Comments on: Curbside Classics: The Two Jeep Gladiators

By: blautens

blautens — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:57:38 +0000

Great article. More, please.

By: golden2husky

golden2husky — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:12:44 +0000

This 360 is AMC, part of the 304-360-401 AMC V8 family. Automatics were Turbo-Hydramatic 400 until ‘79; then Mopar TF727.…

Thanks for the info. Everybody I spoke to told me this was a Mopar 360; now I know better.

By: AJ

AJ — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:40:26 +0000

I also wanted to say thanks for Curbside Classics! I also remember the Gladiator, and I’d actually consider selling my Jeep TJ if Chrysler had brought back the Gladiator after seeing the concept a few years ago! (drool)

There is a business that restores Wagoneers and resales them, if anyone is interested: http://www.wagonmaster.com

The first Jeep I drove was my granddad’s Wagoneer. What fun that was driving around a ranch!

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:22:09 +0000

I’m not all that worried about the gas mileage as long as it doesn’t hit single digits. I only live a mile from work and ride my motorcycle most days. I mainly need something cheap to haul stuff in on occation and it be nice to a look alike Ford or Chevy that you see every block. The Wagoneer would have been nice for family trips but I didn’t realize they were so maintence intensive. I figured it would need work from time to time, constant work I couldn’t deal with. Oh well plenty of old dinosaurs out there to choose from.

By: carnuck

carnuck — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:16:03 +0000

My Jtrucks use the slightly more economical AMC 6 cyl. I’m upgrading them to EFI (which gives me @250 HP) and O/D auto trans from the Cherokee (AW4 is plenty strong as long as the gearing is matched) and a Rubicon tcase for 4:1 low range.
20 MPG out of a 3/4 ton truck (mine have J20 drivetrain) is just fine by me!

By: Andy D

Andy D — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:21:15 +0000

Redbarchetta, The Grand Wag is a dinosaur. I know of guys who use them as daily drivers, but the gas and up keep is ridiculous. Back when gas was under a buck, we were pumping 40$ aweek into it just for ’round town driving. I kept 2 of them going for about 10 yrs. I was spending my Saturdays maintaining them. They are rust buckets to boot. However, they will go in snow and make great beach buggies.
A decent wag will run from 5k$ to whatever. I super clean one will fetch mid 20 K $ The trucks about the same but are rarer and even rustier.

By: Redbarchetta

Redbarchetta — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:56:12 +0000

I had no idea the Gladiator was a Wagoneer-truck, I guess I always assumed it was just different Comanche. Every time me and my wife see a Wagoneer we wish we had one and keep considering it, who needs new. But a rock solid truck off the same platform could be even better.

What do these things fetch used, in good running condition, I don’t care about cosmetics as long as the seats are intact and it doesn’t smell like a wet dog or worse. The Wagoneers are still getting a pretty good price even for their age.

Great series Niedermeyer, I love hearing the history of these old cars from when I was too young to remember or not even born.

By: CopperCountry

CopperCountry — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:41:30 +0000

These were great trucks – I always felt that the people who bought these things were a bit iconoclastic (and maybe a little weird). But now I think they really saw the value in these workhorses.

Why restore a ‘70 Chevy C-10 (like no one’s done that before) when you could pick up a rust-free Southern J10/20 and drop a 455 Buick in it? 510 ft-lbs of on-demand of torque. 4WD burnouts indeed! Put a big, clunky 4-spd trans behind it, and you can stomp your carbon footprint all over this earth (at least, until gas clips $2.50/gal).

By: Andy D

Andy D — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:34:18 +0000

Been driving Grand Wagoneers for nearly 20 yrs. The only pick ups with the FF rear ends were the J 20s. I hope to replace my current 88 Grand Wag with an I 6/ 3 spd late 70s J10.

By: GS650G

GS650G — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:09:00 +0000

I helped stuff a Buick Wildcat 430 into one of these. 4WD burnouts. The 350 died and since the bellhousing would not work with Chevy or Olds engines we went with a Buick 430.

100 lb intake manifold. Lots of torque.

The interior was strictly utilitarian in nature. Nothing of comfort or luxury allowed,

By: mikey

mikey — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:41:21 +0000

Congrads menno I put 10 lbs on first month of retirement 3 months of torture to get it off.I can’t imagine 50. Good for you.

Any way what did Helen Hunt drive in the Twister
movie?I do remember the white top she wearing though.

By: menno

menno — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:27:23 +0000

Saw a Gladiator at the AA meeting which is held at our old church building at the back of the church parking lot on a Weds. night a few years ago (we were there doing some stuff for the food pantry which shares the same building).

It was parked next to a 1990’s Ford full sized pickup. The Gladiator looked TINY, about like a Dakota with a long wheelbase.

Gladiator was once considered a full-sized truck and yes, they were tough (except that consarnat POS overhead cam six which used the ancient Continental based L-head six as it’s base motor).

Just goes to show that American trucks, like Americans ourselves (as well as virtually all other human beings in 1st world countries) have gotten way too fat….

Me too except instead of AA, I joined WW. Lost 50 pounds from Feb. 2008 through Aug. 2008, and have kept it off. (WW = weight watchers).

By: Pig_Iron

Pig_Iron — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:24:05 +0000

Stingray: That rear end with the full floating axle, speaks of TOUGH in volumes.

Right up there with the Scout. But where I live, salt spray was cruel to them. I’m a sucker for machine turned dash boards too.

By: Cerbera LM

Cerbera LM — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:12:53 +0000

Grandpa had a J20 that I drove once. Remember it had serve lack of leg room compared to a Chevy/Ford.

By: poohbah

poohbah — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:03:28 +0000

In high school my buddy drove an old green Jeep with the “Vigilante” engine mentioned. It was a beast that had served a long stint as a farm truck before being pulled back into full-time duty as his daily driver. That thing could go anywhere.

He had to pump the brakes a couple times before any retardation of forward progress would begin. How we avoided killing ourselves I’ll never know.

By: jpcavanaugh

jpcavanaugh — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:55:08 +0000

I always thought that the Glad and its Wagoneer cousin were attractive vehicles. If I recall correctly, Brooks Stevens (a Milwaukee industrial designer) was responsible for the design. He had also recently done some of Studebaker’s last designs, such as the 62-64 Lark/Commander/Cruiser and the same vintage GT Hawk. Some of the lines of the Stude Wagonaire retractible roof wagon show up in the roofline of the Jeep.
In the little known fact department, I also recall that AMC went back to Stevens to style the new small Cherokee in the early 80s. Thus the strong family resemblance between the two.

As always, an enjoyable read.

By: Paul Niedermeyer

Paul Niedermeyer — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:21:03 +0000

@golden2husky,

This 360 is AMC, part of the 304-360-401 AMC V8 family. Automatics were Turbo-Hydramatic 400 until ‘79; then Mopar TF727.

Oh, and we’ll get to the Wagoneer here eventually. And several hundred others too.

By: golden2husky

golden2husky — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:05:52 +0000

Sorry, Heathroi, these things will outlast anything. I’ll give the Hilux a solid #2 though. One of my friends in high school had a ‘77 Wagoneer. What we did with that thing would get you arrested today. We destroyed acres of lawn, countless mailboxes, fences, drove it through stockade fences, shrubs, street signs. Banged and beaten, salvation from being mired axle deep in the Caroll’s lawn was just a twist of the “emergency” 4wd low control in the glove box. Only a flip in a dry parking lot caused it to land on its roof, and even then the roof structure was still reasonably intact. It did bend enough to blow out the front side door glass and windshield. We were skiing together with our families and saw one still in use. It was a bit rusty but all there.

This series is one of the best here at TTAC…Like all the coverage about new cars and the lively debate, but when you guys pull the nostalgic strings with certain rides it’s really cool.

BTW, wasn’t the 360 a LA family Mopar V8? I thought the trans was a torqueflite as well…

By: Juniper

Juniper — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:57:07 +0000

toyota probably copied it to make the Hilux. thei first of everything is always a copy.

By: tehfury

tehfury — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:55:55 +0000

Looks like one gladiator finally fought his way out!

HiLux indeed..

By: HEATHROI

HEATHROI — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:51:35 +0000

not as good as a Hilux.

By: Stingray

Stingray — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:36:43 +0000

That rear end with the full floating axle, speaks of TOUGH in volumes.

By: paris-dakar

paris-dakar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:24:00 +0000

I love these big old Jeeps. Tons of nice Grand Wagoneers in Mexico, I smile with envy everytime I see one.

I always thought Chrysler should have done a reskin of the Dakota (or maybe Ram) to match the external appearance of the Gladiator and sold it as a Jeep. Do the same with the Durango and sell it as a Grand Wagoneer. Would have sold better than most of the DB era reskins they did like the Chrysler Aspen (really, an SUV sold by Chrysler as an Aspen?) or the Compass.

By: Paul Niedermeyer

Paul Niedermeyer — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:05:57 +0000

Comanche was based on the (compact) Cherokee. Comanche came out about the same time the Gladiator died. It competed with the compact trucks.

By: superbadd75

superbadd75 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:02:34 +0000

I always thought the J10 was cool, but never realized it was made until 1987! So what was the Comanche, was it a new version of the J10, or completely different?