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1983 Am General Dj-5m Mail Jeep Postal Jeep on 2040-cars

Year:1983 Mileage:47831 Color: Ford Wimbledon White matte coat
Location:

El Portal, California, United States

El Portal, California, United States
Advertising:
Transmission:Automatic
Engine:2.5L AMC Straight-4
Vehicle Title:Clear
Fuel Type:Gasoline
For Sale By:Private Seller
VIN: 1utuf00b0ds191793 Year: 1983
Exterior Color: Ford Wimbledon White matte coat
Make: Jeep
Number of Cylinders: 4
Model: CJ
Trim: Utility truck 2-door
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
Drive Type: Two-Wheel drive
Mileage: 47,831
Sub Model: DJ-5 M
Condition: UsedA vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections.Seller Notes:"Used and formerly in US Government service. Not a show car, but in good shape and runs/drives well. No known significant engine/transmission/body issues. See vehicle description for information on known minor issues."

An American icon!  The DJ (Dispatcher Jeep) series was built for the U.S. Postal Service from 1955 to 1984. This 1983 DJ-5M has reportedly lived its entire life in central California, and drove a mail route from 1983 to 2009.  The previous owner was a USPS rural route driver, and when the Government sold the vehicle around 2002, he purchased it and continued to use it to deliver mail until he sold it to me.  This one was built under Government contract by AM General (the company that made Humvees), but is identical to the DJ-5's manufactured by Jeep.

The DJ-5 line was discontinued in 1984, so this is one of the newest models of DJ-5 available, and it shows.  Many DJ-5s were worked into the ground, rusted out, and were scrapped; this one is comparatively new, has lived a dry California life in the San Joaquin Valley, and was well taken care of.  It's in great shape.  I grew up in New England, where salt rusts away cars over five years old, so it still surprises me to see how little rust this 1983 model has.  

Features: 150 cubic inch 2.5L AMC Straight-4 engine with a Chrysler 904 transmission, both running strong. Previous owner worked over the engine in 2008; I'm not sure of the extent of the work that he did, but I have had no significant issues with the engine.

Passes smog testing in California (fully rebuilt catalytic converter in 2011).  All tires are in good shape with plenty of tread. Paint in good shape, very little surface rust on exposed surfaces; the paint is Ford Wimbledon White in a matte gloss, recently touched up.  No body damage is known, and all sheet metal is smooth and undented. There are a couple of holes in the floorboard under the pedals due to wear, but they do not constitute a safety hazard.  New battery. 

Issues: 1. Runs at low idle on cold startup, air intake probably needs adjusting. Warms up quickly and stays at correct idle afterward. 2. Slow oil leak from oil pan gasket (no fluid leaks from engine).  3. Speedometer and odometer not functioning (odometer reads 47K+ miles, but that's inaccurate - actual mileage not known).  I tried to put "Unknown" in the mileage box for this auction, but eBay wanted a number, so I put the displayed odometer reading in. 

There may be additional mechanical issues present of which I am unaware; I am strictly an amateur mechanic.  This description is complete to the best of my knowledge; no warranty or other statement of material fact regarding the vehicle's condition is expressed or implied.

This vehicle was built for utility, not luxury, so it's simple and sturdy.  There is one seat for the driver, a mail-sorting tray, and a cargo area, and little else in the passenger compartment.  If you want to add a passenger seat, it's easy - the holes for seat bolts were factory drilled.  Just get a seat (jcwhitney.com Jeep parts, or from a salvage yard) and pop it in.  There is also a radio under the mail tray; it would work for FM reception, but I never bothered to hook up the power wiring, so it is currently unpowered.   

Included is the official USPS service manual for the DJ-5M.  It's incredibly detailed, and tells you how to fix virtually anything.  Loaded with exploded diagrams, the manual has made it easy for me to work on the vehicle.  The Jeep also comes with all the extras shown: magnetic US MAIL signs, parking sign, extra mirrors (the USPS originally put a LOT of mirrors on it to avoid accidents), cool mailman jacket!

I have clean California title in hand, in my name.  Delivery of the Jeep is not available; you'll have to come pick it up.  Fortunately, I live literally right next door to Yosemite National Park, so if you come here to get the Jeep, I'll be happy to give you a pass to get into the park.

I posted a video of the Jeep, including starting and running, at   http://youtu.be/PzcUwivjvcg

This has been my fun cruise-around-town car for the last four years in our little mountain town, and it has performed very well in that role; I've also had it on the freeway, where it did just fine.  I hate to get rid of it, but we're moving from the woods to San Francisco, and of course that means the extra car has to go.  The Jeep is a lot of fun, and really gets positive attention and smiles from everyone you pass. 

Good luck!

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Toledo mayor, Jeep champion Michael Collins dies from heart attack

Mon, Feb 9 2015

The city of Toledo is mourning the loss of its mayor and the campaign to keep production of the Jeep Wrangler in the Ohio city has lost a champion after Michael Collins suffered a heart attack behind the wheel recently. Born, raised and educated in Toledo, Collins was a Marine Corps veteran and a city councilor. He was elected mayor in 2013 and assumed office on January 2, 2014, a little over a year ago. He was driving an SUV provided by the city in a snow storm on February 1 of this year when he suffered a heart attack and crashed into a utility pole. He remained in critical condition for days until he was taken off artificial life-support. During his relatively short term in office, Collins became an outspoken and energetic advocate of keeping the Jeep plant in Toledo, where it has been assembled for decades. The next-generation Wrangler is set to switch to aluminum construction, which could lead to moving its production to another location, but Collins (alongside Governor John Kasich and others) had worked hard to convince FCA US to keep it in town. Whether his efforts will prove successful remains to be seen, but our hearts go out to his friends, family and constituents. Michael is survived by his wife Sandy, three daughters and eight grandchildren. He was 70 years old.

2015 Ford F-150 named Truck of Texas, Lincoln and Jeep also awarded at Truck Rodeo

Tue, 14 Oct 2014

The Ford Motor Company has a lot of reasons to celebrate after winning eight categories in this year's Texas Auto Writers Association's annual Truck Rodeo. Most important among them, the Blue Oval's latest 2015 Ford F-150 earned the prestigious Truck of Texas award, ending the Ram 1500's two-year winning streak. The 2015 Lincoln MKC also grabbed the honor as the CUV of Texas, and Ford was named Truck Line of Texas.
FoMoCo even took trophies for best technology with its extensive use of aluminum on its latest F-Series and best commercial vehicle for the new Transit 250. It wasn't a total sweep, though, because the Jeep Grand Cherokee grabbed the title of the SUV of Texas for the fifth straight time.
This year's event put 60 auto writers in 75 pickups, SUVs and crossovers and challenged them to find the best in a plethora of categories. All of the winners are listed below, and scroll down to read the full announcements from the Texas Auto Writers Association and Ford.

Feds fretting over remote hack of Jeep Cherokee

Fri, Jul 24 2015

A cyber-security gap that allowed for the remote hacking of a Jeep Cherokee has federal officials concerned. An associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that news of the breach conducted by researchers Chris Valasek and Charlie Miller had "floated around the entire federal government." "The Homeland Security folks sent out broadcasts that, 'Here's an issue that needs to be addressed,'" said Nathaniel Beuse, an associate administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Valasek and Miller commandeered remote control of the Cherokee through a security flaw in the cellular connection to the car's Uconnect infotainment system. From his Pittsburgh home, Valasek manipulated critical safety inputs, such as transmission function, on Miller's Jeep as he drove along a highway near St. Louis, MO. The scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. The prominent cyber-security researchers needed no prior access to the vehicle to perform the hack, and the scope of the remote breach is believed to be the first of its kind. A NHTSA spokesperson said the agency's cyber-security staff members are "putting their expertise to work assessing this threat and the response, and we will take action if we determine it's necessary to protect safety." A Homeland Security spokesperson referred questions about the hack to Chrysler. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has already been the subject of a federal hearing this month, in which officials scrutinized whether the company had adequately fixed recalled vehicles and repeatedly failed to notify the government about defects. But cyber-security concerns are a new and different species for the regulatory agency. Only hours before the Jeep hack was announced by Wired magazine earlier this week, NHTSA administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind said hacking vulnerabilities were a threat to privacy, safety, and the public's trust with new connected and autonomous technologies that allow vehicles to communicate. NHTSA outlined its response to the cyber-security challenges facing the industry in a report issued Tuesday. In it, the agency summarized its best practices for thwarting attacks and said it will analyze possible real-time infiltration responses. But the agency's ability to handle hackers may only go so far.