David EilersFebruary 29, 2024

More on Military DJ-5s

Gayland shared these photos showing the military DJ-5s offered by AMC in the early 1970s. Time has tinted the images. The "brown" Army jeeps are actually OD green for the Army, while the Navy "white" jeeps may actually be haze gray.

US Army Jeep Photo:

US Navy Jeep Photo:

Rest of US Army photos:

Rest of US Navy Photos:

2 Comments

ChrisMarch 1, 2024 at 10:55 AM
In high school in the early 80s I purchased a RHD ex-postal 1969 DJ-5A for $700. Loved it, but changing the rear tires was a challenge due to the rear wheel wells being partially covered by the body. I ended up cutting an arc to mitigate this, much like the military variants in these pics.
Barney GoodwinMarch 1, 2024 at 2:14 PM
Interesting detail, Chris. And that may be just for '69 which was the first year for them. I found pictures of a '70 DJ5A with dash production decal and the panels were already factory changed. Factory photos of B models show the change also. I have a theory why the change and it was more critical than convenience of changing a tire, which would have been done at a shop anyway and not on the road. They did not carry spares. In 1969 in my hometown of Houston, I saw a carrier in one for the first time. Being a Jeep guy then, I asked him about it including how he liked it. He replied that a carrier had already been killed in one up on Loop I-610, rolling over at freeway speeds. I never forgot that. Just like the '92 Chevrolet Caprice with the half body over rear wheels, air would get trapped underneath and cause the rear to lift creating control issues. This was especially so on the police models. GM changed it the next year. At freeway speeds heading to a mail route (I-610 Loop ff) this would be especially dangerous for the light weight and extra short WB DJ5A.