Thinking about getting a J-Truck in the future...

[slipperypete393]

I just have a basic newbie question. I'm thinking about getting a J-Truck sometime in the future and was wondering if there is any particular year or model I should stay away from. The only 5 J-Trucks I know of are the J-10 and 20, and the J-2000, 3000, and 4000. What else is there and whats better to look for. Right now I have a 99 XJ but I might sell it and get a car. If I get a car, I want something as a project/fun vehicle (http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=799228#) thats 4WD (http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=799228#). If I had the money, I would buy a J-Truck and keep my XJ, but I can't have 2 crappy gas mileage vehicles (http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=799228#), and 2 projects. Thanks for the help.

[chrisnsarah]

I would vote for a '74-'79 J10 or J20. You got the 401 available in this bunch, but the 360 is good too, and very common. Also '75 and older=no catalytic. '79 the last year before closed loop carbs.

The J-2000, 3000, 4000 were gladiators from mid-'65 to '73. These are decent rigs, but parts are a little tougher to get than the later rigs.

The J-200 and J-300 are the earliest gladiator trucks from '62 to '65 with the 230 Tornado. I wouldn't recommend this motor to a newbie.

Bonus points for Thriftside or stepside.....and a brow:D .

[Lindel]

What are your fab skills? How much of a project do you want to make of it? Project and fun vehicle are most times mutually exclusive.

[janie]

I'd opt for an 80 J-10 with the 360/TF727/NP208. Plus that way you still get the brow.

I will now go hide from all my browless brothers and sisters here.:hide:

[Deus]

dont forget the 258 6cyl, best of both worlds. Im on a search for a j-truck to, 75-79 that is. I have money, but i think im gonna wait till vt thaws first, were getting a two ft snow storm right now.

Good luck.

[BRUTUS]

Plus that way you still get the brow.

Good point. I prefer everything to be manual... door locks, windows, t-case, trans so I like the older styles. One thing that has come up before is to get a '75 to '80 I believe because they don't have a post mount spring like '74 and earlier, IE much easier to find aftermarket lifts.

[slipperypete393]

Sounds like 75-80 J10 or 20 is the way to go. As far as the project thing, I just want something to keep me busy when I get bored. Something I can work on and fix back up. I don't want a huge project where I have to rebuild the entire engine and tranny, while replacing the entire suspension system. That would be a bit much. Don't have the money or time for that. Something that works, but that I could make better. As far as the fun part, I just want something I can go wheeling in. Not anything hardcore, mostly mild to moderate stuff. Also, a truck for when I want to go camping or something.

[H Callaway]

Not sure how old you are? If you can convince Dad that this should be a Father/Son project or share toy for the weekends, this is a great way to go. Ask my son about his Mustang.

[slipperypete393]

I'm 19, so I'm pretty much on my own for this project. My parents don't have any money to help me out. I've benn paying for my own stuff for a couple years now. I've always had to pay for my vehicles and what not.

[Gambler68]

Look for a shortbed J-10 in those years. I'm building a 78 J-10 shorty, basically from the frame up, and it's wicked cheap to do if you have a few years to throw at it. I'm a year into it, and including finding, buying, and doing up a 401 for it, I'm still well below 1500. Probably under a grand even at this point, but still need to get some engine stuff.

[slipperypete393]

My neighbor has a J-20. I'm not sure what year it is, but it's got the 360 and it's an auto with Quadra-Trac. It's on 35/14.5's right now. It's a sorta bronze/brown color. It's got some dents and some rust, but I think it's a pretty good truck. I'm going to talk to him about it and see how much he wants for it.

[slipperypete393]

I also noticed it's got rounded head lights.

[Justin Kerns]

That will be a 74-78 J20, and that is good stuff. Standard 3.54 gears with optional 4.10. Pass drop D44 front & D60 rear.

[Kali]

J-20s were standard with 3.73s I thought??

By the sounds of what you want: wheelin rig that can go camping, I would actually suggest staying away from the pickups. Go for a cherokee or wag. Not only are they a bit narrower for tight trails, but you can pack all of your camping junk inside and not worry about the elements. Without either a cap or a trailer, camping is going to be a PITA in a J-10.

[slipperypete393]

When I mean camping, I'm mean going out to a spot me and my friends cleared out, staying one night then leaving the next day. I just sleep in my Jeep when going out there. I don't bring anything with me. Also, I have a 99 Cherokee right now, there's no point in selling this one just to get an older one. It's a toss up right now. I won't know for sure until this summer. I'm either selling my Jeep and getting a car, and then I'm going to look for a J-Truck down the road, in a year or so. Or I'm gonna keep my Jeep and fix that up. I really like the idea of a car and J-Truck though. That way I don't have to worry about screwing up my DD.

[slipperypete393]

Also, can you guys tell me the differences between the t-cases and the transmissions. I here about all these models like the TH400 and the TF727, the NP208, except I don't know much about these older Jeeps. If it were late 80's up tell now, I would understand. What's the better t-case and tranny? Which one will hold up longer, have more parts for, and be easier to work on. I know this is all arguable, but I just need some basic info to get me by. I know about the QT system already, I read about it earlier, except what model is the QT? Thanks for the help.

[Justin Kerns]

Just a point - a FSJ Cherokee is much larger and more comfortable than your XJ.

Back to the truck, Brutus has a setup I have admired for his truck. Might be perfect for what you're describing. You can check them out here: http://www.adventuretrucktent.com/

What's your feedback on this thing Jason?

http://www.jasonhabrock.com/jeep/Ouray06/campsite4-060722.jpg

[BRUTUS]

Just a point - a FSJ Cherokee is much larger and more comfortable than your XJ.

Back to the truck, Brutus has a setup I have admired for his truck. Might be perfect for what you're describing. You can check them out here: http://www.adventuretrucktent.com/

What's your feedback on this thing Jason?

I LOVE my truck tent. I wouldn't trade it for ANY tent. When it wears out I will buy another one... You can bet money on that!

It was funny at Ouray last year when we came down Imogene into Telluride we hit a MAJOR hail/rain storm and my mattress got soaked (3 or so gallons of fluid it held onto). I even had piles of hail in the sequin pockets. Bigun and Flint were making fun of me over the CB because I was gonna have to sleep on a wet mattress. The picture was taken the next morning back at the KOA and you can see that I just layed a tarp over the mattress before I put my sleeping bag down. Dry, comfy, warm.

But in all fairness, it has a TON of room in there. I am 6'0" and I can almost stand all the way up. I just have to kink my head to the side a little. Try doing that in a wag or chero... :D

I have gotten it to about 20 minutes to put it up or take it down by myself. With help I can do it in under 10 minutes. Little over 20 minutes if it is dark out by myself.

It has a bunch of netting pockets inside to store your wallet, keys, etc. It comes with a loop sewn into the very peak so you could hang a light if you wanted to. It has windows on all sides and has an opening toward the cab so you COULD climb into the cab from the tent if you have a sliding rear window (I don't).

One thing I have noticed is that if I plan on sleeping in, I need to park in a shady spot because the sun heats up the bed panels and it COOKS inside the tent with all the windows closed.

My ONLY complaint is that it doesn't want to go between the bed and chassis very well. Brutus' bed is just slightly longer than it was designed for. I plan on sewing some snaps into the front of the tent and putting some snaps on the front of the bed when I go full-truggy action with a bed trailer.

Anything else?

[slipperypete393]

What would it take to turn a 360 into a 401? About how much would it cost?

[Kali]

tcases/trannies:

70s had
th400+QT(borg-warner 1339) from 74-79 or
th400+d20 (dont know how common this was)

80s had
727+np208 (wagos had np229)

th400 is marginally stronger than the 727, but you wont find it in front of anything but a QT, so you will have to do a t-case swap if you really dont want a QT rig. np208 is a solid case that can take a beating. i read somewhere that the earlier 80s 208s (80-84?) had issues that were resolved later, but the 208 in my j-10 saw some extreme offroading in arizona and its doing just fine.

dunno what youve read about the borg warner QuadraTrac, but it was a pretty good case so long as it was maintained well. The QT name stayed with the np228(?) and np229 cases found in wagos, but was a totally different t-case internally.

also like someone else mentioned... the 73/74-83 cherokee was a full size rig, nothing even close to an XJ.

[edit]
also that only covers the automatics