Jeep J10 1978 Golden Eagle Levi 401

Jeep Other 1978 Description

JEEP J10 1978 GOLDEN EAGLE LEVI PACKAGE AND 401 WITH TURBO 400

Truck came out of southern TX where it lived its life as a one owner before I purchased. When I purchase this truck 4 years ago I was told it was road ready. Well, hat was not exactly true. These are the items I fixed or replaced so I could count on it mechanically:

All new hoses/rubber….and I do mean all. They were all completely hardened from the TX heat. Fuel, rake, acuum, elts, indow rubbers, oor seals and front windshield seal with new windshield glass.

The engine is the 401, barrel. One of the pictures shows what looks like the original 401 decal on the air breather box. I am not sure if it has been rebuilt but the engine runs strong, o noises and oil pressure is great. The RMS does have a small leak after a week it is about the size of a quarter. Not bad for an old truck. I did not put the VIN in the auction but it does have the Z in the id number.

I put new BF Goodrich 33x10.5 R15 on the stock rims. I media blasted, rimered and repainted the factory color on the rims w/pin strip. Hub covers were just dirty and polished up like new. WOW, hat was a pleasant surprise. I even used tractor wheel balancing discs to balance the wheels. At 75 truck runs smooth. Also new brakes front and rear, ew SS brake lines. I also installed a new poly fuel tank/sending unit and skid plate. The original had a hole in it when it was delivered. (That pissed me off. Seller failed to disclose this fact.) All new exhaust and I did put on headers. The exhaust is set up like factory with one tail pipe. I did not want this to sound like a race car. The original exhaust manifolds will come with truck. I replaced the steering column from a donor truck because the tilt was broken when it arrived. I had the brake fluid drained/flushed and refilled. I am sure it was never done because it looked like blood. I also replaced the master cylinder and the computer control module. Carb. was working fine. I just cleaned it real good, ut new plugs, ires and air filter on, as well as a new battery w/new ground and positive leads from battery. I had to have the radiator fixed because it was leaking and I put a fan shroud on for safety. Power steering and power brakes work great. The 4wheel drive works great. I took it out in my back yard, acres, nd tossed a little grass. That was fun.

The leaf springs were shot, o I installed a 3.5” skyjacker leaf spring kit with new bushings and bolts. Much better stance and it rides very good. I also installed new shocks and stabilizer. New ball joints, ew u joints and wheel bearings and knuckle joints. The starter went bad about 2 weeks after I started driving it so I replaced it as well as the flywheel which was badly worn. All new fluids in differentials, uadra-trac specific fluid, ransmission fluid and filter, il/filter in engine and anti-freeze. Truck runs cool and holds 50-60 psi at cruising speed. Electronic choke works well. I replaced the drive shaft u-joints, peed-o cable and had the undercarriage steam cleaned. Most of the underneath looked brand new once it was cleaned. You could even see some of the original factory markings.

The original seats and Levi seat material was long gone. Door cards still look really good. All Levi buttons are in place. I did put in best top seats which bolted to the original seat bases. I removed the carpet and installed the rubber floor. The sheet metal in the floor was perfect condition. Dash pad speaker hold was cracked so I installed the gauge pod with rpm, ranny temp and vacuum gauge to cover the hole. More fun that function, ut all work great. All gauges in the factory locations work correctly. The clock is not hooked up and neither is the radio. Both work. I installed a new glove box liner and new vent hoses because the originals were long gone. 4wheel drive knob is located in glove box in factory location. Heat works awesome and both air vents in kick panels work as new.

I have the original roll bar lights but replaced them because they were beyond saving. New KC lights and wiring on roll bar and brush guard. As far as the body, have only cleaned it with some bartender’s friend and the regular wash once it gets dusty. To this day the jeep has never been in the snow. It does have some rust because mud was packed up under the body. There is a small hole at the bottom of the front fender in the Levis logo and both tail light panels have holes at the bottom. There is a little rust at the seams on both sides of the bed but all four wheel flares are rust free. The paint looks good but is original. All the decals are in place. I do have the replacement tail light panels it you are interested in fixing the rust. There is a small hole in the tail gate and that is it. I was going to fix it up but the cosmetics have nothing to do with the reliability. Since I have completed all the mechanical work I drive this truck anywhere. Last trip to KC, O to pick up furniture at MFM was a 2 hour trip. Drives great at 70 mph. This truck is not a speed demon and is not a late model fuel sipper. 8-10 mpg is what she gets. Worse if you engage the kick down in the transmission. Bottom line, have done all the mechanical work and what is left is what the new owner wants to do. If the new owner did decide to restore you can still get the Golden Eagle decal kit from Austin Jeeps. The stripes down the side and over the wheel arches can be recreated by any sign company.

I am selling because over the last year my interests have changed. I would like to keep the GE, ut it is not practical. I am sure I left out several updates or fixes off the list above but you will receive all the receipts for work completed since I have owned the jeep. You do not see these come up for sale very often and when you do find them they are usually a complete mess.

Not like the person I bought it from, ou are getting all the details of what I currently know about the truck. As with almost all older vehicles I have more in it than I can get out in money but the reserve is reasonable. I watched a 1979 GE with the 360 sell for 23K several months ago and it was not even a Levi edition. It was restored but my reserve is about half of that price. PLEASE, f you do not have the money to buy please do not send questions or place bids. No tire kickers. The vehicle can be seen and driven prior to the auction ending. Email to make arrangements.

Good luck with the bidding. Email if you have some specific questions. I will post my responses for all to see.

Remember, t is only an original once.

Thank you.