We’re going to have us a Jeep theme day, and this Gladiator is a fitting participant. We’ve done these in a lot more detail in the past (links at bottom), but I can’t ever resist shooting when I see one, especially in my neighborhood. There’s something so Tonka Toy about them, with their flat sides and 90 degree creases. And of course that grille. Jeep tough.
The Gladiator and related Wagoneer went through quite a few different engines in their long lives. The Tornado OHC six, based on the ancient 226 flathead six, was the sole original engine in 1963. Unfortunately, it was not Jeep Tough, at least in its first few years, although it went on to have an illustrious long career in Argentina.
In 1965, Kaiser Jeep wisely started buying the beefy 327 V8 from AMC, along with the new AMC 232 inch six, to replace the Toronado.
But in 1968, the AMC 327 was dropped in favor of the Buick 350 (5.7L) V8, with a 230 gross hp rating. Why? Jeep had been buying Buick’s 225 V6 statting in 1965, and then bought the whole V6 tooling in 1967, so presumably that relationship extended to buying the V8 too.
Of course that didn’t last long either, as AMC bought Jeep in 1970, so out went the Buick V8 and in went the AMC 360 (and 401) V8. But for the years 1968-1971, there was a 350 V8 badge on the side. I don’t know the actual model year of this truck, so I’m just going with the first year.
The J3000 is the bigger boy of the Gladiator family. Strictly speaking, the Gladiator name was dropped after 1971, and the model numbers inflated to J2000 and J4000, and from 1974, just J20 and J40.
The original grille lasted longer on the Glad than on the Wagoneer, all the way through 1969. So this is either a ’68 or ’69.
The cab got a curious raised top, quite different than the smoothly0faired transition on the Wagoneer. Obviously to increase headroom, but why exactly I’m not sure.
This is a long wheelbase (132″) version, with the 8′ bed. Elemental.
Of course you all know that the Gladiator name is coming back for 2020. A bit less elemental, but it’ll probably be a hit. Jeep seems to not be able to do wrong these days; the brand is red hot.
More in-depth Gladiator reading:
CC 1965 Gladiator J2000: Holy Toledo JPCavanaugh
I’ve seen very few of these in the wild, but definitely played with the Tonka version as a kid:
Can I be the first one to say that I love the original grille design tons more than the later full-width version(s)?
It has loads of character. Like the original Cordoba nose.
You certainly won’t be the last, Evan. None of the, what, four? Five? subsequent grilles looks anywhere near as good.
Those side reflectors on this truck, though, are grody to the max. They look like items grabbed off the 29¢ shelf at Kresge’s and crudely screwed on. For the matter of that, they could be; Google isn’t providing a consistent or dependable presentation of the side marker configuration on ’68s—here’s what claims to be a ’68 with a 327, which per Paul’s text shouldn’t be a thing. Its side markers look differently but equally suspicious to me, especially in context of this ’69 and this one, both bearing much more believable side markers.
(The law requirement was for amber front and red rear side reflectors and/or lights on ’68 and ’69 models; effective 1/1/70 the “/or” was deleted and the lights-and-reflectors requirement as it exists today took effect.)
“They look like items grabbed off the 29¢ shelf at Kresge’s and crudely screwed on. For the matter of that, they could be”
Given the slotted screw heads, I’m going with added after manufacture. Jeep may have a reputation for anvil level engineering, but even they would use Phillips head screws on a production line.
Agreed, so then…what do we have here? A pre-1968 truck (no side markers of any kind) retrofitted with a 350 engine and matching badges…?
If you Google “1968 Gladiator” you’ll find a t least three different kinds of side marker/reflectors. I suspect they were buying then off the shelf at Kresge.
I wouldn’t dismiss them as aftermarket just because of the slotted screw head, the originals could have been removed for some reason at some time and they were replaced with what could be found. Several of the lights on one of my Scouts had rusty slotted head screws even though chrome Philips is what it would have left the factory with.
I am fascinated by the wide range of engines these got over the decades. I’ll bet these really scoot with a Buick 350.
I am also struck (again) by the near perfection of the basic Brooks Stevens design. As a fan of angular 1960s styling, these have aged incredibly well.
Who would have thought that the merger of the two most pathetic car companies of the mid 50s (Kaiser & Willys) would turn out to be the only independent whose footprints remain visible in todays auto landscape.
I assume the “curious” roof has to do with the fact that the Gladiator shared sheet metal with the military M715 series trucks. The military version had a removable canvas roof, that I remember (from the few times I drove one in the Army) being quite low. Back in those days the military was big on vehicles having a “tactical” configuration with open roofs to make it easier to fire from the vehicle.
I’ve never driven the civilian version, but I remember the military M715 as being geared very low and hard shifting.
Shift carefully, remember the battery box with square edges. Ulnar nerve has not yet recovered.
I definitely like the edginess of the old Gladiator. Not aerodynamic but still looks good today.
The new Gladiator will sell like hotcakes I am sure. Also, bed cap companies are likely working on or launching bed caps for the Gladiator which will make it look more like a Jeep SUV (good or bad). The only question is why did FCA/Jeep wait so long?
The question is how many more Wranglers will be sold if a pickup bed is available. It’s a style statement, not a functional feature, just like another tape stripe package.
It looks like it would hold a washing machine or a weekend’s worth of camping equipment just fine.
“I’d buy a Wrangler Unlimited if it were longer and had an open cargo area,” said almost no one.
“That looks AWESOME,” said almost everyone who buys a Wrangler pickup.
It does look cool, but it’s really a bit on the long side.
I wish there was a shorter 2-door version available. But I can’t blame them for skipping it – almost no one would actually buy it. Even for the regular Wrangler – once the 4-door version came out it seems almost no one buys the 2-door anymore.
Manufacturers are trying so hard to give their pickups attitude and presence. Well, by god, Jeep figured that one out 50 years ago. This truck looks mean, and it’s not even trying hard to do it.
I see that face in my rear view and I’m clearing out of the way.
You’re not exaggerating on the Jeep brand doing no wrong nowadays. Despite paper-thin slicing of the CUV segments, the Compass and Cherokee are both selling strongly. The Grand Cherokee is showing no signs of slowing down despite being on its 8th? model year and the redesigned Wrangler is a hit. Even that goofy awkward Renegade is hitting six figures.
I believe I saw a grand total of two of these when I was a boy. One was used by a local gas station/repair shop. The other was the reddish-orange Matchbox version. Quite a contrast with the popularity of the Jeep marque today!
On a side note, I have a friend with an 1984 CJ-8 Scrambler, her and her late husband bought it new. She just had it restored in honor of him. It looks terrific. 258 six, column shift automatic. A Jeep you rarely saw when new.
I had the Tonka version as a child the real thing is very rare here.
FCA pre game ads: old Jeep Gladiator goes to the crusher…
Nooooooooo!
I think someone should take one of these and build up a Buick 455 and swap in and go fish’n (farm truck)
My neighbor’s had a Jeep Gladiator, I think it was a J3000 to pull their boat and trailer. I don’t know what year it was. It rusted up in a huge hurry, and was hit by a semi in the dealer’s parking lot after it had the water pump replaced. All of a sudden, a new Wagoneer appeared to take it’s place, getting the kids out of the bed of the Gladiator while taking the boat to the launch. It seemed to rust almost instantly, and after the first winter, it had spots on the doors that soon turned to holes. At first, they tried to repair them, but after a few years, it was impossible, so they just drove it until it was too far gone to keep the people inside dry. At the end, it sat in their garage next to the boat and when it began to stink of hypoid gear lube, it went to the scrapper. The boat lived on a long time, pulled by various Chevy S10’s, both pickup and SUVs until they got too old to safely boat without their kids helping them. He kept his last S10 until he died in 2017.
The rust is what I remember about these when I was a kid. My dad had a Wagoneer for a short time, it wasn’t very old when he got it but a significant amount of its structure was old road signs and Bondo. It started just fine in Wisconsin winters and was unstoppable in the snow, but boy did these rust out quickly. He got his from a friend who always had a couple Wagoneers around, plus a Gladiator plow truck. I haven’t seen either type here for decades, other than freshly-imported ones from dry climates, and they’re never seen in winter.
I saw and photographed one of these last summer beside an apartment building in Parry Sound, Ontario. It had the identical grille, but the owner said it was an ‘85 with the original (rebuilt) engine. The body was in good shape, with a flatbed on the back. I’ve always liked the old Jeep pickups – they had a tough, no-nonsense look about them.