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Rare 16k Mile 1978 Dodge “Jean Machine” Pickup

OK, be honest, who has ever heard of a “Jean Machine” Dodge Truck? This example was built in 1978 and has been stored most of its like. Showing, just 16,020 miles on the odometer, the truck is located in Columbia Station, Ohio. The seller has this truck listed for the next 22 days here on eBay for a Buy It Now Price of $34,500 but is open to all offers. One thing is for sure, this is one interesting truck, so let’s take a closer look!

The D100 truck is equipped with its original 318 cubic inch V8 engine and 727 three-speed automatic transmission. The Jean Machine truck was an option that was built in the same year that Dodge offered such packages as the Warlock, Lil’ Red Express, and Macho Power Wagon. The seller will include some of the original paperwork including the original owner’s manual and dealer brochure. The fuel sending unit, fuel pump, and rubber fuel lines have all been replaced.

The interior looks like a legitimate 16,000 mile truck with the seats, lower doors, and headliner covered in denim material. The shag carpet is said to be original also. The selling dealer states that only a small amount of mechanical refurbishment was needed to get this truck running after being stored for 25 years in a barn in Seville, Ohio. Some of the mechanical components that were replaced or rebuilt including the carburetor, front brakes, battery, distributor cap, rotor, and tires.

The D100 truck was coated in Ziebart protection in 1992. From what I can tell, the Jean Machine option package was a graphics package that added decals that looked like stitching on the exterior of the truck and denim material on the soft surfaces on the interior. The body does have some dings and scratches but the chrome and glass look good. I am not sure how much the seller wants for this truck but I’m sure it will bring a pretty penny.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    Not selling it on BaT for 27K was a mistake. It’s just not that attractive like a Warlock or Litl’ red.

    Like 27
    • Avatar FordGuy1972 Member

      I agree; the seller should have taken the money. The condition is impressive but as alphasud said, it is a little odd looking.

      Like 22
  2. Avatar Mitchell Gildea Member

    David Bowie’s “Blue Jean” should be playing while driving this truck

    Like 8
  3. Avatar Mark

    This is just ridiculous looking.

    Like 17
  4. Avatar DON

    I dont mind the odd “stitch” stripe on the truck, but the Jean Machine logo looks like its better suited to being on a 70’s Mattel Barbie camper

    Like 25
  5. Avatar Joe Machado

    Like Pink Mopars were when new, men said, no way. Now a factory pink can demand an extra $10-20 thousand for color.
    This truck will do that same thing.
    There, quote me

    Like 8
    • Avatar Little_Cars

      Joe, you may be right, but there is NO bubble for this particular model so I’m not sure when this truck, in this guise, will bring in the big(ger) bucks that a L’il Red Wagon Express can.

      Like 1
  6. Avatar Troy s

    The kind of truck Farah Faucet would have drove in Charlie’s Angel’s, with a hundred plus smiling blokes chasing after her, Ha!
    It is what it is, I dont think he’ll get $34.5 for it no matter who’s behind the wheel however.
    That 318 looks fairly clean, not seeing much at all in the way of smog junk, which is great.

    Like 6
    • Avatar nlpnt

      She’d have driven a “Free Wheelin'” F-100, Charlie’s Angels was a Ford product-placement show, but yeah…

      Like 9
      • Avatar Troy s

        Maybe “Daisy Duke” then from Dukes of Hazzard? Equally…..interesting.

        Like 11
    • Avatar Euromoto Member

      “Driven”.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar K

    a 1978 truck that got Zeibart rust proofing in 1992?

    Like 6
  8. Avatar Arby

    Tried to save a buck by not paying Levis, Wrangler, etc a royalty.

    Like 6
    • Avatar nlpnt

      Levis was off-limits, their contract with AMC/Jeep had to have been exclusive (I wonder if it included company cars and if they all had the interior?). I do wonder if Lee and Wrangler were looking for similar tie-ins actively though.

      Like 3
  9. Avatar Jim

    I worked in a diner during college and we had a shaggy-bearded regular customer (who hung out at the coffee counter) who owned one of these. I am one of those who remembers the Jean Machine well.

    Like 10
  10. Avatar Mark

    Good grief…..now watch the asking price for a Levi’s Gremlin to go up 5 grand….

    Like 10
  11. Avatar Will Fox

    Must’ve been a regional model; I don’t recall ever seeing one in Nebraska.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Bob S

      I’ve never seen one in Illinois either.

      Like 3
  12. Avatar Joe Haska

    Never saw one or even heard of them. I would like to have it, because of the condition, but I know, no one will agree, I would take the graphics OFF!

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Graham Clayton

    Could you fit an AMC “Levi” Gremlin in the pick-up tray?

    Like 0
  14. Avatar bobk

    Proving once again that “rare” does not necessarily mean valuable.

    Like 10
  15. Avatar Jerry

    Doesn’t look like anything that I would drive. Beyond ugly is a better way to describe this truck. Never knew Dodge make these. Good luck on the price.

    Like 2
  16. Avatar ERIK

    Some private owner who has the $34k and lives by the mantra of “what do you buy when you already have everything you could want” will buy it or once of these “car centered reality show” stars will buy it with “production cost money” and feature it on their show or one of the big name classic and restoration parts suppliers that caters to our hobby will pay this price and pass their “business expense” on to us as customers and add this truck to their collection they have on hand at their company headquarters . Seems to sadly be what our hobby has become when it comes to buyers and these types of vehicles while rest of us sit on the sidelines and watch them play the game while we are in a different league.

    Like 5
  17. Avatar JP

    Nice shape for the year but not worth that kind of money!

    Like 6
  18. Avatar S

    I think this is pretty cool! Unique. B5 blue, or very similar – it looks like to me. So not everyone’s going to like this package. But Chrysler was doing this a lot then – putting packages like this on their cars and trucks to drum up interest. I’m surprised the door placard still says “Fargo” and “DeSoto” – in 1978?? DeSoto had been gone for 17 years, I don’t know how long Fargo had been gone by then! I don’t know where people get their figures from when pricing. There are a lot of cars and trucks out there that just aren’t worth that much and aren’t museum pieces – but everyone seems to think everything is worth 20K and 30K.

    Like 1
    • Avatar FRANK C SHEARER

      Fargo trucks were still being sold in Canada in the early 70’s

      Like 2
    • Avatar George

      That caught my eye too….1972 was the last Canadian Fargo. Guess they used up the last of the remaining plates.

      Got to check the plate on my Lil Red now.

      Like 0
  19. Avatar Little_Cars

    The material chosen for the seat looks like that cheap stuff we used to get with Sears Tuffriders dungarees or JC Penney jeans or one of the off brands. Uncomfortable, slippery and more purple than blue. At least AMC used actual Levi’s denim which felt softer (more cotton content?) and would stay blue even when it faded.

    Like 3
    • Avatar bone

      I’m not sure AMC used Levis material , it had a Levis tag, but not real jean fabric. ; I think one of the AMC experts on this site has mentioned that before . But it did look a lot more like jean fabric than this .

      Like 2
      • Avatar Chuck Dickinson

        Correct. It ‘looked’ like Levi jean fabric, but it wasn’t. Much better appearing package than this Jean Machine.

        Like 2
  20. Avatar John

    I have to agree, this is got to be one of the weakest designer or specialty series. I’m not convinced these were attractive even in the 70s and seller should have run with the BAT bid. The bid process on BAT generates the energy that usually makes something go beyond what many would think is the top value. I definitely think that has happened already and trying to get more for it just isn’t going to happen but best of luck to him.

    Like 2
  21. Avatar Bill

    This is a nice looking truck. I bought the same truck in Ohio for about 9 grand a few years back. It was a short box 318 with 34,000 miles. It had a repaint, except for the hood.
    I could never find out how many were produced. One person I contacted said it was a dealer install. It was just one of the Dodge Adult Toys. There were many different ones that came out over a few years.

    Like 2
  22. Avatar martinsane

    Quirky sure, unmemorable, absolutely, but that manifold (s) sure are crusty and that shot of the interior shows the rubber moulding/weatherstripping hanging off as well. Makes you wonder what other little items making that 16k be a little questionable.

    Like 1
  23. Avatar Johnny

    Well I don,t think its ALL ORIGINAL. That many years and the rubber body bushing are not CRACKED. First time I seen that. I also can,nt see paying high dollar for a few stripes. I think it would look better without them. I,ll bet whoever buys it and starts driving it. They will find out the cost of replacing all the seals going bad in it. Can,nt believe people now days. They have more money then they know what to do with.

    Like 1
  24. Avatar Pete in PA

    Definitely a Mopar that Id never heard of. I wondered about the wheels. Were they part of the package? They look like the “wagon wheel” style of that era with denim colored patches on the spokes so I thought maybe… But the underhood label indicated 15 x 8 painted road wheels so I guess the wheels on the truck were added later. Another odd thing is that the underhood option label also shows that the truck was originally fitted with a 15″ “TUFF” steering wheel. Where did that go?

    Like 0

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