While modern pickups can be decked out with all the fancy features and technology you find in luxury cars, these old-timey pickups were pretty bare-bones. The Gladiator's focus was on functionality, and the high ground clearance, stout engine and tough body would have made this Jeep pickup a serious work vehicle back in its day.
Scouring a scrap car yard out in Moncton, New Brunswick a few weeks back, I made an excellent discovery. Hidden back behind a fence and out of reach of customers, a rough old Jeep caught my eye. Even from far away I could see that the pickup was in rather sad shape, and this was confirmed as I got closer. That didn't stop this Gladiator from being the find of the day and the coolest vehicle on the lot. After a 32 year hiatus, the Jeep Gladiator will be back for the 2020 model year. If there has long been interest in this nameplate, it's because the original was a true legend. This rusty old Gladiator I stumbled across was one of the original models, produced between 1962 and 1971. The first Gladiator was available in 2- and 4-wheel drive versions, in either long or short length (this one I saw was the latter), and was based on the popular Jeep Wagoneer station wagon. While modern pickups can be decked out with all the fancy features and technology you find in luxury cars, these old-timey pickups were pretty bare-bones. The Gladiator's focus was on functionality, and the high ground clearance, stout engine and tough body would have made this Jeep pickup a serious work vehicle back in its day. Unfortunately, that day is long past. While the most obvious problem is the bent frame (you can see how the truck is starting to bend in two!), the multiple failed body repair attempts are proof that this poor old Jeep hobbled along long after it had passed its expiration date. It appears that the front fenders are 95% rivet, 5% sheet metal at this point. Panels riveted onto panels that were riveted onto patches that were riveted onto the original bodywork speak of the desire the original owner had to keep this Gladiator in the ring for one last fight. At some point this truck will make it into the U-Pull yard so customers can strip off whatever parts are still useful. There's a good chance there's still an engine and transmission to yank, as well as many suspension and drive-train bits and pieces. It doesn't look like many of the body panels will be useful, but someone restoring a first-generation Jeep Gladiator will be glad to find assorted trim bits, mirrors, windows, lights and more. With luck the hood and doors are in decent shape and can be reused on another vehicle. A brave soul might even hack apart the cab and reuse portions of it to patch together their own classic pickup. At this point there isn't much more than rivets, wire and paint holding this legend together, but it was still an exciting discovery. This Jeep Gladiator will make it way into the yard later this spring, and I am sure more than a few customers will find it as riveting as I did!
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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