Going Commando

wild1

Adventurer
After nine years as my daily driver I sold my LJ Rubicon and replaced it with a new 4-Runner Trail. While the Trail is head and shoulders above the LJ as a daily driver I really missed the Jeep as a recreational 4-wheeler. I have been looking for a reasonably priced replacement for the last couple of years and recently found this Jeepster locally,it meet most of my needs and fit my budget . It was a frame off rebuild with a fuel injected Buick v-6, Scout 44's,and a SM 465. Any other expo members running commandos? They seem like a good alternative to the other long wheel based alternatives like Scramblers, CJ 6's and LJ's.
 

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Zeiderman

Adventurer
Nnice, always liked those, sometimes difficult to find, for some reason there was a whole slew of them at Cruisin the Coast this year, some in actually really, really great condition.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk
 

unkamonkey

Explorer
Welcome to the club. I have a 1969 that is mostly stock. They are a decent vehicle off road and are great for things like going skiing or to the store in the winter.
 

wild1

Adventurer
I don't plan on anything too extreme in this rig. I wanted it mostly to tow behind my truck and camper for a gear hauler and shuttle/runaround vehicle. It should tow nicely with the longer wheelbase and it will easily accommodate our kayaks and mt. bikes. It is mostly going to be a forest road cruiser for hunting and fishing. It's a sign of getting old but I actually appreciate the fact that it is not as rugged as my old CJ-5's.
 

unkamonkey

Explorer
Good luck. I have had to do very little to mine other than putting a flanged rear axle in it. (Not sure how I broke the ring and pinion in the first one?)
I was out at the truck recycling place and found a similar C101 that had been in an accident. Oh, power brakes and a spare tire/gas can carrier.
It already has a winch on it and 2 heaters. I'm styling for winter.
 

timgr

Observer
Hi wild1 - The Jeepster Commando was Kaiser's idea of how they could make a less-spartan small 4WD and enter the "more civilized" 4WD market, competing with the early Ford Bronco and IHC Scout. It was also contemporary with the Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol, but both of those were more like the CJ, with the CJ being the most spartan of the group. My impression is they were already dated when introduced and not well accepted, and Ford sold many many (more modern) Broncos. Jeep (under AMC) refreshed the Commando for 1972, including most of the new features that the CJ got in 1972 (V8, power steering and brakes, open knuckle front axle, longer wheelbase) but the new Commando only lasted through 1973, when the line was abandoned.

Do you know if you have the original engine? When these upgrades were made, did you get power Saginaw steering? AMC upgraded the '71 to Saginaw and optional power. The Scout axles give you new brakes, which are another common upgrade item. How does it drive? The front axle geometry of the Scout axle is a bit weird, with nearly zero caster and a very long steering arm. People sell cars for a reason, and you may have some issues to work out.

Otherwise, congratulations! I've driven these cars a lot, and they are fun and a nice in-between size. Plus they are really capable as Jeeps. Protect those rockers before you take it in the rocks!
 
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wild1

Adventurer
Hey Tim, thanks for the encouragement! The fellow that I bought it from is a pretty talented builder fabricator. The jeepster was a long term project for him and he has had it for over eight years. He had put about eight thousand miles on it since it was finished so it is pretty well sorted out. The engine is a latter model even fire Buick V-6 that he completely rebuilt and added after market fuel injection to. It has power steering and standard disk brakes. It drives decently for the era although it is still a jalopy, it's much better then my 1971 cj-5 was even when it was new.
 

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