By 1945, over 650,000 military Jeeps had been manufactured, and subsequent Willys/Jeep production was almost exclusively four-wheel drive.
Of the Big Three USA automakers, only Dodge responded quickly to the demand, introducing the first civilian production 4x4 truck with their military-type WW2 proven medium-duty Power Wagon in 1946.
After the war, NAPCO shifted again to produce peacetime machinery. As early as 1947, NAPCO began manufacturing an aftermarket 4x4 Conversion Kit they named Powr-Pak, that could be bolted onto any truck chassis equipped with Hotchkiss drive. Powr-pak versions were built that fit Dodge, Ford, General Motors (Chevrolet and GMC), and Studebaker trucks, but the bulk of the Powr-Paks sold ended up on GM's 3/4 and 1-ton pickups (no 1/2-tons, since they used an incompatible Torque tube until 1955). [5]
The transfer case was a Spicer unit with optional Dual-Range Hi-Lo, but the rest of the Powr-pak kit (85%) consisted of readily available Chevrolet parts (wheels, drum brake assembly, front axle, leaf springs, shock absorbers, driveshafts and universal joints). One notable feature was the "shift on the fly" rubber mounted transfer case that provided a smoother ride. Powr-pak offered options for Hi-Lo dual-range and Power take-off (PTO). NAPCO also offered an assortment of winches, auxiliary transmissions, and other truck parts.
The Powr-Pak kit was shipped in a crate measuring 80"x30"x26" and weighing 1,410 pounds. It could be easily installed by an owner or a dealer, requiring as few as 4 holes to be drilled in the chassis. In as little as 3 hours, a full-size truck could be converted into a 4x4 "Mountain Goat" that would climb steep inclines with ease. Just as easily, the kit could be removed and re-used on another truck, and this was used as a selling point.
The retail price of NAPCO Powr-Pak kit in 1955 was $995. Many companies would install them, the price rising from $1250 to $1550 with labor, bringing the total price for a new GM pickup from $1,548.96 for 2WD to as low as $2,796.96 for 4WD.
In the 1950s the NAPCO became a publicly traded stock company and changed its name to NAPCO Industries, reflecting its change of focus from wholesale supplier to manufacturer. In addition to manufacturing, the company began tracking availability of blue prints, vendors, and prices of all the equipment requested by its worldwide customers.
GM redesigned their truck line mid-year in 1955, and soon offered the Powr-Pak as a factory-installed option; this reduced the purchase price and increased the number of sales by the dealerships. GMC was first in 1956, and Chevrolet followed in 1957, assigning it a Regular Production Option number (RPO 690). The 1957 Chevrolet and GMC 3100 4×4 price was a bargain at $2549.00 compared to the earlier add on kits.
GM redesigned their truck line again in 1960, this time with an Independent Front Suspension (IFS) that wasn't compatible with the existing Powr-Pak kits.[1] So, GM began producing their own 4x4 design in-house, and parted ways with NAPCO. [5]
Loosing that much business was devastating. NAPCO continued making 4x4 kits for a few more years, then refocused on heavy-duty trucks, 1+1⁄2 tons and larger. Eventually, NAPCO sold the rights to their 4x4 business to Dana, a manufacturer of transfer cases and Spicer brand driveline components. All the archives, documentation and parts were all absorbed by DANA. who originally produced the
60 years later, NAPCO trucks are still considered durable and very versatile, and are highly desired collectibles. The exact number of Powr-Paks sold for all the brands is uncertain, but is thought to be under 2,000 (NAPCO record-keeping wasn't precise).
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC).
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case providing an additional output drive shaft and, in many instances, additional gear ranges.
The Chevrolet S-10 is a compact pickup truck that was produced by Chevrolet. It was the first domestically built compact pickup of the big three American automakers. When it was first introduced as a "quarter-ton pickup" in 1981 for the 1982 model year, the GMC version was known as the S-15 and later renamed the GMC Sonoma. A high-performance version was released in 1991 and given the name of GMC Syclone. The pickup was also sold by Isuzu as the Hombre from 1996 through 2000, but only in North America. There was also an SUV version, the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer/GMC S-15 Jimmy. An electric version was leased as a fleet vehicle in 1997 and 1998. Together, these pickups are often referred to as the S-series.
C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associated with pickup trucks, the model line also included chassis-cab trucks and medium-duty trucks and served as the basis for GM full-size SUVs. Through its entire production, the model line competed directly against the Ford F-Series and the Dodge D series.
The Chevrolet Express is a series of full-size vans produced by General Motors since 1996. The successor to the Chevrolet G-series van, the Express is produced in passenger and cargo variants. Alongside the standard van body, the line is offered as a cutaway van chassis; the latter vehicle is a chassis cab variant developed for commercial-grade applications, including ambulances, buses, motorhomes and small trucks.
The Ford Excursion is a heavy duty, full-sized SUV that was sold by Ford from 2000 to 2005. The third SUV derived from the Ford F-Series, the model line was the longest and heaviest SUV ever to enter mass production at the time. Slotted above the Expedition in the Ford model line, the Excursion was sold nearly exclusively in North America; limited numbers of the model line were produced for export.
The Chevrolet K5 Blazer is a full-size sport-utility vehicle that was built by General Motors. GM's smallest full-size SUV, it is part of the Chevrolet C/K truck family. Introduced to the Chevrolet line for the 1969 model year, the K5 Blazer was replaced for 1995 by the Chevrolet Tahoe. The third generation was simply called "Chevrolet Blazer", without the K5 name. In 1970, GMC introduced its own model of the truck, called the Jimmy, which was discontinued in 1991 and replaced by the Yukon. The "Jimmy" name was chosen to reflect how GM may sound in a similar manner to how Jeep was thought to be a pronunciation of GP in the competing market. Both were short-wheelbase trucks and available with either rear- or four-wheel drive.
The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, 1⁄4‑ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its Standard Army vehicle supply nr. G-503, were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles. Well over 600,000 were built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. This also made it the world's first mass-produced four-wheel drive car, built in six-figure numbers.
The Marmon-Herrington Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of axles and transfer cases for trucks and other vehicles. Earlier, the company built military vehicles and some tanks during World War II, and until the late 1950s or early 1960s was a manufacturer of trucks and trolley buses. Marmon-Herrington had a partnership with Ford Motor Company, producing trucks and other commercial vehicles, such as buses. The company may be best known for its all-wheel-drive conversions to other truck maker's units, especially to Ford truck models. Founded in 1931, Marmon-Herrington was based in Indianapolis, Indiana, with a plant in Windsor, Ontario, and remained in Indianapolis until 1963. It is now based in Louisville, Kentucky.
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The G-506 trucks, 1+1⁄2-ton, 4x4, produced as the Chevrolet G7100 models, were a series of (light) medium four wheel drive trucks used by the United States Army and its allies during and after World War II. This series came in standard cargo, as well as many specialist type bodies.
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Four Wheeler is the oldest magazine for 4x4 and off-road truck and SUV enthusiasts. The first issue was published in February 1962, and in 2012, the internationally-read magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary. Four Wheeler focuses on new vehicle evaluations, project vehicles, the technical aspects of building a vehicle, product tests, outdoor equipment, and machines, 4x4 shows and competitions, and travel and adventure.
Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road was an automobile magazine dedicated to 4x4 and off-road trucks and SUVs. The first issue was published in 1977; it began as a special-interest publication from the editors of Hot Rod magazine. 4-Wheel & Off-Road covered a range of topics for the do-it-yourself light-truck enthusiast, including real-world 4x4 performance modifications, new products and product evaluations, off-road event coverage, new-vehicle evaluations, travel, and lifestyle. In March 1978, the magazine officially became a monthly publication, and in 2013, 4-Wheel & Off-Road celebrated its 35th anniversary. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. On December 6, 2019, magazine-publishing industry news outlet Folio: reported the magazine was among 19 publications to be discontinued by Motor Trend Group by the end of 2019.
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