Hi! Newbie here, need some help with a strange j3000

[jeepskate]

I recently acquired a 1970 j3000 4x4 dually with an extended frame. It all appears factory, has the buick 350, 4 speed, dana 70 rear, custom cab, etc..I'm curious as to how many of these were made and where to find new original type wheels for it? I have never seen one of these before and of course, had to have it so now the fun begins figuring out what I've got and where to get stuff for it! Any help is greatly appreciated!! I'll put up a pic or two when I can figure out how to do it....

[REDONE]

That's pretty nifty!

[Gumby]

That's nice, welcome to the madness.

[66stepside]

That's sweet! Nice score.


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[tgreese]

They did exist ... as you see. The dealership I worked for in 1974 had one they used as a car carrier. Just like that one, except Transport Yellow and the car carrier flatbed. Very few were made.

[tgreese]

Regarding the wheels, I think they were standard 6-lug disk wheels, used by all the DRW trucks in that era. If you have a junkyard nearby with contemporary DRW trucks that you can look at, you could compare what you have with those. Do you have a set of six now? Typically these trucks did not carry a spare, instead relying on the extra rear wheels to have enough sound tires to swap around and get to a tire repair shop.

Also, are they split rim wheels? I'm pretty sure the six-lug disk wheels are standardized, and you could maybe pick up a set of six more modern one-piece wheels in say 16" height. If these are 16.5s with split rims, you may have some trouble finding tires and a tire shop willing to work on them.

[tgreese]

Note also there is a Jeep DRW registry - http://www.txfsja.org/forum/viewforum.p ... a1fc19592d - don't know if it's active, but there should be good info there. See if you can contact Elliot and check the registry's status.

[jeepskate]

Thanks for the kudos from all!! Seems like a friendly site, hopefully i can learn more about this particular rig in the future! Tgreese, isn't there a huge jeep bone yard somewhere in Mass?

[Nikkormat]

http://www.jeeptruck.com/mjs/sale16/adm488/adm488.html

[tgreese]

... Tgreese, isn't there a huge jeep bone yard somewhere in Mass?

Not that I know of. I see old Jeeps in the pick-and-pulls near Billerica occasionally, but very few older than the '70s. Lots of rusted-out or wrecked (and stripped) Wranglers in these yards.

[Stuka]

That lug pattern is a 6x7.25 and was used by many makes. As I recall stockton wheels has some in this size.

[dbabicky]

That is one sweet Truck. I would been on that like a duck on a june-bug too !!!

[mud89]

The duallies were discontinued in 1968, probably mid 1968
According to the VIN pic in the craigslist ad it's not an aftermarket conversion, and since it's a rig with the 350 buick which was introduced at the beginning of 1968, your rig is actually a 1968
I estimate on the basis of some old bulletins the number of duallies with the 350 buick at less than 50, this one is the 15th (SN : 300 015), so your rig is a rare example: if i was not oversea , i would have made an offer, by the way any interior pic ?

[jeepskate]

the truck is an oddball….i have no way of telling if it is a 68 or a 70 based on what i can find….i can say that everything appears original including the interior. PO says he replaced the engine back in the 80's and was sure it was a 70…. idk?

[mud89]

The fact that it's a 70 or a 68 is not essential
You can tell though it's not a '70 cause the early '70 rigs had a rhino grille AND reflectors on the front fenders and the late '70 rigs had razor grille with side marker lights instead of the reflectors. Your gladiator has a Rhino without the reflectors, so..
For info a '70 has also a yellow sticker on the door jamb , driver side, with VIN and production date
By the way "custom cab" plus the V8, it's a well optioned dually, congrats for the catch

[jeepskate]

it does appear to be a tough one to find parts for here in Maine….i'm open to offers if someone in jeepville is interested, i'll never get around to doing it justice. i know my limits on some things!!

[mud89]

sure If you need parts which are dually specific it can be challenging
I hope that this one will find the right buyer and that you'll get a fair price
You said that the rig has an extended frame, did you measure the wheelbase or do you have a special order plate under the VIN plate ?

[jeepskate]

it measured out somewhere near 161 inches? Does that jive with any specs for a 1 ton? I haven't found any camper or wrecker type info around it…certainly could have been one or the other i suspect….or just a flatbed...

[mud89]

Eliott wrote in the history part of its dually registry that it was possible for the customers to get a dually with an extended frame, WB between 145'' and 165'' , for applications like mounted chassis cabover campers.

[comet the dog]

Cool