[RAINMAKER]

Hi All,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Not able to post pics, cause my comp at home is conked. Getting it fixed today, so should be able to post some pics tomorrow.

I just got the Jeep in the 1st Week of Jan and it has gone to the mechanic straight for repair. In fact no one at home knows that I have picked up a Jeep. Want to show it to them once its completely done up.

My mechanic works on the vehicle only on Fridays, cause thats his day off. He restores old vehuicles, currently he is retoring a Ford Mustang. He restores vehicles for one collector somewhere in Andhra. Man that collector has vehicles.

Info on the Jeep

It's a right hand drive petrol.. 3 gears.. A lever for 2WD / 4WD.. another lever for high Range / Low range . It came in blue colour.. and the tyres are in so ..so condition.. The engines good... The rod connecting the 2 axels.. ie. 4WD was missing... Documentation was good except that the Insurance was not paid..

Work on the Jeep so far

So far Got the old Tarpaulin and rods removed.. Got a bull bar fixed on same.. Removed the old seats..

4WD : Got the rod (used original from the Gujari .. local spares market) fitted...

Paint : My mech showed me 4 different paints which were sprayed onto one side of the Jeep.. There is a Indian Military Green.. the is a Military dull finish.. and another lighter green. The fourth colour was black added to the Military green (100 ml black to a litre of military green).. This is what I fell for.

Documentation : Have paid the insurance.. Have to get it transferred to my name. Planning to do it tomorrow.. It is originally from Kerala.. Lifetime tax etc.. has been paid for same.. Fitness certificate is valid till 2007.

Further Plans

Seats : Was hunting for bucket seats .. and whenm my mechanic went to Coimbatore to source some parts for other vehicles he stumbled upon Tata Safari seats.. The vehicle had some accident some months back and it was just lying there.. The seats were picked up immediately and the same will be fitted today.. Today is Friday.. Will see my baby today.. My have trouble fitting teh paseenger side seat.. cause the petrol tank sits there.. Mech suggested that we put a metal strip across the tank.. and then place the seat mount on the strip.. and finally the seat on the seat mount... A tricky job...

Paint : Like I mentioned above .. under chassis will be completely black.. So the vehicle will look black or greenish black..

Tyres : Scouting for a good set of radials.. Planning for Goodyear Wrangler.. Anybody have any better ideas.. Lemme know..

Mechanicals : The engine needs a thorough servicing and oil change etc... Current mileage is 8 Kmpl.. May go in for a smaller jet...

Suspenion : Pretty ok.. The leafs need a check up though..

Meters: The odometer has stopped at 98,000 Kms.. Am Sure it has done more than that.. have to get that fixed... The temperature meter is missing..

Alloys : Still in a dillema. Cause the vehicle is going to be parked outside.. If no alloys the the rims will be painted black...

Lights : A good set of hellas and Fog lights...

Windshield : Its prettly old.. and the edges have got rusty.. May replace this also.... Incidentally the windshield can be put downm completely and boy the looks you get from people...Ogle.. Ogle..

Tarpaulin : Getting a custom one made.. Colour military green... Removable type... button system.. Brand Nandi.. Supposed to be the best brand...

Any suggestions.. please lemme know... I am From BANGALORE...

RAINMAKER.

[moralfibre]

Way to go buddy... post the pics soon... would like to see it in the before and after sequence ... Over to you...

[Rudra Sen]

Hey rainmaker.
Congrats for starting a great project.

Let's go step by step.

1. Right hand drive petrol.. 3 gears.. A lever for 2WD / 4WD.. another lever for high Range / Low range. Current mileage is 8 Kmpl.. May go in for a smaller jet...

Your engine is giving a great return. In fact I'm surprised that a three gear engine is giving that kind of mileage. I would like to think it's a 4 cylinder. Don't give me a shock by saying it's a 6 pots set up. From your job profile I can say that 8km mileage is well within your reach

2. Still in a dillema. Cause the vehicle is going to be parked outside.. If no alloys the the rims will be painted black..

I would suggest keep the original rims unless there are some damage issue. This is purely my view though.

3. My mech showed me 4 different paints which were sprayed onto one side of the Jeep.. There is a Indian Military Green.. the is a Military dull finish.. and another lighter green. The fourth colour was black added to the Military green (100 ml black to a litre of military green).. This is what I fell for.

Perfect choice but like to see the shade before you start painting. This is again if you trust my choice

4. Scouting for a good set of radials.. Planning for Goodyear Wrangler.. Anybody have any better ideas.. Lemme know..

Sounds ok but check MRF which comes with Ford.

6. Was hunting for bucket seats .. and whenm my mechanic went to Coimbatore to source some parts for other vehicles he stumbled upon Tata Safari seats..

Don't go for bucket seats with higher thigh supports. They don't go with your 67 look. Again purely subjective.

7. Getting a custom one made.. Colour military green... Removable type... button system.. Brand Nandi.. Supposed to be the best brand...

Suggest you to check the other colour options also. Keep it open till you have a fix on the body colour.

Lastly, like to see your jeep at this stage. If no issue, pm me.

Congrats once again.

[GTO]

Rainmaker,

First of all - Congratulations on your "new" CJ3B. Its a fantastic machine with a load of history behind it.

Starting with the basics, you basically have two options. One is to rebuild your Jeep into an army look Jeep. The second is to offer it a more urban look with alloys, bull bar et all. This would not affect your paint choice as the blackish green (2nd choice for my own Jeep) would look just as stunning on either personality.

Second, if you ever get stuck on parts dont worry. Just look out for Mahindra CJ parts. They will be direct bolt-ons and are available in plentiful (Both new and used) and fairly cheap.

Some tips on your further plans:

Seats : It will be very difficult to get the correct seating position with Tata Safari seats, atleast for the driver. I would have rather that you rebuild your old seats, but since you have already got them...make sure you have a soft fit before confirming use of them. Also for the passenger seat, dont put any weight on the fuel tank. Ascertain that the support structure is around / out of the fuel tank.

Tyres : I did a lot of research and have opted for Michelin All terrains. They are just the best and dont even consider any other option.

Mechanicals : Depending on how the previous owner has kept her. But I expect a little more work once you start driving her.

Suspension : You got it. Its bare basic and even an entire suspension over haul will not cost you more than 5 grand.

Alloys : Again depends on the look you want. If you are going for an Army look, dump the alloys.

Lights : Before you upgrade the lights, MAKE SURE that you upgrade your entire electrical circuitry. You can buy a standard Mahindra CJ 340 wiring kit for less than Rs 3,000. I think this is one option you must consider since the existing wiring in your Jeep may most probably be past its prime.

Windshield : Again, you can get a brand new CJ windscreen or a great condition used one.

Hope that helps, and all the best with this project. As Rehaan had wisely told me during my restoration process....make sure you photograph each and every stage.

GTO