1 of 10 Known to Exist: 1965 Jeep FC/M679 Military Ambulance





























As the infamous line from Game of Thrones goes, "winter is coming". For automotive enthusiasts and collectors, this means that projects begin to move from the outdoors to inside the garage with the heat turned on and eventually turned up to full blast (especially if you live in the northeast part of the United States like I do). If you don't have a project for the winter, a perfect project for you would be this 1965 Jeep FC 170 M679 Military Ambulance, which is one of nine or ten known to exist. Find it here on Craigslist in Lake City, Florida, with an asking price of $20,000.



























Based off of the Forward-Control Jeeps introduced back in 1956, the M679, which was produced for only one year: 1965, was based off of the M678, which was a Forward-Control Jeep with a van body. To become the M879, the M678 was refitted as an ambulance. All told, only 50 M-Series Forward Control Jeeps are believed to have survive from the Forward Control Jeep's 600-700 production total. This M679 is a 1965 model, and appears to be fairly solid. There are a few large dents in the body, the most noticeable driver’s side rear door along with the passenger side panel above the rear wheel well. The windshield and window glass are also not currently mounted, but are included with the sale. A front brush guard is not currently mounted, so once this M679 is restored, I would mount the restored front brush guard. The factory bumpers look cool, as do the factory-look wheels and fender flares. I would either paint this M679 in Military Green or Military Gray with black bumpers, wheels ans fender flares for an aggressive, off-roading look.



































Unfortunately, the seller does not provide a picture of the engine, but this M679 is powered by a two-stroke Cerlist three-cylinder diesel. Displaced at 170 cubic inches and rated at 85 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque, the Cerlist uses scavenged-loop induction via a blower. The Cerlist also utilizes a forward-thinking modular design, which sees the same cylinders being used in varying layouts comprised of two, three, four and six cylinders. Much like a regular FC, the Cerlist is backed by a Borg-Warner three-speed manual transmission coupled to a Spicer Model 18 transfer case. The M679 also uses the FC's Spicer 44 front axle, but swaps the FC's rear axle for a sturdier Spicer 53. Currently not running, hopefully the Cerlist can be brought back to running, driving condition along with the rest of the drivetrain.



























As soon as I saw the pictures of the interior, I was immediately reminded of David Freiburger's Flannel Wagon from Roadkill Garage. Keeping with the bare-bones specs, the interior of this Jeep M679 is pretty bare-bones, featuring only two seats to sit in. The military instrument panel is missing, which is pretty vital considering that a stock FC instrument will not work. The seats also need to be redone, as they are pretty worn out. Otherwise, the interior is pretty solid and complete. As a whole, this Jeep M679 is going to need a decent amount of work to be restored, but once restored should command a nice net worth of value. What are your thoughts on this one-year only Jeep M679? 
Location: Lake City, FL, USA

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