[jeepster]

hay HARJEEV

i think you should change the name of your thread to

mm540/550 works manual by harjeev

because i have never seen a detailed project like yours.
it will be very helpful for me & all the fellow jeepers who are working or will be working on their jeeps & mahindras.

[Parm]

i would like to see M&M 540/550 in their original shape rather than being converted into clones!

nothing like the original....cheers:

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by Parm

nice to see the rubi shaping up to a clone of the Big jeep from yankee land.

hope the support for the springs last long....really long!

cheers:

Originally Posted by Parm

i would like to see M&M 540/550 in their original shape rather than being converted into clones!

nothing like the original....cheers:

Pram, I couldn't agree more with you on the above statements. I somehow have never fancied converting or changing the original looks of a vehicle, although my cousin never loses an opportunity to remind me that my jeep should be different and everyone is driving an army spec so how would mine be any different etc etc etc.
I but I just want to keep it as basic from the outside with just a couple of fogs lamps in the front bumper and maybe on the side of the front mirror a little protruding on the outside so that the top can come down and not so much that the extend beyond the outside RVM's. And on the back I am planning to add some bars, maybe a combination of the pics that ive attached.
These pics were posted on TBhp and I think that I can repost them. I am not claiming ownership, and if I am not right, MODS PLEASE EDIT THIS POST









Also can someone please help me identify the tyres in the MM550 pics. As these were mounted on army rims, they look good too. Other than this I was also thinking of putting Yokohama Geolanders AT-S maybe 275 70 R 16 or NDMS patterns 7.00 X 16 ?? Any Advise / Suggestions
I am still open to all suggestions advise but till now I have not finalised on anything, the only thing I am not able to put my mind on is what variant of green should I go for.



Or maybe the original Indian Army darker green

Originally Posted by Salikt

Hi Harjeev,

Your enigne looks pretty good after cleaning! So when did you get your jeep ready then?

Thanks for the ruby pics and update! I was really waiting for that snaps!!! getting superb day by day... can't wait a lot to c the final product..

Please don't forget to visit there on Sunday ok

Also thanks for the cost of Fenders... I will check here in the seconds market, for the same from an original Wranger

tks/sadiq.

If all goes well and as per plan I expect my jeep to be ready by the last week of Jan or the 1st week of feb

I can't tell you how eagerly I am looking forward to visit the workshop on sunday!!!

Originally Posted by Nitin

Those wheels complete the Jeep effect! Good luck with the project,Harjeev.I hope everything works out just fine.
For the love of Jeeps! cheers:

Thanks nitin

Originally Posted by desideep

Harjeev the jeep is taking a real good shape. though i am a fan of the stock looks of 550 but to see a Rubi on the NCR roads would a great idea.

I am a fan of the stock looks too.

Originally Posted by jeepster

hay HARJEEV

i think you should change the name of your thread to

mm540/550 works manual by harjeev


because i have never seen a detailed project like yours.
it will be very helpful for me & all the fellow jeepers who are working or will be working on their jeeps & mahindras.

Thats a really good one jeepster
and thanks for your comment they man alot

[desideep]

Harjeev Bhajee why not go for the Army white, or a pearl white. i am sure it would look bling bling and for sure different.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by desideep

Harjeev Bhajee why not go for the Army white, or a pearl white. i am sure it would look bling bling and for sure different.

Hi Thanks but the kind of picture I have in mind is miles apart bling bling. I posted the pic of the hyderabad jeep as I want the rear bars somewhat on those lines. Apart from that I would like to keep it as stock and simple as possible.

[jeepster]

Harjeev

the rear bars on those 550s are not practical.
you will have problems to remove tyre & to open rear door.


how about these


its only suggestion.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by harjeev

........I was also thinking of putting Yokohama Geolanders AT-S maybe 275 70 R 16 or NDMS patterns 7.00 X 16 ?? Any Advise / Suggestions

Harjeev,
I think you will not get the NDMS of your specification and the normal NDMS pattern will look too small for a 550. Yoko Geolander, though on a higher price side, will be good allround tyres. Besides there are options of Michelin, BF Goodrich and Goodyear Wrangler A/T tyres.
Thanks for the Rubicon pics, but I think some more attention needs to be given to the bonnet and windshield region to make a good replica. The coil suspension job is really unique, it now remains to be seen how reliably the set up performs.
Regarding colour, my suggestion is better to stick to the army green shade, if possible a mat finish. But you probably need to paint the chasis and lower regions in black (exact military replica colours are legally not allowed for civilans I guess). You can check out pics of Pushkin's 550. That has an amazing paint job.
Lastly, nothing like seeing a 540/550 project nearing the completion. I can very well understand your excitement. Sleep well
-With regards,

[testdrive]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Also can someone please help me identify the tyres in the MM550 pics. As these were mounted on army rims, they look good too. Other than this I was also thinking of putting Yokohama Geolanders AT-S maybe 275 70 R 16 or NDMS patterns 7.00 X 16 ?? Any Advise / Suggestions

The tyres on the Hyd Jeep pic you posted are BFGoodrich A/T R15s. BFGoodrich sells only one A/T tyre for 16 inch rims, i.e. 235/70R16 - MRP is about Rs6400 - Perhaps not wide enough for your liking. Goodyear Wranger does not come in R16 size so that is ruled out.

NDMS 7.00x16 or 7.50x16 are very difficult to source. MRF supplies 7.50x16 only to the army. We would need to identify some big MRF dealer or contact within MRF who can help with these tyres. Some dealers in Punjab have agreed to arrange for these tyres but are asking for double the price (original cost Rs.2500 / asking price Rs.4000 - 5000). I have given up on this option...

Yokohama A/Ts are also very good. I recently bought Geolander AT-S 255/65R16 for my Safari (Rs.6500 with bill/warranty). I plan to shift these tyres to the 550 that I am planning to buy in Feb/Mar'09. I'm not sure if 275/70R16 should be put on the original army rims (they will create a ballooning effect). I think Pushkin is using this size on his 550 original rims - has the ballooning effect which he does seem to mind. I my opinion you would need wider rims to accomodate such wide tyres.

There are also some cheaper chinese options like NANKING, not sure how good or bad these are... maybe you can explore in Karol Bagh.

All the best on your Jeep project. My cousin in Moga has picked a 550 which he is preparing for his use. He will most likely sell it in Mar'09 with me being his first customer.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by jeepster

Harjeev

the rear bars on those 550s are not practical.
you will have problems to remove tyre & to open rear door.

its only suggestion.

Thanks jeepster. the pics are indeed great and I will think about it.
Also I am thinking to permanently close the tail gate. Its more of a hassle and the feedback that I have received is that the noise with the tyre mounted on the back never goes away. I had a Gypsy and was really fed-up with the tailgate. Many times driving on the highway the hinges came off and some of my luggage fell off.
I f i go for the bars like the 550 ones they are screw on types and can be taken off when the tyre had to be removed. Also my cousin is doing something unique with the Rubicon at the back for the luggage and if I like it I might do the same. Lets see

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Harjeev,
I think you will not get the NDMS of your specification and the normal NDMS pattern will look too small for a 550. Yoko Geolander, though on a higher price side, will be good allround tyres. Besides there are options of Michelin, BF Goodrich and Goodyear Wrangler A/T tyres.
Thanks for the Rubicon pics, but I think some more attention needs to be given to the bonnet and windshield region to make a good replica. The coil suspension job is really unique, it now remains to be seen how reliably the set up performs.
Regarding colour, my suggestion is better to stick to the army green shade, if possible a mat finish. But you probably need to paint the chasis and lower regions in black (exact military replica colours are legally not allowed for civilans I guess). You can check out pics of Pushkin's 550. That has an amazing paint job.
Lastly, nothing like seeing a 540/550 project nearing the completion. I can very well understand your excitement. Sleep well
-With regards,

Originally Posted by testdrive

The tyres on the Hyd Jeep pic you posted are BFGoodrich A/T R15s. BFGoodrich sells only one A/T tyre for 16 inch rims, i.e. 235/70R16 - MRP is about Rs6400 - Perhaps not wide enough for your liking. Goodyear Wranger does not come in R16 size so that is ruled out.

NDMS 7.00x16 or 7.50x16 are very difficult to source. MRF supplies 7.50x16 only to the army. We would need to identify some big MRF dealer or contact within MRF who can help with these tyres. Some dealers in Punjab have agreed to arrange for these tyres but are asking for double the price (original cost Rs.2500 / asking price Rs.4000 - 5000). I have given up on this option...

Yokohama A/Ts are also very good. I recently bought Geolander AT-S 255/65R16 for my Safari (Rs.6500 with bill/warranty). I plan to shift these tyres to the 550 that I am planning to buy in Feb/Mar'09. I'm not sure if 275/70R16 should be put on the original army rims (they will create a ballooning effect). I think Pushkin is using this size on his 550 original rims - has the ballooning effect which he does seem to mind. I my opinion you would need wider rims to accomodate such wide tyres.

There are also some cheaper chinese options like NANKING, not sure how good or bad these are... maybe you can explore in Karol Bagh.

All the best on your Jeep project. My cousin in Moga has picked a 550 which he is preparing for his use. He will most likely sell it in Mar'09 with me being his first customer.

Regarding the NDMS
you are right its very difficult to source but I went to a tyre dealer in Mayapuri and he had a Apollo or Vikrant NDMS pattern 7.00x16 and was asking 3750 for the one tyre. Not worth spending so much extra.
I also agree that the 6x16 will look too small for a vehicle of this stance.

Now I can do 2 things
1st is that I get the NDMS 6x16 now which will cost me about 12000 for a set of 5 tyres put it in the 550 and drive it for a couple of month. In the meantime I will have the CJ3B ready, shift these tyres in the 3B and then go for good tyres and alloys in the 550 like the Yokos.
2nd option is that put the yokos in the army rims now like Pushkin and drive the vehicle around. This will atlease give me a good grip and then whenever I get my hands on good alloys swap them with the army rims and maybe put the army rims in the 3B.
I like the second option better. What do you all think??

BTW I have seen pushkins jeep and Does the ballooning look so apparent??







Kandisa I have decided to coat the underbody and the chassis anyways with anti rust which is black in color.
The body I like the Indian army green but if I do the US army green is a slight variation and also will not get me in any trouble with the law. Lest see. And the Matt finish is very difficult to maintain and get dirty very easily.

[testdrive]

Originally Posted by harjeev

I like the second option better. What do you all think??

I think 255s will be good enough for the 550...

I have Aura 16" alloys fitted with Yokohama Geolander AT-S 255/65R16s on my Safari. If you want to try this setup on the 550, you can fit one of my wheels on your 550 (or Pushkins) to see the effect!

[randeep04]

Hi Harjeev,

The tyres on the Jeep pics posted by you look Ballooned. As I mentioned to you earlier its better if you keep tyres similar to the stock on the army rims. That is incase you dont want to increase your budget. The army rims are not ment for wide tyres at all.

The Rubi's coming along very well, cant wait to see the final product.

Cheers !!!!

[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by testdrive

Yokohama A/Ts are also very good. I recently bought Geolander AT-S 255/65R16 for my Safari (Rs.6500 with bill/warranty). I plan to shift these tyres to the 550 that I am planning to buy in Feb/Mar'09. I'm not sure if 275/70R16 should be put on the original army rims (they will create a ballooning effect). I think Pushkin is using this size on his 550 original rims - has the ballooning effect which he does seem to mind. I my opinion you would need wider rims to accomodate such wide tyres.

To put 255/65R16 the rim size should be 7x16 to 8.5x16
and for 275/70R16 the rim size should be 7.5x16 to 9x16

The original rim of MM550 is 5.5x16.

To know more about this concept, pls go thought the below link where many useful detail are given about the tyres....

Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 2 of 2

[harjeev]

Thanks testdrive
If I am not wrong isnt your name Preet? If you remember we had a talk once regarding the 550 which your cousin picked up. If your are not Preet, then this is a strange coincidence!

Thanks for offering me to try out your tyres on my vehicle but my 550 is in the workshop and as you can see from all the pics all opened up.
But thanks for the idea. I too have original VX alloys in my safari and these too have been made by Hindalco(Aura). The tyres are too exactly same in dimensions. I have 255/65/R16's. So I can try on these and see the ballooning effect. But for that I would have to wait till the 550 complete vehicle is ready and we can test it with the weight and everything.

@testdrive; @randeep
But please do tell me what do you think of pushkins jeep in the pics that I have attached. Do they look too bad and if I put the same will it have any adverse effect on the tyres or the vehicle when driving at OTR's? I still have not been able to understand what the ballooning effect is all about and how does it hamper the vehicle or the tyre?

@narean
Thanks for the info. Ill check out the site

[Ricky_3007]

Hi Parm / Harjeev,

I am also planning to keep it simple and want to keep the same army green color . I think the shade is Olive Green . Am I right (I worked with Asian Paints for 5 years.

Tarkesh

[Parm]

harjeev you can also go for US Army khaki colour for your jeep if you want a different look for it.

in the photos you jeep does stand apart, dont go for too much of bling bling on it!

cheers: