[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Stowed away inside. The slight lip of the L section prevents the table from sliding in the front.

Remember I had made this, well it was eating away too much space (for larger bags to fit) and I needed a smaller solution. Optimized storage and amount of stuff I carried and managed to fit everything in the lower drawers and discarded the top unit.

As most are aware, I run a training school called Learn Offroad. For that I need to carry other stuff like magnetic signs for vehicles, walkie talkies, exam boards for indemnity, etc and needed a custom storage for that. So fabricated a small box for it.



The top drawer is for the stuff for training:



The bottom one is for the magnetic signs. It also doubles up for the tea coffee stand.



Therefore I removed the tea-coffee door table I had fabricated and changed that to a custom mount for tools.



Made an extension towards the right window:



This little box is accessible from the front passenger side by opening the arm rest:



Once open I can access stuff there like folded tripod stools, wheel chocks, winch extension rope, etc.



The other side I have a net to keep objects from flying around.



Have a small box with tea/coffee/mugs and the hot water kettle:

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

As most are aware, I run a training school called Learn Offroad. For that I need to carry other stuff like magnetic signs for vehicles, walkie talkies, exam boards for indemnity, etc and needed a custom storage for that.

Was this vehicle in Ahmednagar, MH on 26-27th June? I saw an immaculately maintained, tricked out Pajero and first thought was this has to be some bhpian! It was good to see such car here which is otherwise quite devoid of interesting cars.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Was this vehicle in Ahmednagar, MH on 26-27th June? I saw an immaculately maintained, tricked out Pajero and first thought was this has to be some bhpian! It was good to see such car here which is otherwise quite devoid of interesting cars.

Nope. She was safely parked at home in mumbai.

[fi.robin]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

The automatic antenna in the PAJERO is a hindrance during offroad.
Can’t keep music on or if a call comes with music off, it auto extends.
Have broken it once and had to replace the antenna. Last week nearly snagged it again.

So disconnected the antenna and motor and fitted an internal antenna instead.

Attachment 2092166

I have a 1998 Montero in the US. Closely following your thread. I have also broken my antenna many years ago. Internal antenna makes a lot of sense. Will give it a try.

My Pajero is almost stock. Haven't done much to it.

One gadget/upgrade I would recommend, if not already done - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Replace the cigarette lighter with USB charger, with a volt reading. It reads the approx volts at the battery terminal. Helpful when the battery is low on charge or the alternator is not doing its job properly.

[Sikkimese4x4]

Attaching some latest pics of the Pajero with new shoes and a new off-road bumper. Next up will be snorkels and then a roof rack...that should make up the basics for long trips, the overland way

[vkiran_2000]

I have found a 2015 Pajero sport 4WD online and thinking of inspecting this for my overland conversion plans. Is this a good idea?

I was thinking about shortlisting only automatic 4WD (fortuner, endy etc.) but I see/read a lot of fans for the pajero. Should I compromise on this stick shift, over the advantages of driving comfort on long drives? Or does a fortner make more sense.

There is a 5L difference in price for similar aged vehicles (pajero vs fortuner). Please comment/advise

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Once a year, I remove the roof rack and re torque all the nuts and bolts from inside and under the roof rack. I also need to optimise the storage solution on top of the rack and move everything in such a way locks and clamps can be accessed from either side rather than front back because to open the front clamp is a bit of a pain and one needs to climb up on the roof rack.

So once I removed it I noticed that the roof rack legs on one side have dented the roof slightly thanks to the topple that happened last year.



Thinking of getting a cold dent remove process done here or will just leave it as is.

[DirtyDan]

I lived under the stars in the Army for months at a time. It is second nature to me to sleep right on the ground with the ants, mosquitos, leaches, centipedes...and the moon and the great milky way.

But after that, this idea of a pop-up camper looks like a palace to me. You don't have to modify your vehicle much to tow one of these. They are light. You don't have to clutter up your vehicle with sundry junk, leaving it free to easily run down to the daily needs store and buy some popcorn and a two liter cold bottle of soda...or do other stuff easy-peasy.

Chances are, after 3 or 4 days you are going to want to check in to four walls, a roof, a toilet and a shower in any case, so my unsolicited advice is to follow the K.I.S.S. method...

K = keep
I = it
s = simple
s = stupid

Build your own towed trailer/camper is an option I throw out there. The snakes and scorpions will thank you for staying out of their way. These travel folded up and the trailer thus has a low center of gravity while towing. It "pops up" in a minute or two when you want to set up camp someplace.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Explored this option but the rules for towing are very vague and open to interpretation by the police. Who wants a daily hassle?

[vkiran_2000]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

I lived under the stars in the Army for months at a time. It is second nature to me to sleep right on the ground with the ants, mosquitos, leaches, centipedes.........It "pops up" in a minute or two when you want to set up camp someplace.

Good idea. I am cooking up an overland project now. I looked at the practicality of a trailer with tent. One thing that worries me is the driving dynamics over rough roads. Assuming the vehicle is a 4x4 Thar 2020, an attached trailer will make for some challenging views in the rear view.

I also wonder how it will behave on on highways with a towed trailer. Add that the RTO checks. Overall, I am not convinced that a trailer will be practical in Indian overland trips.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

With all the winching and winch training I'm doing, I added a larger volt meter to the vehicle.

Thank god I had purchased it before the aliexpress app got banned.

It has a nice sweep of the dial when it starts up and 4 colour options as well to choose via the knob on the bottom.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Time for the ~130,000 service.

Venue: JDS. They have now shifted to Khairane, New Bombay from their earlier location near Powai.



Regular service.

Got oils changed. With all the mucking around in the monsoons, got the brakes cleaned and serviced.



Look at the amount of muck inside the skid plate!



Got all belts replaced. Had done more than 40,000 kms on them.





And the usual wash:

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Finally in December 2015, after nearly a year, i decided to change the tyres and rims.

Nearly 5 years later and approx 50,000 kms, the tyres needed changing. Current ODO at approx 131,500kms.

Out of the 50k kms, atleast 15,000kms must have been offroad and the tyres held up good enough and needed immediate changing:



Unfortunately with the ISI mark being necessary and the imports being infrequent, sourcing 31x10.5x15 AT tyres was a pain.

The other issue being that now 15" is not a running size with most of the market moving to Thar tyre size which is 16 and above.

Continental has stopped this tyre size in India and I needed other options.

Most of the tyre dealers I spoke to had Chinese brands and I wasn't sure I wanted to invest in those unproven tyres for my heavy and recurrent offroad needs.

Some calls to contacts and I found out that a shipment of Yokohama Geolanders G015 at left Thailand and had a stock of this size.

Immediately called the dealer and blocked the size.

This is the dealer:




The tyres at the showroom:







Made an appointment and reached:



Checked the manufacturing date and was happy. June 2021.



Got them balanced:





And aligned:



And she's ready:



These are not OWL and the colour will fade away after a few washes.

There has been some concern with weak side walls on the earlier G012 generation of Geolanders and apparently it was solved in the G015. So hoping for the best, though honestly I had no choice.

So what made me really go for this was the 1.5 year years unconditional replacement warrantee including cuts and damages and 5years manufacturing warrantee (of course the latter isn't a deal breaker).

What I love is the first ride on any new tyres. Feels so different and comfortable after using the old ones.

I changed all 5 tyres and have kept one good Conti tyre in case of emergency and will mount on original stock Rim and keep.

[srthkchand]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Unfortunately with the ISI mark being necessary and the imports being infrequent, sourcing 31x10.5x15 AT tyres was a pain.

The other issue being that now 15" is not a running size with most of the market moving to Thar tyre size which is 16 and above.
.

Hi Tejas,

Your detailed build log of this vehicle build has truly been an insightful
experience for me. I was very excited when I spotted you in town recently.

I am a new member of Team BHP, but have been following the forums since my first car. It was practical and financial considerations, that made me buy and build my Mahindra MM 540 DP and turn it into a roadtrip vehicle. However after a few years of traveling with my dogs, I've realised I'd like to step-up to overlanding with a longer wheelbase 4x4. Thus, my search landed me at a Pajero.
I have the same tyres on my MM540 and thats the only part of the vehicle which will (hopefully) be carried forward to the Pajero.

1) Would you suggest a SFX (2008 onwards) over a GLX (pre 2007), considering mechanically they are the same vehicle?
I've found GLX much cheaper than SFX counterparts within the second hand market.
Is it just the age and the impending Green Tax that GLX have lesser value or there's more to it?

2) What to look out for?

3) Any updates to the local availability of the parts you put in your build? Can't afford to ship parts from Australia or SA

Thanks!
Looking forward to your response. .

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by srthkchand

1) Would you suggest a SFX (2008 onwards) over a GLX (pre 2007), considering mechanically they are the same vehicle?
I've found GLX much cheaper than SFX counterparts within the second hand market.
Is it just the age and the impending Green Tax that GLX have lesser value or there's more to it?

GLX older models didn't have ABS and airbags. Need to check if those are present.
And of course yes, greentax and the getting the fitness done regularly.

2) What to look out for?

Two weak links: clutch - check for vibrations at low revs. And play in steering box

3) Any updates to the local availability of the parts you put in your build? Can't afford to ship parts from Australia or SA

Grey market parts are available though not as good as OE.