Restoration plans for a 2006 Maruti Baleno done 1.2 lakh km

The idea is to keep the car as stock as possible but incorporate mild performance modifications & revive the interior.

BHPian zacs recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It was just another morning, my lazy eyes were wandering while sipping the tea. The Ciaz is looking beautiful in its Nexa Blue with slight fog in the background. The black Baleno, the car that served us from 2006, is next to it. It was spellbinding how it was when it came home back in the day. I still remember how excited I was. The car in Midnight Black was a treat then.

It has lost most of its charm over the 120k km it has already put through. The paint is faded, the body lines are not aligned, the interior is waning. The headlights hardly throw any light, the spoiler is lost to a truck back in 2014. Only by crop luck and my overconfidence, this one passes for another 5 years in November 2021. I took it for a spin and on that drive, I decided to give this old partner a new life it well deserved.

This is going to be a resto mode, the idea is to keep the car as stock as possible like it is now but is open to some mild mods to increase the performance, drivability and revive the interior to its original glory. Here is my current list.

• Replace the clutch plate.
• Remove the LPG and all the wiring harnesses that came with it (It was very common then to install the LPG kit straight after taking the delivery, though this one hardly ran any kms on LPG).
• New bigger drilled or slotted rotors for better brakes, new pads and shoes all around.
• Fix leaks if any.
• Change all the lights.
• Cold air intake.
• Free flow (Automech have a silent setup in SS).
• New front and rear bumper.
• NGK Iridium spark plugs.
• Lower 3 inches.
• Spacers to make the wheels flush to body line (Want to keep the original 14-inch alloys after restoring it).
• Add spoiler.
• Dress the engine bay and boot (It’s a disaster now).
• Remove the shabby seat covers and revive the old cushion.
• Fix any rattling and add dampening.
• Full on body works, align the lines and repaint the same midnight black.

Here is the car the morning I took it for a spin.

Here's what BHPian Mr.Boss had to say about the matter:

Reconsider 10 & 11

• By lowering 3 inches you lose the practicality of ground clearance and plush ride quality.
• A decent aftermarket alloy will improve the looks, adding spacers (or altering the wheel offset) will add unwanted load on the suspension and body.

Apart from the above list, you may consider an ICE upgrade.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.