Convertible Zen / M800: A Proposed Hack Job...

[prince85]

Originally Posted by elf

I sold the Esteem after 16 years in Feb of this year. .

16 year old Esteem???? Esteem was launched in late 1994 soo at most it can be 12-13 years old if you bought it in 1994 itself, but 16 years then its surely a M1000.

[elf]

Apologies - bit of a faux pas on my part, due to the lateness of the hour & the effects of prescription drugs...

It was one of the first M1000s, & was bought in Sept 1991, into which I dropped a modded Esteem engine during May 2005.

That makes it 14 years old 1000 / Esteem, & you, correct.

[GTO]

Elf, If you want a small convertible, why dont you check out the San Storm? Its got great reviews on Team-BHP, and is fully compatible with your sense of humour!

On a serious note...dont perform a chop-job on regular cars. The end-product will be a creaky rattly piece of junk, with extremely compromised safety and handling.

[speedzak]

ELF!!! Sir GTO has given a nice piece of advice I believe. Chop shop job is not reliable unless you have the heart for it.

And heard there's a new version of San Storm to be launched soon. Wanna be the celebrity to recieve the first keys of those??

[Dippy]

Go for the San Storm elf

Rest assured by me and GTO that you'll have a ball of a time in it

After all we've test driven it

[elf]

The desire, per se, is not for a convertible. It's for having something to do in my spare time - inspired tinkering, so to speak. The convertible bit would make wifey happy as well, so she can have the soft top on & complain about wind noise & water leakage.

Although getting a nice ride for free is always welcome, the San Storm doesn't appeal to me - it's too feminine & looks quite delicate delicate. Also don't much care for the lines...

What I need is a nice butch M800 / Zen in metallic mauve with the top lopped off.

The challenges lie in getting the finishing & engineering right, painstaking hard labour (performed by others, of course, while I sip chai, smoke cigarettes, & bark instructions), & getting in accordance with the laws of the land, all within a tight budget. It's a mountain I feel I must climb. Call it a quest, a jihad.

Simply going out & plonking the cash down for a nice midnight blue 645 convertible won't make me happy. It'll make wifey verrrrrry happy. But not me (OK, OK, shaddap! I admit - I'll be ecstatic, but don't have the aforementioned cash to plonk down).

Most importantly for you guys, I'll have less time to spend on the forum typing about cars & generally making your lives miserable, & actually building a car & making your lives more miserable with envy.

Somebody please mail me the complete RTO rules if possible.

Thanks.

[2L8uLoose]

Elf... I would LOVE to join you in the barking orders/sitting drinking chai/smoking cigarettes part and giving you all sorts of (im)moral support that you need.
I agree with you COMPLETELY about the storm being too much of a Namby Pamby kind of car.. theres one parked permanently in my building, belongs to the editor of a mag.. one of the JAUNDICE YELLOW Color with the black rag top.. looks like a shrunken taxi.. but WORSE looking.
Go for the Zen dude... Im behind you all the way...(but not too close ok )

[tsk1979]

Get an indica from the fist batch sold(Pre V1).
I assure you no matter what chop chop you do on it, you cant make it worse. To be on the safer side, make sure its being through multiple taxi owners.
1. You will get it for 20K
2. You cant ruin it further, no matter what you do.
3. Even if it turns out to be hellish(I have full faith) you wont feel bad.
4. Maybe your design is inspiration for Tata indica Elf edition

[elf]

You're most welcome 2L8. However, since there shall be sponsorship slots involved, the barking orders / chai / cigarette bit is no longer up for grabs. Both Phillip Morris & a Sinhalese Tea conglomerate are in neck to neck competition with one another, vying to give me money. They get to sip / smoke.

Still have a slot open for vehicle donor, if you like.

[elf]

@tsk1979: Wifey (elfey) hates Indicas / gos, & the Tata Pasta (Marinara).

If I get one, she'll probably do the job herself with a sledgehammer or maybe even her fists (yes, my love has a temper).

Also, I wouldn't need to buy a used one & not worry about screwing it up. Tata pretty much does that themselves with brand new cars.

After all, the Tata is the automobile manufacturer with the largest R&D department in the world - The Great Indian Public.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Get an indica from the fist batch sold(Pre V1).
I assure you no matter what chop chop you do on it, you cant make it worse. To be on the safer side, make sure its being through multiple taxi owners.
1. You will get it for 20K
2. You cant ruin it further, no matter what you do.
3. Even if it turns out to be hellish(I have full faith) you wont feel bad.
4. Maybe your design is inspiration for Tata indica Elf edition

HAHAHAHA Look who's talking!! And all you guys say I complain about the Indica

Originally Posted by elf

@tsk1979: Wifey (elfey) hates Indicas / gos, & the Tata Pasta (Marinara).

If I get one, she'll probably do the job herself with a sledgehammer or maybe even her fists (yes, my love has a temper).

Elf - Thank God someone in your family has taste!!

Originally Posted by elf

Also, I wouldn't need to buy a used one & not worry about screwing it up. Tata pretty much does that themselves with brand new cars.

After all, the Tata is the automobile manufacturer with the largest R&D department in the world - The Great Indian Public.

Couldn't agree more with you!!

But on a serious note even though I personally hate this idea but I say since you are so driven to it, go for it. I'll lend you some support that you need for this venture!!

[2L8uLoose]

Originally Posted by elf

Still have a slot open for vehicle donor, if you like.

Um... I don't think so elf.. as much as I would like to.. I left my spare car keys in my other jeans today...
Though you could (AGAIN) ask ole Sam if he's up to giving you a car ONLY if you promise to paint it JBL orange and out an INSANE music system in it with speakers coming out the ying-yang....
And I TOTALLY agree with your lady love about the quality or lack thereof as far as all the TATA cars go.. they should have stuck to making Trucks and Buses.. after all you don't hear their drivers complaining about creaking and squeeking noises now do you

[jesal]

is it possible to chop the roof only of the zen itself. i want it like webasto sunroofs. the 400 series sort. i have a zen which is mostly a spare one. what i want to do is chop the entire top and put a manual softtop kind of thing still there. no chopping the a and b pillars. something like in the pic attached. dont want to spend a lot.

[Mpower]

Maybe V12 can help you. He's been down this road before.

Check it out:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...00+convertible (Pics : 2 Door Soft Top Maruti 800)

[speedzak]

Hey!
Elf, elf, elf.
Did you just see that? You're not the first moron to do that man! Now, why dont we all hit a trip to this v12's place? That piece of admirable work should be your one stop shop for clearing out all the doubts you have. What say?