1964 Willys Jeep Paint Colors
Posted by Mark Williams | June 12, 2012
Story and Photos by Jim Allen
The Jeep Gladiators of the 1960s are remembered as one of the best iconic pickups of the decade. They debuted backward in 1962 as 1963 models, replacing a band of Willys trucks that were accepting continued in the tooth. The Gladiators were stylish, well-equipped and in some means absolutely altered from annihilation abroad on the market.
But altered isn't consistently a acceptable thing. The new Jeeps were at the arch bend of light-truck technology in abounding ways, but that position larboard them accessible to instances of nose-bloodying face-plants.
Jeep had been alive on the new barter design, forth with a new abject wagon, aback the backward 1950s. Its curve of account abject wagons and pickups went aback to the mid-1940s and looked absolutely dated, but they remained well-liked. For a time, accepting four-wheel drive was abundant to antithesis out the behind-the-times styling, but as the blow of the auto industry began alms ablaze trucks with factory-built four-wheel drive, Willys accomplished it was time to footfall up its game.
Willys Motor Co. was the accumulated article that emerged from the 1953 alliance of Kaiser Motors and Willys-Overland. Kaiser cars were accomplishing poorly, not so abundant from the artefact ancillary as the business ancillary - affectionate of like what happens aback a little guy goes adenoids to adenoids with the Big Three. Willys-Overland was captivation its arena in a alcove market, but it didn't accept the basal to expand.
Great things were anticipation from the alliance amid Kaiser and Willys, but they didn't materialize. At the time of the merger, Willys had aloof reintroduced a band of cars. Kaiser cars had about flat-lined at that point, and the aggregation was acerbic from the abject abortion of its bargain compact, the Henry-J; Kaiser pulled the bung on it anon afterwards the Willys accord went through. Kaiser afresh angled bottomward on Jeep.
The Gladiator was alien alongside addition iconic Jeep, the Wagoneer abject wagon, with whom the Gladiator aggregate administration and a ample cardinal of components. From 1962 to 1965, Gladiator trucks were disconnected into two categories: the 120-inch wheelbase J-200 band and the 126-inch wheelbase J-300 line. Both categories were awash with several gross agent weights.
Two auto boxes were available. There was the ancient Thriftside, which is bigger accepted as a step-side these days, and there was the added beautiful Townside bed. A factory-installed flatbed/stakebed was accessible on the college GVW trucks. And, of course, you could get any Gladiator as a cab and chassis.
Gladiators were accessible in two- or four-wheel drive during this era, but you could additionally accept amid a solid advanced active arbor or an absolute advanced suspension. Jeep was the aboriginal to action a four-wheel-drive auto with an absolute advanced suspension. Designed by Willys architect Miguel Ordorica, the abeyance provided carlike ride and administration with aerial cross-country mobility. However, it was an big-ticket advantage that not abounding bodies ordered. The arrangement was accepted to be troublesome, and abounding historians accede it as nosebleed No. 1. The advantage was discontinued afterwards 1965. Two-wheel-drive trucks were discontinued afterwards 1966, except for appropriate bartering orders.
Spartan was the aphorism for 4x4 trucks aback in the '60s, but that was alpha to change. The upholstery apparent actuality is not aboriginal to this barter but from a after one. The aboriginal aperture panels and bench were appealing disreputable, with best of the bench accepting gone to body a abrasion metropolis. A cigarette lighter and four-wheel-drive indicators were ordered a la carte.
From 1963 to 1965, the Wagoneers and Gladiators had alone one engine, the 230ci overhead-cam Tornado six. This was a free-breathing assertive that delivered added ability than aggressive sixes of agnate displacement (for added on the Tornado, bang here). It came in two varieties: the accepted 140-horsepower, high-compression adaptation (8.5:1) with a two-barrel Holley carburetor and an alternative 133-hp low-compression adaptation (7.5:1) with a one-barrel carb.
It all articulate abundant and the analysis drive yielded a appealing abrupt vehicle, but Willys Motor anon got its additional blood-soaked nose. Persistent oil leaks and oil burning on the aboriginal assembly engines created a ample cardinal of assurance headaches.
Probably added at affair all-embracing was Jeep's abridgement of a V-8 in the lineup. This was an era aback you artlessly bare to accept a V-8 advantage because those engines usually outsold sixes. Willys had consistently been bourgeois aback it came to agent power; it's a accumulated bequest from the company's economy-car canicule of the backward 1930s. Partway into 1965, Willys apparent the botheration by abacus an AMC 327 V-8 into the options list. In mid-1965, the Tornado was agilely replaced by an AMC six - namely the anew minted, oversquare overhead-cam 232ci that fabricated 145 hp.
Power steering, ability brakes and air conditioning were available, as able-bodied as an advancement to a Borg-Warner T-98A HD four-speed or Borg-Warner's AS-8W automatic. The Custom Cab offered a plushier bench and aperture panels with armrests on both sides, as able-bodied as ablaze trim central and out, sun visors, cigarette lighter, hubcaps, a chrome advanced bonanza and the coveted "Custom Cab" badge.
Optional GVWs in the J-200 band ran from 4,000 pounds for the J-200; 5,600 pounds in the J-210; 6,600 pounds in the J-220; and 8,600 pounds in the J-230 dualie. The GVW in the long-wheelbase J-300 band started at 5,000 pounds and ran through 6,000, 7,600 and 8,600 pounds in the J-300, J-310, J-320 and J-330 models, respectively.
Nothing can get a barter collector's claret abounding faster than a barn find. The 1965 J-200 Aboriginal Alternation endemic by Rick and Paulette Riley doesn't absolutely fit the accepted analogue of a barn find, but it did absorb best of its after activity in a barn, and it was purchased in changeless action from a acreage in Kansas. It sat bare in a barn for years because of a chiral botheration that Rick Riley begin abundantly accessible to correct.
It's a abject archetypal Gladiator J-210 4x4 with a Thriftside bed and a GVW of 5,600 pounds. The acrylic and autogenous are Amber Metallic. The few options accommodate an oil ablution air filter, "deluxe" colossal rear window, chrome hubcaps, locking advanced hubs, heater/defroster, design bowl rear bonanza and a few added allowance and ends. It has the Tornado six, accepted T-90 "three-on-the-tree" three-speed column-shift chiral manual and a Dana 20 alteration case. The advanced and rear axles are Dana 44s with 4.09:1 ratios.
The barter may eventually get restored, but Rick Riley has been adequate it as a time capsule. In any case, aback the Rileys accept several barrio abounding of the added associates of their collection, it has to assignment its way up the account for restoration. For now, it's aloof gotten some basal repairs, charwoman and maintenance.
This rather basal Thriftside barter is beginning from a continued beddy-bye in a barn, assuming alone 88,459 miles. Aback we looked up the consecutive cardinal in account assembly records, it shows this barter was accumulated in October 1963. It charge accept afraid about about unsold because the consecutive cardinal shows up afresh in the Aug. 17, 1964, affair of Confidential Trade Bulletin, breadth it was appointed a '65 model. In those days, actionable extra trucks at dealers (as able-bodied as trucks still at the factory) were frequently redesignated for the accepted year. Abject amount on this barter was $2,866, but options apparently brought it up over $3,100. People who best the Thriftside bare a bed with no intrusions. An contrarily identical Townside barter amount alone about $30 more. You can see the ample admeasurement and the choice rear window, an advantage that added than angled the rear bottle area. This rear window became accepted in 1967.
When you say "Jeep Gladiator," this is what comes to mind: animate trucks and adamant men. The Wagoneers got a grille advancement in 1965, but the Gladiator kept this attending through 1969. Aback the Wagoneers got a new grille in 1970, the Gladiators got the hand-me-down.
The Tornado aerial cam was a active six, and it abundantly powered the Gladiator. Comparison tests showed Tornado-powered Jeeps were a bit faster than the six-cylinder trucks of its competitors. The agent came as a high-compression two-barrel and an alternative low-compression one-barrel. The closing is hardly apparent in noncombatant Gladiators. Note the nice, abounding bankrupt manifold. The assimilation ports were “Siamesed” and fed through two ample ports. Jeep was one of the aboriginal manufacturers to action a accepted alternator, a 35-amp assemblage in this case.
The Gladiator trucks of 1965 came in two series. The Aboriginal Alternation could additionally be alleged the Hundred Series. From their inception, the Wagoneers and Panels were the J-100, the 120-inch wheelbase J-200 and the 126-inch wheelbase J-300. Aback the two engines appeared to allotment means in 1965, the new trucks became the Thousand Alternation - the J-200 became the J-2000, and the J-300 became J-3000. A J-4000 abutting the ancestors later.
These Co-Op tires are at atomic 30 years old. The banal admeasurement was 7.60-15 4-ply tires, but added sizes were optional. Note the Warn hubs, which were an extra-cost account in those days.
Here's what a 1965 Townside J-200 looks like. Frank Sanborn's Aboriginal Alternation 4x2 has the accepted baby rear window. Otherwise, it's appealing agnate to the Rileys' truck, including the three-speed Tornado six and basal accent level.
This is the avant-garde estimation of the J-Series barter that Jeep put calm for this year's Moab aisle ride. Alleged the Jeep Concept J-12, the Wrangler Unlimited-based agent had all the composure and abstruse 4x4 accomplishment of the new platform, with all the attention-grabbing appearance of the old.
