A Jeep At Last. Now What??!!

[V-16]

My childhood dream of owning a short chassis jeep has finally materialised.
On the day of the last Fiat Classic Car Club meet last Sunday, on the 8th of June 2008, I rushed after the meet to get hold of my most recent purchase, A Mahindra 3JCB, Petrol RCL (Recoilless gun) Jeep.
It was owned by a dear friend and a Team Bhpian who earlier, wanted to restore it but had second thoughts for some personal reasons.
Thats where I stepped in and now its getting a new lease of life.
My only concern being, I dont know a lot about Jeeps. Thats where a lot of you friends will hopefully be able to guide me through the restoration, especially the dos and donts.
The objective is to get it in spanking original condition.
Its rear was originally equipped to carry a 106mm Recoilless Gun therefore it comes with a sort of stand/holder for tha gun and a split windshield. Through which the Gun protrudes. Im not going to be able to get that so I will probably convert the rear for seating for two.
The next thing I want to do is to fit a soft top on it with the rag doors.
Heres a link to a page on a similar project undertaken. This page has been very helpful to know what this jeep is all about.
Mahindra Military Jeeps on The CJ3B Page

Im posting some pictures of the jeep with its markings from the auction which I cant decipher. Maybe someone will be able to tell me what year it is and so I will know the vintage of my Jeep.

Some pics:

My first Look a few months ago and it was love at first sight.



After a lot of thought and consultations from Jeep owners on the forum and elsewhere I went ahead with the purchase. Ready to be taken for its restoration.







F-134 Hurricane?




No identification plates, nothing. Where do I find on the Chassis and Engine their respective numbers?
Can anyone make anything of these markings? I think only the one on the front flat fender will reveal anything if it will. Is that an 81 near the up arrow, Surely that means its a 1981 model. The book says "Model Not known"






Split Windscreen



Housed in my garage. Work In Progress.

[nitrous]

Why fear when we are here, Gogs!
Im glad u finally got a jeep. And trust me, we could do her up in record time. Trust me!

PS: Did you notice who owns the Air force Jeep?

[V-16]

Originally Posted by nitrous

Why fear when we are here, Gogs!
Im glad u finally got a jeep. And trust me, we could do her up in record time. Trust me!

PS: Did you notice who owns the Air force Jeep?

Thank you my friend, knew i could count on you. Hope i was in WB to be able to send my Jeep to the famed Mr. Anirbhan Sinha.
Yes I saw the Powder Blue Air Force Jeep.
Also sourced a brand new carb as per the details you had given. It costs a mere Rs. 1800/- brand new. Im loving it.
Please Jeep Wallo, please, please guide me along this restoration.
The engine has since gone for a rebuild.
I was wondering where to get the black out lights for the front and rear.
Also wanted to source a three spoke steering wheel of the older cj3B a la Willy's and want to retain the split wind screen
Was also contemplating a winch.
But first to get it into running order.
Also I want to fit a M606 light on the fender as it looks cool. What is your advice on that?
Also I hear that the brakes on this thing are lethal. Should I at this stage only change to the MM540 drums??
HEELLLPP!!, Arka, Nitrous, Gto, Behrambhai and all those who can.
Samurai's thread on his jeep has helped a lot, will be cross referring there too.

[aah78]

Wow! Jeep fever's really caught on at Team-BHP!
She's gorgeous V-16.

Don't worry, let the weekend pass, and the experts'll be along to help you ASAP.

[DirtyDan]

Just my 2 rupees here, which I submit to you humbly, a complex project is still made up of simples. Perhaps you could make a simple ordered list of, say, 10-20 or even more things of exactly what to do and when in the restoration process and submit it to Arka, GTO, 4x4addict, Samurai and whoever for their review and advice. Cosmetic things come last. Motor and brakes come first. Stopping and going are kind of important. This way you will stay on top of the project easier and also be less likely to lose money to sticky-fingered mechanics.

I have a nice mental picture of what this thing will look like when finished. Pretty darn cool! By the way, I have the recoiless rifle and amunition that will fit if you want it. Traffic will part for you.

[Samurai]

Congrats. Wow! It even has a rear mounted engine.

Well Gogi Bhai, your acquisition is way more daring and your restoration work will be lot more interesting. When it is complete, it would be a real accomplishment. I think your thread will teach lot more about Jeeps than mine. I will be glued to this thread, do update this thread regularly with lots of photos.

[headers]

Originally Posted by V-16

My childhood dream of owning a short chassis jeep has finally materialised.

Great Original jeep. Are you retaining the Petrol engine or planning a diesel conversion?

First get her sand blasted and tinkered, painted and then mount the engine. That way, you would ensure that your body / chassis does not have any rust!

[phamilyman]

Ha ha.

Dan, you are one evil man. That would be ONE mean machine. Imagine even the call center cabs making way

btw, since you were considering the govt jeep, want to know what you think of bolero. Loved the darn thing, except for the going and stopping. Its lethargic - compared to most cars! :( Can it be improved? !!!

[headers]

The bolero is a good machine and is not to be compared with cars! They are lethargic then.

But where they excel is in bad roads, overloading with 20 people, etc where one need not care much about the vehicle.

[phamilyman]

That is true boss, but if it spends a decent time in Delhi as a runabout, and good portion on arrow straight highways before it gets to the himalayas, I want more grunt. ofcourse, the ride quality was SUPERB! Gave it some of the worst roads in gurgaon and it just went like stink! But near the main roads, getting overtaken by all bikes wasn't fun - thats what I do to others!!

Seriously, is there anything that can be done? else I would've already bought one by now!

[theMAG]

To paraphrase from a cricket commentator, " When its hit - it stays hit". Here, its Safaris and now Jeeps. Congrats Gogi-bhai!

[headers]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Seriously, is there anything that can be done? else I would've already bought one by now!

You could plonk the old Scorpio engine in the bolero to get more grunt! - 110 BHP. You should be able to source one cheap too!

[moralfibre]

Congratulations Gogi. Nice find and I remember Speedy also picking up something similar right?

I wish you could have a dummy recoilless gun and drive around town in this?

[kurmist]

Congratulations on fulfilling your dream V-16. There are some people who see things and see "what is". There some, who see things and see "what could be". You truly belong to the second group.

All i could see in the pictures, was a rusting shell of a jeep, but you obviously have seen the end state in your mind. More power to you!!

(maybe i need to kick-start my imagination??)

[trrk]

Hi,

> Can anyone make anything of these markings? I think only the one on the
> front flat fender will reveal anything if it will. Is that an 81 near the up
> arrow, Surely that means its a 1981 model. The book says "Model Not
> known

I am making a guess here.

The markings above the wheel looks like the amount of air to be put in the tyres with kg cm etc and a second set starts with 25 - could be for the front and back respectively.

Army (military) vehicles numbers start with an upward arrow and a number. I doubt it would be the year of manufacture of the vehicle.