1970 +/- 1 year Jeepster

...Am I in over my head?

Hey everyone, I’m new to the Jeep world but not to working on cars. I’m coming from the Volvo side of the house; I have an ’05 S60R and an ’06 V70R. I’m on swedespeed.com under the same username; if you’ve got any Volvo questions feel free to PM me!

So, why am I here? Well, my Uncle always had this really cool old Jeep tucked away in his garage (read: buried underneath boxes and boxes of…stuff…). He passed away at the end of last summer, along with both grandparents. My poor Dad lost his Dad, his brother, and his Mom all in the span of a year.

The Jeep is a 1970 (+/- 1 year) Jeep Jeepster Commando convertible. It is fire engine red, with a black interior and black convertible top. It has the 225 cubic inch Buick V6 with the three speed manual. My Uncle had parked it outside in the ‘70’s, and the roof leaked in and rotted the floor(s). In the late ‘70’s / early ‘80’s, my Dad took the Jeep, cut out the rot, pop riveted in new metal, and installed a new Rochester 2 barrel. He got it running again and drove it back over to Uncle Bob’s, at which point it went right into the garage where it sat until today. I was born at the end of ’82, and for as long as I can remember, that Jeep never moved out of that garage.

My Dad has said that I can have the Jeep. So, I’m here to learn as much as I can about it, starting with what the proper steps are to get this awesome vehicle back on the road. Here’s what I’m starting with:

Drain and swap all fluids: Oil, transmission, coolant, brake, steering, fuel.
Replace all filters: Oil, air, fuel, ___?
Replace dry rotted rubber: Tires, accessory belt, ____?
Replace ignition system: Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, ___?
Replace battery
Tear apart and work that magic on the carburetor.

Out of all of that, I do not know how to mess with carburetors. My Dad does, so he will be the SME (subject matter expert) helping me out with all of this and especially that.

It’s a good thing I did not get the Jeep when I was 16 and asking if I could buy it. Back then, I would have wanted to use it as a Jeep (jack it up, big tires, and drive it over (and into) stuff). Now, I’m looking more to bring it back to life and enjoy it for what it is. If I want to jack up a Jeep, I’ll pick up a late model four door Wrangler and go to town on that. This Jeepster is now a reminder of Uncle Bob, and I want to keep it close to factory.

From the research I’ve done online, I keep seeing the same advice, “Find Sparky” from threads dating from the early 2000’s. A google search of that username is actually what led me to this forum!

I have two weeks left in my deployment; once I’m back Stateside and actually have the Jeep, I will take pictures and create a new ‘build’ thread. I’m very excited!!

-Steve

 

I've also found a bunch of advice on how to get an old engine that's been sitting, ready to run again. I found this website that seems to provide a pretty thorough step by step process. What are your thoughts?

-Steve

 

The Jeepster is a genuine Jeep, and performs like it on the trail. All Jeeps are surprisingly capable in factory form. Get some iron and fab up some rocker panel protection, before you try the rocks.

This will be like getting any other old car going, except with more moving parts. How much was this Jeep driven in its earlier life? The front axle knuckles will probably need new seals, and take a look at the kingpin bearings. You have a good list with changing all the fluids, replacing belts and hoses, and examining the tires. I'd try and start it before I did much of anything, just so I'd have an idea of where I was at. You don't need to do much to start it - put some oil in the cylinders, change the oil and give it some fresh gas.

Search out the FSM (factory service manual) for your year. It would be good to know whether your Jeep is a '69, 70 or '71. Things were changing in that era. Post up some pictures if you can.

 

Welcome to the world of Jeepsters. Not the best way to get one but nice that it's staying in the family. Once you get back home and get some pictures it'll be easy enough to figure out the year/model as there was the roadster that was just a soft top but most people call a convertible as well as two models of true convertibles in that year range . Might also want to check out jeepstercommandoclub.com, we also have a Facebook page.

 

Roger that, will do. At this time, I'm not intending to use it on rocks, but who the hell knows what the future holds. I will definitely do that before attempting rocks, thank you.

Roger that, thank you for your input! I don't know how much it was driven in the '70's, but it hasn't been driven since then. I don't think my Uncle drove it all that much; it sat outside long enough for the top to leak and rot the floors, so I'd imagine it wasn't driven a helluva lot. I will inspect the knuckles and the kingpin bearings, thank you for the tip! Yes, the plan is to get it running first, then go from there. Running, then driving.

Once I get to the Jeep, I will definitely post pictures of it and ask for assistance in identifying it! FWIW, I poked around and found some derivations between the models of Jeepsters, and asked my Dad some questions from his memory (the Jeepster is still way buried in the garage, and he and his brothers have focused on the house first). He said the Jeep is one color, not dual color (it's all red, not red with the white trim on the top from the windshield rearward), and does not have a spare tire on the tailgate. It also has a manually operated convertible top. He then sent me this picture, and said Uncle Bob's Jeep is exactly like this one:



Of course, pictures of the actual Jeep will trump this; once I get home, I will see about getting some pictures and throwing them on this forum. Thank you!

-Steve

 

Roger that, thank you. As soon as I get to it, I will take pictures and post them up. According to my father, it is a soft top roadster, not the convertible. Again, take that with a grain of salt; the vehicle has been in a garage for 30 years... I poked around on the website, but unfortunately couldn't find too much. I will spend some more time poking around, and I will look for the FB page. Thanks!

-Steve

 

Timgr, you mentioned a Factory Service Manual; where would you folks recommend going for parts and manuals? For example, Tascaparts.com is BY FAR the cheapest source for OEM Volvo parts; they are usually 40% or more off retail price. You just have to know the part number of what exactly you need. What would be the equivalent in the Jeep world please?

Ninja Edit: I just found the 'Where to find parts' sticky; not sure how I missed that. I'll be poking through there, thanks guys!

Also, is there a FAQ / DIY section for these Jeeps or at least for the 225 Dauntless V6? Something saying fluid types, correct gaps on the plugs, what carbs people have successfully run on them, etc? Just throwing that out there, as I have done a little searching here but haven't found anything yet. Thanks!!

-Steve

 

http://stores.partsdude4x4.net/Jeepdog on the JCCA AKA Don Fletcher is a good source for parts. Not sure if he has the TSM on CD or not but repro hard cover copies come up on eBay and some parts manuals on CD. The only thing I've found is the parts manuals are usually based on the 68 or 69 parts manual so some things are missing. Still pretty nice to have though unless you come across an original later paper version.
http://www.thejeepsterman.com/ Another good source.
http://www.justjeepsters.com/ MArk Vilbert, has a lot of repro body parts.
There's also a link on the JCCA to a list of common NAPA part numbers.

 

Thank you sir!

-Steve

 

Soooo, yeah, I feel I need to clarify that when I said "I looked at the jeepstercommandoclub.com website and didn't really find much of anything there", that was prior to creating an account and logging in. Holy poop, there's a lot there. I'll get to reading.

-Steve

 

Ya, my bad, kind of forgot to mention you needed to sign up. Check out the Region Events, we have a meet coming up in June in Gore VA, Always a good time if you can make it. No Jeepster required to attend.

 

Not a problem, thanks for your help! Unfortunately, I've got a tight schedule until beginning of July. I'm redeploying from Kuwait, PCS leave in Germany and Maryland, then out-processing Fort Bragg and then DITY move to Fort Leavenworth. Busy busy busy...

-Steve