The concept of retirement is many-layered. For millennia, the concept was a non-starter because there were no options: Without work, you starved. Today, the average life expectancy has made a lifetime of work, in some cases, physically impossible. Additionally, there’s the specter of ageism in the hiring process that keeps those of many years from positions in which they’d excel. Add in a few recessions and some unwise investments, or some company pensions going belly up (as in my grandfather’s case), and the gateway to one’s golden years can be an anxious transition in one’s life. This old Jeep pickup is certainly parked at those gates.
I’ve read conflicting data on 1987 being the last year of Jeep J-20 production. Some say that there were a few 1988 models to hit the road before being awarded the mantle clock, but others say that the 1988 model was merely a paper tiger. Regardless, the Jeep truck put in a long career of stolid service. Originally labeled “Gladiator,” the Jeep truck was introduced as a 1963 model along with its even longer-lived linemate, the Wagoneer.
It may be required by law to mention that Brooks Stevens was on the hottest of hot streaks in the early 1960s. In addition to designing the Wagoneer (and probably the Gladiator, although I’ve never seen it mentioned), he was also responsible for the gorgeous Studebaker GT Hawk.
Regardless of its handsome, rugged looks, it’s clear that our featured J-20 has put in a long career of hard work. Michigan’s perennially salty roads have done their worst, and the rusty plow that ostensibly goes with the truck intimates that the remnants of the transmission’s clutches may be taking up residence in the pan. Then there’s the color: No deep greens show up in Jeep’s color palette for 1987. The Jeep is parked only a couple dozen miles away from a large national forest; could this be an ex-government employee on pension, looking for a part-time job to fill the hours?
The tan bench seat harmonizes well with that forest green, and it’s clear that the interior has been painted the same color as the exterior, so it’s likely a factory job. According to my Standard Catalog of 4x4s, a mere 1,153 Jeep trucks (including J-10s AND J-20s) were produced in 1987, so this is a rare truck even without its intriguing and attractive color.
Many will look at this J-20’s potentially career-ending rust and condemn it to the scrapyard, and that may not be unfair. Here in the rust belt, however, there’s no reason not to give this truck a second chance at a part-time job to give its life some purpose. There are plenty of rural driveways to plow and small loads to carry slowly down a secondary dirt road. Age has its way with all of us, some more than others. It would nevertheless be a shame to write us all off as a result of some age lines, minor arthritis, or rust.
The interior appears to be in excellent shape considering the age. The bed of the truck has been kissed by the tin worm, but a swap out (if available) would raise the status of the entire vehicle.
If someone can turn a wrench, a worthy farm truck or project truck for display. Would prefer this example avoid the junk yard.
Looks still saveable to me. New bedsides some rocker repair and most likely floor pans all pretty normal repairs in northern areas. Biggest question will be the frame. I know CJ and wrangler frames are rust prone but not sure on these. There is a shop near me who does a decent business repairing and replacing jeep and Toyota 4×4 frames.
I always liked these, One of the things I always found funny was how much lower they sit from everyone else fullsize 4wd trucks.
I’m not liking how the cab is mismatched to the bed. Too heavy a push from the front blade, perhaps?
I’d guess there’s a rusted body mount or something like that.
“One of the things I always found funny was how much lower they sit from everyone else fullsize 4wd trucks.”
Jeep touted that in their ads when the Gladiator was new–in the early ’60s, the typical 4WD pickup was a good 6″ taller than 2WD.
Did you intentionally blur the asking price and contact info?
I did. I didn’t make this a “CC For Sale” because I couldn’t find it listed on the internet. In my mind, there’s a difference between putting your contact info on a four-lane highway for the couple people who might stop and putting it all over the internet.
The asking price, however, was $3000. It’s been sitting for a while, so I’d guess there would be some room to bargain.
I like it! For a working vehicle in salty Michigan, I would have expected a lot more rust than is showing on this one. As a boy who grew up in northeast Indiana, that doesn’t really look too bad.
I think it’s worse up close (as usual), but I didn’t take a look underneath.
Fine old workhorse, but the color is too dark for National Forest green, like the one below.
GSA regular contact purchases were done in large enough quantities that the appropriate agency (such a Forest Service green) color was specified.
However it was not uncommon for the GSA to periodically seek small runs of “filler” vehicles. For these needs, the GSA would accept color and option variations that normally wouldn’t be allowed for the larger regular contact purchases.
Could be for a state park, there is tons of state land here in Michigan (more than federal, I believe) and many state parks as well.
You know, that’s possible. DNR trucks are dark green (darker than this even, but I’m not sure about 1987).
What a difference being designed from the start as a four wheel drive made as far as height and convenient access to the bed. These were like this from the beginning in ’63, and the “big three” were sky-high until ’77 for Ford, ’73 for Chevy, and Dodge was neither fish nor fowl as far as height (but always somewhat higher than most), except for the military style Power Wagons. These J series trucks were unappreciated for years. Now even the light duty pickups are so high it is impossible for someone of average height to reach over the bed side to pick up something small from the floor of the bed. Jeep had it right all along, and didn’t really sacrifice ground clearance in the bargain. I hope this one either gets fixed up, or lives out it’s days as a very useful “yard truck.”
“I hope this one either gets fixed up, or lives out it’s days as a very useful ‘yard truck.'”
I agree. It would be a fun one to drive around and fix up “one piece at a time.”
It amazes me that these were made through 1987 – it’s a model I instinctively associate with the 1960s or ’70s.
Like many vehicles that ended up as living dinosaurs, the J-series trucks just coasted along for quite some time without much in the way of promotions. So after reading this, I became curious as to just when AMC last spent advertising money to promote these trucks. The latest I could find was the below ad from 1981 – if there’s a later ad, I’d love to see it.
I don’t have any ads, but I have this brochure I picked up at the Jeep dealer when I was apparently 8 or 9! It’s only a few pages.
You had a good eye for rare brochures at age 8!
I started collecting brochures in 1987, but unfortunately didn’t seem to have collected any Jeep brochures that year.
Excellent find Aaron! A bit too thirsty for my tastes. I’ve always had a hankering for a Comanche, to satisfy my Jeep pickup desires.
The Comanche is about the size I’d like a pickup to be today, actually. I don’t remember seeing a bunch around when I was a kid, but they were out there.
Did Jeep only ever make longbed pickups? Seems like a lot of 4×4 pickups were configured as shortbeds.
One of the things that hurt them was the cab was quite “Cozy”. An extra cab or double-cab would have really done them a lot of good, especially given that a probably not-uncommon use case was forestry where bringing in a “crew” would have been convenient.
There were short bed J-10’s, even a step side version. Very rare.
Jeep had both short and long beds, but their short was 7′, rather than the typical 6.5′. And they can be difficult to tell apart, since until 1970, both put the axle right in the center of the bed, and both had 3 stake pockets.
Like Bob mentioned, there was a narrow bed in the early years called “Thriftside”–shows you exactly what they thought of the target audience for those. Of all the narrow bed designs on the market at the time, theirs was arguably the most spartan. Most of its tooling was borrowed from the older Willys Jeep Truck. It didn’t even have running boards on the sides, maybe because Jeep thought the bed was low enough it wouldn’t need them. But it was all-steel, which wasn’t the case for the Big 3’s narrow beds.
The cheaper Thriftside option only lasted through 1968 or so, but the 7′ had a resurrection in 1980 as the “Sportside”, this time as a fun personal use model. Fiberglass panels were fitted over the steel sides, and many were equipped with the Honcho package with vinyl graphics.
Willys Motors Australia built some double cabs using the rear doors of Wagoneers. Like the Land Cruiser J70 double cab pickups, Land Rover 130s, or today’s Wrangler-based Gladiators, the rear doors retained a cutout for a nonexistent fender. I’ve seen some custom conversions that fab up a more “complete” door.
Well, I can say there were almost 1,154 built. I was in the market for a new truck at that time and was wondering if the J series was still available. A call to Walker Brothers AMC Jeep in Los Angeles confirmed the trucks were still available, the salesman informing me that while the they were no longer stocked by the dealership he would be happy to order one for me. The J series trucks were not cheap, but with four wheel drive standard equipment and a number of features that were optional on other makes the price was in the ballpark. In retrospect I should have ordered one.
I imagine that a Los Angeles truck would still be in good shape today! This one has the 360, as all J-20s did, although I didn’t mention it in the article.
It looks like tired iron to me. Snow plowing is very hard on a truck. Even if this one was up to the task and I have my doubts, a breakdown will leave you with a driveway full of snow AND a broken down truck to deal with, and parts will be tough to find. An old plow truck only breaks down when you really need it.
An ideal plow truck would be something with at least 3/4 if not 1-ton suspension, but also a very short wheelbase like an old Bronco or K5 Blazer. Maybe an Excursion with the rear doors cut out.
A nice and fairly rare rig .
Sadly, as mentioned , those in the know know that ex plow trucks even if zero rust, almost always have bent frames due to the nature of their work .
That this one shows mis alignment of the cab & bed means either bent frame or rusted out cab supports .
I’d think this one well worth buying and restoring it might take a while to find the needed bed / frame / cab somewhere but would make a really nice restoration .
-Nate
I thought for sure I recognized this truck, but the Michigan plate threw me. There is an almost dead ringer for this truck in a parking lot in Savona NY. As an avid reader of this site, I always thought this would be a great subject. I tend to think that as i drive around the area that there are quite a few “Curbside Classics” hidden among us. I do believe there is (was) and older Jeep-J10 in the same lot, in a bit worse condition.
My 7th Grade science teacher bought a Brown J-10 in 1986. I remember it vividly and he had put a cap in it as well.
Great old trucks. Highlight of my day!
Glad you like it, Bret!
This is in remarkably good shape for a Michigan FSJ, much less one that has plowed! These seemed to rust the most profusely of any trucks in the 70s and 80s, which is saying a lot. I haven’t seen one without fist size or larger rust holes in the sheetmetal in many years.