By now, I really don't know in how many stories I've mentioned my addiction to seeking out and purchasing junk Jeeps. It used to be funny, but now it's just getting sort of sad. It's sad because the Jeeps have started to seek me out. And I take them all in like little homeless puppies in danger of taking the eternal dirt nap at the pound.
My most recent acquisition came to my attention via an e-mail from a reader. It seems the '68 J2000 Gladiator he had owned for the past 10 or so years lost oil pressure and developed some nasty engine-bearing noises while being used to haul a vintage Kaiser car from Arizona to Southern California. He wanted it gone-and for less than $1,000.
You can expect to see it drop by the pages of Jp from time to time. Don't expect to see 54s, Rockwells, and a monster engine go into this thing. For now, the plan is to update the vintage hauler into something we'd expect Jeep to build if it was still manufacturing fullsize pickups in 2008. So here's my new rig.
The stock 232ci six has been...
The stock 232ci six has been treated to a later 258 2-bbl intake and carb. The radiator is clean and the rig runs cool. If it weren't for the wasted bearings, we'd probably just run it.
It's always fun cleaning out...
It's always fun cleaning out any new vehicle purchase. I don't know which restaurant was giving away Star Wars cup toppers, but there were several of them stashed through the truck.
The truck really didn't want...
The truck really didn't want to stop, so a quick brake adjustment was in order. While adjusting the brakes, I noticed there was a lot of slop in the tire. The passenger-side bearing preload was simply off.
The front lift blocks were...
The front lift blocks were only the beginning of the bad stuff in the suspension. We'll show you the full horror show in a later article when we fix it all. The front and rear Dana 44s have 4.27 gears, and the stock T-14 transmission and Dana 20 T-case shift like butter.
In addition to the extremely...
In addition to the extremely clean grille and front clip, the nice interior was a strong selling point for me. Too bad every spring in the factory bench is missing under the driver's butt, and aside from an oil pressure idiot light and fuel gauge, none of the factory instrumentation is functional..
This is what I was greeted...
This is what I was greeted with after inspecting the driver side. There's video on www.jpmagazine.com of just how much play there was because of the fragged kingpin bearings. It's scary to think the truck was actually driven like this.
I installed a set of quality...
I installed a set of quality Auto Meter Ultra-Lite II electric gauges to tell exactly what was going on under the hood. After confirming the low oil pressure, we changed the oil and filled it back up with 20W-50 and a few cans of STP oil additive. It helped, but the oil we drained out was literally copper colored from the hashed bearings, so the engine is definitely a goner.
The fancy homemade plywood...
The fancy homemade plywood camper inserts and 6x9 speakers got the old heave-ho seconds after this photo was snapped. Aside from a little rust on the outside of the rear quarters and a spot or two on top of the cab, the body is surprisingly rust-free.