ChrisCraft Commander

[kevinrude]

Well, I finally acquired one of the true plums of classic era of outboards: the ChrisCraft Commander.

But now, much like the car-chasing dog who finally caught one, I have to figure out what to do with it.

First, the carrying handle is broken and missing a big chunk out of it, so I’m going to have to find a replacement for that.

Second, there is no propeller or prop nut, so I’ll need to find that too.

Third, I need the ‘dog ear’ looking knobs for the carb needles.

Fourth, and the question that I need an answer to, does anyone have any suggestions as to what to use for a flywheel puller? The screw holes are at the outer edge of the flywheel, making a very WIDE diameter puller necessary. Am I going to have to make one or is there something available out there?

The good news is that the motor has compression and the lower cowls.

Thanks.

[jpatti75]

For the flywheel removal, I suggest making one of the "knockers" with a bolt and two nuts that are the same diameter and tpi as the threads on the end of the crankshaft (Frank Robb has posted pics of his in the past). I use them often and they work great on the smaller HP motors. Here’s a previous posting on them:

viewtopic.php?t=6119

Congrats on the cool find!
JP

[fisherman6]

Kevin,
Congrats on the Commander! I recently picked up a Challenger. I haven’t started working on it yet but it is very complete and feels compression is decent. It has very weak spark and the recoil needs a bit of work. I know there are some differencesimple between the Challenger and Commander besides the obvious horsepower difference but it seems like there are quite a few similarities too. If you want any pictures let me know. Heck, if you want to see it for comparison send me a PM sometime. I don’t think we are too far apart.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[Indian Group Leader]

Just an FYI, several of the parts you may need have been on eBay recently. Also, Lee Holland can always assist if you need some help as he is the Special Interest Group Leader and lives where Chris Craft was, Algonac, Michigan. Good luck with your new toy. I know that I like mine.

Tom

[Author]

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