There are certain things that never would have gotten the stamp of approval in any decade other than the ’70s (or the early ’80s, in this case), and one might be the Jeep J-10 “Honcho.” A honcho is the boss, the main man (or woman); therefore, this is essentially a Jeep “Boss.” So far, so good, Ford got some miles out of a name like that. But there’s an auditory difference between “boss” and “honcho,” isn’t there. Jeep doubled down on cheesiness by introducing the Honcho in ads as being “mucho macho,” which is situated somewhere in that special place between a smile and a cringe. However you feel about the name, and I’ve gone on long enough about it, this 1980 J-10 Honcho has its original paint and stripes, is surprisingly solid, and is currently for sale on eBay in Oregon.
What is the Honcho, anyway? It’s simply an appearance package available on short-wheelbase J-10s, consisting of special wheels and big tires, blue or orange stripes, special upholstery, and a few other odds and ends. Our featured J-10 is painted “Saxon Yellow,” which is a stately name for a truck called “Honcho,” so the orange stripes were really your only option. With its big tires and four-wheel-drive, the J-10 does look like it’s ready to attack a lonely desert trail somewhere. Few interior colors were available; this one is simply titled “beige.” Truth in advertising it is, “mucho macho” it is not. You might be able to tell by the waist-high shifter, but this truck has the standard four-speed manual.
Only two engines were available in Jeep trucks in 1980, the standard 258 cubic-inch AMC six, or this 360 V-8 with a two barrel. The early 1980s were a sad time for engines, and indeed the 360 had been de-honchoed to the tune of 129 horsepower and 245 lb.-ft. of torque. The seller gives limited information about what’s been done to the truck, but it clearly has a newer aluminum radiator and what looks like a new or remanufactured Motorcraft two-barrel carburetor under a nice, shiny air cleaner. Power steering was a mandatory option on the Honcho, and it looks like you might even get a new pump and hoses.
Currently, the high bid on eBay is $5,100, which has not met reserve, but there are several days left in the auction and it’s bound to find a buyer. The seller includes two walk-around videos of the truck: here and here; and it looks like a solid, original, honest truck with the right driveline options, the right stripes, the right vibe, and (I’ll admit it), the right name. Yes, a Honcho it is.
Okay, being the self appointed Jeep responder, I feel it’s my BFs duty to say something. If not just for the authors sake, the post( and research) wasn’t in vain. I trash these considerable, but they really weren’t so bad. Again, like always, past owners neglect has a lot to do with any vehicle. The biggest problem was the motor and no extra cab. The 360 motor, I read, was AMCs most popular motor. It was a good motor, but incredibly thirsty. Luckily, this does NOT have the Quadra-Trac, a poor attempt at 4wd, I thought, and aside from build quality, the gas mileage was about the only problem. For what this truck should be used for, a 6 would do just fine.
Ha ha, thank you, Howard. I was a little surprised by the lack of interest in this one!
I wish “YOU PEOPLE” would learn it is a Gasoline ENGINE, not an Electric Motor. Chrysler Corporation shipped engines from the Mound Road Engine Plant, Windsor Engine Plant, and Trenton Engine Plant. AMC had their Engine Plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Electric Motors come in vehicles like TESLA.
George Louis-
I assume you are objecting to Howard’s use of the term “motor”. As per Merriam-Webster:
motor:
1 of 3
noun
1
: one that imparts motion
specifically : prime mover
2
: any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: such as
a
: a small compact engine
b
: internal combustion engine
especially : a gasoline engine
c
: a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy
Sincerely,
~”You People” :)
Cale Yarborough called it a “Mota”. Good enough for me!
Way old school. Typical old school instructor subject to burn up 15 minutes of class time leaving students with no usable knowledge for that time spent. ASE debunked that decades ago by including the term “motor” to be an accepted word to describe ICE (internal combustion engine)
I C E says it all INTERNAL COMBUSTION E N G I N E!!!!!!!
We’ve been over this and over this. I suppose you object to “Cummings” and other such a regional dialects. This isn’t English class, and we’ve adopted a “close enough” attitude when it comes to describing something. I can’t believe you would get so bent out of shape over a mere use of a word.
By the way, I happened to have hauled some of the last in-line 6s out of Kenosha, the last product to be made there. They were loaded in a container bound for who knows where?
I had 2 of these trucks as work vehicles , one had the 6 cyl 4 speed , the last one had 360 auto both good trucks very little problems !
I don’t live on a farm, and I don’t work as a contractor, so I’m continually puzzled by American’s infatuation with huge pickups and SUVs. But if I ever had to have a truck, this would be it.
Just a whole bushel of silliness all around here. First the author’s ridiculous hand wringing. MACHO? HONCHO? Get over it. And then Howard’s “I trash these considerable”. What?? What language is that from? The excellent 360 CID engine was so good it was being put into Dodge trucks into the 21st century. Hello? It’s a V8 truck not a Pinto.
FYI the AMC and Dodge 360 are NOT the same motor.