Jeep Gladiator

[mattawajeep]

Been wanting one of these for a long time, and ran across one for a really good price and couldn't pass it up.

1966 Jeep Gladiator J2000
3" Lift
235 85 R16 Tires (Acording to a calculator that's 31.73 inches)
Dana 44's Front and Rear 3.93 Ratio
T90 3 Speed
Dana 20 T-Case (I think... it's very very dirty)
Slightly built Chevy 350
Edelbrock 650CFM (I think) Carb
Some non-stock cam - I know nothing about engines.... Maybe someone can help me out there.
Well Lining Bumper... For deflecting grizzly bears I think

Frame is in great shape, only slight surface rust. Body is mostly straight - gonna need a bit of hammering though, especially on the tailgate.

Bed has some cancer on the sides and on the floor in the back. Firewall seems solid, floor pans are ok - driver side needs some work. Interior is decent, though the bench seat is pretty much gone.

Think I'm gonna sandblast the whole thing in the driveway, play with my tig welder a bit and maybe even fill some rust holes. Gotta practice for my mustang. When it's all clean and the majority of the rust is gone I'll hit it with some primer and then some OD green paint.

Lots of little stuff to fix, but it's drivable. 4WD works, engine is very healthy. Made it from Wenatchee to Mattawa without a hickup. Hopefully I'll be able to turn this into a tow pig. With some brake/axle upgrades and a camper this thing could be quite handly.

[commando14]

Very cool

[iaccocca]

Nice find.

Love the front bumper!

Some of the smarter people can fill in for me, but back in the day I think we called that an RV cam.

[SquirrelCrusher]

That thing is sweet!

[mattawajeep]

Love the front bumper!

I think there's easily room for a plate and winch. Get some heavy duty end caps and it will make a really nice air tank.

I'm trying to save money, but for $1100 I couldn't pass this thing up.

Some of the smarter people can fill in for me, but back in the day I think we called that an RV cam.

Interesting, I've got some reading to do.

[TJDave]

I love those trucks. That is cool.


Not a fan of the front bumper/culvert.

[mattawajeep]

8) I love those trucks. That is cool.


Not a fan of the front bumper/culvert.

Oh come on, all it needs is a few sprinkler risers and it'l be complete....

[Wrench]

That cam has a little more duration and lift than stock, but not much you would even notice. It is also not a split-duration cam like the Edelbrock Performer, which is one of the best designs out there. It would be nice to know what the lobe separation and centerline are, that would tell you if the cam has any advance from stock. Best way to know is to actually put a degree wheel on it and check. These engines do well with about 4 degrees of advance in the cam timing, which you can do with an offset crank key. The keys are dirt cheap, and not too difficult to install.

[mattawajeep]

That cam has a little more duration and lift than stock, but not much you would even notice. It is also not a split-duration cam like the Edelbrock Performer, which is one of the best designs out there. It would be nice to know what the lobe separation and centerline are, that would tell you if the cam has any advance from stock. Best way to know is to actually put a degree wheel on it and check. These engines do well with about 4 degrees of advance in the cam timing, which you can do with an offset crank key. The keys are dirt cheap, and not too difficult to install.

Huh, I'll have to check into that. I don't want to mess anything up though. I'm gonna try and be as cheap as possible with this thing. Would be cool info to have though - almost every used engine I've ever had in my posession has been a mystery box.

The engine itself is filthy, but it didn't burn any oil on the drive home, no smoke either. Hopefully it will last a long time.



Ok, brakes question. The brakes are quite soft, I had to be careful on the drive home. However, with a couple pumps on the pedal it firms up and you can lock up the tires.

Fluid level is fine, I'm thinking it might just need to be bled, but figured I might as well ask. 4 wheel drums and a single bowl master cylinder.

Think I should just try and replace that thing with something more modern? I seem to remember that there are some safety issues with older master cylinders.

[OldGreen]

So...maybe bolt in a D60-2 from a J4000 (If you find one, I have a set of shafts for it) and a Cherokee Chief D44 from the mid 70s to get the more modern open knuckle design and disk brakes.

[White trash]

Groovy rig. Ugly but at least its better looking than any jeepster front end.

That's a small rv cam wrench is correct it isn't going to be noticeable for the most part.

If you are planning to tow with it then the t90 has got to go! An sm465/205 combo will bolt right up to that engine and can be had rather cheaply.

[mattawajeep]

So...maybe bolt in a D60-2 from a J4000 (If you find one, I have a set of shafts for it) and a Cherokee Chief D44 from the mid 70s to get the more modern open knuckle design and disk brakes.

My neighbor has an 8 lug 4.11 Dana 60 that needs brakes and seals he said he'd sell me for a $100.

He's also got a several dana 44's and thinks he has one with the same gears as the 60 and 8 lug spindles. Gonna check it out tomorrow and see what I can find.

Groovy rig. Ugly but at least its better looking than any jeepster front end.

That's a small rv cam wrench is correct it isn't going to be noticeable for the most part.

If you are planning to tow with it then the t90 has got to go! An sm465/205 combo will bolt right up to that engine and can be had rather cheaply.

Oh yeah, jeepsters are ugly, I really like the gladiators though.

And darn, I thought the T90 was beefy enough. A 205 would be nicer though, I'll have to see if I can find that combo for cheap.

[Grumpy]

Cool hooptie! My Father-In-Law had a '67 when Susan and I were dating, and being in Gold Beach, the thing to do was head up the Rogue and play in the hills on weekends. Susan, her brother Steve, and the bunch of us had a ball in that rig. A stock "J" with Firestone Super All Tracks will do a lot of fun things The last rig Clay had was a '76 Honcho with all the trimming. Like to have it back...

[Roman]

So...maybe bolt in a D60-2 from a J4000 (If you find one, I have a set of shafts for it) and a Cherokee Chief D44 from the mid 70s to get the more modern open knuckle design and disk brakes.

5 lug rear+6 lug front=No good . . .

[mattawajeep]

Can't any of the stupid brake drums off. Found a generic can of penetrating oil but it's not doing the job.

Think I need a bigger sledge hammer, maybe a 10 pound will work better than the 5.....

Cool hooptie! My Father-In-Law had a '67 when Susan and I were dating, and being in Gold Beach, the thing to do was head up the Rogue and play in the hills on weekends. Susan, her brother Steve, and the bunch of us had a ball in that rig. A stock "J" with Firestone Super All Tracks will do a lot of fun things The last rig Clay had was a '76 Honcho with all the trimming. Like to have it back...

Soon as I get the brakes going I'm heading out for the dunes to give the 4wd a better inspection. I think this thing might be kinda fun for adding a bit more challenge to 3-ball.

[OldGreen]

So...maybe bolt in a D60-2 from a J4000 (If you find one, I have a set of shafts for it) and a Cherokee Chief D44 from the mid 70s to get the more modern open knuckle design and disk brakes.

5 lug rear+6 lug front=No good . . .

Hey little eye roller. . .that front end is just a set of Ford bearing hubs and rotors away from being 5 lug. . .It's almost like you've never seen my front end. . .

[Toolegit86]

thats sweet.. would be cool to find a willys pick up bed and make it like the one on tremors..

[mattawajeep]

thats sweet.. would be cool to find a willys pick up bed and make it like the one on tremors..

My brother has one.... I could steal it, clean it up, and install it for years before he gets his rig in shape to even need it....


It is tempting to grab one up though, I like that style bed a lot more, and my current one needs almost as much work as a retrofit would take.


The danged brake drums completely defeated me today, so I need to get a puller and some good penetrating oil tomorrow. Changed the oil, and broke out the vacume gauge to do a bit of tuning. Engine runs and sounds even better now that I've slowed up the idle and maxed out the vacuum.

Did get a little bit done on the inside:



Check out the gas pedal, it was held to the floor with layers of tape and cardboard....



The front on the drivers side need to be mostly replaced, the passenger has one hole. The rear and all the seams are really good.

One of my other neighbors are a bead roller, so fixing this with some sheet metal will be a breeze. Plus I get to practice with my new welder.

[79chevy39.5's]

dont know if you know about bjs offroad but they are the full size jeep place, when i had my 64 j20 i built my own floor pans and it had 4.88s so it was a slow ride with the 230 I-6

[mattawajeep]

dont know if you know about bjs offroad but they are the full size jeep place, when i had my 64 j20 i built my own floor pans and it had 4.88s so it was a slow ride with the 230 I-6

Cool, I was looking for a good vendor last night. The other sites I was looking at we're pretty bad to navigate. Of course, I'm gonna have to force myself to only look. This is gonna be an on the cheap build.

[79chevy39.5's]

sounds like a fun plan i just put a autotrack tcase in a 74 at work that had a failed part time kit in it. made me miss mine so i get to live through you now

[mattawajeep]

Spent the afternoon grinding and cutting.....

[mattawajeep]

Any reason to not run a Dana 20 on a tow rig?

http://yakima.craigslist.org/pts/3400427894.html

I already have one, and I hear they're very strong. Twin sticks would be cool if not all that useful on a tow rig.

[White trash]

Did the same guy that told you how strong the 20 is just happen to tell you the t90 is a good choice for a tow rig?

The 20 isn't terrible by any means but I wouldn't trust it in a tow rig. Trust me dig up an sm465/np205 combo and never look back.

[mattawajeep]

The 20 isn't terrible by any means but I wouldn't trust it in a tow rig. Trust me dig up an sm465/np205 combo and never look back.

Have several leads for that combo, they're just further away than the one I linked above. Close is sometimes easier. Figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Here's what made me think the Dana 20 wasn't a bad choice:

http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/model_20.htm