My 65 Gladiator

the old steering box is completely worn out and the front clip of the Jeep is showing some signs of wear after all the years.
i decided to strip the front of the Gladiator to have better access.

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with the old steering box removed it became clear that the bolt pattern of the TJ steering box could be very close if not the same.

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they are the same!!! wow i could not believe it, after all the years between the Gladiator and the TJ the bolt pattern was identical.

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even the ball joint fit!

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now i have to fit the power steering pump to the motor.
how do i remove the pulley of the TJ pump?
 
That's really cool that the gear box fit. As far as the PS pump pulley, most require a specialty puller. Get a decent quality one as the cheap ones don't work well, imo. Take a look at your pulley, but something like this should work:

Untitled.jpg
 
my son and i made the steering shaft, a mix of TJ and FSJ steering shaft today.
i was worried that the pitman arm would be to short but everything worked out perfect. the stops on the axle stop the
knuckle just before the steering box stops turning.

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another pic of the dissasembly process:

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the Gladiator is back together :yup:

i am stoked!! super happy!!
everything went back together without much hassle and everything fits pretty well

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here my Son is bussy putting the grille back in. the final touch so to say :clap2:

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after the hassle with the disc brake conversion this was a super easy install.
the Gladiator is a pleasure to drive now
 
Kavanji said:
the Gladiator is back together :yup:

i am stoked!! super happy!!
everything went back together without much hassle and everything fits pretty well

37812146zh.jpg


here my Son is bussy putting the grille back in. the final touch so to say :clap2:

37812148jq.jpg


after the hassle with the disc brake conversion this was a super easy install.
the Gladiator is a pleasure to drive now
Click to expand...

Right on...I love your truck man...
 
here are some pics of the body damage we encountered and the repairs we had to make.
55 years of dirt and farm roads just don't go unnoticed
this Gladiator belonged to a well drilling company and was used to haul the well drilling rig and tools around Namibia in times where asphalted roads where reserved to main streets in towns.


37812300sp.jpg



37812301rr.jpg



37812302ws.jpg



37812303mr.jpg
 
Last edited:
Kavanji said:
here are some pics of the body damage we encountered and the repairs we had to make.
55 years of dirt and farm roads just don't go unnoticed
this Gladiator belonged to a well drilling company and was used to haul the well drilling rig and tools around Namibia in times where asphalted roads where reserved to main streets in towns.


37812300sp.jpg



37812301rr.jpg



37812302ws.jpg



37812303mr.jpg
Click to expand...

For what it was used for it is in surprisingly good shape.

Nice work on keeping it alive👍
 
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