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Retro Build

RenegadeBI

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An old friend of mine had a 1979 Scrambler he bought new with his Navy re-enlistment bonus. In dark blue with white cab roof and similar stripes, plus the usual steel rock crawler wheels in white. At the same time I had a 78 Scout II TERRA 4x4 truck. We had a lot of fun!
I really liked those IH Terras but opted for a '79 Cherokee Chief (my first new car purchase) with a Meyers plow and 4-speed manual, I think it was the T18? with the granny 1st gear & the 360 v-8. That truck was a beast, wish I had kept it! Later I also had a '80 Scrambler and dropped a 304 into that - it was goood!
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mtudb24

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Thank you for your kind words. My struggle is still finding the right main color to base the rest of the build off. This always happens with me lol Anyway i am most likely going with the blue family of colors. Thinking of these(see pictures below) are base for the color for the rest of the build. Btw i got one question for you, I remember you had the general grabber tires and now your running the BF goodrich,Both look awesome on your build so which one you find to be the better proformer ? Thank you for confirming the retro alloy wheels are great buy, Currently a set of 5 could be had for around $1100ish. I can see why you would of chosen the chrome as it would of been perfect with the grey decals.
jt-jeep-gladiator-hood-decal-retro-stripes-blue-stripe-vehicles-parts-923_1200x1200.webp
blue 4x4.jpg
I wanted the General Grabber ATX's again as i had such a great experience with them. Over 55K miles of flawless operations and terrific wear out of them.

Sadly, General discontinued them in 37's in a 17 inch rim so the only available tire with a raised white letter, was BFG AT's. Have 6K miles on the BFG's and no issues with them. Balanced well, drives well, low noise, and looks good. Only issue is they are small for a 37. 36.5 where the Generals were a true 35 at 35" tall.

Pixel hut worked with me on matching my Mopar M9C graphic colors to get a matching hood decal. Maybe then can work work with you on the Anvil color you have and come up with something custom?
Jeep Gladiator Retro Build Hood decal
 

LouisvEarlleJT

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The firestone M/T's are/were the standard on the Willys but in (late?) 22-23 there were supply problems and lots of Willys' got BFG M/T''s. That's what my '23 came with, and yeah, at almost 21,000 miles they really sing on the highway but that's going to be true with any mud tire.
 
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JmattNYC

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I wanted the General Grabber ATX's again as i had such a great experience with them. Over 55K miles of flawless operations and terrific wear out of them.

Sadly, General discontinued them in 37's in a 17 inch rim so the only available tire with a raised white letter, was BFG AT's. Have 6K miles on the BFG's and no issues with them. Balanced well, drives well, low noise, and looks good. Only issue is they are small for a 37. 36.5 where the Generals were a true 35 at 35" tall.

Pixel hut worked with me on matching my Mopar M9C graphic colors to get a matching hood decal. Maybe then can work work with you on the Anvil color you have and come up with something custom?
Hood decal.webp
Thanks. The general grabbers and even old school duelers with raise lettering fits the retro build so well i cant pin point it but its a natural. I never notice how good the BF goodrich tired tread actaully looks. Nice!! Are these the same people that help you with the hub cap decals as well? also can you kindle share a pic of the AMC logo on rear? I was looking at some for ideas and this is very period correct emblem to add. A few nice retro options exist and i was aiming towards the "AMC Jeep" or even the AMC colors with the old style mopar written in the middle.
 
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JmattNYC

JmattNYC

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The firestone M/T's are/were the standard on the Willys but in (late?) 22-23 there were supply problems and lots of Willys' got BFG M/T''s. That's what my '23 came with, and yeah, at almost 21,000 miles they really sing on the highway but that's going to be true with any mud tire.
I really like them on the extreme recon willy's. All mud tires do seem to not last very long. Was looking at some gladiator X MTs in the past and they look great but tread wear is a concern.
 

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Falcor

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I've always admired and loved your retro build for years. You keep it simple but awesome. How are the retro alloy wheels ? I was looking at them but struggled to see picture how the gloss white or satin black will fit my potential retro build. The AMC logos on the hubs pop very well with the light grey/dark grey retro decals. The wilco hicthgate drop tire carrier would look awesome with your build.
Jeep Gladiator Retro Build {filename}
I agree. You have one of my favorite Gladiator builds.
 

mtudb24

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Thanks. The general grabbers and even old school duelers with raise lettering fits the retro build so well i cant pin point it but its a natural. I never notice how good the BF goodrich tired tread actaully looks. Nice!! Are these the same people that help you with the hub cap decals as well? also can you kindle share a pic of the AMC logo on rear? I was looking at some for ideas and this is very period correct emblem to add. A few nice retro options exist and i was aiming towards the "AMC Jeep" or even the AMC colors with the old style mopar written in the middle.
Yeah same people on the hood graphic and the center cap logos. Here is a shot of the AMC logo on the tailgate
Hope that helps

Here is the link from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P3TN7Y?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1


Jeep Gladiator Retro Build Rear tow hook_emblem
 

mtudb24

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I agree. You have one of my favorite Gladiator builds.
Thank you very much. Your profile jeep pic is fantastic. Nice Flex :)
 
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JmattNYC

JmattNYC

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Morris

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Not sure if different packages got different MT’s but my ‘26 mojave got fallkens MT’s
 

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Falcor

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Thank you very much. Your profile jeep pic is fantastic. Nice Flex :)
That was a rental Jeep in Moab back in like 2007ish. My last Jeep was a 2005 LJ. Plan to be back into a Jeep within a year or so.
Jeep Gladiator Retro Build IMG_0074
Jeep Gladiator Retro Build IMG_0073
 

Dilly’S Willy

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Good information to know and thanks. How many miles you have on them ? Many people say they wear quicker then expected. I did considered them when i had my diesel overland but was concern with some long term reviews. Combine that with how many city miles i do and i prob would be changing them out like 25k lol . They are a bit expensive as well for a set of 5 however i do see them at bargian prices as take offs.
They came new in a set of 5 when I bought it from a dealer I worked for in the past. I think I'm around 18,500 miles on them currently, doing 5 tire rotations. I had similar issues of wearing and wander when I got them, but after doing the chalk test and adjusting cold pressures, that fixed itself. Go back a couple years IIRC and they were much cheaper, around $700-800 for a set of 4 installed. I might get 30-35k miles on this set of 5, but I do drive "spiritedly" with TC off. They're also "C" load rated unlike the Mickey Thompsons which are "E" rated. I didn't buy a truck to be an S-Class Benz, I bought it to do truck things.

Something I will say about balancing, they should be able to safely use sticky weights and no clip-on weights if they know how to balance wheels/tires. And if sticky weights can't do it, use balance beads, but you'll need to supply them or see if the shop can get them before you swap tires and most shops don't stock them. When I worked for a local shop a customer had oversized tires and supplied balance beads, I was super skeptical but read their directions (just measure and/or pour bag contents) and they just worked! Just try not to spill them or they won't work right, and are sometimes hard to obtain on demand.
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