[digitalrider]

[quote=GTO;1072958]Spot on! When you intend to retain a car for a long time (as your Classic), best to opt for the highest quality OE parts.

Very true. OE parts may not seem much when you put them in, but show their worth in the long run. Especially for old machines such as this.

You have some serious skills trammway! Please keep em coming.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by GTO

How come the decision to paint it red?

GTO - Let me guess... Trammy found out the way Sharat(Samurai) found out his CJ was originally a RED !!!?

[trammway]

Originally Posted by GTO

That truly is destructive testing. I am surprised you subjected the ol' boy to such a harsh situation. Intentionally!

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Don't try destructive testing again. For best results, remove the body from the chassis during restoration. The wobbling may be due to loose wheel spokes. If I were you, I would replace these wheels with normal steel wheels.

Originally Posted by digitalrider

You have some serious skills trammway! Please keep em coming.

Actually I had no option but to test my Jeep in this way, as my previous experience with the CJ2A was too bad. I didn't want to keep any loophole while doing my Classic. Thanks for your comments.

With respect to the wobbling, I will post what was the cause in the forth coming posts. Until then it is a suspense. (Hmmm just a clue my spokes were in good condition even though they were rusted externally on the surface)

Originally Posted by GTO

Spot on! When you intend to retain a car for a long time (as your Classic), best to opt for the highest quality OE parts.

Where have you been sourcing parts for your Classic?

Originally Posted by digitalrider

Very true. OE parts may not seem much when you put them in, but show their worth in the long run. Especially for old machines such as this.

Completely Agree! some cosmetic parts are hard to be sourced. I have even few desired parts for my classic which are pending. But some are sourcable such as the hood and frame etc. Also few parts I managed to alternative parts such as the piano switches.

With regards to the front and rear wheel arcs we managed to fabricate them in steel and replaced the small indicators with 540 side indicators so it can be managed for little longer time.

The Major Classic spares supplier for me is Atlas Motors of Grant Road, Mumbai. The shop owner Mr. Prakash is a very nice gentleman who extended his full co-operation in sending me the stuffs with all my remote communications.

I'm expecting if some one from Bombay or Mahindra Reading this thread help me finding the following parts:

1. Parking break (emergency break) cable kit
2. Side view mirror assy (OVRM) kit including the clamps
3. Wiring harnesh
4. Dash board indicator lights (some are spoilt)
5. End of fuel float in the fuel tank

Originally Posted by GTO

How come the decision to paint it red?

Originally Posted by svsantosh

GTO - Let me guess... Trammy found out the way Sharat(Samurai) found out his CJ was originally a RED !!!?

Santhosh, you are guessed it right. The RC book was stating the Jeep's original color was Red. During my next post you will see why did the previous owner changed the color from Red to Black.

In anycase Red is my son's favorite color. My Jeep, RD350, Zen Estilo and now happening Morris Minor are all in same Passion/German/Bright Red.

[trammway]

Sorry guys...as the recent rain flooded my house and wiped most of the items including my computer, I couldn't post the rest of story for a while.

I'm back now and tomorrow the next episode of this thread will be released.

[Salikt]

Originally Posted by trammway

In anycase Red is my son's favorite color. My Jeep, RD350, Zen Estilo and now happening Morris Minor are all in same Passion/German/Bright Red.

Oops! you are working on a Morris Minor as well! So where is the posts about it? The thread not yet started??


tks/sali

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by trammway

Sorry guys...as the recent rain flooded my house and wiped most of the items including my computer, I couldn't post the rest of story for a while.

I'm back now and tomorrow the next episode of this thread will be released.

shhesh!! thats bad, which area in chennai maanagaram' do you belong to? Hope all's well with your family 1st, home 2nd and your "collections" 3rd....

Keep writing once you got the stuff settled... we are waiting...

san

[4x4 loaded]

Post edited by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT use more than 2 smilies in a post. We advise you to read our board rules carefully, before proceeding any further.

hey i read your blog and it was really a lot informative.after looking at the picture (the way you found it) in here, i got to know its you. i had been searching a lot to gather information about classic.GTO's project on rebuilding the classic was impressive and then came to know about Uday sir in one of the threads who is helping me into a project of building up a classic.could you give me your phone no as i might have to contact you to gather some parts which i think wont be availavle in calcutta.this is my first post in team-bhp though i had been observing for the last few months.will post a new thread once my project is over..meanwhile awaiting your next post

[trammway]

Before I continue with the story, I wish all the readers here a very happy and prosperous new year 2009.

After making all the job that required to be done on the jeep, as decided earlier I wanted to do the work outside Pudupet and in a workshop where I can pass the commands to do the required job. My search in Chennai returned with no workable solution, hence I choose to opt my home town (Tiruvannamalai) in Tamilnadu for the project.

However I could get good mechanic and laborers for body shop but facilities?

The first priority to the project was given to cleaning up the jeep’s surface and the best way of doing is it with sand blasting. Luckily my uncle runs the sandblasting business and that too for automobile related work.

So the jeep was taken in to the sandblasting floor to clean up all the chemicals sprayed on the metal sheet and also to make all the corrosion visible so I can patch up properly.

Forgot to mention, I also carried out minor tinker work to make the body tub to sit on the chassis for rest of the restoration drive.

It was two days process, unfortunately I forgot to remove the windshield glass from the jeep and it resulted loosing the glass during the sand blast activity.

Some people advised me not to do sand blasting but I’m sure it was required.

Then, the Jeep was taken into my hometown and quoted with metal primer to protect the naked metal sheet from further rust formation.

The body works to tinker all the parts started from here and it was an exhaustive process and we patched almost the entire jeep with respective thickness of metal sheets.

The tinker made even the floor bends by hand and no machine pressing work carried out.

The jeep was stripped and the tinker work continued for 20 days there were lots of visits to the garage explaining the workers what I expect out of the jeep.

You won’t believe I took them for small offroad stretches in one of my friend’s jeep to explain how the Jeep will be ride through after the restoration. There were laptop movies of jeep and offroad activities too for them [free of cost ;-)].

The completely stripped Jeep went for massive body work to attend each and every pin hole found.

The chassis and under body anti-rust treatments were also done along.

Finally with brand new body bed and bolt the body was mounted on the Jeep.

As all of you have already known, we decided to paint the jeep with red color 2K paint hence all the necessary painting components were purchased from Pondichery.

My home town is place for no automobile spare parts dealer hence all stuffs were brought down from Chennai, Mumbai, Pondichery and other places of the country.

It was too much tiring process to co-ordinate as it required extensive weekend travel for the whole restoration to complete.

Couples of layer’s of paint components for treating the tinkered body were used.

and days rolled the Jeep was getting its shape.

When everything goes smooth there comes the obstruction, which pushed me nearly one month out of schedule.

to be continued …

[GTO]

Wow, this pic reminds me of my restoration exercise:





Did you consider buying a brand new body at all? The reason I ask is, you spent a considerable amount of time (+ presumably $$$) on refurb'ing the existing body. However, I bought a brand new tub for about 18K. This was through the authorised channel and would prolly cost lesser in the grey market. Do note this price didn't include the rear tail gate, windscreen & fenders.



How about posting some larger pics? The ones from your latest update are too small to study details.

[Samurai]

Wow, brand new tub costs only 18K! But is it easily available on order? I don't need it, but good to know that option is available.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by GTO

However, I bought a brand new tub for about 18K. This was through the authorised channel and would prolly cost lesser in the grey market.

Now you tell me..

I went and asked the same at a local dealer in Goa and after he stopped laughing said no. I actually asked whether i can get a brand new chassis and body tub.

After rolling the Classic once i wasnt sure whether it was structurally fine and was not sure whether the garage can make out too.

What's the authorised channel? Walk up again and ask for it. I will carry a printout of your post this timr round. Lets see who does the laughing now.

[Kandisa]

Mahindra 'authorized channel' did seem to work for GTO only! A brand new engine and a brand new body tub! Simply amazing.
@trammway, nice to back to your jeeplogue after a break. Captivating story, keep on writing.
-Best regards,

[trammway]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wow, this pic reminds me of my restoration exercise:

Did you consider buying a brand new body at all? The reason I ask is, you spent a considerable amount of time (+ presumably $$$) on refurb'ing the existing body. However, I bought a brand new tub for about 18K. This was through the authorised channel and would prolly cost lesser in the grey market. Do note this price didn't include the rear tail gate, windscreen & fenders.

How about posting some larger pics? The ones from your latest update are too small to study details.

.

It is.

I was, but considering the amount mentioned by a local body parts dealer (not mahindra) I was opted to repair. The whole tinkering costed me 14K including windshielf, platform, tailgate and body bet and bolts.

I'm sorry, I lost my home computer to the recent floods in chennai hence copying the smaller ones from my blog.

[GTO - Touring]

Originally Posted by Samurai

But is it easily available on order?

Originally Posted by Spitfire

What's the authorised channel?

Let me know if & when you guys are interested. I'll hook you up with the right person at Milestone. It wasn't that long back so the price shouldn't have gone up too much.

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Mahindra 'authorized channel' did seem to work for GTO only! A brand new engine and a brand new body tub! Simply amazing.

Now that you mention it, yes. Milestone has made it so much easier (for me) to own a Classic. I have NEVER had a parts problem for a model discontinued since 10 years...maybe a slight wait....but never a real problem with them sourcing parts for my Jeep. Their quality of worksmanship is just too darn good. And the beauty is, they know these Jeeps inside out. She never has to go back to get the same problem sorted again. Ferdi (the workshop manager) runs a tight ship over at Milestone and is a great guy personally.

More often than not, they pick up / drop off my Jeep whether its for service or repair. You can tell that the Jeep's upkeep is the least of my worries. Sure, their pricing is on the higher side. But you get what you pay for. I am happy paying a premium price for premium service.

[trammway]

When all the body works are about to finish, the rain god took his chance to pour continuously to stop me doing my work. We were set back for about one month and I started looking at mechanical work for the jeep. The body shop was in different place in the same town from the garage, hence towed the jeep loaded with dismantled pieces of mechanical parts.

We sourced few parts locally and few from Chennai. The jeep was getting its shape, though the 4WD low was not engaging initially and the mechanic’s magic hand made it working. Oils changed, few components changed and there were a huge list of to do also prepared during the work.

I pushed few of the works to Chennai work schedule as my worries about the parts and time made me to do that, also money is a major criteria.

After fixing the preliminary mechanical items, the Jeep was taken back to body shop for final touch ups. Lack of paint booth in that small town made us to paint the final quoting in a shed covered with gunny bags and political banners ;-). Anyway the result was not bad.

It was again, challenge in fixing the jeep’s theme to interiors as the seats were damaged due to prolonged exposure to direct sun, rain and moisture earlier. My liner man did excellent job in getting me what I wanted.

He replicated a seat model picture of a Kerala (or Karnataka?) based Mahindra Classic in a nice way maintaining the color scheme.

The soft top that was brought from Bombay and looked great and the Jeep really had the shape back.

After fixing them all, I called a local electrician to fix the removed wiring harness and electrical. That is the greatest mistake I could do during the process, he really screwed the Jeeps wires by cutting and pasting the joints. I had no other go but to take the jeep with the same condition of electrical work. Initially I didn’t notice the issues, but I came to know the seriousness in the same day evening when my father wanted me to conduct a Pooja and hill rounding (the hill in my home town is considered as lord Siva and worshiped by hill rounding by foot, vehicles etc.)

Damaged tyres, broken windshield glass, uneven suspension, bit wobble steering, lack of music were all put aside and noted in the todo list for Chennai. I was not sure if wobbling was due to the wire wheels or the tyres or other causes. So decided to change the tyre in Chennai before attending it. Since it was on an auspicious day as my father wanted to conduct a pooja in front of the largest Hindu temple (Sri Arunachaleswara temple) and drive the jeep to hill rounding path in the evening.

Every thing was as planned, I reached my home after conducting all the necessary poojas instructed by my father. It was around 9:30PM when I reached home and parked the jeep on a blue metal storage on the street (he he! show off and proved to use my 4WD in front of my childhood friends). I suppose to start my first maiden long drive with my jeep back to Chennai after restoration by 3:30AM in the next day early morning so I rushed to my bed.


Early in the morning packed all my stuffs and few jeep recovery items such as tow robe into the jeep. I felt really good and jumped into the jeep with my cousin who is to accompany me for the drive. The key was inserted into the steering and cranked the Jeep; Nothing happens no sound of any movement.

God, I twisted the key again nothing happens no sign of any electrical happening. Got down and opened the bonnet to check if battery cable is fixed properly. After fighting with the jeep for few minutes, I found the newly installed and charged battery was already in drained condition (suspected of alternator for charging issues). But alternator also was serviced during the mechanical works then how come battery drained?

My father was asking me to put the schedule back but I was not ready. How to move the jeep back to Chennai at this early morning is the only thought going on my mind…

to be continued …