What I find most interesting is the use of spatial organization when taking the Jeep apart. You could probably walk those guys out half way through, bring in a different set of guys, and they could put it back together by just looking at where the pieces are on the ground.

Perfection (in design) is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but rather when there is nothing more to take away.

  -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This is neat. Heck of a job. I probably couldn't do it anywhere near that fast.

But...

When I watched the video I got a sinking feeling regarding the comment thread on HN. Sure enough, I come back here, and see people praising the simplicity of the design.

Ha ha. Surely you jest.

This is engineering compromise, but heavy on the compromise. The Jeep they used for this video didn't have a radiator, only used two lug nuts per wheel, and didn't have any brakes. (Note how it coasted to a stop.) A Jeep in actual, drivable condition would take a least an hour to field strip to the same degree, and one that had any significant mileage would take even longer still, what with rusty bolts and seized connectors.

And even a Jeep in running condition compromised a lot to reduce the number of parts. You can have a car that's as simple as a Jeep if you're willing to give up:

  Air conditioning.
  Airbags.
  Any kind of modern emissions controls.
  Modern engine diagnostics.
  Electronic stability control and ABS brakes.
  Cheap maintenance.
  Decent fuel efficiency. (Jeeps are pretty heavy, thanks 
  to the simple design, have lousy aerodynamics, and an 
  carburetor-fueled engine that isn't afraid to waste gas)
  A roof.
  Any kind of sound insulation.
  Doors.

I thought his column sucked[2], but the point is that a basic car is not impossible, or a relic of ancient technology that is now lost to us, but because outside of a few specialized applications, such as military vehicles, "basic car" is actually a codeword for "a car that sucks", and I would confidently lay money that the dozens of people expressing admiration for the Jeep's elegant design would hate to be forced to drive one.

1: http://www.speedsportlife.com/2009/01/21/avoidable-contact-2...

2: http://bbot.org/blog/archives/2009/02/27/blind_nostalgia_and...

Very cool, but the most complex part, the engine, is still left as one piece.

This is like saying "oh, look I've split my program in to many source code files to make it less complex" and yet one of the files is 20KLOC.

Just Enough Essential Parts = JEEP

I would love to know more about their design mantra.

The guys at autoblog are discussing this vid. It seems that it has been prepared, there's no liquid coolant nor any fluid containers that can be seen.

Edit: here's the link http://www.autoblog.com/2010/09/10/video-team-tears-down-the...

Does anyone know if this is an older model that has since been over complicated? Or if this sort of vehicle is available for civilians? What a cool toy, and seemingly a cool way to learn more about vehicles/engines. Kept simple enough, seems like it could even be affordable..

I saw this video on a 4x4ing forum this morning. My 99 TJ is no where near this simple. I wish it was though. Jeeps are money pits and it would be awesome if I could do repairs with a handful of tools.

I've long wanted someone to build and sell a dead-simple car like this today. With modern emissions and safety standards, it might well not be possible.

There's no way that drive-train could be attached that loosely and have it go over so much as a pothole.

I've always been impressed by how easily a VW Beetle's engine can be removed. People have similar contests to see how quickly the engine can be swapped:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Du5atasfQ

Reminds me of the ifixit team on Apple product release day.

Heh.. first thought was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WDvqPOn6g4 (Lord of War - plane salvage scene)

Reminds me of the teamwork and efficiency of formula 1 pit crews and the modular design of the cars.

…Of course a modern vehicle will probably stand up to an attack a bit better. Compromises.

A better title might be "This is reverse engineering" :) Ah good old times..

Its easy when you don't pull the engine apart first. :-)

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That is absolutely exceptional work.

Now try that on a sportscar...

I've heard it said that you can't fully understand how a thing works until you are capable of completely taking it apart and then reassembling it back together again in it's original working condition.

This is great! If only psychiatrists could be so efficient.

This is a excellent example of teamwork too.

Completely pointless drill.

This is a great example of teamwork and practice, but, I don't get it. Why is this engineering? Why is the ability to take a Jeep apart and reassemble it in 4 minutes "simply great design"? Is that what Jeeps are for?