This 1980 Jeep J-10 Honcho Edition stepside pickup is one of 1,264 examples built between 1980 and 1983. It has undergone a professional frame-off restoration, and everything was rebuilt or replaced.
This Jeep is powered by an AMC 360-ci big-block V8 engine producing 195 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission. It sits on a four-inch suspension lift kit with new front and rear leaf springs. Finished in Bordeaux Metallic paint with Honcho Orange-and-black decals, the roll bar and rear step bumpers are painted with the correct white. The interior is finished in black denim. This pickup is optioned with power steering, power brakes, a three-inch roll bar with mounted off-road lights and fog lights on the bumper. It also features handmade white oak wood bed rails from the original pattern. It is riding on 35 x 12.50 TR15 tires.
With 80,025 miles showing, this pickup has been driven approximately 3,000 miles since its restoration. It had the same owner from 1980 until 2013, when it was exported to Italy and restored. It was imported back to the U.S. earlier this year.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1980 Jeep J-10 Honcho |
| Years Produced: | 1977–82 |
| Number Produced: | 8,394 (all 1980 J-10s); 1,264 (Honchos, estimated) |
| Tune Up Cost: | $350 |
| Chassis Number Location: | Decal on the driver’s door frame and metal tag under the hood on the cowl |
| Engine Number Location: | Passenger’s side valve cover tag (date code and engine code) |
| Club Info: | American Motors Owners Association (AMO) |
| Website: | http://www.amo.club |
| Alternatives: | 1976–79 Dodge W150 Warlock, 1977–79 F-100 Shorty Flareside, 1977–79 Chevrolet K-10 Chevy Sport Stepside |
This truck, Lot 430, was sold for $49,500, including buyer’s premium, at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach, FL, auction on April 14, 2023.
American Motors Corporation once posed the question in some ad copy, “If you had to compete with GM, Ford and Chrysler, what would you do?”
This was always the existential crisis for AMC in the 1970s — never a bridesmaid, let alone a bride, it rarely even got invited to the wedding. And nowhere was it less competitive with the Big Three than in the pickup market, in which the Jeep J-series was AMC’s sole offering.
With the debut of the J-series “Honcho,” AMC was essentially answering its own question by saying, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
Cult of personality
After the first oil embargo of 1974, the Big Three saw a growth of interest in light trucks outside of the typical farm and construction markets. Personalization was a big thing, with Detroit marketing teams recognizing that they could sell “factory custom” pickups to regular folks, especially if the trucks had eye-catching styling. Dodge started the foray with its Adult Toys series at the beginning of the 1976 model year, with Ford Free Wheelin’ and Chevy Sport packages following in 1977.
At the time, Jeep’s full-size J-10 was still using the Gladiator platform, which had launched in 1963. By comparison, the Big Three had each introduced at least two new generations of their pickups in that span. Granted, the Gladiator was a forward-looking design for its time, but there was no denying that time was past. Minor updates had kept up a contemporary appearance, and Jeep again did like the rest of the industry, adding bold graphics to chase “the youth market.” It joined the pack in offering the Honcho package for the J-10 in January 1976.
Available with any drivetrain combination, Honcho equipment was primarily cosmetic. Most obvious were stripes on the body sides, tailgate and hood, with the name adorning each of the pickup’s two doors. Inside was a three-spoke sport steering wheel and Levi’s “denim” upholstery, which was actually woven vinyl, as real cotton denim wasn’t resilient enough for automotive use. AMC had first offered Levi’s packages in Gremlins and Hornets in 1974, but this was the first time such an option was fitted to the J-series. The Honcho package also included steel-spoke wheels that were shod with all-terrain radials.
Stepping up
At introduction, Jeep was only making the “Townside” full-width cargo box for its pickups. That changed due to the era’s rise in popularity of narrow pickup boxes with separate fenders.
Chevrolet offered “Stepside” pickups (called “Fenderside” by GMC), Dodge made “Utiline” trucks, and Ford brought its “Flareside” — which dated to 1953 — back for the Shorty package in 1976. So Jeep dusted off old tooling and reintroduced a revised version of its 1963–73 “Thriftside” box as the “Sportside” for 1980.
That year is also noteworthy in that it was the final year of the integral and aerodynamic protruding mini-visor over the windshield at the forward edge of the cab, designed to eke out marginally better mileage. The Sportside box was ultimately discontinued when the Laredo package replaced the Honcho for 1983.
Mucho dinero Honcho
Even the most dedicated sports-car afficionado can’t help but notice that the past decade has seen a significant uptick in interest in post-war light-duty trucks. Since the start of the pandemic, trucks and SUVs seem to be setting new sales records every day, particularly heavy-duty four-wheel-drive pickups from the 1970s and 1980s. Topping all others are usually examples that have vibrant graphics and paint schemes of the era. (And then there are the hordes of resto-modded examples, whose values are based more on what components are in the “build” and who did the work, but that’s another story.)
At Mecum’s 2021 Indy sale, a 1982 J-10 Honcho (a 6-cylinder with a manual transmission) raised more than a few eyebrows when it sold for $110k (SCM# 6944103). So surprising was that price that a 1978 J-10 Townside Golden Eagle (think: Trans Am graphics on a pickup) selling earlier on the same day for a “mere” $66k was mostly ignored.
With other recent comparable sales including a restored 1984 J-10 for $84k on Bring a Trailer (SCM# 6954304) and a nice, mostly original 1981 selling on eBay at $54k (SCM# 6954318), it’s clear that the market for these Jeep pickups is in a state of flux. Since the start of this year, however, pricing has generally plateaued.
Factory fashionable
Our subject truck is reasonably well equipped with factory options, including the sole engine upgrade from the standard 258-ci inline-6, AMC’s 360-ci V8. The truck was restored in Italy by Fabrizio Giombini. In the process it was given a suspension lift, modest enough that the larger tires don’t look obviously out of place. The wood side rails might look like add-ons; however, they are not. The rails and the light bar were actually part of the “Highline” trim package that was exclusive to the Honcho with the Sportside box. Overall, it’s an eye-catching combination of the sort that is currently en vogue among classic-truck buyers.
At the Barrett-Jackson sale, a couple of hours before our subject truck crossed the block, a restored V8-powered 1976 Jeep Cherokee sold at $35,200 to an onsite bidder. This set the stage — and expectations — for our Honcho. When it hit the block, it opened with real money at $30k, but quickly ran out of steam once bidding hit $45k, selling at $49,500 all-in to an onsite bidder.
Though the consignor didn’t get an out-of-this-world price, he shouldn’t be disappointed. Considering the wide swing of J-10 sales over the last few years, call this one well enough bought and sold. ♦
(Introductory description courtesy of Barrett-Jackson.)
