1967 Jeepster Commando - The Kaiser Commando C-101

[DanStokes]

I remember the 198 having points (I installed many sets), just not sure on the 225. The only weak point on the 225 that I can remember was the plastic teeth on the timing gears - swap 'em out if you still have them (not likely) and DRIVE.

Dan

[STINEY]

Yes, but not all 231 were even-fire. And the heads will interchange with some coolant passage massaging, so not every 231 headed engine is a 231, some could be 225s in disguise.

SBG-odd-fire caps have odd spacing between the terminals and you can easily and quickly tell by looking at the top of the cap (which, again, were all HEI)

Yes this works on HEI, but telling a points distributor apart is not so easy. There is an incorrect cap out there, but the notch and retainers line up different so you have to be pretty determined to install the wrong one. Hard to tell apart visually though.

The correct cap has evenly spaced terminals and normal contacts underneath, BUT the ROTOR is the weirdo. The correct Odd-fire rotors had a “wing” that trailed about 3/8”, this is how Buick caught the odd firing order cylinders and the more normal ones. They made the target bigger.

So so theoretically an even fire 231 could be found with points distributor using an even fire rotor, or a modified odd fire rotor, and it would run fine. By this point in time so many parts can be mix-matched by previous owners I hate to take anything for granted. Especially when trouble shooting.


And just to to add more fun to the circus, a pertronix conversion can be done incorrectly too. Apparently the reluctor ring with the flying magnets can be installed upside down, causing the passenger side to miss cylinders on some rotations. Easy fix, but hard to diagnose.

Here is a good read with pictures. Look closely at the caps and rotors, it’s subtle.http://www.earlycj5.com/xf_cj5/index...s-side.108158/

[SuperBuickGuy]

it's a sign to put an LS in it. Buicks are old news.

*tosses match, watches Dan go "poof"*

the odd fire question I was answering was about points. No 231 (which came out in 75) had points. Could there be mixing and matching, sure... but remember that's an old farm truck so the odds of it being odd are actually a lot less likely. Farmers are smart guys, they realize that when you start mixing and matching willy-nilly you'll usually end up with a very expensive brick. ... oh yeah, and I appreciate the cherry farmer who explained it to me - he was rebuilding a CJ2 that had a post-hole digger on it - I was amazed he'd spend the dollars it took to rebuild the motor and he walked me through what it'd take to change his post hole digger.... about 2x what a new post hole digger cost. Smart guys, those farmers, whiny-skin-flint bastards, but smart.

[STINEY]

See anything wrong here?

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'll go ahead and assert that rust is tougher then a dana 30

[milner351]

This is simply fantastic. I want to say that my grandmothers failed from the factory silver painted 80 olds cutlass 4 door came with an odd-fire 231??? That was a long time ago, so I'm likely wrong. It was definitely a 231 and had HEI, and rand worlds better after the carburetor rebuild I did in HS Shop class. This thing is going to be sweet!

- I know my location is not entirely convenient - but I recently added a 42" shear/brake/roll to the arsenal, so if you want to make some floor patches on your next run to silver lake - we can!

[STINEY]

42"? That's a lot of shear for a home shop. Will keep in mind, thanks!



The first few years of the 231 were also odd-fire. These Buick V-6 are full of variety, aren't they?

Mom bought a '78 Regal with the odd-fire 231 in '78. The insurance actually bought it after someone rear-ended her beautiful '68 Skylark. That Regal was a gutless wonder..........even after the cat removal and timing/advance corrections. Now the '66 Special with the 225 and the Super Turbine switch-pitch trans, it was actually quite peppy.

I am hoping for peppy with the Jeepster. Brought home a Dana 30 on Sunday to swap in, replacing the disaster of a Dana 27 that is currently welded into the front. Yes, they welded the tie-rod ends to the steering knuckles. Brilliant. That's okay, supposedly the front gears are out of it anyways, the PO disclosed that. He pointed out the rod ends and quickly blamed his PO for that mess, lol.





Here is the correct odd-fire Delco rotor with the extended tip.

[DanStokes]

Pretty sure that rotor is odd-fire perfect. It just revived an unused memory cell.

Dan

[SuperBuickGuy]

Pretty sure that rotor is odd-fire perfect. It just revived an unused memory cell.

Dan

So you're saying the memory cell fired oddly?

[STINEY]

This a very punny place indeed.

[JOES66FURY]

needs an efi 4.0....there I said it...others were thinking it but they did not want to say it....

[milner351]

it's already a V engine, I'd go with a small block ford if he changes it out, fits in a very small package, parts are readily available and cheap, or, throttle body EFi on the 231 with a turbo blowing on it.

[JOES66FURY]

it's already a V engine, I'd go with a small block ford if he changes it out

What? No Chevy engine? thats crazy talk.....EVERYONE knows that the only option for engine swaps is to default to a Chevy mill..

[SuperBuickGuy]

What? No Chevy engine? thats crazy talk.....EVERYONE knows that the only option for engine swaps is to default to a Chevy mill..

d'uh, the other swaps are for people with more money then brains.... glad you said it for all of us. 4.0? what, you want poor mileage and no hp? outside of the problem that the motor is 3 cylinders longer then what's in there now....

I know I'm going to rue saying this - but with the number of 4 cyl. diesels that you are arms-deep in every day, why you don't (just) grab a John Deere or similar 4 cyl diesel and put it in front of a t-5 is a question I'm sure you don't have an adequate answer to refute.

[silver_bullet]

Big block Chevy with a mild rebuild and a RV cam, backed up by a NV 4500 and an Atlas transfer case....low end grunt!