Learn me Jeepster Commando

Just looked at a 1966 4x4 Jeepster Hardtop. OK-ish mechanical but with bad desert burn on the paint which complements a bad partial rattlecan respray on the roof and hood. Oh, and all the rubbers are shot... Windows, doors, you name it.

What is the spares situation like for these?

you gotta post some pics.. those of us in the more humid areas of the country do not even see jeeps from the 80s anymore

In reply to BoxheadTim: I assume you saw it in your dry home state. I would look at the Jeep forums for details on the rubber trim; however due to the rising value of these, I would imagine all if not most of the rubber is /has been reproduced. The true 2-door comvertible jeepsters have really taken off in value. If this is just a two door jeep, not a jeepster, than not so much. Check google for trim and parts. Try Rustys Offroad, for a start, and take it from there. I'll post a like to an unrestored one that's all original. Take a look. Give me 15 min or so.

Buy it. No way you can lose money.

http://vintagemotorcarsllc.50megs.com/forsale.htm That was quick. I've examined ths car, and it's not as in good condition as the pics suggest. That said, it's not bad at all, and it's all there. I know it's much older than the one you looked at, but, it's a start.

I'm fairly certain that you can bolt the front sheet metal from a CJ right on to one of them.

I was thinking of the original Jeepster. My bad.

mad_machine wrote: you gotta post some pics.. those of us in the more humid areas of the country do not even see jeeps from the 80s anymore

I've got no pics that I took myself, but here's the link to the ad:

http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/1872637825.html

It's not super-original, the owner is a Jeep nut tho' and it's got most of the bits he says are rare (like a rear seat, for example).

Oddly enough there was a '69 that's out on the way to this car and that one seems to be in worse condition compared to the 66.

The 225 V-6 is the engine to have in a Jeep of that vintage.

A C101 was my first car. The Buick V6 is a great engine; you won't be wanting for more power with that, really. They ride surprisingly nice on the highway thanks to the long wheelbase. The poster above was wrong; the front sheet metal is almost all different because it's actually wider than a standard CJ. Back when I had mine (1983) you could still buy pieces for it but a lot of stuff had been discontinued. Rust typically was the big issue. Rockers, rear floorpan, tailgate and hatch were all problems. Rear tire size is limited by the sheet metal unless you cut it out (kind of like early Broncos) which I wouldn't do. It's every bit as useful as the old big-ass Cherokee Chief without all the colossal weight. Aside from the advancing rust, mine was surprisingly dependable aside from not liking wet weather. Something in the ignition system of those V6's had a problem with dampness (I had the same issues with a V6 CJ-5).

there you have it.. if it is rust free you HAVE to buy it

There are a few restoration / off road builds at pirate4x4.com Might find info there on repop parts. Anything that is shared with a CJ will be easy. You can build a new CJ from repop parts.

you can build a new CJ from the back of a JC witney catalog.. you might not even need the original frame

DILYSI Dave wrote: There are a few restoration / off road builds at pirate4x4.com Might find info there on repop parts. Anything that is shared with a CJ will be easy. You can build a new CJ from repop parts.

Agreed, but with the disclaimer that pirate doesn't suffer noobs. Just a friendly heads up.

There was one for sale locally with a 304 that was actually on my radar, but it turned out to have too much rust.

ddavidv wrote: A C101 was my first car. The Buick V6 is a great engine; you won't be wanting for more power with that, really. They ride surprisingly nice on the highway thanks to the long wheelbase.

That's surprisingly nice by old Jeep standards, right?

ddavidv wrote: The poster above was wrong; the front sheet metal is almost all different because it's actually wider than a standard CJ. Back when I had mine (1983) you could still buy pieces for it but a lot of stuff had been discontinued. Rust typically was the big issue. Rockers, rear floorpan, tailgate and hatch were all problems.

Tailgate and hatch seem to be OK, but there are some signs of previous repairs on the tailgate. Rockers appear to be OK, rear floorpan I forgot to check. Front sheetmetal looks OK apart from two small areas to the back of the fenders.

ddavidv wrote: Rear tire size is limited by the sheet metal unless you cut it out (kind of like early Broncos) which I wouldn't do. It's every bit as useful as the old big-ass Cherokee Chief without all the colossal weight. Aside from the advancing rust, mine was surprisingly dependable aside from not liking wet weather. Something in the ignition system of those V6's had a problem with dampness (I had the same issues with a V6 CJ-5).

Ignition system looks like it's been updated to a later one, sheet metal isn't cut and was going to stay that way.

I still haven't made up my mind about this vehicle. I need something that I can drive around here in winter, which would mean doing at least some basic rustproofing (OK) and changing/replacing the weaterstriping. The latter looks like a grand that I'd need to throw at it straight away...

And then there are two GM trucks around here (a '57 and a '63) that have caught my eye...

One nice thing is that even if you have to form your own patch panels, it has pretty simple lines.