1983 DJ-5M I just acquired

I have come into acquiring a Jeep DJ-5M. The year I was told is 1983, deal is being done back home while I am at school. Anyways it is 2wd and has a 4cyl with 3 on the floor. I was wondering if anybody could give me some info on the drivetrain I could have and maybe about the dj-5M.

Being a 1983 it should have the 2.5L amc straight 4, with the chrysler 904 transmission

Needs brakes I was told and tranny cables (Not sure which). I think I want to chop the roof and take the doors off. Also potentially cut the windshield so i can fab it to be foldable. My father and I can figure out some sort of latch system so I can remount it back on if I want it. I am sure it's possible.

Can't wait to get my hands on it, one month!

I know there are a lot of people who like to keep things all original but I honestly can't see myself driving around in a mail delivery jeep without looking like a creeper.

Also I am very happy to say that this purchase has allowed me to join this site since I know have a sort of early CJ.

I have a 85 CJ-7 that I use as my daily driver.

 

Welcome from Ga. Clean looking jeep. The right mods to the body could make that a cool looking rig. Enjoy the toy.

 

The doors are easy to take off, personally I would not cut the roof off but if you are going to do it, I would use the body line where a CJ5 would be as your template. Then someone with a CJ5 could use your top as a removal hard top.

Making the front window able to fold down will be really hard, that top is really beefed up on that window frame, it is not like a CJ. I have a top cut off in my back yard and there is nothing similar there. In fact cutting the roof off is going to cause you trouble in that regard. I guess people normally cut it all off, weld it up flat and use a normal frame bolted straight on

I would have thought the transmission should be an auto also but I am not sure about the options there.

 

Thanks for the welcome guys!

I want to remove the roof mostly because I have my jeep cj7 with a hardtop and honestly I hate using it. Sure its amazing in bad weather but it's so restrictive and every horrible snowy day here in VT I can't wait to pull it off.

Also the DJ will only be driven on nice days.

My dad went to check it out yesterday since I am out of state.

Apparently there is bondo on the rear corners and some up front. A bit of rust but what takes the cake is the bondo on the hump over the transmission tunnel. That's gonna need to be cut out and welded I'm sure.

We aren't sure how the frame.is but I'm gonna have my dad take a look tomorrow.

Couple questions:

Where would I cut the top off from the windshield to be able to put the hardtop on a cj5?

Where do I cut the windshield frame off if I want to use some hinges to mount a cj5 windshield which I assume is the same length across.

If you look the cowl under the windshield with the vent is flush with the seam on the windshield on the dj5 as opposed to jeeps which have the folding windshield. They have a some space to allow for the hinges.


Thanks for the help so far!

 

Transmission is auto, the chrylsee 904 is a 3 speed auto with the shifter on the floor.

 

now this is just me . A DJ should just be left as is . maybe be just change steering to left side . I see nothing wrong with driving a DJ around , you just don't see many on the road . and you said that you own a CJ7

 

Here's what you do with your DJ:
1. get rid of the tub. You'll spend more time and trouble than it's worth to mod. I kept my DJ tub because I wanted to keep the hardtop.
2. get a CJ grill for fer cryin' out loud. It'll be fine with the AMC 4
3. keep pretty much anything else
4. get a CJ or flattie tub for it and bolt it on

Had it not been for wanting a hardtop and by chance finding a set of aluminum Sears top doors at the swap meet for a great price, I'd have not kept the body on my DJ. It's a huge amount of fabrication to get it to be both functional and decent looking (which is another way of saying "not like a mail jeep"). I have greatly increased my skill and confidence level in fabrication by the one decision of keeping the body and not going with a CJ5 or flat fender body. So that's a real plus, but unless you want that and a hardtop, the DJ body is a liability. Understand, the mail jeep was designed with a very specific use in mind and they came up with some "interesting" ideas. The drivetrain is not so odd- it's a fairly straightforward 2wd design.

'Course, you can do what you want...

Bob the cj has it right- the windshield is way different than a CJ windshield. Take the top off and you lose much of the support for it. And you can't easily adapt a CJ windshield on to the cowling. I suppose you could, but the fabrication would be a real challenge I think.

Moving the steering over to the left side is no big deal; same with brakes, controls, etc.

As far as the drivetrain is concerned, have you considered putting in a 327 with a powerglide and maybe upping your insurance?

 

I realize there's no accounting for taste and I've owned and driven my share of stodgy vehicles in my life, but a postal jeep is just pushing it too far, IMO (especially for a young guy, I would think). I'm really looking forward to running around I mine once she's done, but only because of all the mods I've made.

 

Looks pretty clean. Gunner has it right tho. Ditch the DJ body and bolt a CJ body on the frame. The DJ frame is better/stronger than the cj frame. I helped a buddy of mine build up a 79 DJ5 a few years back. He found a wrecking yard 2.2l Isuzu Diesel mated to a 4 speed manual and 2 speed t-case that we installed by adapting the DJ motor mounts to the Isuzu mounts, added a front cross member under the grill like a CJ so we could cut the large motor cross member out for front driveline clearance. Added a D27 (had it laying around) front end, built a custom trans cross member and lifted it about 4 inches with springs in front and blocks in back. Cut the bottom of the doors up for rear tire clearance when the doors are open but the window still goes all the way down. Lots of options with a DJ but the body isn't pretty nor easy to modify and have look good. At some point if my buddy still has his at the end of his divorce we plan to drop a CJ tub on it. It'll be lighter and better looking, but we'll still leave it RHD for its postal roots. =)

 

What kind of flattie body bolts to the DJ frame. That's what I am going for with my DJ mods. And I like the grill...even though its ugly lol. I want something strange and unique. Just not a flying cube with sliding doors exactly. Its why my cj is lime green.

 

I'm not saying that it just easily bolts on- you'll have to make it work. But it will be a small fraction of the time and effort to modify the DJ body.

Any would be ok, I'd think. Just don't waste a good MB/GPW one on it, the G503 guys will pay you too much to go use it on a DJ frame. Research the DJ-3A jeep; it was the 2wd version of the 3A.

You want strange and unique? Ohhh-kay

 

The problem is acquiring a tub for cheap. I was happy to get this jeep cause it was dirt cheap and I can chop it up and hopefully not dump too much cash into it. Finding a dj3a tub or any early cj tub is hard up in the northeast not to mention expensive. I would love to do it but I don't think its practical, moneywise. And yes strange and unique as in, look at me, I'm driving a classic and I love it....cause cars nowadays really don't have enough character (My opinion, and yes there are plenty of new cars I would love to have).

 

I have to disagree that taking the roof off is too hard, at least on a 1969 DJ5. You might check out my Build Thread for mine http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?74241-Pink-Picnic-JEEP&highlight=pink+picnic+jeep.

Also think the AMC four cylinder has the standard Chevy pattern, so a 327 should bolt direct to the Chrysler 904.

Frankly if you do not have another tub, I would leave it Postal shaped, other than cutting the rear fenders for tire clearance.
Something I thought would be fun, and almost did was make it dual control like a Driver's Education vehicle.
Would be fairly easy to add the left hand steering box with a drag link to the factory steering.

 

Already have a 327 in my daily driver so I am going to stick with one SBC for now. And when it comes to the tub I don't get why people convert them to a cj5, yes I understand it's easy but just get a cj5 then. There are wayyyyyy to many of those around here; they also look just like the cj7 except for a few small differences. If I chope the top off my dj5 I get a different door opening, different grill, different tub height, different kind of tail gate. I don't want a cj5 cause I don't want another almost cj7. that's why I like the idea of cutting it up or putting a flattie on it. Nice build thread though. Your DJ had the cj5 kind of grill, I got the weird dj5 grill.

 

The AMC 150 has the same pattern as the 60 degree GM V6s (like used in the XJ) and not the SBC V8 pattern. The 151 cid "Iron Duke" GM engine used in some Jeeps has the same bell pattern as the SBC V8.

 

Yeah I have heard people say they swapped the entire XJ drivetrain, axles and all over to a DJ5 to make it 4wd.

 

Nice car, probably with rust under the painting, that's life; It is funny like this, why take off the hard-top? It seems that the windshield cannot be moved down. You can cut the roof and put a transparent one inside. Or a canvas one. You use it for mid-season, and you get a good CJ5 if you need one.
I have a hard-top, it is away for summer. I don't think that you model of hard-top can adapt easily to other models. Whatever, it is a very nice Jeep.

 

And so it goes. This thread could go on for many pages and you'll come back to the same place- namely that the DJ postal body is unique and very difficult to do anything with. Frankly, I see them as largely donor jeeps and a good platform to practice your cutting, welding, grinding, fitting, prepping, painting....

Good luck on keeping the costs down- your DJ is still a jeep in the Just-Empty-Every-Pocket line of thinking.

I don't mean to be so negative, but the amount of effort involved is not trivial and should not be underestimated.

What Mr GJ and I have is the DJ5A which came with a Chevy 4, a Powerglide and the standard looking grill. It was built from, I believe, 69-71.

 

That's exactly what I want it for. To practice on and maybe make something cool....eventually. I have no budget so it will take forever, but that's how it goes.