Never having had a recorded snowfall (sign me up!), Sebastopol, California, is in the heart of the Sonoma wine country and is a must-visit for anyone into all things viticulture. We don’t know if this 1977 Jeep J-20 pickup was used for apples or grapes, but it’s said to be “farm fresh” by the seller who has it listed here on eBay. It looks nice for the $2,300 or best offer asking price!
That beautiful area is also known for apples and gets 36″ of rainfall a year on average. Call me crazy, but I think this long-wheelbase Jeep is beautiful just as it is now. I would clean the H (heck) out of it, get everything working as it should, redo the interior to original spec, and drive it. Jeep brochures of the era touted the 4WD system as being built-in, not added on. The J-20 has a 130-inch wheelbase, so this is a farm-sized work truck. The seller lists the mileage as 58,586 miles, so it hasn’t traveled too far in the last 48 years.
Outstanding in its field… here’s what the Jeep looks like in several of the photos, having been parked outside for one to two years, according to the seller. They have provided a surprising number of photos, so please check out the eBay link to see this truck in all its dusty, dirty glory. The rack on the back would stay under my watch, I think it looks cool. Here’s what the bed looks like. The seller sent me an offer to buy this truck for $2,070, and that’s a downright steal, in my opinion. Hagerty is at $8,200 for a #4 fair-condition example.
How many expected to see a manual with a floor shifter here? I did, too, but a Turbo-Hydramatic automatic with a column selector works for me. Luxury abounds in this one, with air-conditioning (not working, of course), and it just looks much nicer inside than I thought it would. A thorough cleaning and detailing inside and out would make this Jeep look great. The rust situation looks outstanding, as in there isn’t much that I can see. The bottoms of the doors look rock solid, and there’s just one spot underneath that I can see that has rust-through.
This isn’t the 360 that I expected; the seller says it’s a small-block Chevy 350-cu.in. V8, which I’m sure makes parts easy to find, but I’d rather have an AMC engine in this Jeep. They say this one isn’t running, but it will run with gas poured into the carb. It isn’t compliant in California as far as smog regulations go, so they’re hoping it goes to another state. Any thoughts on this wine country Jeep?
350 engine nice. The ebay pictures shows what looks like a 400 GM trans and the engine has headers on it.
I agree Scotty, this looks great in long bed form. It would dress up nicely by removing the rusty rack and huge mirrors. The front bumper may be ok and you can locate an aftermarket chrome bumper for the rear. Smooth the body, add new interior, and respray it in its factory color. The body looks pretty solid so it shouldn’t be an overly complicated build if the driveline checks out. I can picture it with 3” lift a nice set of chrome rims and 35”s.
No pimpin please – as Scotty mentioned – leave as is, including the supercool rack and of course the steel wheels!
Never mentioned pimpin, it lost the original drivetrain decades ago. These look very nice mildly customized and I think the original green would look great. I guess to each his own…that’s the fun in it!
That is simply gorgeous!!! Its not overdone. But tastefully done. Great colors and stripes too. The rims and tires are the perfect size too.
This one would look great either way.
Didn’t want to offend you – of course you are absolutely right when you say “to each his own”.
Me personaly I like it in the state it is right now.
Have fun – Jeff
We’re good Jeff, none taken! Looks like it sold. I hope someone takes it either direction and keeps it on the road for years to come!
Jeep sold!!
Thanks, Frank TA!
I’m a connoisseur of fine wine,,,baloney, you’re a stinkin’ wino, never touch the stuff, not even at Passover, this truck? Oy, I mean, who in ‘tarnation( entire nation, I figured) would want something like this today? I don’t recall too many 350 swaps, although Adam wrote one up a while back in a much nicer truck. While common, I read it’s not an easy swap, and for what? The 360 is probably the most popular AMC V8 motor. I suppose the 350 was “lying around” in aunties Chevelle yonder, why not? Once again, the authors optimism is welcome, but this thing has a lot of miles, enough to wear out a 360, and they were good for more than 50K, a lot more. Originally, this appears to be a pretty classy offering for a Jeep. Air, cruise, tilt wheel, automatic, 360, someone went gonzo, but right now, a classy plow truck is about it.
Looks in solid shape. To bad its so far away. I,d replace the mirrors with smaller one. If and when the tile wheel started giving trouble. I,d replace with with a standard column. Go over everything and work on it as I drove it. Finally a reasonable price. The 304 engine would be nice–easy on gas and plenty of power and easy to work on.
I have owned two jeep j-seriis gladiator trucks. Loved them both. Both 4 wheel drive, 360ci. One a 3 on the tree, the other a auto.
Family obligations forced me out of them.