Jeep Gladiator and J-Series pickups (SJ)

1963 to 1988 · All Jeep Gladiator generations

Kaiser launched the Gladiator alongside the Wagoneer for 1963, sharing its front end and SJ chassis. Early trucks came with two-wheel or four-wheel drive, an overhead-cam Tornado six, and options rare on a 4x4 pickup at the time: an automatic and independent front suspension. AMC brought in its own sixes and V8s for 1971, dropped the Gladiator name in the early 1970s, and renamed the trucks J10 and J20 for 1974, later adding dress-up packages such as the Pioneer, Honcho, and Laredo. Sales peaked in the late 1970s and then fell sharply, and Chrysler ended the line after the 1988 model year in favour of its Dodge trucks.

Model years

1963 to 1988

Built

Late 1962 to 1987 or 1988

Where

Toledo, Ohio, USA

Body styles

Pickup with Thriftside (step-side) bed, Pickup with Townside (smooth-side) bed, Cab and chassis, Stake bed, Sportside pickup (1980 to 1983)

Four-wheel drive

Rear-wheel drive (regular production to 1966, special order after), Part-time 4WD with Dana 20 transfer case (1963 to 1979), Independent front suspension on 4x4 models (1963 to 1965), Quadra-Trac full-time 4WD (Borg-Warner 1339, 1973 to 1979; New Process 219, 1980 to 1983), Part-time 4WD with New Process 208 transfer case (1980 to 1987), Selec-Trac (New Process 229, 1981 to 1988)

Engines

Engine	Power	Torque	Fuel	Years
3.8 L (230 cu in) Tornado OHC I6, 2-barrel Period (gross) rating. A low-compression 133 hp version was offered in 1964 and 1965. Phased out during 1965 per IFSJA and Cars.com; JeepTech and offroaders.com list it to 1966.	140 hp (104 kW)	210 lb-ft (285 N·m)	Gasoline	1963 to 1965
3.8 L (232 cu in) AMC I6, 1-barrel Gross rating. Phased in during 1965 per IFSJA; JeepTech and offroaders.com list 1967 to 1970.	145 hp (108 kW)	215 lb-ft (292 N·m)	Gasoline	1965 to 1971
5.4 L (327 cu in) AMC Vigilante V8, 2-barrel Gross rating. Available from April 1965. End year differs by source: 1966 (JeepTech pickups page), 1967 (IFSJA), or mid-1968 (Wikipedia, JeepTech engine page).	250 hp (186 kW)	340 lb-ft (461 N·m)	Gasoline	1965 to 1968
5.7 L (350 cu in) Buick Dauntless V8, 2-barrel Gross rating. Special order only in 1971 (IFSJA). Other sources give 1967 to 1970 or 1969 to 1970.	230 hp (172 kW)	350 lb-ft (475 N·m)	Gasoline	1968 to 1971
4.2 L (258 cu in) AMC I6 Rated 150 hp and 240 lb-ft gross when new for 1971 (available after January 4, 1971); net ratings of 110 to 118 hp later. Wikipedia dates it from 1972. The year it left the trucks is not confirmed.	110 hp (82 kW)	195 lb-ft (264 N·m)	Gasoline	1971 to the late 1980s
5.0 L (304 cu in) AMC V8, 2-barrel Gross rating. JeepTech's pickups page lists it to 1973.	210 hp (157 kW)	300 lb-ft (407 N·m)	Gasoline	1971 to 1972
5.9 L (360 cu in) AMC V8, 2-barrel Net rating for 1973 to 1978. Rated 245 hp and 365 lb-ft gross in 1971 and 1972; later net ratings ran from 129 to 175 hp by year (IFSJA). Standard on the J20 from 1977 (Wikipedia).	175 hp (130 kW)	285 lb-ft (386 N·m)	Gasoline	1971 to 1988
5.9 L (360 cu in) AMC V8, 4-barrel Net rating. IFSJA lists the 4-barrel 360 for 1973 to 1978; JeepTech says it ran in the J10 and J20 to the end of production.	195 hp (145 kW)	295 lb-ft (400 N·m)	Gasoline	1974 to 1978
6.6 L (401 cu in) AMC V8, 4-barrel Net rating (IFSJA, JeepTech). Wikipedia's truck article gives 330 hp and 430 lb-ft, which do not match the other sources.	215 hp (160 kW)	320 lb-ft (434 N·m)	Gasoline	1974 to 1978

Transmissions

Borg-Warner AS-8F 3-speed automatic (Tornado six only) (1963 to 1965)
GM Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 3-speed automatic (1965 to 1979)
Chrysler TorqueFlite A727 3-speed automatic (1980 to 1988)
Chrysler A999 3-speed automatic (six only) (1982 to 1987)
Warner T-90, T-86, and T-89 3-speed manuals (1963 to 1966)
Warner T-14A, T-15A, and T-85 3-speed manuals (1966 to 1979)
Warner T-98A 4-speed manual (1963 to 1968)
Warner T-18 and T-18A 4-speed manuals (1969 to 1987)
Tremec T-176 4-speed manual (1980 to 1987)
Borg-Warner T-5 5-speed manual (six only) (1982 to 1983)

Sizes and weights

Measure	Size
Wheelbase	119–132 in3,023–3,353 mm

A range covers the body styles and trims of this generation.

Trims and editions

Custom Cab
Custom
Pioneer
Honcho
Golden Eagle
10-4
Laredo

Worth knowing

Model names followed wheelbase and rating: J-200 (120 in) and J-300 (126 in) at launch, four-digit J-2000, J-3000, and J-4000 (132 in) names from 1965, and J10 and J20 by payload from 1974.
Sources credit it as the first 4x4 pickup offered with an automatic and the first with independent front suspension.
The M715 and M725 military trucks of 1967 to 1969 were built on it.
Rear axles were Dana 44 on half-tons, Dana 60 on three-quarter-tons, and Dana 70 on one-tonners in the early years.
The Honcho (1976 to 1983) was a short-bed J10 package with bold stripes; 1,264 Sportside Honchos were built from 1980 to 1983.

Year by year, newest first

1988

Final model year; Chrysler, now Jeep's owner, dropped the full-size pickups.
About 1,000 built in the last year per JK-Forum; IFSJA and JeepTech give no 1988 figure.

1987

Chrysler bought AMC during the year.
Dana 44 rear axle in place of the AMC 20 (from late 1986, per IFSJA).
1,153 built.

1986

Rear axle changed from the AMC 20 to a Dana 44 late in the year (IFSJA).
1,515 built.

1985

1,953 built.

1984

3,082 built.

1983

Selec-Trac replaced Quadra-Trac.
Last year for the Honcho; one source says the Laredo replaced it.
4,705 built.

1982

A five-speed manual and the lighter Chrysler A999 automatic offered with the six (IFSJA).
6,113 built; the CJ-8 Scrambler outsold the J-Series for the second year running.

1981

Laredo package added with leather bucket seats, a leather-wrapped wheel, chrome trim, and an Alpine stereo.
8,048 built, fewer than the new CJ-8 Scrambler.

1980

Chrysler TorqueFlite A727 replaced the GM automatic; New Process 208 part-time and 219 full-time transfer cases arrived, and the J10 got an AMC 20 rear axle.
Sportside Honcho added.
Production fell to 6,839 from 18,966.

1979

Last year for the GM Turbo Hydra-Matic, the Dana 20, and the Borg-Warner Quadra-Trac.
18,966 built.

1978

Best year of the run, with 20,495 built.
10-4 decal package with an optional CB radio (Wikipedia dates it to 1978; another source to 1974 to 1983).
Last year for the 401 V8.

1977

Front disc brakes and heavier axles became standard; the 360 V8 became standard on the J20.
Golden Eagle package added, with a grille guard, driving lamps, a bed roll bar, eight-inch wheels, and Levi's seats.
17,252 built.

1976

Honcho package introduced for the short-bed J10, priced $699 over a Custom.
16,188 built.

1975

Pioneer package added with woodgrain trim, chrome bumpers, dual horns, and wheel covers.
13,958 built.

1974

Trucks renamed J10 and J20 by payload, on 119-inch and 131-inch wheelbases.
Larger brakes, a new front axle, six-stud wheels, heavier frame crossmembers, and a tighter turning circle; 401 V8 optional.
15,524 built.

1973

Quadra-Trac full-time 4WD offered with the automatic.
Last year of the J-2000 and J-4000 names.

1972

Gladiator name dropped; the trucks were sold simply as Jeep pickups (Jeep's own history dates this to 1971).

1971

AMC's 258 six, 304 V8, and 360 V8 replaced the older engines; the Buick 350 became special order only.
126-inch J-3000 series dropped.

1970

AMC bought Kaiser Jeep early in the year.
Wagoneer-style grille, the first restyle since launch, and new 132-inch J-4000 models.

1969

Warner T-18 four-speed replaced the T-98A (IFSJA).
Last year of M715 military production.

1968

Buick 350 V8 replaced the AMC 327 partway through the year.
Thriftside bed dropped; J-3600 camper option added.

1967

Regular two-wheel-drive models dropped.
The larger deluxe rear window, with more than twice the glass, became standard.
Military M715 production began.

1966

Last year for regular two-wheel-drive trucks.
Turbo Hydra-Matic now the automatic across the line.

1965

Four-digit model names (J-2000 and J-3000) replaced J-200 and J-300.
AMC 232 six replaced the Tornado during the year, and the AMC 327 V8 was optional from April.
Turbo Hydra-Matic added; last year for independent front suspension.

1964

Lower-compression 133 hp Tornado six offered alongside the 140 hp version.

1963

Launched in late 1962 on 120-inch (J-200) and 126-inch (J-300) wheelbases, with Thriftside or Townside beds and a Custom Cab package.
Tornado overhead-cam six; 2WD or 4WD with optional independent front suspension and automatic.

Notes

Last model year: most sources (Wikipedia, JK-Forum, a 1988-coded J10 VIN on classic.com) support 1988; JeepTech, offroaders.com, and some Jeep history pages say production ended in 1987. Production figures for 1974 to 1987 come from IFSJA and JeepTech (they match) and add up to 135,791; no figures were found for 1963 to 1973 or 1988. Engine years differ a lot between IFSJA, JeepTech, offroaders.com, and Wikipedia; IFSJA's years are used here and the alternatives are noted on each engine. Pre-1972 ratings are gross and later ones net. Trim years also disagree: Golden Eagle is 1977 to 1979 (Wikipedia) or 1977 to 1983 (offroadxtreme). The Gladiator name is said to have been dropped in 1971 (Jeep's history) or 1972 (Wikipedia, JeepTech). Cars.com calls the 232 an overhead-cam six; it was an overhead-valve engine per JeepTech and IFSJA. Overseas assembly (Argentina, Iran, Mexico) is not covered here.

Sources

en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Jeep_Gladiator_(SJ)
offroaders.com /tech/jeep/Jeep-J-series-pickups.htm
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/models/jpu
cars.com /articles/classic-pickups-65-jeep-gladiator-j-210-454298
ifsja.org /tech/figures/engines.html
ifsja.org /tech/figures/db.html
ifsja.org /tech/figures/fsjprod.html
offroadxtreme.com /?p=9839
suncruisermedia.com /4WDrive/trucks/4x4-then-and-now-j10-honcho/
jk-forum.com /articles/jeep-j10-chrysler/
eightiescars.com /2020/06/21/1982-jeep-cj-8-scrambler-pickup-truck/
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/tornado230/
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/amc327/
terryhowe.github.io /JeepTech/engine/factory/dauntless350/