Stalled California Project: Jeep J-10 4X4

It might not be a popular opinion, but my favorite Jeeps are the oddballs: FC-150s, Willys Station Wagons, and Gladiators/J-Series Pickups. I saw one of the rustiest ’83 J-20s in the world for sale last year, and I geeked out about it for a week. If you’re like me, at least you can skip the rust (except for a driver’s floor pan) with this California project truck, but you will have to turn some wrenches.

Nope, it doesn’t run. At least it has a stout AMC 360, so getting it coughing back to life shouldn’t be a Herculean task as long as the engine hasn’t suffered from some past cataclysm. Just from looking, I can start making the list of items I’ll need to deal with: master cylinder, fuel tank, fuel hoses, new or recored radiator, probably a carb cleaning, does this thing have electronic ignition?, etc., etc. I find the planning fun; the next step is to sit and stare at the car for a solid half-hour to get psyched up for the job. Maybe you too have been there before.

Judging by the four-barrel Motorcraft carburetor, this should be the 195-horsepower four-barrel 360, which was standard for all California trucks in 1975. Lucky Californians! (Although it seems that few have anything good to say about those 4300/4350 carburetors.)

Oh yeah, it will need a windshield, because it looks as if someone skipped the fee at the shooting range and simply used the Jeep instead. Too bad. This is a manual-transmission truck, but the seller doesn’t specify if it’s a three speed or a four speed. It’s also unclear if the missing door panels are a part of the deal or not; the new buyer might have to make a decision about this truck: Do I restore it and find the missing interior pieces or make the best of it and have a fun beater?

I think I’d lean toward the latter. There’s no reason that this Jeep couldn’t be a fun work truck or daily beater if you live in a temperate climate. (I’d hate to subject it to salt at this late date.) A full restoration would be expensive, and I’m not sure that ’75 Jeep trucks will return that investment. I’d have a heck of a fun time getting this thing running again and worrying about cosmetic issues as I drove it, but we all have different ways of enjoying this hobby. What would you do with this truck?

It’s currently on eBay with a high bid of $1,995.