Before you get out the torches and pitchforks concerning the “350 V8”, thinking it’s just another restomod with a Chevy 350 in it, Jeep really did offer a factory 350-cu.in. V8 in the form of a Buick-sourced Dauntless 350 V8. Just as there was a Buick-sourced Buick Dauntless V6 in the Jeepster. The seller has this 1968 Jeep Gladiator J2000 4×4 Thriftside posted here on craigslist in beautiful Carpinteria, California, near Santa Barbara, and they’re asking $19,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
I love the Thriftside bed, which is what Jeep called their “Stepside” bed. They would go away sometime in 1968, so this is pretty rare to see one today. They aren’t quite as well-designed as some other manufacturers’ efforts at a fender-side bed, but I think it’s pretty cool. Jeep made the Gladiator pickup from 1962 until 1971, and then the Gladiator name went away. Is that really when companies started getting rid of actual, real names and giving us letters and numbers? What a shame.
The box looks as rugged as you’d expect, and the seller says this truck is original and unmodified, other than the hand-painted name of the original owner’s farm on the doors. This is a J2000, having a 120-inch wheelbase, and it should have the shorter seven-foot bed. There was also an eight-foot bed length. The Thriftside bed wouldn’t last much longer, as Jeep switched them all to the flat-sided Townside design. I like a stepside truck myself. How about you?
I’m assuming this truck has a four-speed manual as opposed to a three-speed. One of you Jeep experts would know for sure, but I’m guessing the three-speed manual would have been on the column. A four-speed manual was optional, as was an automatic. The interior looks great. This would be one of the last years for the classic Jeep grille, so right there, that puts it on my master wish list. I love this small grill rather than the wider Jeep grilles that showed up after 1969.
The big thing with this Jeep, other than its seemingly nice overall condition, is the Buick-sourced Dauntless 350-cu.in. OHV V8 under the hood. It had 230 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque when new and is backed by the floor-shifted manual sending power through a two-speed transfer case to all four wheels as needed. The seller says it’ll need some maintenance as they bought it from the original owners and haven’t really done anything to it in the last eight years – it’s been in storage most of the time. This looks like a winner to me. Any thoughts on this Jeep Gladiator?
Believe our AMC guru Howard liked the very early and very late model Jeep pickups..
This is really cool. I cant remember ever seeing a step side version of a Jeep. And also it being a J2000 I’m thinking 3/4 ton? I’m wondering too if its a 3 speed or 4 speed with a creeper low gear….
To second what Stan said, we need Howard to chime in here.
I like this truck Scotty, your hitting them out of the park with all these cool finds. Everyone here on Bar finds has been posting some great stuff on here.
“Bar finds”… that conjures up all kinds of images. That term probably could be used by a lot of people to describe their current significant other. 🙂
Well…… it is the afternoon. A bar would be nice Godzilla lol. Me and my fat thumbs. I need to learn to proofread before hitting submit.
Yes, a J2000 is a 3/4 ton. I almost traded for a stepside J10 years ago, but the owner’s wife never passed on the message. :(
Nice work truck, loves fuel, but will likely get you back home.
But, nineteen-five?
Seriously
The madness continues…
Love the early Gladiators, would take a Jeep pickup over the other manufacturers offerings any day. Except at $19.5k, way over priced! This Jeep ticks a lot of boxes but I would have to pass at that prices.
Torches and pitchforks? Oh dear, and thanks, but I am no guru, some here remind us constantly of that, for some reason, and I suspect this post will be no different. Be that as it may be, yes, I do like the Kaisers, but I think a 350 is a bit overkill, the V6 was more than adequate, the “Tornado”, better yet. An old timer finally has his due, the new Dodge motor replacing the hemi, is a,,( gathering composure), a stinkin’ in-line 6, and they have the gall to call it a “Hurricane”. Oh, we’ve come full circle folks.( gloating proudly)
The Kaiser types were great trucks, close cousins to its military roots. I’ve always said, the AMCs were a knockoff, ( don’t get your undies in a bundle) they were still great vehicles. The “wider” grill the author speaks of is after AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser( 1970?) and became just the J series and dropped the Gladiator name. I was amazed to read, a 1969 Gladiator pickup like this cost about $3500 bucks. In 1971, the AMC J series pickup cost almost $4300 BUCKS! They cheapened them up some, and charged more. Who said AMC was dumb? Naturally, I personally( and 50 million others) would prefer an automatic, but buyers here pretty much know what they want, and a stick is fine. The GM motor again, is okay, but I’d much prefer the AMC motors that came later. These withered away in the very environment they were designed for, and sunny Cal. is about the only place you’ll find one like this. What a find!
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Jeep also used AMC motors earlier. The Rambler 327 was offered as an option on the Wagonner and Gladiator until production of that engine stopped.
I had a 3/4 ton Townside with the Buick 350 ,4 speed, and a Fisher power angle plow that as a young lad in my 20’s was my daily driver when gas was cheap. 10 mpg on a good day, 4mpg plowing. It was a great truck, towed a car to the dragstrip over an hour away on Sundays, brought home lots of building materials, and took lots of stuff to the dump. Dad was a Jeep dealer back in the day, and I got a great deal on this as a trade in. Earlier I had a Wagoneer with the ohc 6, dad in later years had a Wagoneer with the AMC V8. Believe it or not, with the reputation the OHCs had, a few of them wound up in the back lot as a parts vehicle or if somebody needed a really cheap car, Dad would keep them supplied with used oil. I had one of those…100 miles to a quart. We did eventually fix that. The Buick never gave me an ounce of trouble, where dad would complain about the smog stuff on the new AMC. Lots of fond memories though. I put some of them through hell. They were tough.
I looked up the Townside. I want one! I don’t believe I have seen one for sale on any site.
We’ve seen quite a few Townside Jeep pickups here, Mark. They’re pretty fancy compared to the sharp-angled Thriftside bed.
https://barnfinds.com/barn-find-1973-jeep-j-2000-4×4-townside/
https://barnfinds.com/?s=jeep+j10
had one for a work truck , fisher plow , good truck!
Beautiful truck. Impossibly waaaaaay priced above my budget. Still, beautiful truck.