1978 U S Navy Jeep Dispatcher 100

US Navy Jeep Dispatcher

I really didn't believe this was true and posted same on the CL section. I spoke with the seller and figured out maybe it was true. I went to look and then you know what happens if you look....

I acquired this LHD DJ5F from a great guy in Joplin, MO. He was the third owner. It has 56,xxx original miles on it. It was used by the Navy for (IDK) in Norfolk, VA. It looks like I will need to go through the brakes and fuel system but overall in very good condition. If any of you Navy guys have a clue what these were used for please let me know at ojgrsoi@swbell.net .

Owners photo -

So far I have removed two rotten tires and put spare rims and old Civic tires on it. I removed the spacers on the RR and LF springs to get it to sit level. I had the same issue on my 79 DJ5G. I can only assume the spacers are to level the vehicle when loaded. I scrubbed off about 5 years worth of dirt and hope to have the registration done in a week or so. Future plans are to drive it.

 

Hmmm.. If the Navy does things the same way the Air Force does, this rig was acquired with money budgeted in 1994.

 

Neato! Gotta paint those red wheels though.....

 

HEY! I just painted them. That's what made them shiney red!

 

doesn't look too bad , any thoughts on a 4WD system

 

The Navy data plate says delivery date of June 1978.

Probably not. I was looking for something smaller than my truck to drive back and forth to work. I think this will do what I need it to do.

 

I vote "Rolling Brig"

 

Nice find. Did you sell the 6?

 

Yes I did. I didn't have anything left that I wanted to fix so I sold it to a gentleman in Waco. His wife wanted it because of the red wheels. LOL Really!

 

I found this in a book that has a lot of photos of AM General vehicles including a cab over Hummer. So FWIW....

 

I like it. I found a 70 DJ5 I bought about 6 months ago for 153 parts and decided it's too nice not to fix up. The motor locked up, but I'm buying a forklift with a jacked differential and will swap the 181 LP motor and fuel system. Stoked about DJ's now so cool to see this! Military jeeps are my thing so the DJ will rock that flair too.

 

Hell, that's geat, leave as is and drive with a smile..

 

US NAVY rims were only black as original, replacement rims were grey Wife looking over my shoulder says "CUTE"

 

Norfolk is a BIG base. Most likely carried mail, just like a civilian DJ.

 

Interesting ... Wikipedia says it could be a 232 or a 258, and came with an A727 (AMC-case TF727).

I can see this vehicle having a few advantages over, say, a Gremlin. The sliding doors can be opened fully in narrow spaces, and the back has more volume than a passenger car. And the 727 is tougher than the 904 that you'd get in Gremlin. Probably not a great highway vehicle, and maybe that's an advantage for an exclusively on-base vehicle.

The DJ-5G 904 transmission is interesting ... it should bolt up to the VW/Audi diesel engines ... or so I've been told. And the 904 can be adapted to the NP transfer cases. So it has at least that as a redeeming characteristic.

 

On Norfolk Naval Base from '83-'87, I remember seeing these used for Shore Patrol Team Leaders and as Aviation Supply Depot (ASD) delivery vehicles. For us squadron guys, mail was picked up at the base Post Office by clerks assigned to the Admin Dept using a squadron vehicle. Many an aircraft part was delivered to the SP-1 and 2 hangers in these DJ's... Hope this helps.

 

Would you happen to have any pictures with the DJ in the background?

 

Mark, I don't... Back in those days I wasn't paying attention to DJ's beyond getting parts to fix aircraft. Even though I had my CJ, it was in storage back in Wa State in my dad's garage. I was (daily) driving a BB '71 Chevelle back then...

 

I have been doing a little work on the DJ. Replaced the brakes and wheel cylinders, drums turned and some under-dash wiring work. The transmission pan gasket was leaking. Repaired that and filled with fluid. Now that the fluid is up it is leaking around the selector lever but not too bad just yet. I have replaced a bunch of misc parts here an there because they were broken or missing. Put on a set of street tires that are close to the original size.

One of the previous owners sprayed primer over most of the body. I have begun to wet sand that off to get back to the original color. I have done the grill and front fenders. Discovered that under the gray is a brown, similar to the interior brown found on most DJ5's. I got a little too deep on the grille and found that there was blue under that.

Overall the rig just putts down the road and drives well. I purchased some plain jane Black Mountain seats and will update with a product review when I get some more photos.




You can see four holes in the photos of the back door. These are factory holes with bushings between the outside and inside sheet metal that are for the factory option of a door mounted spare. They use the same spare mount as a CJ5.