69 Jeepster Commando

[cherokee_guy82]

I have just purchased a 69 Jeepster Commando and I am looking for a good place to find parts for it, also can't get the clutch to disengage which makes for an interresting situation. The guy that had it says that the cable was already replaced, but that it wasn't working right when he got it so it has been parked for some time now. Any Ideas are appreciated.

[MagicRat]

Sometimes the clutch pressur eplate likes to stick to the flywheel if the jeep has sat for a while. I have a CJ8 in storage which only gets driven once a year. This happens every year.
Usually, I get the engine running nice in neutral.
Then I switch it off, engage 1st gear in low range and start the engine in gear. It will start up just fine, then move slowly. I stand on the brake and the clutch pedal. The pressure plate will quicky disengage with a bit of a thud.
You can prevent this by wedging the clutch predal down a bit for storage, but this fatuges the pressure plate springs.

[MtnGuyMark]

Count yourself among the few, the proud, the somewhat deranged who have managed to acquire one or more of these quirky offbeat rigs.

I own two and a half of them. All currently in various states of reconstruction. I refurbished one pretty thoroghly several years ago. However, as part of my Jeep newbee owner initiation, I rolled it learning about the quirks of driving the old school narrow track suspension. Luckily, no one hurt except the Commando and minor damage (considering) to the Jeep at that!

Some basic info --- (which you may already have.. if so pardon the redundancy).

The Jeepster was a relatively limited production vehicle averaging something like 10,000 units a year from 1966 to 1972 (or 73). Tracking down info and parts is basically a scavenger hunt.

The Good News: Lots of parts readily available
The Bad News: It's tricky locating a reliable listing.
Fun News: It's a great rig to do lot's of creative upgrades on.

A key resource for any Commando ownee (you don't own a JeepsterCommando, the Jpstr-Cmndo owns you) is the American Jeepster Club they have tons of info, a killer BBS, and an awesome network of fellow Commando owning fools.

For hard to find parts, use the abovementioned BBS and keep an eye on eBay, search Jeepster in eBay Motors.

I'm new to this forum (this is my first post) and don't know how to do hotlinks here's the address: http://www.off-road.com/jeepster/

Drop me a note if you would like any more info. I'm pretty well schooled on the more or less stock configuration at this point and have located lots of resources for all things Commando.

Regarding your clutch issue, there are a lot of variations on the solution for that problem. Initially, I repaired the stock rickety cable system (Caution-yours may already have been modified) but it's high maintenance, reliability is shaky, and it has poor 'feel'.

I ultimately went to a hydraulic clutch system. It took some head scratching, lots of research, and a bit of trial and error, but it works GREAT!

Best of luck and ENJOY the COMMANDO experience.

Marco