page_title: Jeep Gladiator (SJ)
section_title: Gladiator 1962-1971
hierarchical_section_title: Jeep Gladiator (SJ) / Gladiator 1962-1971
caption_attribution_description: MSRA “BACK TO THE 50′s” 41st Annual June 20-22, 2014 State Fairgrounds St. Paul Minnesota More Car Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/greggjerdingen/collections/72157631...
context_page_description: The Jeep Gladiator, Jeep Pickup or J-series is a series of full-size pickup trucks based on the large Jeep SJ 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. It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018.
context_section_description: 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.
  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 conventional bed, similar to a Ford 'Flareside' or Chevrolet "Stepside"), 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.
caption: 1964 short wheelbase Jeep Gladiator Townside
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