View Full Version : Thinking about a J-truck. Is it worth it?
New to the board and looking for a little advice. I'm in the market for an old farm truck to haul feed, cattle, etc, so naturally I'm thinking JEEP! I've found a J20 that looks pretty good, but I wanted to get some opinions from people who already own them. I need to be sure I'm making a good, rational decision that's not based on my Jeep fixation and that I shouldn't just go buy a Chevy instead. So, a two part dilemma:
1. Is a J truck going to be mechanically sound (to the extent any '87 model truck would be, at least)? Is it going to reasonably handle a 10,000# loaded gooseneck trailer? Is there anything that goes wrong with all of them that I should expect to fix (like a common transmission problem, or the alternator goes out)?
2. The truck I found is an '87 J20 with 130k miles. 360 auto w/ A/C. Everything works except the radio. It's a 2-owner truck that's always been parked inside when not in use, so just has a little surface rust here and there. I've put up some pictures of it here (http://www.skinnerfreelance.com/jeep.html) (not recommended if you're on dial-up). The guy won't budge off of $2600, which is a little more than I wanted to spend. Do you guys think the truck is worth $2600? If it didn't work out for me, could I expect to get my money back selling it?
Sorry for the long read and thanks for any advice, opinions or other input you have.
Josh D
06-09-2010, 11:01 AM
Looks like a good solid truck for the price to me.
bill3
06-09-2010, 11:16 AM
If I had the money I'd buy it and use it as a daily driver and trailor my j10. Sweet truck :thumbsup:
janie
06-09-2010, 11:22 AM
How bad are the floor pans rusted in that J-20? 130K Any rebuilds to the motor or trans?
Have the owner's kept any maintenance records of work done to the rig?
These are cool old trucks, but if your looking to just jump into one and go.....
You mentioned hauling a 10,000lb trailer. Make sure that trans is in excellent working order and if it doesn't have a trans cooler, get one if you decide to buy it.
Heat is the #1 killer of an automatic trans
Just personal opinion here but sounds like a fair price. If n good condtion it should work oh for ya. Prolly has the NP208 tcase behnd the AT which is good.
Axle gearing is decent for a work truck(3.73 standard). Not that it really matters since 86/87 are identical but 86 was sorta the official last year of the trucks but there were some 87 model years built. Check the 10th digit of the VIN. for the model year code. G=86, H=87. Some were actual 87's and somw were repapered 86's again doesn't really matter but may be a bargaining tool on selling price? There's been a few 87's here on the forum and the owners I've talked with theirs were actually 87's. Only possible glitch I see in your post is "will I get my money out of it if it doesn't work out? Possibly but you may have to sit on it for a while before you do These aren't collector trucks so you may have to wait till someone really wants one. Mostly depends on condition and your local market. SE TX prolly has the highest asking prices for any type Jeep of any place in the US, don't know if they're actually getting those asking prices but if you need to offload it later you're in a good spot. Sounds like a decent truck but dragging 10,000 is gonna be a chore depending on how far you need to tow it. Good luck and have some fun.
Since 87 is a grey year, when ordering parts you might ask for 86 stuff or the computer and operator at the parts house may go into a tailspin and tell you no such thing as an 87 J20. :)
81cherokee laredo
06-09-2010, 11:28 AM
I need to be sure I'm making a good, rational decision that's not based on my Jeep fixation and that I shouldn't just go buy a Chevy instead.
Give in, one more jeep won't hurt. your other jeeps need a freind. :D Looks like a good jeep, and is already set up for what you want to do with it. just check for rust. bed sides and floor boards.
seventynine
06-09-2010, 11:48 AM
Looks like a nice truck. Rust in the floor boards and bed seams are chronic problems with these trucks.
10,000 lbs is a heavy load for any 3/4 ton truck. As Janie said...make sure that trans is getting adequately cooled.
Looking at my '79 Jeep dealer brochure it shows that the max tow rating for a J20 with a 5th wheel trailer is 7,000lbs 1,450lbs tongue weight. However if it has the Heavy duty 8,400lb GVWR it is rating goes up to 10,000 lbs trailer weight and 2,850lbs tongue weight. I'm pretty sure these tow ratings stayed the same from '79 to '87.
The VIN number will tell you if it's an 8400. If it is an 8400 the 8th digit in the VIN would be a "Y". The 8400 would be a real plus for your application.
Here is one that is currently on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-Jeep-J20-Pioneer-3-4-ton-Camper-Special-Pickup-/130397570752?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1e5c4d06c0
Dean
Thanks for all the feedback. No maintenance records on the truck. Belonged to an old farmer who died, and whatever maintenance was done, he did himself. Engine and transmission are both original, so I know a rebuild will be in the cards somewhere down the road. Engine is clean for a truck that old. No sign of blow-by or leaks. Starts right up every time.
I'll check the VIN for GVWR, but I'd rarely be hauling 10k#, and never more than 40 miles to or from the sale barn, so even if it's a little bit of an overload, I wouldn't be too concerned. Maybe beef up the rear suspension a little, trans cooler, and be sure the trailer brakes are working good.
Rust in the floorpans is minimal. Most of what you see in the pics is that great NE Texas red dirt. What rust is there will sand off (took some off with a steel brush and found good metal), although the rubber mat is pretty much rotted out on the edges. Not too worried about the bed - probably put a flatbed on it in the next year or two.
81Cherokee - that's my problem, I haven't had ANY Jeep for almost a year and the withdrawal has been terrible. Looking more and more like I might fix that this weekend.
imo, 2600 for a 1987 anything is steep. No records and no rebuilds/upgrades makes me leery. I mean if you want a jeep great. If this one will do what you want, even better. But if it were me, I would pass..
imo, 2600 for a 1987 anything is steep. No records and no rebuilds/upgrades makes me leery. I mean if you want a jeep great. If this one will do what you want, even better. But if it were me, I would pass..
Wow, the difference location makes. You can't find any year model 4x4 that will move under it's own power for much less than $3000 in NE Texas. Especially not a 3/4 ton. Although I know what you're saying about records/rebuilds. That's the only reason it's not in the driveway already.
seventynine
06-09-2010, 01:58 PM
FWIW....I think $2600 seems reasonable for that truck. And you could probably get a few hundred out of that bed if you decide to flat bed it.
Dean
WowI had go back and look for the stealth pic link but sheesh if that truck is as mechanically sound as it looks I'd buy that in a heartbeat. Model year doan mean nuthin but condition is everything.
If that truck doesn't already have the hitch you want, you're going to have to make one on your own. No one makes a hitch for our trucks these days.
Honestly, if I were getting the truck to use as a work truck, I probably would pass. An old truck is going to need work no matter what. And if you need it to work with, you need it now. Parts can be hard to find for our trucks and the wait may be a killer. Getting an old truck from the big 3 would make more sense from a work perspective. Parts are cheaper and easier to find. Not only that but their 3/4 ton trucks were a little heavier duty than a J-20. While a 40 mile trip with a 10,000 pound trailer can work with a J-20, a 3/4 or 1 ton chebby would be a better truck to rely on for something like that.
That being said, I bought a used 86 J-10 and have been tinkering with it as a hobby for the last several months. I don't have to rely on the truck (except when the car is in the shop). So I can afford to just put off a repair or wait a week or two for a replacement part.
All that being said, I say go for it. Driving around in a Jeep truck is coool. :D
j10jim
06-09-2010, 04:37 PM
Get it! :drivin:
FWIW....I think $2600 seems reasonable for that truck. And you could probably get a few hundred out of that bed if you decide to flat bed it.
Dean
Wow you must be made of money. That's a $1200 to $1500 truck all day long around here.. similar rigs from ford or chevy around that price too. it's a cool truck and it's neat.. but it's nothing special.. a honcho in similar shape I would say go for it. But for something youre gonna beat.. nah.
Wow, the difference location makes. You can't find any year model 4x4 that will move under it's own power for much less than $3000 in NE Texas. Especially not a 3/4 ton. Although I know what you're saying about records/rebuilds. That's the only reason it's not in the driveway already.
Man it really comes down to if you really want it or not.. I mean it's a jeep.. youre gonna be workin on it anyway. Upgrade and fix as you go along. And youre certainly right about location! 87 4x4's in ohio usually look like wiffle balls.
dlowrance
06-09-2010, 06:31 PM
Wow you must be made of money. That's a $1200 to $1500 truck all day long around here.. similar rigs from ford or chevy around that price too. it's a cool truck and it's neat.. but it's nothing special.. a honcho in similar shape I would say go for it. But for something youre gonna beat.. nah.
Boy with a body like that I'd have to say around these parts you could get that eeeaassyy....wherever you're at they must not use salt on the roads...
Boy with a body like that I'd have to say around these parts you could get that eeeaassyy....wherever you're at they must not use salt on the roads...
oh they use plenty of salt. But with all the unknowns on this truck, what is a nice body with mechanicals that fall out from under it when you start to work it? A paperweight. Also understand, I have a dealer's license I don't pay retail for anything. And I still don't see that as much more than $1500 on a good day. I bought my 77 Chero for $300.00 running and driving. My 89 Waggy for $600.00 running and driving.. Hell I just bought a 98 Full size Ram, extended cab, V8,auto, 4x4, for less than the asking price of that 87 rig. So yeah, I stand by my original statement. If I'm being overly critical tell me, But that's just what I see.
mrtazwrench
06-09-2010, 07:12 PM
Just personal opinion here but sounds like a fair price. If n good condtion it should work oh for ya. Prolly has the NP208 tcase behnd the AT which is good.
Axle gearing is decent for a work truck(3.73 standard). Not that it really matters since 86/87 are identical but 86 was sorta the official last year of the trucks but there were some 87 model years built. Check the 10th digit of the VIN. for the model year code. G=86, H=87. Some were actual 87's and somw were repapered 86's again doesn't really matter but may be a bargaining tool on selling price? There's been a few 87's here on the forum and the owners I've talked with theirs were actually 87's. Only possible glitch I see in your post is "will I get my money out of it if it doesn't work out? Possibly but you may have to sit on it for a while before you do These aren't collector trucks so you may have to wait till someone really wants one. Mostly depends on condition and your local market. SE TX prolly has the highest asking prices for any type Jeep of any place in the US, don't know if they're actually getting those asking prices but if you need to offload it later you're in a good spot. Sounds like a decent truck but dragging 10,000 is gonna be a chore depending on how far you need to tow it. Good luck and have some fun.
Since 87 is a grey year, when ordering parts you might ask for 86 stuff or the computer and operator at the parts house may go into a tailspin and tell you no such thing as an 87 J20. :)
You're a year off on that, A few left overs were titled as 88's I have an 87 J20 that was a 1 owner with 62K on it, I payed $2900 on a farm auction, the body needs a lot more work than yours, but there are few even fixable up here in the great salty north. My dad had a 78 J20 that he pulled a goose neck loaded with backhoe, it was well ove 10K lbs, but he also had a QT which could be run in low range with out having a locked T-case, he always pulled in low range.
seventynine
06-09-2010, 08:37 PM
Got any examples of all the late model J20s with good condition bodies/interiors like this one in the $1200 range?
Wow you must be made of money. That's a $1200 to $1500 truck all day long around here.. similar rigs from ford or chevy around that price too. it's a cool truck and it's neat.. but it's nothing special.. a honcho in similar shape I would say go for it. But for something youre gonna beat.. nah.
Well, after a lot of thought, I put it in the hands of the Jeep gods. The guy selling it isn't very motivated and there are as many reasons not to buy it as there are to go get it. He's also 120+ miles from me, and I'm not headed back that way for anything else in the near future. So, I figured I'd leave it to chance and told him if he'd drive 1/3 of the way and meet me, I'd take it. He's "too busy," but is going to see if his friend will trailer it out for him on Friday. I don't think I'd have a problem driving 80 miles round trip to make $2600, but that's just me. Heck, I drove 30 miles to deliver a piece of furniture for $300. Should hear back tomorrow.
Overkill SC
06-09-2010, 10:04 PM
From where I'm sitting (salty great white north) that looks like a great truck for the price. Even has the fifth wheel you need.
Good luck with the Jeep gods!
cocurtiss
06-09-2010, 11:19 PM
Its Texas. Nuff said. They dont salt the roads but maybe once every couple years. Great for older sheet metal :thumbsup:
Got any examples of all the late model J20s with good condition bodies/interiors like this one in the $1200 range?
I was speaking in terms of similar rigs in similar condition with similar capabilities. The J10's and J20's are few and far between in any condition it would seem. For a project it's pretty sweet, still steep.. for something youre actually gonna use.. you can do better for the cash.
Well, for better or worse, I'm picking it up at 1 today. Looked at a few big 3 trucks around in the same price range, and they just didn't compare condition-wise. It's a lot easier to rebuild a motor than replace a cab floor - at least for me. Not to mention fuel injection is a mystery to me. I'm also going to be driving it 4 or 5 times a month at the most and I've made it the last year without a truck at all, so if it breaks down now and then, the world won't end. And, it's a Jeep:thumbsup: There, I think I've justified it to myself.
Will post up some pics if I get it home before dark. Thanks for all the input, guys. This site is great.
mdill
06-11-2010, 09:39 AM
New to the board and looking for a little advice. I'm in the market for an old farm truck to haul feed, cattle, etc, so naturally I'm thinking JEEP! I've found a J20 that looks pretty good, but I wanted to get some opinions from people who already own them. I need to be sure I'm making a good, rational decision that's not based on my Jeep fixation and that I shouldn't just go buy a Chevy instead. So, a two part dilemma:
1. Is a J truck going to be mechanically sound (to the extent any '87 model truck would be, at least)? Is it going to reasonably handle a 10,000# loaded gooseneck trailer? Is there anything that goes wrong with all of them that I should expect to fix (like a common transmission problem, or the alternator goes out)?
2. The truck I found is an '87 J20 with 130k miles. 360 auto w/ A/C. Everything works except the radio. It's a 2-owner truck that's always been parked inside when not in use, so just has a little surface rust here and there. I've put up some pictures of it here (http://www.skinnerfreelance.com/jeep.html) (not recommended if you're on dial-up). The guy won't budge off of $2600, which is a little more than I wanted to spend. Do you guys think the truck is worth $2600? If it didn't work out for me, could I expect to get my money back selling it?
Sorry for the long read and thanks for any advice, opinions or other input you have.
They are ~ the same as any other truck as far as drive train goes,
Dinosaur AMC V8 has some quirks, but all the others did also
Tranny Mopar 727 so same as a Dodge truck
T-case NP-208 Same as used by everyone else
Axles Dana 44 Dana 60 both used by every other make,
Ignition fuel system pretty much early 80's Ford ...
Well, for better or worse, I'm picking it up at 1 today. Looked at a few big 3 trucks around in the same price range, and they just didn't compare condition-wise. It's a lot easier to rebuild a motor than replace a cab floor - at least for me. Not to mention fuel injection is a mystery to me. I'm also going to be driving it 4 or 5 times a month at the most and I've made it the last year without a truck at all, so if it breaks down now and then, the world won't end. And, it's a Jeep:thumbsup: There, I think I've justified it to myself.
Will post up some pics if I get it home before dark. Thanks for all the input, guys. This site is great.
Cool man! I look forward to hearing more about her. :thumbsup:
I made the guy drive about 30 miles to meet me for the handoff. Waited for an hour after he said he'd be there, and when I saw him coming down the road, I could see the trail of smoke behind him. You could smell oil burning when he was half a block away. Might have just been a valve cover gasket, but the idling oil pressure was around 5, and that turned me off pretty quick. Also looked at the bed a little closer since I've been reading about them on the forum, and there was NO bed floor under the steel gooseneck plates. A lot of rust in the seams had been covered and painted over, too. There were a few other problems I hadn't noticed at first look, but the oil was the deal-breaker. So, 5 hours in the car, an hour of sitting in a parking lot just to come home empty handed. Probably would have given him $1500 if he'd take it, but he was not a very friendly or receptive guy. If anyone knows of a decent <$2500 J20 for sale, I'm in the market until I run across the right 3/4 ton Chevy.
mrtazwrench
06-12-2010, 08:04 AM
Well that's a bummer, I may have over payed for mine at $2900, but I knew the origional owner, and old farmer, since he brought it home new, I hope to soon have it looking like almost new again.
I made the guy drive about 30 miles to meet me for the handoff. Waited for an hour after he said he'd be there, and when I saw him coming down the road, I could see the trail of smoke behind him. You could smell oil burning when he was half a block away. Might have just been a valve cover gasket, but the idling oil pressure was around 5, and that turned me off pretty quick. Also looked at the bed a little closer since I've been reading about them on the forum, and there was NO bed floor under the steel gooseneck plates. A lot of rust in the seams had been covered and painted over, too. There were a few other problems I hadn't noticed at first look, but the oil was the deal-breaker. So, 5 hours in the car, an hour of sitting in a parking lot just to come home empty handed. Probably would have given him $1500 if he'd take it, but he was not a very friendly or receptive guy. If anyone knows of a decent <$2500 J20 for sale, I'm in the market until I run across the right 3/4 ton Chevy.
Man that sux, least you saw all that before you got her home.
Did a quick search.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1786903131.html ( looks like a monster.. I like)
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1776458462.html ( some common upgrades, and a free waggy )
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1774535126.html ( project)
Good luck man!
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1786903131.html ( looks like a monster.. I like)
The guy selling this one bought it from another guy last month for $1750 10 minutes before I called about it. He was trying to unload it for $3500 "FIRM" less than a week later, and now dropped the price to $2500 on Friday. I love the way it looks, but his desire to get rid of it makes me nervous. Might go look at it anyway, though.
$4000 on the other one is too steep for me, waggy or no. Appreciate the searching, though.
The guy selling this one bought it from another guy last month for $1750 10 minutes before I called about it. He was trying to unload it for $3500 "FIRM" less than a week later, and now dropped the price to $2500 on Friday. I love the way it looks, but his desire to get rid of it makes me nervous. Might go look at it anyway, though.
$4000 on the other one is too steep for me, waggy or no. Appreciate the searching, though.
No problem man! Sounds like he's trying to make a quick buck without doing a darn thing to it. He'll learn, though honestly that one might be exactly what youre after. Certainly worth a look.
Good luck
I'm gonna be looking at this one monday. http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/1721363770.html
janie
06-13-2010, 06:39 AM
Glad to hear you walked away from that J-20. Contrary to popular belief, these rigs are not rare and a $2600.00 price tag for one billowing smoke, puking fluids and rusted sheet metal is never a plus.
I'm over in Collin County. Be glad to keep an eye and ear open for you.
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