The Jeep Gladiator, Jeep Pickup or J-series is a series of full-size pickup trucks based on the large Jeep SJ (Wagoneer) platform, which was built and sold under numerous marques from 1962 to 1988. The Jeep Gladiator / Pickup design is noteworthy for remaining in production for more than 26 years on a single automobile platform generation. The Gladiator was the basis of the first post-war U.S. Army trucks designed to be civilian vehicles and adapted to military use. Numerous versions of the Jeep pickup were built in other markets, including Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos.
The Gladiator nameplate was revived on a midsize pickup truck based on the fourth-generation Jeep Wrangler (JL). It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018.
Introduced in 1962 for the 1963 model year, the Gladiator was a conventional body on frame pickup design that shared its basic frame architecture and front end with the Jeep Wagoneer four-wheel-drive station wagon.
Designations were J200 (short wheelbase trucks, up to mid-1965); J2000; J300 (long wheelbase trucks, up to mid-1967); J3000; and J4000, the first model with a longer 131-inch (3,300 mm) wheelbase.
Gladiators were available in RWD and 4WD, with optional dual rear wheels. A remarkable innovation was the available independent front suspension instead of a solid front axle on the 4WD half-ton Gladiator trucks. It was a simple IFS design with a Dana 44 center section, that proved troublesome, didn’t sell well, and the option was deleted in 1965. Most likely very few were produced with this option.
Gladiator trucks were available as: Cab and Chassis; Wrecker; Stake Bed; and chassis-mounted campers with extended wheelbases. The load bed options were Townside, Thriftside (a "step-side"), and Stake Bed, with up to 8,600 lb (3,901 kg) G.V.W. and almost two-ton payload capacity.
A new overhead cam Jeep Tornado engine 230 cu in (3.8 L) straight-six producing 140 hp (104 kW; 142 PS) was standard. It was the first production overhead cam engine in an American light truck or SUV and one of the first OHC engines offered by an American manufacturer.
Further innovations for four-wheel-drive pickups included optional automatic transmission (an industry first), as well as power brakes, power steering, and just like early post-war Jeeps a power take-off for numerous accessories that included snow plows and push plates.
In early 1963, Willys Motors changed its name to Kaiser Jeep Corporation.
During 1965 the 327 cu in (5.4 L) AMC V8 engine became available. It produced 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) and 340 pound force-feet (461 N⋅m) of torque at 2600 rpm. The standard Tornado engine was replaced by American Motors' 232 cu in (3.8 L) OHV inline six.
In 1967 all (RWD) two-wheel drive versions, except for the J-100 panel delivery, were dropped due to poor sales.
For 1968, the flared-fender Thriftside models were dropped while a new camper option was added for the J-3600. From 1968 to 1971 Jeep pickups offered the Buick 350 cu in (5.7 L) 230 hp (172 kW; 233 PS) Dauntless V8 as an optional engine.
American Motors Corporation (AMC) purchased the Kaiser Jeep operations in 1970 when Kaiser Industries decided to leave the automobile business. The Jeep trucks moved to all AMC engines to improve performance and standardize production and servicing. The Buick engine was replaced by the 360 cu in (5.9 L) or 401 cu in (6.6 L) AMC V8s.
In 1970, the Gladiator's front grille was changed to the same design as the Jeep Wagoneer SUV. This was the truck's first styling change since its introduction. An AMC badge was also added on the grille.
The Gladiator name was dropped after 1971, after which the line was known simply as the Jeep pickup, or J-series. The pickups were designated as J2000 and J4000 models (the 3000 series was dropped in 1971) until 1973, then as J10 and J20 models from 1974 to 1988.
Engines:
From 1971 to 1972 Jeep pickups offered the AMC 304 cu in (5.0 L) 210 hp (157 kW; 213 PS) V8 as an optional engine.
The AMC 258 cu in (4.2 L) I6 engine was introduced in 1972 and offered through 1988. The engine produced 112 hp (84 kW; 114 PS) and 210 lb⋅ft (285 N⋅m) of torque.
The AMC 360 cu in (5.9L) was offered in 1971 and through 1988. Producing in early versions 175 hp (130 kW; 177 PS) and 245 lb⋅ft (332 N⋅m) of torque. Later 360s produced 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS) and 295 lb⋅ft (400 N⋅m) of torque.
The model designations were simplified for 1974, with the J-2000 and the J-4000, which designate wheel base, being swapped out for the J-10 and J-20, designating payload capacity. Larger brakes were made standard and the turning radius reduced. The Quadra-Trac system was now available with all engines.
The AMC 401 cu in (6.6 L) was offered from 1974 through 1978. These engines are known for their toughness and excellent power output. The 401 produced 225 hp (168 kW; 228 PS) and 320 lb⋅ft (434 N⋅m) of torque.
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