The Jeep CJ5 10A was used by the Air Force in the 1980s to drag aircraft around, and is relatively obscure today. They can make for fun projects, thanks to their Wagoneer underpinnings and Nissan diesel powerplants, which gives it both reliability and good fuel economy. Though it may look a bit like a redheaded stepchild of the Jeep kind, it still looks like heaps of fun as a weekend rock crawling rig. Find this CJ5 10A here on craigslist in Long Island for $4,995; be sure to go here if the ad gets archived.
Four Wheeler did a great write-up of one of these, and it may even underscore the rarity claim the seller makes. We’ve seen these pop up from time to time, usually sold via government surplus auctions for not a ton of cash. In the article, the CJ5 10A that’s profiled still had “….nearly a ton of ballast from the back of the vehicle,” which certainly wouldn’t be needed in a street-going version. The seller notes this one ran when parked after buying it out of California, so my guess is little has been done since his acquisition.
The SD33 six-cylinder wasn’t powerful at 90 b.h.p., but it’s also not as exotic as you may think: as you’ll recall, we’ve featured a few turbodiesel Scouts on these pages over the years, and this motor is the basis for that platform. In fact, as noted in the Four Wheeler article, this engine responds well to turbocharging, so going that route could wake up some extra performance from this otherwise industrial-grade powerplant. The seller notes, “It can be a 4×4 since it has a transfer case from factory, mated to the Torqueflite transmission.”
Overall, I’m guessing the hours and mileage are both fairly low given how difficult it is to rack up big distances when towing aircraft around a military base. For me, this CJ5 10A is a quirky alternative to the legions of Jeepers that show up on off-road trails across the U.S. every weekend, and the notoriety of the Nissan diesel mill would make this a likely one-of-one at any event it shows up at. Of course, it could also be a worthwhile candidate for a sympathetic restoration back to authentic Air Force specs. Which route would you choose?
5 pictures of the front none of the back and sides. I hate when the sell does that.
Turbo that bad boy and make it a tow rig. After towing aircraft, I would think it would handle the weight of a fairly substantial 5th wheel or gooseneck rig.
LiTowing a gooseneck trailer at what speed?
25mph?
Unless you have 10 goosenecks and just need to rearange them or something like that this vehicle is pretty uuseless without a different drivetrain
This a a generator type engine (90hp, does not like rpms) with possibly a 2 speed trans….
Would love to have one of these at my hangar. Unfortunately, would be overkill by a factor of ??? to drag a Piper Cherokee around with it. Current tug – a converted Murray riding mower.
The military is all about overkill ;) That’s why it’s cool to get a hold of one. Stump pullers :)
That sure looks like an AMC shift selector to me.
That’s because of Jeep’s foster parent lineage during the era……it is.
Seen many of these while in the USAF at numerous air bases in the U.S. as well as APO/FPO. Serious workhorses. For me, it would be a hard choice between this and a Dodge M35 if I could only have one.
Yank that underpowered Nissan diesel out of there and install a turbocharged Cummins 4BT. Now you’re talking!
Looks like a GAZ.
Who’d have ever thought that an American manufacturer would build a GAZ 67 tribute? ;-)
I have owned several of these……..thankfully found owners for each of them……..the transfer case is hollow inside only used To lower the driveshaft. They will do something like 25-30 mph tops. They are a true POS with very limited utility. Wheelbase is very short, shorter than a CJ. The Nissan Diesels are next to impossible to maintain in running order. We delt with many of them that were installed new in Boats. I don’t know of any that wern’t Replaced in short order and even know of one boat that had two of them that mysteriously wound up on the rocks for the insurance payout. Dodge made a similar flight line vehicle about the same time on a shortened full size pickup chassis but thankfully it had a 6 cyl (6B) Cummins engine. These Jeeps were surplused very early and inexpensively for a reason.
In current form , would be more practical as a boat anchor let alone towing aircraft
What, no CJ 9?( I suppose 10 had more zing than 9) I thought I’ve seen all the Jeeps ever made, but never this one. Truly, a CJ on steroids. I agree, lose the oil motor,,,
Is that a bond bug in the background?
Since we can’t see the back in the pictures, does it have a pickup bed?
In Australia Jeep built 500 J10 pick ups with either the Nissan SD33 diesel or the AMC 258 in line six.
They had a Dana 60 rear and a Dana 44 front axle.
They had a 5 speed manual with a 2 speed transfer case from the J20.
They had a heavy duty chassis with a wheel base longer than a full size Cherokee but shorter than a J20.
They came with a pick up bed or as a cassis cab.
They still regularly get $10k aus for them.
Dammit, I want one of these! Seriously! I don’t need a supercharged set up for myself! If my health was better I would be all over it! Maybe some day I will get one!