Jeep CJ-10

1981 to 1986 · All Jeep CJ-10 generations

The CJ-10 grew out of a design effort that began around 1977: a CJ-bodied cab and front end on a heavily reworked J10 pickup chassis, with rectangular headlights in the fenders and a ten-slot grille. The first one was built at South Bend, Indiana, in 1981, and production later moved to Mexico. It was aimed at export buyers, above all in Australia, where it was sold as the J10 or One-Tonner, but a falling Australian dollar made it too costly and few were sold. The US Air Force's CJ-10A tug version kept the line going until 1986.

Model years

1981 to 1986

Built

1981 to 1986 (civilian trucks to about 1985; CJ-10A tugs 1984 to 1986)

Where

South Bend, Indiana, USA; VAM, Mexico

Body styles

Pickup, Cab and chassis, CJ-10A aircraft tug (bed-less 4x2)

Four-wheel drive

Part-time 4WD with New Process 208 two-speed transfer case, CJ-10A: rear-wheel drive only, transfer case fixed in low range

Engines

Engine	Power	Torque	Fuel
4.2 L (258 cu in) AMC I6	—	—	Gasoline
3.2 L Nissan SD33 diesel I6 Sources give 3.2 L or 3.3 L. The only engine in the CJ-10A tug.	—	—	Diesel
2.5 L four-cylinder Listed by Wikipedia as a 151 cu in AMC four; it is not clear whether this was the GM-built 151 or AMC's own 150.	—	—	Gasoline

Transmissions

Tremec T-177 4-speed manual
Chrysler TorqueFlite A727 3-speed automatic

Worth knowing

Dana 44 front axle, with a Dana 44 or Dana 60 rear depending on the weight rating.
The CJ-10A tug had an 88-inch wheelbase, about 2,000 lb of ballast and equipment, a 4,000 lb drawbar pull, and a 25 mph top speed.
Built mainly for export, so very few civilian CJ-10s are found in the US.

Year by year, newest first

1986

Last CJ-10A tugs built; the line ended this year.

1985

Australian imports ended after the Australian dollar fell against the US dollar.

1984

CJ-10A aircraft tug program began, built in Mexico for the US Air Force.

1983

Production moved from South Bend, Indiana, to Mexico (per SlashGear).

1982

Sold in Australia, where it was called the J10 or One-Tonner (some sources date Australian sales from 1981).

1981

First CJ-10 built at South Bend, Indiana, for export.

Notes

Code and slug: one generation, so the slug is 'first'. Records are thin and sources disagree. Years: Wikipedia gives 1981 to 1985 for the CJ-10 and 1984 to 1986 for the CJ-10A; SlashGear says the whole line ended in 1986. Plants: Wikipedia and SlashGear say South Bend, Indiana, then Mexico (VAM); Jalopnik says chassis and cabs came from VAM in Mexico with conversion work in Michigan. Numbers built: SlashGear says fewer than 1,000 civilian trucks and about 2,000 CJ-10As; Wikipedia says about 2,300 CJ-10As. Wikipedia gives a 119.8 in wheelbase, 191 to 196 in length, 68 in width, 72 in height, 4,300 lb curb weight, and GVW of 5,900 or 6,700 lb, but none of these were confirmed elsewhere, so dimensions are null. A Jalopnik list article gives different engines (Hurricane four, 226 six, 318 V8), which do not match the other sources and were not used. No horsepower figures were found.

Sources

en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Jeep_CJ
slashgear.com /1617586/rare-jeep-cj-10-history/
jalopnik.com /the-jeep-cj-10-is-the-ugliest-jeep-truck-ever-but-this-1832635347