Looking at a J10

Decomp

Decomp

Your atv ally
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Location
Midland
I've been web wheeling on here for some time now and you guys seem to be some straight shooters.

I've decided that the old j10's are right up my alley. It's got a big motor, big seat, big grill and it's pretty ugly. Just the way I like my women.

Any recommendations on what to look out for while I'm checking them out (motor, quad trac?,) or what to stay away from.

* will be driven on public roads around town.
* will have the ugliest paint job in town.
* will be beat to death any chance I get.

I really like the old cherokees, but the pickup just calls to me more.
 
Just a heads up, that attitude won't make you any friends if the FSJ community.
 
I should say, My J10 will be the ugliest truck on the road.:poop: I like the really beat up stuff out on the trails. Saw one with a big goober painted on the side that had me laughing all day.

Seems to be lots of parts available for these things.
 
A lot of what you asked is for opinion, and I will give ya mine.
One of the best things about these Jeeps is their ability to mix and match.
Look for a V-8. Most have a 360 in them, mine had a 304. Not sure if the 304 ever actually came in them from the factory.IF you look at the earlier J trucks, you can fine some with a Buick 350 and a Turbo 400. In my opinion the best set up as far as the auto's go. But for reliability sake, I would look for one with a T-18 trans in it. It has the low first gear. I am thinking in the 6.32 range as far as 1st gear ration. It will have a Dana 20 T case behind it. The tranny should give you really good service. The Dana 20 is also a great t case. Biggest draw back is the gear in less than 2.0, and the shifter is kinda crappy, but, you can get an after market twin stick shifter that will make all the difference in the world.
As far as I know all the J-10 trucks came with a Dana 44 front and rear. I do know some waggys had an AMC 20 in the rear. Good axle in the waggy form, weak link being the axles tubes. AN easy upgrade to Chevy One tons if you want to make it pretty bomb proof.

Thinks known and common to go wrong with them, and things to look at.
Floor boards are almost always rusted out. The door seals leak and they hold water till they rust through.
Rust behind front bumper
Window fuzzys gone or worn out
windows won't roll up or down
rust in the bed about anywhere inside or out.
Chopped up wiring harness
Dashes crack and bow up in most
Heater controls broken
Seats worn out and seat belt don't work right.
Full size Cherokee doors, seats will work in these
Arm rests missing or broken
Later models come with a Delco Alternator, earlier years had the Motorola's which only came in a 40 amp version
Radiator straps tend to come un brazed, easy fix though.
Very easy to put OBA with donor brackets and Compressor from a Wagoneer.
Wiper switches tend to go bad as do the headlight switch
Instrument panel plastic covers tend to come off and slide down
Tail gate latches are also know to break.

All I can think of for now. But for the record.
I have always liked the J truck styling.
 
upnover said:
As fart as I know
Click to expand...

Really??

I had a 79 J10 in High School. 360, TH400, quadratrac. I thought that thing would go anywhere. Only problem I had with mine was the ignition control box would get hot and the truck would shut off. I put wing nuts on the box and carried a spare. If it shut off, I would just throw the spare on and leave it until it got hot then throw the other one back on. Didnt happen every day, but it did a couple times a month. It never did melt down like I have seen others do, but it was annoying to stand on the side of the road with the hood up changing the ignition.
 
Cool Deal on the J truck!:beer: I have always wanted one too.

Matter of fact I am picking one up tomorrow from a fellow NC4X4member. It is a 360, T18, D20, D44's.

I am planning a 60's era M715ish conversion to it. The round fenderwell extensions, the old school Kiser grill, tubular mil style grill guard, desert sand color, but with all the semi modern goodies of the J10. (Plus fuel injection and a/c).
If any one has a decent tail gate for one, let me know.
 
If I were going to get one, I'd go with the J20 as it had a D60 rear axle versus the D44 in the J10.

The 401 is powerful but has cooling issues. Some guys have found good results fixing it, not sure what they did.


The quadratrac isn't bad but it isn't the best option either. I'd go with the T18 over the TH400.
 
Opinions was what I was looking for! The older ones I think are the coolest. Thanks for the things to look for. I'll keep everyone updated on the search for the elusive TallyWacker.
 
Just another suggestion from someone who went down the same road. If you are a big guy with a big gut you could experience steering wheel intrusion issues into your pabst blue ribbon storage tank. I had a great J20 but just couldnt drive it comfortably even after I swapped in a tilt/telescope caddy column and some better seats (which both helped but it wasnt enough). At 6'5" and 400+ I just didnt fit in a single cab J truck. I ended having to sell it because of this. Since you say you like your women with a big grille and big seat, this may apply to you. Drive one for more than 5 minutes before yor buy it. Waggys/cherokees dont have that issue.

As for J10 vs J20 there is no real advantage to the J20. The rear 60 is ok but they dont make brake parts for it any more. Either you have to fab a disk swap or swap the whole thing out. Like someone else said, just swap in a set of GM tons and beat on it.

Good luck

Bob
 
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