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Going to Look at a couple of C101s

Discussion in 'Jeepster Commando and Commando Tech' started by Dks62, Jan 1, 2013.

  1. Jan 1, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    I'm planning to buy a C101 Commando and will be looking at a couple of them tomorrow. In addition to the bottom of the tailgate, door bottoms and edges, rockers, wheel wells and floor pans, are there any other spots that are particularly prone to rust? Any other typical problem areas on the body, suspension, drivetrain, etc on C101s?

    Did any C101s come from the factory with rollbars or are they all aftermarket? Is there a way to easily recognize a stock rollbar (if there is such a thing)? Do C101 drivers generally think a saginaw power steering conversion is better (more durable, drivable and repairable) than the stock power steering setup?

    If I want to do a mild resto on a C101, what are the toughest parts to find/obtain/replace?

    Will post pics of the candidates if or when able.
     
  2. Jan 1, 2013
    F Bill

    F Bill Member

    Abilene, TX area
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    Check the frame well for rot, as they rot as bad as any jeep product of the time period. The frame rot actually is what killed my Commando back in the pre internet days, as I could not find a good replacement in upstate NY at the time.
     
  3. Jan 1, 2013
    Pack Rat

    Pack Rat Old Timer

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    That pretty much covers everything body wise and also check the frame as mentioned. No factory rollbars. Saginaw is the preferred steering and any Jeepster early 70 to 71 will have it, either standard or power. Same year will be D44 rear/D27 front with the wider spring in the front which eliminated the use of the panhard bar. Early and pre 70 will be D30 rear or possibly a D44 with splined axle shafts. Not too likely as they were somewhat rare and aren't a whole lot better than a 30.
    If you decide to restore there's not a lot of new parts available but there are still a lot of used parts out there and a couple of vendors selling reproduction parts so nothing is really that hard to find.
     
  4. Jan 1, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Looks like I'll only get to look at one today and it was not quite what I was looking for. Frame looked pretty decent but there were lots of mods and plenty of bondo. Hopefully the next one will be better. Here are a few pics of it for your viewing enjoyment.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    Seller is asking $2700. Any inputs?
     
  5. Jan 1, 2013
    mwinks-jeep

    mwinks-jeep I still love snow, Godspeed, Barney!

    Beautiful Bucks...
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    Would love one of those in just about that condition!
     
  6. Jan 1, 2013
    Pack Rat

    Pack Rat Old Timer

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    Seems a little high but where are you/it located, Colorado? Doesn't really look too bad body wise from the pictures unless the floors and inner rockers are totally rusted away so $2700 may not be too far out of range if he's willing to deal. It's an early 70 and it does have the wider front springs so it will be Saginaw steering and a flanged 44 rear which is a plus in it's favor.
     
  7. Jan 1, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    That's good news Pack Rat. I'm in Colorado Springs and the Jeepster is in Pueblo. How did you guess? Was it because everything 4x4 here gets a 25%or more markup whether it's a POS or not...I thought I'd offer $2250 and see where it goes from there. This will be a daily driver up the mountain when weather gets crappy. I would probably o some quick rust prevention to stop any cancer and drive it like this until I get my currently garage project (non-Jeep) finished.

    I'm still a noob on Jeeps, so why exactly are the flanged 44s better?
     
  8. Jan 1, 2013
    Pack Rat

    Pack Rat Old Timer

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    Actually it was the license plate ;). Thought it was Colorado but wasn't sure. Around here just being pre Chrysler seems to add an automatic $1000 to a Jeep, an extra $500 if it has Willys anywhere in the name :rofl:.
    If it's as solid as it looks and runs, drives and stops you could start out around $1800 and go from there but around $2200 is well within reason.
    The flanged 44 is much stronger and what most Jeepster owners with a D30 rear eventually install, sometimes by choice mostly due to breakage.
     
  9. Jan 1, 2013
    aallison

    aallison 74 cj6, 76 cj5. Has anyone seen my screwdriver?

    Green Cove...
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    Way cool! I want one of those. Way cooler than a bull nose. I'd want one with a v8. Would make a fantastic sleeper car.

    Of course I'd not do it if the motor was in good shape. I'd drive the heck out of it.
     
  10. Jan 1, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Doh! Of course it was the license plate. Always check the fuse box first...

    Maybe I'll start at $1800 and end up at $2200 instead.
     
  11. Jan 3, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Went to look at the second Jeepster today. First, let me apologize for not snapping any pics. I was so busy going over the Jeep it slipped my mind and I had specifically brought my camer to do the job. However, here are the findings (aka Wall of Words).

    Body: Overall I would say the body was in fair shape. The owner said the vehicle had spent its entire life in CO, first in Canon City and now Pueblo; paint is original. The rockers were pretty dented, but the only rust-through I found on the whole body was on the aft, bottom of the rockers (4 in by .5 in) and the bottom edge of the tailgate (several dime size and smaller holes). Everything else on the body was surface rust. Floor pan was solid (from the underside) as were the fenders. There was no rust through on the door frames or skins. The frame went ting instead of thud when tapped, with what looked to be standard surface rust throughout. There were some fitment issues on the right front fender that had been replaced. The tailgate did not seem to close flush although it closed securely. I don't think the roof has ever been off and had some old caulk on the front to seal it. Windshield frame was not rotten that I could see. The liftgate closed fine, but did not seem centered in the roof frame. It looked like good spacing on the right, but spacing was wide on the left. However the roof looked straight and matched up to the body pretty well all the way around (any ideas on that?). Windshield is cracked but all other glass is good and functions properly. Looks like a non original drivers side mirror and no passenger side mirror. I can't remember if there was rearview mirror now or not. Rear bumper is "custom" bar stock with a built in trailer hitch sort of thing. Right rear corner of the bumper has been tweaked and underlying sheetmetal on that corner is dented. The front and rear are missing various reflectors, but headlights, brake lights, taillights and turn signals all work.

    Interior: Dash control panel is actually pretty decent, slightly faded with very minor pitting and still legible; switches all work. Speedo is inop, cable was loose and came off. Right turn signal lens on dash is cracked. Large rectangular hole in dash for radio. Dash pad is cracked. Driver's seat is cracked , but passenger and rear are both intact, although a little worn. Vinyl floor mats are mostly intact (original?). Needs new seat belts (were they standard on all seats or just front?).

    Mechanical: Looked pretty clean under the hood. Power steering worked (and drove a lot better than the '62 Wagon I checked out). Rear springs looked like they had good arch. The front springs looked a little flat, but the stance of the Jeep looked fine. No weird fluid leaks, just normal seepage. Kind of odd, but it had a one barrel manifold and carb which the original owner had installed for better gas mileage. Don't know where the manifold came from, but the current owner said the carb was from a 49-51 Chevy truck. Air cleaner was obviously not stock but, fit correctly and looked good. Original manifolf, carb and air cleaner are included. Nothing else under the hood seemed amiss. The rest of the driveline appear fine with the normal grease and seepage, although the right front hub had quite a bit of grease and dirt accumulated on it compared to the left front. Mechanical fuel pump is inop and it's running on an electric one. New mechanical fuel pump is included. Wheels are aftermarket 15" white spokes and the spare looks original. Windshield wipers worked and had both speeds - slow and really slow. Vent/heater fan worked (both speeds) and wasn't too noisy. I know it's a Jeep, but it never seemed to warm up at all. Is there anyway to fix that besides a sweater? I'm more concerned about windshield defrosting, but a little heat would be ice in CO. Gas tank has a pretty large dent right in the center, but isn't really scratched up or gouged.

    Driving: Started right up but needed almost full choke. Also, due to some carb issues, it needs some choke while driving (about 1/2) and will stall while idling if the choke is open all the way. Brakes took a little effort, but it's been a while since I've used manual brakes. The car did stop and didn't pull excessively. Engine seemed pretty peppy even with the one barrel. I don't know exactly how fast we were going, but we could keep up with traffic on Hwy 50 (65-70 mph) and even passed an older lady in a Buick. Transmission shifted fine, but I didn't test out the 4WD. Steering wasn't light, but adequate. Turn signals work (are they supposed to self cancel?). Forgot to check the horn.

    Extras: Original Carb, Manifold and Air cleaner, mech fuel pump as mentioned plus a new starter solenoid. Current starter was stuck at some point, but freed up and never replaced. Seemed to be a few extra pieces and parts behind the rear seat, not sure if they belonged to the Jeepster or not.

    Anything I should've looked at and didn't?

    I said $2000 and he said $2500. Since I was solo and could not pick the Jeep up today anyway (plan to drive it back an hour to Colo Springs instead of trailer it), I told him I'd think about it, call him in the next couple of days and left. Any last minute injects or opinions before I make my final offer? I'd like to hear about anything you think is a bonus (like the switch panel?) and anything you would be concerned about if you were buying this Jeep. Lastly, how much is too much in your opinion based on what you know at this time. Thanks again in advance.

    Dave
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2013
  12. Jan 3, 2013
    Warloch

    Warloch Did you say Flattie??? Staff Member

    Falcon, CO
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    Dave - where are you located? The tweekage in the WS and top can be from twisting. What year is it, and what are the motor specs etc on it?

    Flanged 44s have more splines in them, and are stronger than the 2 piece or split face.

    PM me if you want, and I'll give you my number to chat about it.
     
  13. Jan 3, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Owner said it's a 1970, but I didn't do a VIN check. Pack Rat said it was an early '70 from the photos I posted. It has a 225 that I was told is stock except for the air cleaner, carb and manifold. I did some reading and found out that the manifold could be very early Jeep (late 64 to early 65) or Buick (62ish). It is a 3 speed manual. I PM'd you on the rest.
     
  14. Jan 12, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Well I took the plunge and bought the Jeepster that was down in Pueblo and drove it back. The body was actually better than I previously described. The panels under the bumper aren't very dented at all and the tailgate is pretty straight. I'll take a closer look at the liftgate and see if I can figure out the gap thing, but my immediate project is rebuiling the 2 bbl carb and reinstalling that. I've rebuit 2 or 3 Carters, but never a Rochester. Any gotcha's? Does anybody know of a link to a Carb rebuild thread in the tech section? I also picked up a set of 16in stock steel Jeep rims to see if I liked 'em. They're from a Willys, but the lug pattern is the same and the back spacing is only 1/4 in shallower on the Willys rims.

    Pics and more questions to follow.
     
  15. Jan 13, 2013
    Pack Rat

    Pack Rat Old Timer

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    If you can rebuild a Carter then a Rochester will be a walk in the park. Gotta be some info here or if not lots of info on the web.
    I had a set of 16" off a Commando I bought 7 or 8 years ago and with all the cheap 16" tires showing up for sale lately I'm kind of kicking myself for selling them. Seems 15" in the size I want aren't as popular as they once were. What did you end up paying?
     
  16. Jan 13, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    I ended up getting it for $2300. I think it was a little on the high side, but not too bad. I'm hoping the backsspacing on the Willys wheels will work. I think I read somewhere that the stock tire/wheel diameter on the Commmando was 28". With 16" rims it looks like 236/65/16 makes a 28" overall, 245/65/16 is 28.5" and 235/70/17 is 29". How big can I go with overall diameter with a stock ride height? I don't plan on having anything hanging outside the wheelwell. I was wondering what the buurrrp noise was on the way home when I hit a few bumps. Turns out the left rear tire is 10.5" wide and just barely outside the wheelwell, so it was rubbing the edge when the suspension comressed. New tires are the next priority after the carb rebuild. The "stock" carb I got in the deal is actuallly a small base 2g from a 71 Chevy truck. Don't know if I can make it work yet or not, so I'm axing the experts.
     
  17. Jan 13, 2013
    Warloch

    Warloch Did you say Flattie??? Staff Member

    Falcon, CO
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    If you need to - ping me and I'll see about getting the pages out of the manual for you. Now that you have jumped off the cliff, you need to get a FSM.
     
  18. Jan 13, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    Thanks Chuck. FSM is the next item I'll be emptying my pockets for.
     
  19. Jan 13, 2013
    Pack Rat

    Pack Rat Old Timer

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    And after the FSM another Jeepster, for parts, just because ;). That's actually not a bad price if it's solid.
     
  20. Jan 13, 2013
    Dks62

    Dks62 Member

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    I saw a pair on CL in WY for $950, but I already have the trailer winterized and don't want to push the old car thing any further right now. This is the first time my wife's gotten to park in the garage in the last 6 years.;)
     
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