[donabrh]

Hello, I am happy that you are attempting to give the car a second life.

Was watching a youtube channel of a garage in Delhi which has been doing body work, alteration work. There would be many of these garages around Delhi. In one of the video the guy mentions he has been sourcing parts from trusted shops in Mayapuri and Kashmere Gate.

Thought it may be of help to you in some form:
- Sourcing difficult to get parts
- Identifying better quality parts from a sea of dubious parts in the market
- Getting a comparable quotation for work you are planning
- A general point of reference

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eQZ39tO8jnM

Contact for this person should be somewhere in the description or video. In no way am I endorsing the channel, it's just about sharing one more source of information.

[BeemerBug_06]

Good to see a constructive thread like this on the forum after a long time!
The Tata Estate is a rarity these days. However, the car that you have posted pics of looks very far gone. Getting it started and running may not be all that difficult considering its an old NA diesel mill which can start after lying dead of aeons. However, it seems to be in need of plenty of other work which you have mentioned is going to cost you up to 3.5 lakhs.

Personally, I feel it isn't worth the time and effort. If you are an Estate fan or wish to own one, my advice would be to scrap the current car and take whatever useful parts you can and go look for another car. Finding one in better shape may not be easy either, but if you do come across one, it'll be faster, better and more economical than restoring this one here.

Also do remember that Paperwork is very important, and renewing it itself is a major headache. Can literally make or break a deal. I have myself let go of a couple of cars because they didn't have their paperwork up to date and in order.

[Sanidhya mukund]

UPDATE:


So the engine was removed from the car and a few parts were changed. Without these, the engine couldn’t even have been started:

1. Water pump
2. Timing belt
3. Poly-V Belt
4. “Water jacket”
5. Radiator pipes
6. The starter motor was serviced


Things that came out: engine, gearbox, prop shaft, radiator, clutch plate and engine mounts. The mounts were so bad that the engine was resting on the chassis and could have fallen!













Then, the engine was fitted with all the new parts and placed back into the car. They brought 5 litres of diesel and filled it in a can. This can was used as a makeshift diesel tank to start the car.







After a few attempts, the car started:

https://youtu.be/KlO9NnC42U0

Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ended. The car is throwing black smoke, emits water from the tailpipe and consumes oil. He also told me that the head is rotten because someone never bothered to top up with coolant and always used water. The water has eaten away all the channels of the head. This has lead to water and oil mixing. Everything leaks: oil, diesel and water.
In short, he has declared the engine dead. This has brought me to a 2 way street where I can take a conscious decision about what to do:

1. I have been offered 30k for the car.
2. I have been quoted the below for restoring the mechanicals with second hand parts off a Sumo Victa NA:



I will be taking the call very soon.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Another update:

I had finally decided to go ahead with the work. I asked them to go ahead and purchase the Sumo Victa parts. However, at the last moment, it was discovered that the wiring harness and the ECU etc. of the BS3 and BS4 Victa is totally different, so the engine wouldn’t be a ‘plug and play’ swap.

Our next option was to go for an old gen Sumo 483DL NA engine, but that was not a very viable option, given the fact that most such engines would be on their last legs.

I took the decision of getting the car towed back to my ancestral home, which is 80 KM away from the garage where I had originally sent it.

The work will now be done slowly at the garage that has been looking after my grandpa’s cars since the Plymouth days. The current head mechanic is the founder’s son and his elder brother has been doing body work for the past 3 decades. They are confident that they can repair the existing engine and get it back to life. Will be updating as and when the work progresses.

The car at the garage:


A surprising find: I found the spare tyre and wheel cover buried in my garden!



Boot full of parts:


Towed:

[Nissan1180]

Great to hear that the car will be restored. How are you planning to register the new Engine on the RC copy? Also, you can talk to a reliable RTO agent to ensure that the car can be made road legal.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Great to hear that the car will be restored. How are you planning to register the new Engine on the RC copy? Also, you can talk to a reliable RTO agent to ensure that the car can be made road legal.

Thanks for the reply!

I am retaining the existing engine because buying a scrap engine will be a lottery like situation that can turn out either way. My mechanic is confident that he can fix the current engine at a reasonable cost.

I had spoken to the RTO, they just said that we need to pay the pending tax and present the car for a fitness test after work. That will be enough to make it road legal.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

..., it was discovered that the wiring harness and the ECU etc. of the BS3 and BS4 Victa is totally different, so the engine wouldn’t be a ‘plug and play’ swap.

Sumo Victa was available in the BS3 version, especially the 2.0 litre NA and TCIC. (My 2005 Victa TCIC was BS3).

[Sanidhya mukund]

The tinkering and patch work has started and will take about a month. My mechanic will soon be lowering the engine and gearbox assembly to overhaul. Will upload pictures once something significant is done.

Meanwhile, confused about what colour to go for. Confused between all-white, white with black bumpers, or red with black bumpers. I also liked the idea of an all black ‘Dark Edition’ like the modern day Tatas.

Some ideas I found online:














Note: These images have been collected from google image results. Credit to the original creators.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Meanwhile, confused about what colour to go for. Confused between all-white, white with black bumpers, or red with black bumpers. I also liked the idea of an all black ‘Dark Edition’ like the modern day Tatas.

What is the original/factory color? I think white suits this car the best.

Whatever color you decide, great to hear the car is being brought back to life. Kudos to you!

[AROO7]

My suggestion would be to go for an all-black exterior with tan color interiors, just like the last car in the above picture.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

What is the original/factory color? I think white suits this car the best.

Whatever color you decide, great to hear the car is being brought back to life. Kudos to you!

Thank you so much for the kind words! I am hoping that by the time this car enters its 30th year, it will have a new lease of life.
The original colour is white. The car is still largely in factory paint.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

Meanwhile, confused about what colour to go for.

I have always remembered this car in white and that would be my suggestion

[condor]

Not black, pls. Black hides the clean lines and sleek body style. Black bumpers are still fine.

[suzuki san]

Hi Sanidhya,

Please just scrap it.

From someone who has tried 2 restoration projects on cars which were less than 18 years old.....Don't do it. It's just not worth it.
You need to have very deep pockets, lots of time and energy and a tremendous amount of patience to do this.

These days trying to find spares for even 5 year old cars is a major problem. Imagine trying to find spares for a 30 year old car.

Cheers,
SS

[Viju]

Hi Sanidhya

Wish you all the very best for this project! As long as you have an honest, knowledgeable mechanic on your side, this is very much doable.

Please stick to factory colors with black bumper, and original wheel covers. I am an 80’s kid, and have vivid memories of brand new Tata Estates going down the road. It was the closest thing to a W124, at least in terms of looks.

I agree with Condor. Please stick to a light color. White may be a bit bland and anonymous to be honest. Wish you would consider the factory silver as well, which shows off the long, straight lines really well. But please keep the bumpers, mirrors and door handles black and really hope you won’t be tempted to put any non-original stickers or decals on the car!

PS: I don’t remember if the bumpers were unpainted black or painted black, but I would leave them in the factory condition.