[autopsyche]

Originally Posted by gd1418

Arush, a pic of that snorkel fit would've been great. As you know, off and on I've been enquiring about a snorkel for my Scorpio..

Hey, this snorkel kit is a ready to fit application particularly for the Prado. Came with all nuts and bolts and brackets to do the install. Unfrotunately the fender template to make holes for the air scoop was missing so we had to do some desi-thinking and worked our way around so by the time we finished it was a little late and flustered heh, so didnt manage to taky any pics. The car should be coming in a day or two will take pics then for sure.

[Torque-ative]

Hey arush, just finished the OTR in fact still in it !!! I am amazed at the depth of capabilities this toyota engineered product has and yes the snorkel did help us wade thru about 3.5 ft of water!!! We did most steep hill climbs and decents! The only place we got bogged down was on the near vertical hill no wait wall climbs! We are however looking for that special 4x4 which could do those vertical climbs !!!!

[autopsyche]

Wow thats awesome, im glad the snorkel came into use in the first trip itself! Now thats a thoughtful investment innit.

[gd1418]

Naveen it is high time a detailed report of the OTR with pics and details of your own escapades is posted...

Originally Posted by Torque-ative

Hey arush, just finished the OTR

[gd1418]

On the above, remember I mentioned the air intake tube of Scorpio's petrol version REV 116 4WD?

Well here's the pic

Originally Posted by autopsyche

Hey, this snorkel kit is a ready to fit application particularly for the Prado. Came with all nuts and bolts and brackets to do the install. Unfrotunately the fender template to make holes for the air scoop was missing so we had to do some desi-thinking and worked our way around so by the time we finished it was a little late and flustered heh, so didnt manage to taky any pics. The car should be coming in a day or two will take pics then for sure.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by testdrive

Hi Suman, hope all is well. I joined JeepThrills many months ago. Have not taken my Safari since its not 4x4 :-(
Have been planning to buy a MM540/550, but other things have taken priority the jeep. Will definitely buy one in the next 6 months.
So far I have gone for 3 OTRs with other Jeepers. They've all been great fun!

same here
My safari is also not a 4x4 and am on the lookout for a MM540/550 and as a strange co-incidence I too plan to buy one in the next 4-6 months.
Have you located one that you would be interested? Also what kind of mods are you thinking of getting?

Just missed this thread so could not attend the OTR on the 22nd. Would definitely like to the next one. Another thing is the Jeep Thrills and the NIOC the same thing. Pl advise

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by harjeev

...Another thing is the Jeep Thrills and the NIOC the same thing. Pl advise

@Harjeev NIOC is the 'North India OffRoad Club' and is run by north India moderators of the jeep_thrills yahoo group.

You can call these numbers: (Taken from an earlier post in this thread itself)

Note from mod: Phone numbers removed. Please do not put phone numbers on a public thread which is accessible via google too!

[GoSlow]

Originally Posted by harjeev

same here
My safari is also not a 4x4 and am on the lookout for a MM540/550 and as a strange co-incidence I too plan to buy one in the next 4-6 months.
Have you located one that you would be interested? Also what kind of mods are you thinking of getting?

Harjeev, once you have joined the NIOC post a meesage there for the 550/540 purchase. Some NIOC members are looking to sell their fully prepared 550s. You may get a good deal there.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by GoSlow

Harjeev, once you have joined the NIOC post a meesage there for the 550/540 purchase. Some NIOC members are looking to sell their fully prepared 550s. You may get a good deal there.

Thanks Ankit for the info. I think that I might do that.

But what I think is, the members who would be selling their fully prepared 550's, don't you think that the asking prices would be a little higher. My budget, kind of tops out at 1.25L max. Further the jeep that I plan to modify for myself, I plan to keep it as original as possible. Not too many modifications. Infact I really like to keep it like the 1st picture in your post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-of...ml#post1067554. What do you think?

And another thing that I think is that the joy of buying your own Army disposal and getting it modified to your own taste and preference, even if the outcome is not as good as one would like it to be, cannot be compared to buying one just like that. But hope to learn loads from the experienced veterans of T-BHP and NIOC.

Very sad that the OTR of 29th has been canceled. I was really looking forward to that.

But what a coincidence. This time around last year (oct07) I was reading, posting, asking questions on T-Bhp when I was buying my Tata Safari 2.2. Now a year later again I am on the lookout for an Army disposal MM550 4x4. Lets see what I have in store for me a year for now.

[GoSlow]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Thanks Ankit for the info. I think that I might do that.

But what I think is, the members who would be selling their fully prepared 550's, don't you think that the asking prices would be a little higher. My budget, kind of tops out at 1.25L max. Further the jeep that I plan to modify for myself, I plan to keep it as original as possible. Not too many modifications. Infact I really like to keep it like the 1st picture in your post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-of...ml#post1067554. What do you think?

And another thing that I think is that the joy of buying your own Army disposal and getting it modified to your own taste and preference, even if the outcome is not as good as one would like it to be, cannot be compared to buying one just like that. But hope to learn loads from the experienced veterans of T-BHP and NIOC.

Hey Harjeev, I know exactly what you mean by buying and modifying your own. Your budget is correct. I had found out the prices of a 550 restored in good working condition (never mind the bodywork unless it is too bad) and the price I got quoted was 1.1 to 1.3 lakhs. The jeep you see in that pic was purchased and restored a week back. It was the 1st OTR for this jeep. It performed brilliantly! In fact there were 4 or 5 such jeeps. All with the orignal XDP3 engine. Serious play stuff! Keep one thing in mind though, in the end you will cross your budget. Albeit it may not happen all at one go but to get the vehicle right there will be a lot of return trips involved to the garage. But I still agree, doing it yourself connects you to your jeep like nothing else!

All the best.

[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by harjeev

My budget, kind of tops out at 1.25L max.

Harjeev, if you will buy a ex army MM550, your budget will be quite less to complete making it. Note that the registration itself will cost you around 25K, the engine making is also around 25K. I guess, better you please try to find out a old MM540 in well running condition and than as and when you have more vitamin M, you can spend upon it to make it beter and beter. Do take some other MM550 owner advice alongwith.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by harjeev

And another thing that I think is that the joy of buying your own Army disposal and getting it modified to your own taste and preference, even if the outcome is not as good as one would like it to be, cannot be compared to buying one just like that. .....

Indeed its a life time experience but ONLY if you have the expertise or resources (in terms of good mechanic etc etc). If it comes to 540/550, geenrally people advice to be prepared for a budget of around 2.3 to 2.5L for a fully functional reliable vehicle. There is one currently on sale in the classified section.
-Best regards,

[harjeev]

Thanks for the replys
This is what I think.
Yesterday at Mayapuri I saw a 2001 MM 550. This is complete with a 4x4 gearbox and a Bolero engine. The guy is asking about 85K.
Then I have to get the engine overhauled. The shop owner says that it should be about 10K but I estimate the it should be about 10-15K.
After this its the tyres and a decent set of 4 should set me back by another 10-12K
Then its the registration which this guy is asking 13K but if I get to know the process I can save a couple of thousand bucks, But lets take 13K.
I would leave out the paint work initially and get the canopy, front seats front glass, head lamps and other misc small items. I think this should cost about 15- 20K.
For all other misc stuff and expenses that I can’t estimate, lets add another 15-20 K

All this comes to about 148-165K. Its definitely above my budget of 125 but I think that I could manage it and later get the paint work, roll cage and keep on building my jeep at my leisure.
Also if later I feel that the Bolero engine does not have enough juice I could always sell this overhauled engine and buy a decent Isuzu 2.4 turbo with a 4x4 gearbox for about 50K.

Now this is what I am thinking. All advise, comments and suggestions are most needed for a novice like me.

[GoSlow]

Good plan Harjeev. Registration can be tricky so find out if you can actually do it yourself before turning down the dealer. All the best for your vehicle. It would be great if you could post a new thread with your acquisition and the work carried out with pics for all those who dream to go down that route.cheers:

[Kandisa]

Nice to see you going full swing with your plan to own a jeep. I am also a novice and trying to gather some knowledge from the reservoir of information out here. Here are few thoughts:
1. The base price seems to be ok, negotiate for another 5-10k discount if possible. Registration stuff is a hassle but no way out
2. Do ensure that all the components of the engine-gearbox-transfer case are existing, as many times the disposals come with various parts savalged! have a thorough check.
3. Don't trust the dealer's words for the cost of overhaul of the engine and better to calculate yourself after seeing what components need servicing/replacement.
4. Most importantly you can always buy the disposals from Mayapuri, but don't ever buy a completely refurbished jeep from these people. And if you get the repairing work done from Mayapuri, have a strict vigil on each and everything what they do and embark on only when you can devote sufficient time to do so.

If you are interested in buying any particular piece, you can also post some snaps. The jeepers here can definitely give you much more exhaustive suggestions. carry on
-Best regards,