'65 CJ5 '71 DJ5 mashup

I guess i will be "officially" starting the build now. I am a novice mechanic so I will have a TON of questions regarding workflow, parts tips tricks, etc. I have leaned on the infinite knowledge of this forum before and it has helped so much! I thank each and every one of you who have helped me in the past, and who will help me in the future. i know this is going to be slow going for a while, i have a ton of work to do on my house and i just had a son 4 months ago. i will dedicate what time i can to get this thing running, i am really excited to get cracking!! please hit me up and ask about progress as it will help me keep on task!

Here's the back story:

I bought my 71 DJ5 postal jeep from a guy in Pasadena who's grandfather was in failing health. he drove it every day to work at Wal-mart a few miles away. i picked it up for about $450. couldn't beat the price. i bought a new carb for it for about 300 bux right after buying it, so all in i,m up to $750. I drive it now and again and it works pretty well, al be it stinky and it leaks a lot of tranny fluid and oil. i ran the numbers on the engine and i have a 258 straight six from a 79 cj. The engine is strong ( not HP wise but reliabilty wise) i drove it about 150 mile round trip (at 45 mph it took a while) and it did great.

About a year after purchasing the DJ, i found a a 65 CJ5 on Craigslist. it was sold by a high school shop teacher who did a lot of work on it and then stopped. it sat in the School yard for a few years and all the seals rotted out, tranny, tcase, gears all of them. (the school is in the high desert near Edwards AFB.) it has a buick3.8l v6, a t98 tranny and a d18 T-case w/ warn overdrive. the axles are a D44 Rear and a D25 Front. they have 5.38 gears (i believe). the frame is pretty well boogered up, the welds are not great and there are a lot of scars. the body will be nice after some hammering and getting rid of a ton of Bondo. no fuel system, dry rotted tires, blah blah blah. long story short, the Engine tranny and Tcase are in workable shape (engine is almost perfect) as is the body.

since the 65 has a good drivetrain/body, the DJ has a perfect frame, i want to marry the two and end up with one really nice jeep. any tips, tricks, ideas... anything, please let me know!! you all know so much more than me and i am willing to learn from the best!!

i will post some pics when i get home from work. (shhh... don't tell the boss!!)

Cheers all!

:stout::stout::stout:

 

I may be way off base, but for some reason I think that the DJ and CJ frames were nowhere near interchangable.

Ater looking a few of them over in the junkyards recently, It seemed to me that while they look like the same machine, they seemed to be spec'd by the government to be totally incompatible with one another.

 

Why would you use a dj frame they are way weaker since it wasn't designed for use as a 4 wheel drive frame yes its about 200 lbs lighter but is it worth all your time for something you won't be happy with also all the mounts would need to be relocated older cj frames are all over the place theres 4 on craigs now for under 3 bills

 

There's a postal Jeep forum somewhere on the interweb that might be helpful, but you may know that already.

 

Thanks for this info!

I did a bit of research and some say that the frames match up but the DJ frame is a tad longer. i will be doing some measuring today to confirm. i know that the springs are mounted on the outside of the frame on the DJ. i am not sure if the frame changed suddenly or if they are all relatively the same. to the interwebs for more research!!

in the mean time, i swapped out the alternator on the CJ to make moving it around a lot less labor intensive.

In the interim, here are some pictures of the victims...


--


note the lovely grey/rust hue common in both jeeps.

more to come!!

 

i did some measuring, the DJ frame and the CJ frame aren't all that different. the bumpers are beefier on the DJ than the CJ.

DJ Frame



CJ Frame



The PO (or the shop class he taught) hacked the frame up pretty good.

the frame rails are both 29 1/4" to the outsides. the DJ frame is boxed all the way back to the tail of the transmission.



the cross members differ, but I expected that. i will research fabricating motor and transmission mounts soon.

The only thing thats really different about the frames aside from the crossmembers is the spring mounts.

DJ



CJ



it will require a bit of hacking and welding. once again, i expected that.

Does anyone see anything that my novice eyes don't? it looks similar enough to just swap with a few chops and welds.



in the mean time, the alternator swap went fine, but the battery was dead. i couldn't jump it. i took it to autozone to charge overnight. It' an Optima red top, so i hope its not toast! them tings are espensive!

 

now i'm on to axles. i have a dana 25 narrow track on the front with drums, and a dana 30 from an early 80's cj5 with discs. (i think that s what i came up with when i ran the numbers.) the D30 is wide track at 54ish inches between the mounting surfaces for the wheels. (if i'm measuring that wrong, let me know) since the Dana 44 in the back is narrow, would it be safe/sturdy enough to run for a while with the narrow track and wheel spacers o make up the difference iun til the right rear axle comes into my life?

 

The DJ is based on the CJ frame. I think you will do ok with the frame swap. I had a DJ5G and used to use this site for info related to electrical. Having both Jeeps there will give you reference points back and forth as you do the swap. You have a rear tank in the DJ which should move over fairly easily.

WWW.POSTALJEEP.NET is an excellent source for DJ parts. You may need that when you begin to search for DJ specific parts.

When I had my DJ I really liked the kick out vent doors by my feet. Really puts some cooler air in the cab.

Looks like your tub is a M38A1.

 

Awesome! thanks so much for the wisdom. i've ordered small things from Postaleep.net nice guy! really knowledgeable! those vents are the best cruising down the highway at 50% highway speeds!

I was told that its a tub from a different jeep than the 65 CJ i was sold. the ammo/battery box and the 24v power outlet cutout are the giveaways. i love the tub it gives it a bit more character and raises more questions than your average CJ.

 

So today, more happened on the jeeps than ever! a few friends came over and we got the postal down to the chasis. i feel like i am on my way now. i have a jeep and a half sitting in my drive way.



Here she is toward the beginning of the day. we popped the lights out and i remembered to take pictures after.



front clip off.



propped up and ready for the roll out. a nail biter for sure. safety is not my strong suit.



all rolled out. no one lost any body parts.



my buddy Banks playing "fer pertend".






here it will sit until next time.

i'm going to try to dedicate a day a month at least from now on. next up, pulling the engine.

 

Disassembly is so much fun.

 

the postal frame is heaver because it is boxed from front frame horns back to the rear spring hangers. you can actually cut the inserts out and use them to box an early 5 frame.

Don't forget to use the 11" brakes from the postal jeep on the dana 27/44 axles almost a direct bolt on. you will have to drill 2 holes on each backing plate on the rear axle. Also used the postal steering column for the snaggy swap on the cj. The front fenders will fit with some modifications (cut out so the shock mounts are on the cj) the hood will work as well it is a bit lighter than the cj hood (no front brace) your shocks are behind the axle on the postal in front on the cj. also used the front bumper cut down and used the braces to the frame.

I also used the windshield wipers from the postal, I flipped the whole unit over and mounted them on the top of my windshield. I did have to relocate the original holes, the postal set up is a little wider.

Hit me up on here or FB if ya have any questions on what I have done.






good luck and have fun with your build!!

 

I'd be rocking the postal jeep myself if I had it.....might even make it 4 wheel drive!!

 

Thanks Jason for the insight! glad to see that i'm not the only one who has tried this. and i'm really glad to see that it was successful!! i will definitely hit you up if i have any questions.


I'm trying to get rid of the DJ5 tub to reclaim a piece of my driveway. link to classified ad...

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?90165-1971-DJ5b-quot-Tub-quot-free-to-a-good-home.

until next time...

 

Just curious in California how you will register the new jeep......Will it be a Cj5 or a rebodied Postal?

 

A rebodied postal. Since the postal already has plates and the cj does not, I figured that it would be easier to just keep the plates on the frame of the postal. I think that is within legal parameters.

Of anyone suspects different, your expertise is welcome!!

 

Made some more progress over the weekend. The frame is pretty much bare. Engine and transmission have been removed, axles too. all thats left is the oily gunk to scrape off!





slowly but surely.

[h=1]“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go-so long as you do not stop.”-Confucius[/h]

 

Any updates?

 

Nothing lately... The jeep has collected a bunch of lumber from a travel trailer project I have been working on. ( as I like to call it... The Guest Suite.

This was occupying the driveway for a while. Now it is in its new and permanent home in the yard. The driveway should become the jeep zone one again soon. Maybe a few more months. I wish I had more jeep related news, but this has taken what little time I have had ion the past 6 months.

Thanks for checking in!

 

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I post this:

I am putting this dream to rest. I have always wanted a vehicle that I put took apart and put back together better. My wie and I are expecting a second child and 2 jeeps (well, 1 1/2 jeeps) need to give way to a more practical vehicle.

i will be posting everything i have in the for sale section in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled for a lot of Jeep parts. If you live in socal and want to come rifle through, PM me and we can make arrangements for you to come and check everything out.

Thanks for your help everyone, you are truly one pf the brightest, funniest and most welcoming of internet communities that i have ever experienced.

Stay classy!

Andrew.