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Somebody, on some I forum I visit, started a thread on these. I was looking for some photos our FC's in indian setting. Can you guys share more photos?

Here are two more pictures of UBS Sir's FC.

Thanks for much. Someone of that forums owns this :

Dear all - wow an FC thread! It rekindles many memories. It is all so fresh, I remember everything as if it happened yesterday.

When I joined M&M as a trainee on 16 June 1980, I opted for and got placed in the R&D prototype workshop. There I saw it first, a steel grey FC150 petrol 4WD with the original hurricane engine and the 3 speed gearbox. It was MRS5463. I used to drive it as a shuttle to move parts inside Kandivli plant. It had the spare wheel vertically mounted within the platform on the LH side. It was a beautiful vehicle. By the way, the FC150 shares its wheelbase and track with the CJ3B. Both vehicles have 80" wheelbase and 48" track. The original chassis was derived from the CJ3B, the sections were the same.

Concurrently, work was going on to equip this vehicle with what was then known as "straight chassis". The first prototype was made in 1982. Nasik plant came up in 1982. One of the first engineers to work in Nasik in 1982 was Mr.Sonawane. He used to test the prototype on the Belgian Pave track inside Nasik plant. I had one FC straight chassis 4WD prototype with XDP4.90 engine, 3 speed gearbox (4 speed did not exist at that time) and 5.88:1 axle ratio, 47/8 crown wheel / pinion set, made by Mr.A.D.Dande in the Gleason shop inside Kandivli plant. I used to test it for cooling system performance (Delta T test) between Kandivli and Igatpuri. The peak oil temperature I achieved was 146 degrees C on the Kasara Ghat. I finalized the radiator specifications on it.

Three more prototypes of straight chassis FCs were made in 1983. I got transferred to R&D Nasik in June 1983 and even though I was still just a Junior Engineer, I was incharge of the R&D prototype building workshop. The three prototypes were all dark brown in color. The registration numbers were MWN1206, MWV1207 and MWN1208. I still remember that I changed the engine assembly of MWN1207 on the day it was registered. This was the first prototype FC with a DI engine.

As the Jeep collaboration ended, FC became FJ but for me somehow I still like to call it FC. The initial production of FC was in Ghatkopar plant which subsequently became a parts warehouse and now has high rise buildings as part of Mahindra Infrastructure. It shifted to Nasik and subsequently to Zaheerabad.

The vehicles were made till 1998, when the load carrier was shut down because CMVR demanded laminated windshield glass which was not possible to manufacture in the beautifully curved profile of the original design. Buses continued to be built, bodies being made by local body builders in and around Zaheerabad. I remember taking two Britishers to Zaheerabad in late 1997 to tap their expertise in body reinforcement techniques for the buses.

The engine was the Perkins P4 having fantastic torque characteristics, the drivability was excellent even with 4.27:1 axle ratio. Driving position and location of the gear lever was also very good. Transfer case lever was located quite back.

Introduction of BS1 emission norm finally killed the quintessential FC.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

How do you access the engine on these trucks? Do you have some interior cab pics?

UBS has one of those :)

Dear Ken - there was a clamp-on engine cover next to the driver. You had to remove it out of the vehicle to get access to the engine. For replacing the engine, the cab had to be lifted off the chassis completely. All the engine heat used to come in the cab but I guess in those days it was all acceptable.

The P4 engine vehicles had a very funny overheating issue. A metallic degassing tank was mounted on the cylinder head. It would vibrate so badly that the pressure valve of the cap would open and water loss would take place. I told them the root cause for overheating but they would not listen. I had to prove it by relocating the tank on the body in one vehicle, still they did not listen.

Some things just do not change! HaHaHa! lol:

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Thomas Dsouza's Beautiful FC from Coorg.

I saw this neat looking school bus a few days back. I guess it's one of these FC150's. But it doesn't have the petrol engine.

Was this school bus a 4X4. Touch-wood I have never seen a 4X4 school bus till date

I don't think so; that this would be a 4x4. But how do you check if it's a 4x4? Are there any external markings on the body?

No markings as such, even if there was a sticker there is a good chance it fell off somewhere

The front and rear axles have a differential, then its a 4X4. If it is just a plain axle, then its a 4X2.

I found a few of these guys still doing their part of the active duty after this long. Seems like there are many of them still breathing good in rural Cochin. Such a relief seeing them against the crude looking bolero pickups.

The brown FC is a mobile genset for the PWD i think, due to its association with a pipeline work. The cabin is ruined with the driver literally living inside there and looks like a mobile cloth dryer!

The blue one is in good nick & a daily runner. Both are 4x2.

The front axle seems to be a dead axle. Its a 2WD.

[quote=sreejeshmp;2922368]Thomas Dsouza's Beautiful FC from Coorg.

Attachment 995179

/QUOTE]


These Vans/buses were factory made as SPOA. And as per DB sirs info the wheelbases/Track width are same as earlier Jeeps. Then how come the 540/550 Jeeps with wider Axles and Wider tracks are not good for road use if converted to SPOA! :eek: