[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

I am glad you commented here... believe it or not I was thinking of you sometime this week, after a series of oil changes and on a open highway with no one by my side, I was pushing the jeep thru each gear... It was like, 20, 40, 60, 70, 90+ thru each gears, with the comfort of a super chill AC and a insurance policy of the disc brake and a complete steel tub around me- I was actually beginning to realize what you have managed to accomplish!!!

Congrats on the acquisition Santosh. The vehicle is in pristine condition and seems to have been lovingly maintained by its owner. I would recommend you fit the mechanical transfer case that BD is suggesting. I will go a long way in increasing the reliability of the vehicle, especially in slush and water fording situations.

OT: A silver Armada Grand was the first vehicle I saw with working power windows and I was simply amazed. Those were the days....Sigh.

[svsantosh]

thx dev - please read more in shiftster.com - its a cool thing to have...

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EDIT

As i typed this post i received a mail from my US buddy - he received the courier - yipee, am getting it on may 1st week...

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Hi Sutripta, how does one do that! I've been wondering for long, as my Jeep has an error of about ~25% due to upsize tyres.

Work out the ratio needed (ie number of cable rotations needed for 1 Km.) Get hold of the old Yenkay price list. There the ratios of the various speedometers were listed (as a W=xx value). For Dhanush, choose the appropiate one. (80 mm common size)
For Santosh, with this knowledge, go to a speedometer repairer/ old mechanical taxi meter calibrator. They have a bucketload of worms and pinions to set it up the way you want.

Originally Posted by svsantosh

I learnt the OE bulbs have a greenish output? Electrician said he will put white ones this time to enhance visibility

IIRC, the greenish colour comes from a greenish acrylic 'light pipe'.

My thoughts on the Grand/ Bolero SLX 4x4 can be found at
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post1810216
and
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post1831769

Regards
Sutripta

[svsantosh]

Electrical work done as follows:

1) Dash speedo lights accessed and found the stupid plastic glove like cover on top of 3 bulbs - removed it and refit - now speedo is muchhh more readable!!

2) Extra 2 minda highway lights fit in the front with a 100/90 bulb setup - enough to blind few people in high beam!

3) Extra fan on radiator grill operational - will use when needed

4) 1 Cell charging point added to dash

5) Windshield Wash facility now working

6) POWER window hit a major roadblock - Read on

2nd day of purchase, on a maiden drive to a hotel with friends the rear left door window got stuck and wouldnt budge, had a mind of its own and started working later!! Today again it got stuck and after a few hours of playing around decided the motor is DEAD and went shopping for a manual setup - got it for around 290Rs for the manual winder, (yet to source glass channel&beading) then suddenly it worked and closed shut - decided to leave it there.

Went out in evening for dinner and suddenly the front 2 showed signs of physical scratch somewhere inside - made a line on the sunfilm!!! And the friction is putting stress on the motor - decided enough is enough - GOING for FULL MANUAL WINDING on monday morning - its TINKER time (it seems no mech, electrician does a window motor/winding fitting job...!!) Good I still talk to my tinker of the RED CJ - appointment taken for monday...

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Dada -
1) Couldnt make out FIP Make... will a pic help?
2) AC Gas - no idea again! how to find out? Will compressor pic help?

[svsantosh]

After all the oil changes and greasing and FWH install - this Sunday was the 1st proper outing for the Grand. Me, wife and little one went on a 40Km One way trip to a nearby forest range for a lunch invite - not your regular boring-restaurant-starter-maincourse-dessert kinda food

It seems my mechanic had prayed to a rock that if his 1st child is a boy he will sacrifice some livestock and make curry out of it and feed a bunch of drunk people - to which I was game!!

In other words, I wanted to honor my mech and his little brother for their services to me and my friends/jeeps by just eating their humble food - for what ever belief they may hold... hey and why would I turn down free cold barley water on a 35+centigrade day...!!

Off we went in my Armada's Current AvaTar



So, this is the temple or a rock as you may see it with just few trishuls and no idol whatsoever - wonder what they pray here?




Thanks to a nice tree, er, lunch hall, we just put the boy inside a cotton saree and let him sleep inside...



So a few men and women started cooking...



Clean shaven dude on right is actually a junior Chef in Crown Plaza Electronic city, bangalore, one of the cousins of my mech.

We needed to fetch water by foot, I decided to follow the boyz



Found it - this was our cooking and drinking water for the day



On the way back the boyz showed me this and coolly walked past it - i nearly died of a heart attack!!



This is the view from the dung place!!



Food is ready - thank you 3 Goats



Within a minute the whole gang ensured discipline in making a circle with my son still inside the saree!!



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Overall it was ~100Kms drive, no overheating on hill roads at all, even checked the new fan for extra cooling, never needed it after all the minor mechanical work done on axles and new oils...

[madhkris]

Wow Congrats Santosh!! Its been truly said that a Jeeper is Lucky!! Such a rare find and am sure that it will turn out into a Gem in your hands!! How's the little one enjoying the new Jeep?
Whats the GC of the grand? We know of the approach angles of the 540, is it similar in this? Any plans for a Tyre upgrade? BTW whats the wheel size and the PCD?

[svsantosh]

Doc - little one enjoying the space inside, definitely bigger than a nano and space is well used for all on-the-move nursing requirements...

GC - not sure
Approach and Dep angles not much of a diff, but Bad BOA!! thinking what to do, its got to be tyres or shackles or SPOA - not sure and nothing in immediate future... will enjoy some soft roading for time being,

Wheels - 215-75-R15 160PCD (cant use jeeps rims here)

[mitrajdeep]

Congrats Santosh,

Absolutely love the raw , rugged and rough look of the Armada now. Do you plan to install bumpers in future ?

Was that elephant droppings there ?

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by mitrajdeep

Absolutely love the raw , rugged and rough look of the Armada now. Do you plan to install bumpers in future ?

Was that elephant droppings there ?

Thx MJ... may be in future, but removed them currently to save them from any damage in OTRs. And yes - it was a day or 2 old elephant dung, just 50feet away from the forest temple where we camped and cooked and ate!!

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Power windows TATA, say hai to manual winders!!

Parts 1700, labor 400Rs (2100Rs total, pricess peace of mind)

[Sutripta]

^^^
Was the window winder mechanism taken off an old vehicle? Because the knob seems discoloured, which happens in older vehicles.

Anyway, I think I shouldn't comment on your vehicles. 340 - I tell you your clutch will freeze up, and it did. AG - comment on the power windows, and you know what happened!

Regards
Sutripta

[svsantosh]

The knob is new, a local make costing only 30 odd Rs. I think it comes on a Indica.

And please dont stop commenting on my machines, it is worth every word to learn from ex-owners of these old jeeps.

[Sutripta]

^^^
Hi,
Indica? Didn't you use Marshall's innards?

Regards
Sutripta

[Grace]

Sv,
One of the pics show the maruti 800 fan fixed on outside of the grill. Why don't you make a bracket and fix it on inside? Or is there no space inside the grill cause another fan is in place for the AC condensor?

Andy

[asdfvinay]

Originally Posted by Grace

Sv,
One of the pics show the maruti 800 fan fixed on outside of the grill. Why don't you make a bracket and fix it on inside? Or is there no space inside the grill cause another fan is in place for the AC condensor?

Andy

I think you are talking about the pic which was taken during the installation. Armada grand has another grill outside this internal grill. See the pic in this page which shows Santosh's Armada in it's current avatar, with the fan covered by the external grill.

[prabhuav]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Thx MJ... may be in future, but removed them currently to save them from any damage in OTRs. And yes - it was a day or 2 old elephant dung, just 50feet away from the forest temple where we camped and cooked and ate!!

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Power windows TATA, say hai to manual winders!!

Parts 1700, labor 400Rs (2100Rs total, pricess peace of mind)

Santosh , congrats on a good buy. Any particular reason other than tightness that you chucked the power windows for?

I am thinking of going the other way on my jeep.