1976–1983 Jeep J-10 Honcho Pickup: Wild Decals, Attitude, And Levi’s Interior In A “Mucho Macho” Jeep Special Edition

For good or for bad, the 1970s will never happen again. Say what you will about the clothing and furniture, but it was the only decade in which a marketing department would say, “Why don’t we call this trim package Honcho?” Jeep did so in 1976, and they continued to think it was a good idea all the way through 1983. Let’s take a look at every model year.

The word “honcho” is, believe it or not, American slang, meaning “the boss” or the “person in charge.” Most of us are probably aware of the Jeep Honcho package through this ad, which claims that the Honcho is “mucho macho.” It was a different time.

The Honcho was introduced as a $699 package in January 1976, but it also had two mandatory options: $69 power front disc brakes and $179 power steering. The first Honchos had gold decals with black and white accents, and they came in six colors, including this well-worn Firecracker Red, which complemented the standard white “special 8″ slot-style” wheels. All Honchos (for the entire run) were short-wheelbase J-10s (the half-ton model) with four-wheel-drive and any drivetrain the buyer wanted.

Honchos also came standard with one of AMC’s more memorable marketing tie-ins, the Levi’s interior, which resembled the denim used by that famous manufacturer of jeans. According to Vince Geraci, the head of interior design at AMC, the seats weren’t upholstered in real denim because denim wasn’t sufficiently flame retardant (which might make you rethink your wardrobe). Instead, they whipped up some samples that looked the part and sent them out to Milliken & Company to create an automotive fabric with a similar look.

In 1976, the Levi’s denim interior was only offered in blue, regardless of the exterior color, so lest you think this truck has been repainted or had a different interior installed, it hasn’t. The blue “sports steering wheel” was also standard on the Honcho. J-Series pickup sales were never that strong, and there are no breakouts that I can find for the Honcho package; however, In 1976, only 16,188 Jeep pickups were sold, so it stands to reason that only a few thousand of those owners chose to spend the extra money. (But why wouldn’t you?)

The 1977 Honcho received few changes, but the option package price increased to $749, and the wheels were now white 8-inch-wide “Styled Steel Wheels” rather than the slot-style wheels from 1976. All J-10s got a heavier gauge frame and standard front disc brakes for 1977. Notice that this Honcho has the Levi’s decal on the front fender.

The blue Levi’s interior was still standard equipment, and there were five exterior colors available: Firecracker Red, Alpine White, Brilliant Blue, Midnight Blue Metallic, and the Classic Black shown on this pickup. Sales of Jeep Pickups were up a bit for 1977, to 17,252. The hinged bench seat shown here was newly standard for 1977, which resulted in easier access to the storage area behind the seat.

The 1978 Honcho was the last model year with this decal package and this grille (which was in my opinion the best of the three, more later), and this truck shows off a few other Honcho standard features, including a chrome front bumper, bright door window frames, and a rear step bumper. Interestingly, eleven colors were now available on the Honcho, excluding only one—Firecracker Red—and decals were now available in the traditional gold or dark blue with gold and orange accents.

The Levi’s interior was now available in blue or tan, which must have been a relief to many prospective Honcho buyers. The Honcho package stayed at $749 for 1978, and Jeep truck sales were up to 20,495 units. Since it was the age of Smokey and the Bandit and Convoy, a CB radio was available as an option.

The 1979 Honcho introduced a new three-level stripe package, and this Olympic White example also has the optional roll bar and brush guard. Stripes were available in blue or orange.

There was also a new grille, seen here on an Ensign Blue Honcho. Given the change in the graphics, I wonder if someone in AMC’s design department was influenced by Ford’s “Free Wheeling” packages.

The grille on this model doesn’t seem to match the factory Honchos in the brochures, but it matches other Jeep trucks of the era. Every 1979 Honcho I’ve found on the internet seems to have a different grille, so this seems to be an upside/downside of the Jeep Pickup’s parts interchangeability.

The interior is where Jeep’s own sales material starts to disagree with itself. The Honcho package apparently still came with the denim seats and door panels, but this truck clearly has a black vinyl bench, which was standard in basic J-10s. The materials page of the 1979 truck brochure doesn’t mention which material is available on the Honcho specifically, so this might be a minor mystery of the Jeep world. Jeep held the line on price at $749, but truck sales fell a bit to 18,966. It would get worse from there.

In 1980, Jeep sold a mere 6,839 trucks. The Honcho package went up in price to $849, but there was also a new Honcho Sportside Package available for $1,325 (we’ll see that one in 1981).  All available colors could be had on the Honcho, and the stripe package could still be ordered in blue or orange. This example doesn’t have the white steel wheels that were standard equipment.

However, it does have the blue denim interior, this time with bucket seats. Power steering was still a required option, as was (bafflingly) a pickup box.

Does Matchbox sell a 1980 Honcho Sportside that inspired this retrospective? Yes it does.

And it looks a lot like this 1981 model, which sold at Mecum Kissimmee in 2023 for $39,600. You can see the slightly updated grille, new-for-1981 stripe package (red, blue, or yellow, depending on the truck’s color), and gleaming paint (probably Deep Maroon, maybe Vintage Red).

The Sportside had “wood box side and front panel rails,” in addition to a “contoured roll bar.” Prices for the Honcho packages were up to roughly $950 and $1,400 for the Townside and Sportside respectively.

Levi’s fabric had cut and run by 1981, being replaced by “Western weave fabric” in beige, blue, or black. Pickups with loud stripe packages might have been on their way out by 1981, but the CB radio fad was also out of time, at least at Jeep; the Honcho’s “10-4” linemate was gone for 1981. Sales of Jeep trucks overall rebounded a little to 8,048.

The 1982 Honcho was basically a carryover except for some new paint colors, such as this Copper Brown Metallic. Truck sales dropped to just 6,113.

The interior still wore “Western Weave cloth and vinyl” upholstery.

It’s fitting to end on a real dilapidated version of the Honcho, the final edition in 1983, which was carried over from 1981-82 with few if any changes. This was the only 1983 model I could find online, and the interior pictures aren’t representative of what was available from the factory. Sales were dismal for 1983 (for all Jeep trucks): just 4,705 units sold. And it would get worse from there before Jeep pulled the plug after 1987; under 2,000 were built annually for 1985, 1986, and 1987.

But it’s no fun to dwell on that. Instead, let us celebrate that there are still Honchos to be had if you look hard enough, and if you buy one, you can still get graphics (for now); therefore, ambitious J-10 owners could even build their own Honcho tribute trucks. The guide above may help you identify Honchos you come across in the future.

And this is how I like to remember the truck with the funny name, a 1978 model with the best grille (my opinion), painted a lively 1970s Sun Orange, driver squinting over the next rock into the sunset. It’s the “boss” indeed.

Related Reading

CC Capsule: 1987 Jeep J-20 – Retired, Looking For A Second Career (by me)

CC Outtake: 1978 Jeep Gladiator 10-4 – How Many Are Left? (by Paul N)