Kaiser Jeep Jeepster Commando V6 Hard Top on 2040-cars
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
I purchased this Jeepster on eBay in the summer of
2008 for $7K from the second owner in Tupper, NY. My goal was to find a
“simple” car that I could understand and repair myself [I am a female, an
independent contractor, and though I like to buy tools, they should be for
house renovation, not car repair]. A Jeepster was just the thing I was looking
for. Pickup required a one-way ticket from Pittsburgh to
Boston then on to Saranac Lake in a tiny six-seat airplane. As the plane
wandered in and out of cloudbanks a rainbow went all the way around the plane a
few minutes before we landed - it was magical. The previous owner picked me up
and drove us the 45 min. to Tupper. Excited by the celestial rainbow [thanks
Grandpa], I hardly looked at the car before I set off driving late into the
night to get back home to Pittsburgh. I named her Josephine and she required a
few mechanical repairs to become the daily driver I needed. In the winter of 2010-2011 I had her fully restored [off-frame]. A second vehicle was purchased [$2K] and its chassis and
body were used, with Josie’s original engine and interior. Key
improvements were addition of a spare tire holder in the rear interior behind
the driver’s seat – out of view and not in the way. A tow hitch receiver was
added – I’ve hauled a 9x12 flatbed trailer carrying construction materials/plants/garden
waste. Also I added a roof rack that has been used to carry sheetrock, piping,
rebar, etc. She is my only vehicle - I drive her a few times a week and use her for hauling stuff inside, on the roof and by trailer. Once a month, at least she goes 300 miles to see my folks in West Virginia. My husband and I use Josie for vacation travel [as his Crown Vic doesn’t have a hitch for the bicycle rack and doesn’t look nearly as good]. Her front differential and manual lock out hubs work fine for driving on snow covered roads. Josephine looks incredibly cute carrying a tree on the roof at Christmas. The top is bolt removable –
though I’ve never tried it she’d surely look great as roofless. She passes
Pennsylvania’s safety inspection and does not require an emissions test.
The current PA sticker is good until February 2015. I have a regular
license plate, not historic since she has been an everyday vehicle and carries
‘normal’ insurance. My husband and I have agreed to sell both of our cars
- relying on bicycles, public transit and Zipcar [they have trucks as well] for
getting around. This has been my only foray into antique car
ownership. A fan of square cars, I owned a series of old body style Isuzu
Troopers. When I bought my fourth Trooper, my husband made me agree that this
would be my final Trooper [parts were getting harder to find]. When the
fourth trooper started dying by computer problems, I decided I wanted nothing
more to do with such things. All the other Troopers had blown head gaskets,
which I would duly repair, but frame rot was a terminal condition for the first
three. I was not going to move into the new generation of computer-infested
vehicles and instead went backwards. It was a choice between the Commando and the
original style of Landcruiser, the iron pig. Advice from a jeep fanatic
friend about the ease of part procurement for jeeps and a preference for a
metal dashboard over plastic won the day for a jeep. It was a good
choice, the jeep nation is large and I have gotten plenty of support from the
jeepster commando club forum and the three big part houses, all online.
Enough parts are available at NAPA to make many repairs same day or
overnight. Josephine has always been parked on our street within
walking distance of downtown Pittsburgh. Some rust has returned since the
restoration [see photos of the tailgate and windshield framing]. She
burns a quart of oil every 1K, though there are no external leaks/drips. A
section of the rear bumper, 2x1 inch, was removed; seemingly to have been for a
CB antenna mount. The chrome is good/very good. The renovated frame was
upole coated [like Rhino liner] underneath and is in perfect shape and solid
[see pics]. Keeping the car stock has been important but a few changes
have been made. Some changes in the electrical systems, such as extra
grounding or fuses are not stock but easy to find. Electrical diagrams in
the Jeepster manual are still accurate. The wiper motor is not OEM. The rear
wiring harness was replaced at restoration. All lights, gauges and
signals work properly. Glass is clear, no fog, minimal scratches;
windshield was new at restoration. Lap belts were added to the front seats to give a sense of safety. Since I’ve had her I’ve replaced the
carburetor, points, water pump, starter, fuel pump as needed. Because I am not a mechanic, keeping
the car true to the OEM manual has always been important. I have strived to make this car easy to
transfer between mechanics. You
shouldn’t have any weird ‘previous owner’ surprises. Mileage on the road is 17-19 mpg, tires are 75%. She
can travel with traffic at 75mph but gas mileage is better at 60mph. In
town mileage can be as low as 13 mpg but usually 15 mpg. Clear
title. How many total miles is unknown. I’ve not turned it over, I
think the previous owner said it was on 300K – current odometer reading is 81,110
and I think I’ve put on 40K miles in six years. Original or stock items:
Improvements:
Extras that come with purchase:
Where Josie needs some TLC: The upholstery is fairly worn on the driver’s seat
with smaller amounts of damage on the passenger side. The rear seat is
nearly perfect. A manual choke was installed this spring and has
solved my cold flooding issues but the cable has too much movement in the
install and when it is required in cold weather doesn’t reliably close the
choke completely. Until the temperature is below 50F, it is not
required. I haven’t bothered with it since the weather improved. The barrel of the cigarette lighter is too skinny,
modern day [phone] chargers don’t fit - neither does the original
lighter. This barrel was in the replacement body and it wasn’t tested for
fit until after the original body was gone. I haven’t gone looking for a
replacement, but assume it’s an easy fix. The nipple plug behind dash
should fit a properly sized lighter barrel. The left rear gate latch comes open when the car is
twisted while traveling on rough road. Gate does not open or become any
kind of danger. It’s just something that happens, the correct spring
within the latch would fix this. Body rust is minimal and can wait a few
years. The tailgate is a mess and could be removed for repair while the rest
of the car could be used. The same goes for the roof and the windshield
frame if you wanted to strip it down that far but still drive the jeep. The frame and undercarriage are in excellent shape - no rot like you'll find on other cars or this age. The roof paint failure is surface – pretty much
concentrated above the gutter rails. It’s pretty obvious the restoration
garage did not take as much care with the top as the body. There is no
primer under the failed paint spots above the gutter rail. I ripped the
paint off with a high-pressure car wash wand. My dog hates the car, too rough a ride and he can’t
get into the corner of the backseat to wedge in. He travels in other cars
very well. Luckily doesn’t get carsick. I have to pick him up and
put him in the jeep, he won’t jump in. Really, it’s time to sell this
car. This vehicle could be driven home without
problems. I am willing to discuss driving it to you. Note - a few words about Ross Steering: It is a much maligned technology. For this
car, which was intended to be staying on the road, not off-roading, Ross is
fine. Saginaw is the better steering system. Traveling under 25 mph
there is no return to center action in the steering. This is normal
operation. Residential driving can be exciting/different/rewarding when
the wheel must still be turned ‘out’ of a turn. If you back out of your
drive swinging the rear of the car inline with traffic, a lot of unturning of
the wheel is still needed to move forward. Parallel parking is a vigorous
activity. Most pictures taken August 20, 2014. Other photos
are from the restoration shop, part of a CD that comes with the car to document
the restoration process. Would be willing to discuss delivering this vehicle
to you and returning home via train or plane. Or I could pick you up at the
Pittsburgh airport, 30-40 minutes away. Spend the weekend, catch a
Pirates, Penguins or Steelers game if you like – we’re a short walk from the
stadiums. I will post all questions and responses. |
Jeep Commando for Sale
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- Jeep jeepster commando, 100% rust free california survivor, runs a+, nice jeep!
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Auto Services in Pennsylvania
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Auto blog
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