[anjan_c2007]

Congratulations for your successful efforts to locate the very car you learnt to drive with belonging to your uncle. Its a Mark 4 from 1986 and you can get spares from Kolkata, Mumbai and also from other select places from where we still have a supply chain though very feeble, unresponsive and sometimes costing a bomb too. Also some spares common with the Morris Oxford Series III can be imported from the U.K. especially a few cosmetics and the engine, mechanicals and transmission spares. The quality is much superior and costs are reasonable.

Facebook group U.K. link:-

https://www.facebook.com/groups/www....ibextid=NSMWBT

If your car has the original 1489cc/ 50 bhp BMC B Series engine it's OK. Else, as you say you would like to make it 100% original you can surely source a similar engine that is still available though scarce, and get it redone fully.

The B Series engine:-

https://www.magnette.org/tech-tips/m...-series-engine

[AmbyLSX]

Originally Posted by evolvo

I know restoration is kinda tough with all the logistics, parts and effort involved. However, if you’re going to take the effort to restore it, why not make it future proof and uber cool in one go

Over the past decade, I've daydreamed about countless directions to take this car. The options have ranged from an OEM or OEM+ restoration to a restomod equipped with a new frame and a high-powered engine (think 500+ hp NA manual), and even an EV conversion. I've even discovered U.S.-based shops like Moment that specialize in EV conversions for vintage cars. However, after much consideration, I've decided to stick with the OEM approach for several key reasons:

1) Since my uncle's passing, I've never had the opportunity to drive the car. I yearn to experience all its unique features again, like the diesel engine and the column shifter.

2) This car holds a special place in my heart, and I want to maintain as much of its original character as I can, at least for the time being.

3) U.S. import laws may be favorable for cars that are 25 years or older, but it's unclear what challenges could arise when importing a heavily modified vehicle, such as one with an EV motor.

By going the OEM route, I hope to preserve both the car's unique traits and its sentimental value to me.

In the future, either my kids or I may decide to steer this platform in a different, perhaps more modern, direction. While there are much faster options out there, my sports cars are manual. Call me old-school, but there's an irreplaceable, tactile joy in using a manual shifter—something increasingly special and rare in today's world (and a column shift even more)

Originally Posted by RGK

I think Coimbatore which is known for Auto Garages ought to have great technicians (tinker, painter and mechanic) and experts who can do great rebuilding.

Check with Alagendra Auto (Dr Nanjappa Road) about the availability of spares or on the other hand in the event that it must be obtained from Mumbai. Mr. Kannan who deals with imported Spares in Pudupet, Chennai, is a good place to start your search for Isuzu diesel 1.8.

I believe he has sold over 500 used Isuzu engines.

Thank you; much appreciated. I will reach Mr. Kannan to him over the weekend. I will need to source an engine and the necessary parts to cover back to the original column shifter.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Congratulations for your successful efforts to locate the very car you learnt to drive with belonging to your uncle. Its a Mark 4 from 1986 and you can get spares from Kolkata, Mumbai and also from other select places from where we still have a supply chain though very feeble, unresponsive and sometimes costing a bomb too. Also some spares common with the Morris Oxford Series III can be imported from the U.K. especially a few cosmetics and the engine, mechanicals and transmission spares. The quality is much superior and costs are reasonable.

Much appreciated. I plan on creating a list of parts and areas of focus as well as providing this amazing group with some pictures to determine the go-forward plan. More to come soon!

[dmaheshkumar]

Hi AmbyLSX,
Me too from Coimbatore and you can see my Ambassador and Qualis restoration thread. Kindly share your email ID, i will send the details. Because i am not sure whether i can paste the link from other forums.

In Kerala they do fantastic work if you need any alterations.
For Engine rework, Salem is one of the best place.

Overall you can do this but need to have lot of patience.
If you have any specific idea for restoration, so that it can be planned before the start.

[Mi2un]

My experience with fixing my Dad's Mark4 Ambassador has been a nightmare. Around 3 years back I decided to restore the car. We first tried to fix the mechanicals and installed AC for improving comfort. The car came with first Gen BMC diesel engine. However, the mechanic suggested to change the engine to a more modern BMC Stride, which apparently had better water pump and fuel pump (this would allow the AC to work better). The AC and engine work only took 2 months. However, we wanted to paint the car in a new colour after removing existing paint and putty. So the car was sent for denting and patchwork in a small shop. This patchwork took more than 2.5 years, mostly because the work was done by a single Denter (during Covid).Most big workshops refused to take the car in for denting and patching. Only very specialised workshops were ready to do the job but at a very high cost. The bigger shops have good denting and painting expertise. But only an experienced Denter/patch worker can bring back the shape of an Ambassador, which many of the big workshops dont have. So when you send an Ambassador to the bigger shops make sure the guys have previous experience working on them. Good luck

[Naetik30]

When my family owned multiple Ambassadors more than 25 years back in Coimbatore, there were multiple garages around Mettupalayam road that were the go to places for all Ambassador related issues. I am not sure how many of them exist now. This area is Sivananda Colony Road next to Annamalais Toyota and Renault showrooms.

[car love]

Congratulations!! Awesome story. Very few people get to fulfill their dreams.
Krishna's garage in Bangalore does an awesome job. Check out his Vinty restoration here

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-...series-mm.html (Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM)
Other places could be Autostarke, Thrissur and you could contact JayD on this forum. He's an authority on Amby's and personally has couple of awesome ones.

[RenuKumar]

I too have a similar story. Our family car was sold long time back and I am looking to find it and restore it for my father.

If anyone gets to see an Ambassador with registration number MYT2727 in any of the garages, kindly ping me.

[born.4thnov]

You are lucky. The vehicle is already in one of the meccas of car restoration - Coimbatore. You can easily find all the spares you require on Nanjappa road. I used to have a friend who was into car modification and restoration. I will definitely check and share his number with you.
Similarly, if anyone is able to spot a car TNU 1571 Amby Mark 4, please let me know.

[pistonpacer666]

Firstly, many congratulations on managing to procure the car, since many others I know who've been trying to locate their old cars have not been so lucky. Most of the Mark 2s and even Mark 3s as I understand have been scrapped.

I learnt to drive in my family's 1973 Mark 2 ambassador as well, when it had the original petrol engine from the 70s. We then changed the engine to a Matador diesel in 1993 and ultimately sold it and bought a Premier Padmini (Fiat) in 1995.

On your quest to restore the car (not sure about shipping to the US though). There's this place in Krishnagiri that does restorations and had recently restored the car used by the yesteryear leader Kamarajar. See article - https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...le67072625.ece

The garage is owned by Ashwin Varma, whom I personally know and the workshop has done a lot of credible restoration and other work too. You can try them out.

TorqueMax Automotive (@torquemax_automotive) - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/torquemax_automotive/

Wish you the best and happy motoring.

[kinetic]

@AmbyLSX: Maybe I missed it in this thread, but can you share what part of the US you are in? Based on location, the level of difficulty in importing the Amby will vary. For e.g. states like California and a few others require these 25+ year old cars to meet some emission requirements. There are some exceptions to the rule and plenty of fine print though.