1973 AM General FJ8 - What did I just buy?

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lvin4jc

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
206
Location
Rapid City, SoDak
Picked up this beauty to make an ice cream truck out of. Looks to be a retired postal truck, still has the stickered striped under this bad attempt at a paint job. It says it's an AMC 232 engine. Can I just buy parts for a 1973 AMC Matador with the same engine and assume it will fit ok? Does anyone know anything about these? What's the transmission (3spd auto)?
 

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I think about a 12-inch chop is in order for openers. [ddd Of course, I am not sure of the actual dimensions, so that may be a bit radical. :D
 
Picked up this beauty to make an ice cream truck out of. Looks to be a retired postal truck, still has the stickered striped under this bad attempt at a paint job. It says it's an AMC 232 engine. Can I just buy parts for a 1973 AMC Matador with the same engine and assume it will fit ok? Does anyone know anything about these? What's the transmission (3spd auto)?

Not sure about yours but one of my buys when I started my 31 was an old mail Jeep. At the time in those, they had a 258 block with 232 heads in a low compression motor. Behind it, they used a Torque Flite 727, with a modified case to fit the AMC motor. I know it's a long way, but if you want it I'll give it to you if you came and pick it up. I could use the room in my barn. It's been sitting in my barn about 5 years, covered up. I know they all say it but the guy I bought it from said it had 800 miles on the rebuild. I've never fired it. The only evidence of a possible rebuild is new gaskets everywhere...

You can see mine in post 3 here: http://ratrodsrule.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30108
 
I can't help at all with your questions but, the "ice cream truck" brought back memories, in 1957 the family ran ice cream/snow cone trucks on Galveston Island along the beach, i think they were late 40's maybe early 50's Metro's? , i was 12 at the time, how i learned to drive.:p
Thanks for the trip down memory lane and have fun with the project. [cl
 
That is one cool little truck. I suspect it is very similar to any AMC engine of that era. We had a Hornet that my Son used through HS, and you couldn't kill that thing. We would still see it running around years after he sold it.

I would pull some numbers off the block and there might even be a forum devoted to these things, or a parts guy might be able to sort it out. I bet there is nothing much different about it.


Here, I found this site, it might have some info that you can get:

www.theamcforum.com/forum/1974-postal-jeep-emissions-systems_topic67785.html
 
trans should be the 904 torque command unless you got lucky and have the 727, they are the same as the dodge transmission but a different bolt pattern.
 
divco

I have been wanting one of those for a long time. The only way to get any mail vehicle is to go to Sacramento for their auctions here in Calif. You have one day to see them and then you submit a sealed bid and hope you get it. I wanted to make one into a Divco type truck. Here is a site and you can see what I mean.
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Divco/
 

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