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Where are all those gladiator/J-series trucks?

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
The old folks in my parts tell me J trucks were rare, even when they were new in my parts. I only know one person whose actually owned one. I've haven't seen many in person, but I stumble across one on rare ocassions. My question is were thesent things produced in small numbers or did they just end up in the junk yards. I ask, because when I see one, it usually someones mint condition pet, or someone's trashed yard orpasture ornament. I'm just curious especially, since they were made for over 30 years.Thanks.
 

jerseyjeeps

Crazy about AMC Jeeps
Lifetime Member
City
Landing
State
NJ
www.ifsja.org

www.fsjnetwork.com

:) :wave:

that's the short answer, there is a longer answer tho, but the short version of the longer answer is they rusted way worse especially the beds, they were used hard like a truck (which they are) and moreso to be less collectible or babied like a CJ (could be) only compounding the problem of finding them now, or even 10 years ago, and were more expensive than a comparable GM / Ford / Dodge so they didn't sell as many. That last one is relative, I don't know production numbers off the top of my head, but I do know that J-trucks were sold to Jeep people mainly who wanted the Jeep brand, because you could get the same options in a GM / Ford / Dodge for 80%-85% of the price during the main J-truck craze, especially the fully loaded versions 1977-1984 ish.
 
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Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
Thanks, it just amazes me, I see a ton of GM square bodies, a few ford dent sides, and bull noses,and a 1st Gen Ram here and there. There is even an IH Scout running around but the Jeep fullsize pickups are non existent, heck I havent seen too many xj commanchees either. What I also find weird, is there older cherokees and wagoneers which were just suburbanized j pickups, are still common. Same case with xj cherokee but the xj commanchee is uncommon though when you get into a world of pickups, jeep falls short.
 

walkerhoundvm

Just trying to stay upright
Lifetime Member
City
Cave Creek
State
AZ
I'm going to guess production numbers won't even compare - because why try to reinvent the wheel when your competition can do it cheaper and better than you can. Stick with your bread and butter - the Jeep has been virtually the only successful model for every car company that has owned it. Willys, Kaiser, AMC, Chrysler - all have gone out of business or been bought out, sold out, and only one thing remains - the Jeep.
 

gazzo

AMC Jeep nutjob
Lifetime Member
City
Fremantle
State
WA
If you have a boat you can get them all off Gumtree
 

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
I'm going to guess production numbers won't even compare - because why try to reinvent the wheel when your competition can do it cheaper and better than you can. Stick with your bread and butter - the Jeep has been virtually the only successful model for every car company that has owned it. Willys, Kaiser, AMC, Chrysler - all have gone out of business or been bought out, sold out, and only one thing remains - the Jeep.

The cherokee still lives on, and for a short period the wagoneer. Chrysler abandoned the j series upon buying amc. Because it would only compete with their existing dodge ram pickups.
 

trust

PITA
City
White Rock
State
NM
If you want one a friend has three of them hed like to move, one is pretty complete and the other two are parts or more extensive reclamation projects. none run

email me if youre interested and Ill send you his contact info
 

Domin8

Scrambler Enthusiast
Lifetime Member
City
Astoria
State
NY
One possible factor, IMO, is that the heyday for these trucks coincided with a pretty poor time period for the company, and the auto industry in general.

You had the gas crisis of '73, which I was too young to remember, followed by the one in '78, which I do remember.

Due to those 2 incidents, 4WD was not nearly as widely spec'd for work vehicles as it is nowadays. Back then, that's pretty much what most pickups were used for, unlike now.

I don't have any proof of this, but that's my impression.
 

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
Thanks, these trucks have always fascinated me. I'd like to own one one day, but I have way too many vehicles as of now. Maybe for that one day in the distant future I finally decide to get one there will actually be replacement parts available ;). The one truck, other than International Harvester that lmc dosent have in their catalog, hint hint lmc...
 

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
If you have a boat you can get them all off Gumtree

How come Australia has so many, were the American big 2 (GM c/k series,and Ford f series) not sell well in those parts? I thought the only cool thing the Aussies had in large numbers that we didn't, was the overlander.
 

jerseyjeeps

Crazy about AMC Jeeps
Lifetime Member
City
Landing
State
NJ
The Aussies only got about 200-300 overlanders and they were made for roughly less than 18 months from late '83 to early '85, but far more other models. But I hear ya :wave:
 

jerseyjeeps

Crazy about AMC Jeeps
Lifetime Member
City
Landing
State
NJ
I am not saying that. I have no knowledge of that. I do know that jeep didn't sell any 1986-1993 model year jeeps of any kind tho in Australia. They completely pulled out after the 1985 model year and didn't return until bringing the XJ sometime around the 1994 model year.
 

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
I am not saying that. I have no knowledge of that. I do know that jeep didn't sell any 1986-1993 model year jeeps of any kind tho in Australia. They completely pulled out after the 1985 model year and didn't return until bringing the XJ sometime around the 1994 model year.

That's strange, bet YJs are scarce in those parts.
 

jerseyjeeps

Crazy about AMC Jeeps
Lifetime Member
City
Landing
State
NJ
I am pretty sure they got no YJs sold new at all. And that's a beautiful thing :evil:

I hear the main reason for pulling out all those years was the weak exchange rate and dwindling profitability.
 

Randyzzz

Blown Budget
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Redmond
State
OR
J trucks are pretty hard to find- I know, I recently culminated my search by purchasing a rust free 1987. They seem to be almost as rare as Scramblers. I know the production numbers were way lower than the big 3, my 1987 is one of about 1350 J20's for that year. That same year over 112000 Cherokees and 14000 Grand Wagoneers were sold.

Just to further illustrate: 74-79 averaged 18,000 a year.

80-84 averaged 6000 a year

85-88 total production was under 5000

These are rounded numbers, but you can see not many were made, and less survived.

Gratuitous picture:

0e378861ce652eb07cee12cc3ec8ba4c-1.jpg


I've got a build thread started here, and John N just picked up a real neat one too.

Oh- seems the half ton versions make up most of what's out there.
 

gazzo

AMC Jeep nutjob
Lifetime Member
City
Fremantle
State
WA
We got possibly more CJ10s than straight up J10s. At least that's what I'm find by way of what's available now. Maybe I'm miles wrong there. Could be, and this is a crazy guess, the farmers loved CJ10s and as they are all inland they were away from the beach so didn't rust out near as quick as the FSJs. Just guessing. Farm trucks tend to do fewer miles than their bigger more comfortable cousins.
I think if FSJ trucks came of for sale now they'd be snapped up quicker the Overlanders
 

Wyatt1234

Basic User
City
Orange
State
TX
J trucks are pretty hard to find- I know, I recently culminated my search by purchasing a rust free 1987. They seem to be almost as rare as Scramblers. I know the production numbers were way lower than the big 3, my 1987 is one of about 1350 J20's for that year. That same year over 112000 Cherokees and 14000 Grand Wagoneers were sold.

Just to further illustrate: 74-79 averaged 18,000 a year.

80-84 averaged 6000 a year

85-88 total production was under 5000

These are rounded numbers, but you can see not many were made, and less survived.

Gratuitous picture:

0e378861ce652eb07cee12cc3ec8ba4c-1.jpg


I've got a build thread started here, and John N just picked up a real neat one too.

Oh- seems the half ton versions make up most of what's out there.

Beautiful truck, my friend had a junked one in his pasture, that he used to repair, his other ruined by a shade tree mechanic. The junked one probaly met it's death in the crusher, and the one he was trying to repair, probaly the same though it was pretty far gone any way, and my friend is not a jeep or truck aficionado, he runs his vehicles until they break. I don't think he cared what happened to those beautiful trucks, he just wanted to get rid of them.
 
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