I Told You So: 392’s, Toledo’s Truck, and Why the Record Matters

I’ve been saying this for months, and now the dots are finally connecting in public: Wrangler and Gladiator are getting the 392, the 5.7 Hemi is in the wings, and the midsize truck tied to Gladiator bones is headed for Toledo. While some “insider” posts quietly disappeared, the confirmations started landing exactly where we said they would. This isn’t about dunking on anybody—it’s about getting you actionable info early so you can plan orders, watch your plant, and understand what’s really moving inside Stellantis.

Let’s walk through what just lined up, why it matters for jobs and buyers, and how we’re going to keep planting flags before the press releases with the new site, GoAfterSpeed.com (GAS).

The Receipts: What Just Got Real

When I first told you Wrangler and Gladiator would see the 6.4L (392) back in the mix, plenty of folks pushed back. The safe take was “maybe a 5.7, but no way a 392.” Here we are—392s surfacing on both nameplates and the 5.7 still on deck as the volume-friendly play. That’s not wish-casting; that’s what the product cadence always hinted at once fines and penalties stopped ruling the entire roadmap.

Same story with the midsize truck. I said from day one that Toledo would be part of the plan for the Gladiator-based program. The internet said Belvidere was the lock; I said don’t sleep on Toledo. Now we’re watching the local breadcrumbs pile up—staffing signals, supplier chatter, and scheduling logic that only makes sense if you keep production close to the people who already build the bones of this thing.

Is Belvidere dead? No. But if Belvidere gets a truck, I don’t expect it to be your classic Gladiator-style Dakota. Picture something smaller—Rampage flavor—with North American tweaks. That’s a different business case, and it can still be a win.

Why I Correct the Record (and Don’t Delete It)

Every time a story finally breaks weeks or months after I’ve already told you to “book it,” I hear the same chorus: I guessed, I’m not a journalist, somebody’s cousin at a plant hasn’t heard it. Cool. I’m not playing journalist—I’ve been doing intel work for more than twenty years. Different toolkit. Same standard: verify, triangulate, and only plant a flag you’re willing to defend later.

If I’m wrong, the video stays up and I eat it. If I’m right and folks who called me out quietly delete their posts? I’m going to say so. That’s not ego; that’s accountability. You deserve a trail you can follow.

What It Means for Toledo (Jobs, Parts, and Paychecks)

A midsize truck that shares Gladiator DNA is the best-case scenario for a fast, clean launch. You don’t reinvent every process. You lean on the experience already in the building, the suppliers already cutting steel, and the logistics network that knows where every bolt goes. If you’re on layoff or waiting for recall, watch this space closely. New shift conversations don’t happen unless there’s real product behind them.

This also steadies the regional supplier base. Frames, axles, harnesses—continuity matters. It’s one thing to spin up a brand-new line in a brand-new space; it’s another to extend a system that already ships trucks.

Where Belvidere Fits (and Where It Doesn’t)

I’m not here to sell hopeium. The buyout talk and the real estate moves I flagged around Belvidere were never red herrings. Could the plant still land a truck? Yes. But I’m not betting on a Gladiator-based Dakota there. A smaller pickup with global DNA and some NA-market sauce feels more likely. If that changes, you’ll hear it from me—with receipts.

What You Should Expect Next

Here’s how I see the board over the next stretch:

392 first, 5.7 next. Jeep leads with the headline engine to restart hype, then scales volume with the 5.7 for buyers who want sound and torque without Rubicon 392 money.
Toledo staffing ramps. Watch for training waves, supplier POs, and schedule volatility that points to pre-production builds.
Belvidere pivot. If (or when) a smaller truck pops, it’ll come with different suppliers, different emissions targets, and a different price ceiling.

If you’re a buyer, that means more real choices and fewer vaporware promises. If you’re a dealer, get your order sheets and allocation plans ready the second these trims open. Early paperwork wins.

Why We Launched GAS (GoAfterSpeed.com)

YouTube is great for reach, but the algorithm buries nuance and makes it easy for latecomers to pretend they didn’t see what we posted first. That’s why we lit up GoAfterSpeed.com—a home base where you’ll find:

First drops when I have something I can stand on early.
Paper trails—order codes, collateral, memos we can legally share, pricing breadcrumbs, VIN logic.
Fast edits when details tighten up, plus the video explainer to match.

Butter built it. OC’s feeding it. I flipped it on. Go kick the tires and tell us what breaks so we can harden it up.

The Pricing Elephant (Because You Asked)

I know the price talk is loud right now—the four-door Charger with the inline-six landing in the high 60s, the lowered Ram checking in around the wrong side of sanity, and the fear that a supercharged V8 Charger could break the six-figure plane. You’re not wrong to be mad. If the market pushes back—and it will—rebates and APR games will show up because metal has to move. None of that changes what’s happening on the Jeep and midsize side: the 392 headlines are going to draw people back to showrooms, and the 5.7 is going to do the daily work of making sales make sense again.

My Ask, Your Payoff

If you’ve been here through the “TK’s wrong” phase only to watch those videos vanish, you already know why I’m stubborn about this stuff. Do three things for me and I’ll keep doing three things for you:

Hammer GAS (GoAfterSpeed.com) and tell me what needs fixing—404s, slow pages, and what tools you want next (ADM trackers, order-code decoders, allocation maps).
Sub the crew—me, Butter The Insider, and OCMotivator. When a story’s moving fast, you’ll see it across all three channels—same facts, different angles.
Hold me accountable. If I miss, I’ll pin a correction. If I hit, I’ll show you the timestamped breadcrumb trail.

Bottom Line

Wrangler/Gladiator 392s are real.
The Gladiator-based midsize work is headed for Toledo.
Belvidere may get a truck, but don’t expect the Gladiator-style Dakota there.

If you rode with me when this sounded “impossible,” I appreciate you. If you’re new and skeptical, good—watch the receipts. Either way, the record just got corrected, and it’s staying up.

See you on GoAfterSpeed.com—and as always, stay petty, my friends.