Some say the huge US Postal Service contract to buy Jeep DJs saved AMC (well, postponed AMC’s final downward spiral by a decade or so), and everyone will agree that vast quantities of USPS-surplus Mail Jeeps gave cheapskate Americans low-cost steel boxes to drive for the last few decades. These things must have been extremely popular in Colorado, because I see them all the time in Denver-area wrecking yards; in this series, we’ve had this Chevy-powered ’68, this Audi-powered ’79, this AMC six-powered ’72, this GM Iron Duke-powered ’82, and now today’s AMC-powered ’71.
There wasn’t much to go wrong with these things, which were rear-wheel-drive automatics with right-hand drive and enough bodywork to keep most of the rain off the mail.
Did AM General use Dymo embossing label-makers for DJ-5 controls? Just about every one I’ve seen has these.
The good old 232-cubic-inch AMC L6 got the job done.
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I have always and will always love these things. I actually wanted one when I was in high school. Sliding doors and RHD FTW.
Wow what a nice simple no frills bit of transport. Would that ex Royal Mail vans were as cool. Come to think of it it’s RHD – why weren’t these surplus ones sold to UK and Ireland?
Oh yeah, 6 cylinder petrol and an auto box.
These were pretty specialized for their purpose. They were rarely seen at highway speeds and they did not coddle postal workers. They were very maneuverable at speeds appropriate for accessing mailboxes and they were tough enough to deal with curbs and rural routes. Back when they were auctioned off to bargain hunters, it was pretty rare to see one being used as a daily driver. Mostly they sat in driveways, often in pairs.
I was hoping that oil filter might be orange so I could come up with a plausible story on why that is sitting there.
Paul was the next domestic terrorist…ahhh, I got nothin’.
Feeling any inspiration for this heap, CS?
We used those orange filters on our 1971 LTD for close to 30 years and the original engine had 225K miles on it when we sold the car. They’re not my first choice today, but I don’t ascribe terrible mechanical woes to them either.
Let’s pretend I don’t have anecdotal, and first-hand evidence of failure of the orange cans of death. They are the most shoddily constructed oil filter you can buy, peddled by perceived NASCAR lineage, and PR spin as the absolute best. I am waiting, salivating at a chance shot by Murilee’s camera. Then you will see my full fury brought to bear.
They also seem to be the oil filter of choice on Columbo V12s. No, I don’t know why.
http://atxcarpics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1964-Ferrari-Lusso-in-Austin-TX-Colombo-V12.jpg
I, too, used the “orange can of death” in all my cars because I was told they were good filters by non other than CR. I have never experienced any oil related problems, and a few cars went well over 200K. All were runners when we parted company….
Funny as I browsed the pics I thought, yeah Crabspirits is gonna have a hard time with a story on this one.
Paul really was the next domestic terrorist. He lived in a ramshackle cabin, outside Helena, Montana, near Blue Cloud Creek, off highway 12. The USPS Jeep was picked up in a government auction for $500. It had been stripped of official postal markings, but it still passed as an official mail carrier vehicle, something Paul found quite useful in delivering his, um, packages.
It’s not that Paul had wild political beliefs, it’s just that he hated politicians. And judges. And lawyers. All of ’em. Every single one. Five years he spent in the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. Five. Phuc*ing. Years. And someone was gonna pay.
…..
I often hear the story of how my grandfather bought one of these in the 80’s, my mom was a child at the time. He got it for $200. Having no seats in the back, the 2 kids sat on milk crates, it had a top speed of 40 mph, the back door latch was broken so they held it on place with a rock and a rope. She is still mad at him for buying it. It was replaced rather quickly with a crappy Ford Granada and a really crappy Citation- based Olds Omega.
Your mom was a young child in the 80s?
How old *are* you?
Jesus, my mom graduated high school in 1978 and I think that I’m one of the youngest commenters on the website…
That’s the same year my mom graduated IIRC. I’m 27.
I’m 21, my mom waited longer to have kids than a decent percentage of the female population.
My mom would have graduated in 79 but instead had me and finished in 80 . I’ ll be 34 in a few days.
My mom graduated in 95, do the math if you’d like.
Mom graduated HS in 1961 dad in 59, I was born in 1976. Both sets of grandparents were born between 1900 and 1906. Great grandparents were born 1860-1875.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this.
20. Mom wasn’t old when she was blessed by my presence.
Spent many an hour in these in my time as a mailman (in Denver, coincidentally). They seemed reliable and would start in cold weather, with a little patience. Dicey over ice and snow, of course.
The right-hand drive is intended, of course, to allow delivery to curbside boxes without alighting. But in most of the subdivisions where this might have been practical, doing so required driving on the sidewalk (which, because homebuilders are cheap, was integral with the curb) and that was ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN except everyone did it anyway.
Any idea why a 4×4 version was never manufactured? Even if it cost the USPS a few hundred extra bucks per Jeep it seems like a no-brainer for snowy climates like Denver.
I’m guessing cost, both acquisition and operating. They would have used more fuel, had more wear parts and more failure points. My own experience around US branded 4x4s of the ’70s and ’80s was that the transfer cases were problematic. PJ O’Rourke wrote in “High-Speed Performance Characteristics of Pickup Trucks,” that “The four-wheel-drive feature is either operated by a lever which fails to put the truck in 4WD or by a lever which fails to take it out.” That rings true for me, and I’ll add that at least levers gave some mechanical feedback of their failure, while my friend’s Wagoneer’s toggle switch non-operated front axle engagement’s duplicity was only revealed once we were stuck.
Is that a good old fashioned redneck camo job Ford truck next to the Jeep?
Gotta love those.
What’s the grey metal bit on the lower corner part of the windshield?
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/wiper-motor-with-4-wire-plug-5763696.html
Wiper motor, I think.
Neat little trucklets , I too wanted one back in the 1970’s but then they were well over $1,500 used from the U.S.P.S. and a new VW Beetle was only $1,985 , you could buy a really nice truck then for $350 .
The thing in the windshield is the wiper motor .
-Nate
Ah thanks. Handy place for something electrical, to get wet a lot.
This is on my list of “Weird Card I’d Love to Have, But Can’t Because I’m a Married Adult With Kids”.
I can only cash in my card for one car on that that list, and nothing I can think of will knock off an early Vega.
Two seats?
Must be the super fancy deluxe model.
:D
Always though if I decided to take up the city life, that one of these would be my main mode of transportation. I really couldn’t think of a better car to fit the job.
I remember these delivering mail to my parents house and then a few that were repainted and used second hand. Good solid vehicles that were easy to work on and kept going.
I’d love to have that as a mail truck instead of the Volkswagens I’m stuck with. Even that scrapyard specimen is most likely more reliable than them.
Actually just bougt one of these just a little bit ago. It was really cool to have it come across! Always wanted one! http://www.junkcarcashout.com/