Summit Racing: Jeep DJ-5 Parts Combos Now Available

Jeep Trick

What do you do when you find three old Jeep DJ-5 postal vehicles? If you’re Jeremy Weckman and Jimmy King from PowerNation TV’s Carcass, you buy them, build a go-anywhere trail vehicle from the good parts, and call it Junk Mail. You can see the build at PowerNation TV, and the parts in the Summit Racing Junk Mail 1978 Jeep DJ-5 Parts Combos.

Engine Parts Combo

One of the Jeeps had a 258 cubic inch six, which Carcass sent to their pals at PowerNation TV’s Engine Power for a rebuild. On the dyno, Pat Topolinski and Frankie Forman managed to coax 101 horsepower and 182 lbs.-ft. of torque out of the little six. Pat found signs of significant wear during the teardown, so he freshened up the short block by ball-honing the cylinders and installing new rod bears, main bearings, and piston rings.

A COMP Cams Xtreme Off-Road cam kit adds some extra go. It comes with a hydraulic flat tappet cam rated at 206°/212° duration @.050″ and .460″/476″ lift, lifters, timing chain, and valve springs. Pat also installed 1.7 ratio Scorpion roller rocker arms to push total lift at the valve to .500 inch.

A 450 CFM Quick Fuel carburetor on an Offenhauser Dual Port intake manifold and a Hedman header with 1.5 inch primaries were used for the dyno pulls. The ignition system is all MSD stuff—Pro-Billet distributor, Digital 6 Off-Road ignition, 8.5mm Super Conductor ignition wires, and a Blaster 2 coil. On the dyno, the 258 made 161 peak horsepower and 217 lbs.-ft. of peak torque, which is impressive for a 8.13:1 compression motor.

When Carcass got their engine back, they swapped the carburetor for a FiTech Go Street 400 HP EFI system for smoother power delivery. To clear the high-travel front suspension, the team fabricated a two inch diameter exhaust system using a Crown Automotive manifold, some scrap tubing, and a Jones Exhaust glasspack muffler.

Axle Parts Combo

DJ-5s came from the factory with two-wheel drive. Carcass converted its Jeep to four-wheel drive using a 32RH automatic transmission and NP-241 transfer case out of a TJ Wrangler Rubicon. Power is sent to one-ton axles from a 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a leaf spring suspension. The Dana 60 front axle on these trucks has just a couple of spring perches to remove versus the more complicated brackets used for the radius arm suspension used on later F-250s. Now you know.

The Dana 60 axle got Dorman replacement axle shafts and new unit bearing assemblies (our combo has Timken unit bearings), Richmond Gear 4.88 gears, a Yukon Gear Grizzly locker, and Mile Marker Supreme locking hubs. The Sterling 10.25 inch rear axle got a Grizzly locker and Yukon Gear 4.88 cogs. Both axles have a Summit Racing cast aluminum differential cover.

Suspension Parts Combo

The first order of business for the suspension was axle placement. The front axle ended up three inches forward from stock and the rear axle was placed eight inches back, extending the wheelbase for better stability on the trail. The axles also got Artec trusses that provide additional strength and an excellent platform for shocks and suspension link mounts.

Since no one makes an off-road suspension for a DJ-5, Jeremy and Jimmy built their own triangulated four-link system with link bars fabricated from two inch DOM tubing with 1.25 x 1 inch rod ends. The Bilstein B8 8125 reservoir coilover shocks were set up with dual Summit Racing and Eibach coilover springs—200/175 lb.-in. up front and 200/150 lb.-in. out back.

To eliminate the need to arm-wrestle the steering wheel out on the trail, the steering system was converted to a full hydraulic crossover system with a PSC steering kit, an Artec high-lift steering arm, and a cross-shaft made from 1.5 inch tubing and 1.25 x 1 inch rod ends.

Other suspension parts include a Performance Accessories three inch body lift for extra tire clearance, Daystar three inch tall bump stops, and limit straps from PRP Seats and Trail Gear.

Brake Parts Combo

The DJ-5’s brake system was converted to four-wheel disc using EBC Yellowstuff 4000 pads and 3GD rotors. The pads have an aramid fiber friction material for excellent bite and long life. The 3GD rotors are slotted and dimpled to improve braking performance and have a black GEOMET coating to prevent corrosion. Our combo also includes Cardone and Raybestos stock replacement calipers, an SSBC USA nine inch power brake booster, an Allstar Performance master cylinder, and Russell Street Legal stainless steel brake lines.
Paint and Interior Parts Combo

Bodywork for Junk Mail consisted of cutting the rear panels for tire clearance and bobbing the front fenders so the suspension could fully articulate. Jeremy sprayed the Jeep with Summit Racing Candy Apple, Bright White, and Royal Blue single-stage paint to mimic the old U.S. Postal Service paint scheme.

On the inside, Jeremy and Jimmy fabricated a roll cage from 1.5 inch tubing, replaced a rotted floor pan with diamond plate, and removed the postal sorting tray to make room for a passenger seat. One of the other DJ-5s donated its 1983 Mustang front buckets, which got Covercraft Carhartt Precision Fit seat covers. Those clever Carcass guys used a Kluhsman Racing shifter made for a Powerglide as the transfer case lever, and filled the factory gauge holes in the dash with oil pressure, water temperature, and voltmeter gauges from an Equus gauge kit. Other parts include Retrobelt seat belts and Lizardskin ceramic thermal insulation.

Completer Parts Combo

This combo includes 37 x 12.50-17 General Grabber X3 tires on 17 x 8.5 inch Vision Off-Road Manx Beadlock wheels. The X3s have extended shoulder lugs, large self-cleaning voids, and full-depth siping for excellent off-road grip and good street manners. The one-piece Manx Beadlock is a true beadlock wheel with a six-spoke design and a machined lip.

Engine cooling is handled by a Griffin universal-fit aluminum radiator with a 10 inch Perma-Cool electric fan. A Derale Electra-Cool remote-mount fluid cooler makes sure the 32RH transmission doesn’t overheat on the trails. Other parts include a Summit Racing 15 gallon fuel cell, Ramsey REP winch with a 9,500 pound pull rating, and RT stainless steel latches to keep the hood from flying up when Junk Mail hits rocks and bumps.