UPDATE – This 1979 Jeep J-10 4×4 pickup is for sale again, or I should say, still, but is listed here on eBay now rather than on craigslist as we saw a few days ago. There is no reserve on this Wedgewood beauty, the current bid price is just $5,100, and there are five days left to get your bids in on this two-owner, Tacoma, Washington-based 4×4 short bed truck.
FROM 12/11/2023 – Wedgewood Blue is a beautiful color, not what I would have expected to see on a rugged 4×4 Jeep pickup. I love it, there aren’t enough brightly-colored vehicles on the road today. This 1979 Jeep J-10 4×4 short bed pickup can be found here on craigslist in the Tacoma, Washington area and the seller is asking $16,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for sending in this tip!
Jeep offers a few bright colors on their modern version of the Gladiator pickup today, compared to the usual white, black, silver, gray, and navy blue that everyone else offers. Enough about color and I’m not one to talk as I only have two vehicles that are actual colors, one in “desert khaki” and one in orange. The rest are boring tones. This short-bed J-10 is anything but boring in any way.
Ok, one last thing on the paint, the seller says that this 4×4 was repainted about 15 years ago, and it sure looks good now. I’ve mentioned too many times that my favorite area in the U.S. to buy vehicles from is the Pacific Northwest. They tend to not have burnt interiors as southwest vehicles do, and they don’t seem to rust as badly there. This truck appears to be wearing its original white-painted “spoked steel” wheels with a bit of flare, the inside portion has been painted body color, and the bed looks pretty nice.
The seat fabric looks perfect to me and it appears to be Caberfau Corduroy, which I didn’t think was available in the J-10 pickup, but it must have been optional, as was denim. The four-speed shifter is interesting, I think I’d go back to an original spec version, along with a grab bar that doesn’t look like it belongs in a hotel bathroom.
The engine is the standard AMC 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six, which was factory-rated at 110 horsepower and it sends power through that crazy ski-pole-shifted four-speed manual through the famous Quadra-trac 4×4 system to all four wheels as needed. A 360 V8 was optional. This one reportedly runs well, shifts through the gears as it should, the brakes work fine, etc. Hagerty is at $18,100 for a #3 good-condition truck, this could be a nice buy. Any thoughts on this Jeep pickup?
None,,,,EXCEPT, yahr, laddie, I likes it too. Upon buying a YJ Wrangler, I’ve found there 2 distinct groups of Jeep lovers. Ones that like the square headlight, and others that think its blasphemy. While the square headlights was not a factor in me buying the YJ, I’ve always liked square headlights. Worst part is trying to find one( found a new one in the box at a tag sale for $2) They just look more modern, I think. While it may LOOK like a Gladiator, brother, it ain’t no Kaiser, and has all the shortcomings of my ’78 Cherokee I’m sure, that I’d never want to relive again. The Comanche ( MJ) was a much better truck for the times but someone clearly loved their Jeep here, and I know why.
The Comanche was much better I have one and it’s still a runner finding a camper shell is a different story
Had an 83 J10, found an original camper shell in craigslist custom made by Leer for J10. Some guy had put it on his Ford F-150 with wooden boards to fit, and upon arriving in Alaska, he had no further use for it, and sold it for a whooping $35 !! I would had gladly paid $500 , but I ain’t complaining…lol
Rectangle ..
Circle gets the square, never had a call for geometry. So much wasted time,,,
One thing about the PNW… vehicles sit around, th interior can develop some nasty mold in a hurry over the rainy 🌧 winter.
This would not have the Quadra-trac 4 wheel drive system being a manual transmission.
My brain went right to Quada-Trac, thanks for the correction, Matt.
Great write up, Scotty! Good call on the shifter and the bathroom grab bar. :)
When I was a kid, my Dad had a 1978 / 1979 full-size Bronco, Free Wheeling edition like this:
https://www.2040-cars.com/_content/cars/images/91/928191/001.jpg
When the original engine blew up, it went to the mechanic for a few days to get a rebuilt 351 installed. (I can’t remember if we went from a Windsor to a Cleveland or vice versa… maybe one of you will know). We got a Jeep J-10, long bed, as a loaner. I remember thinking how burly that thing looked. I loved that Bronco even more though. He should’ve kept it. Here’s to hindsight. :)
FWIW, if your dads Bronco was a stock ‘78-‘79 with a 351, it’d’ve been the 351M, a derivative of the 400 with shorter conn rods and different crank. The Cleveland final year was ‘74 IIRC so FOMOCO built the 351Modified from the 400 to fill the gap between the 302 and the 400.
78-79 broncos along w/trucks all had 300 six (crap i had one), 351M /400M or 460
The big v-8s could be made to run better with a 4°adv crank off-set and a small 4bbl
Difficult finding one of these that’s not mostly rust. I like it for the 6 cylinder and its condition. The market will tell if it’s priced right or not. Either the frame is hogged or its been in an accident-I don’t see the cab/door/bed lines looking too straight.
Good write-up Scotty. I like the truck, including the light blue paint. But I’m with you on those two interior modifications. Something different in the exploding world of classic trucks.
By the way, in addition to the availability of non-prevalent colors on the modern Gladiator, there are some cool names like “Sarge Green.”
I really like the front end on this…it looks real rugged and tough!!! Just my personal like. Thanks.
I love REAL Jeeps and this is definitely one.
“I love it, there aren’t enough brightly-colored vehicles on the road today.”
Not only that, but they’re making cars look angry and I swear it has an effect on people’s driving habits. There aren’t any fun, happy looking cars anymore, except maybe Mini’s? Even the Miata has a slightly angry looking face now. Every new “Wrangler” (garbage) I see around me has an aftermarket fiberglass panel over the front of it that makes the headlights look like angry eyes.
I read that manufacturers decide car colors on a reflection of the times. 50’s-60’s; fun, bright colors. Now; grey, black, white, silver, etc. Ugh. Bring back cool colors and happy cars!!!!
Our volunteer fire dept here in Farmland bought a used 1978 J10 Honcho. 250gal water tank and a gasoline engine to power it. 360V8 and Quadra-Trac. Its beat its way through brush, mud, ditches, fields and shoved over small trees. Goes places our 2019 GMC 3500 brush truck won’t go. Rusted out, yep. Cantankerous, yep. But once started she will stay in the fight till the fire is out.
I had a work truck like this one but in a dark green ,it was fitted with a Western 4 way plow , good little truck until the transmission went south ! This one is a nice one !
Steering wheel and column remind me of a 70’s Camaro steering wheel and column. I know AMC used parts for all different vendors/manufacturers. We had a joke back in the day that AMC stood for ain’t made correctly.
I’m shocked and appalled, but that’s a good one. I’m sure that’s exactly what the steering column is, surplus from other companies. It’s how AMC “cheapened up” the Kaiser. Years ago, all vehicles were made up of parts made by other companies, that were cranked out like toasters and had warehouses full. It saved AMC and others the cost of designing it themselves. Today not much has changed, with car parts coming from all over the world. Did you know, the leading thermostat maker is in Israel?
I believe you are correct on that wheel and column. AMC did use Saginaw tilt columns so why not this? Friends had one. Tough as a tank. Collision with a train and driven home. (Low speed on both parts)
I still say its a scam. Same phone number from craigslist. Same broken english. Guys name is theodore….yeh right. His bank is wells fargo. Yeh right….thats the bank scammers use to send you a fake cashiers check. Wells Fargo wont verify funds over the phone. Hide and watch if this isnt a scam.
Friends of mine hit a deer in they’re late model Durango R/T,had to wait like 6 months for headlight assy, manufactured in Ukraine..
“… modern version of the Gladiator pickup…”
I think of it more asa ‘civilian-ized’ M715. Nota color for a wrk truck but It might cheer up my day, would prefer this motor as it’s 4WD, tq comes on earlier for less wheel spin in the dirt, & “Yes” new shifter/oem.
We called them Honcho…
High chance this is a scam. I backed out of one a few months back that I am sure this is the same guy and it turned out to be a scam. I would not touch it unless I could get out of my car and physically touch it in many places. Just my opinion but buyer beware.
Yes, ‘buyer beware’.
Doesn’t look like a ‘15 year old paint job’. Bed looks like a 15 year old paint job.
You have to wonder what’s in hiding?
Auction update/update: the first auction ended at $9,000 and it didn’t say “reserve not met”, so something else must have gone haywire. It’s listed again with the current bid of $8,712 and no reserve.