[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by vivekjayasheel

Hi Shubhendra, when you say "he", who exactly do you mean? To my knowledge, only Junaid is conscientious and knowledgeable enough to handle *some* jeeps. 90% of the people who buy jeeps from them, come back within a month to kill them, LOL. How do i know all this? Because for the first 35 years of my life, I used to live right opposite to their garage on Mali Maharaj Road (the one with the small ganpati temple in the middle of the road). My mum still lives there.

My last post to avoid dragging this thread further OT.
Vivek Ji,
He means Suleman Arab (old chap). I am not a fan of him either but question is who else you can go for getting your Hurricane or go-devil fixed. also person should have contacts to procure parts for your old jeep.Due to scarcity of options he is thriving and would continue to. Till we have someone who is as knowledgable as DB sir, with contacts to procure parts, honest, soft spoken, belive in originality, no Jugaad types and list goes on.
Till then get used to live with what you have.
There are many people (including me), who are living and breathing JEEP from years, but they need to work hard (commitments other than jeep) to take that breath.

Shubhendra Singh

[Twinn]

Originally Posted by jmvivek

1) The exhaust note was very different and pleasing to hear , sound felt like the engine had more grunt and tuned for .a rally. On enquiring , Sanay mentioned that the exhaust pipes has been modified to have minimal bends for proper flow. My question to experienced people out thereis, does this change the engine performance in any manner ? If it does change the performance, can anyone share a sketch on an ideal layout for the exhaust pipes for the XD3P..

Haa Lets break away from the Off topic discussions.

Vivek - Just like we have muffler modifications to the petrol vehicle, we can modify the same for the jeeps also. The mods done here are at the muffler, so there will be no impact to the torque of the vehicle, but we end up revving it for the pleasure of the exhaust note

I am not sure of the FIP, but let me tell you one thing. Always we Jeeper find other jeeps more powerful and trendy. that's the way we admire others beauty. Rest assured you have a great vehicle and with the new diff mods and all your jeep'l have good capabilities.

For now just try and get the vehicle back on road .. because of the mods you'l have few niggles to sort out before its perfect.

BTW what are you planning to do with the 540' diffs and tubes? Any plans to donate'm .

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Lester Pinto - at the end of all communications, the Jeep belongs to you so it is your decision. Vivekjayasheel is correct, I had gone there pretending to know nothing. The guys promised me the sun, moon, stars, planets and comets for a ridiculous sum of money which they expected me to just give them. They did not even know the difference between an MM540 and a Commander 750DP. For them, converting to 4WD is very simple. You have to put a rod next to the gear lever! .

As you are a Jeep newcomer, in my opinion, you should avoid doing any work at such places. I have saved your mobile number, I'll call you shortly.

Dear Shubhendra - thanks for your gracious comment, I appreciate. If you are in Pune, let's catch up sometime, send me a PM.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[pints12]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Lester Pinto - first of all, hello to you and congratulations on owning the legendary CJ3B which many (including me) are still aspiring to own. In my opinion, please do not change the petrol engine to diesel engine. Please overhaul the petrol engine and use it. As you have mentioned your base as Mumbai with your technician in Pune, it will be easy for us to meet. I am from Mumbai, I work in Pune. I want to see your vehicle. Please PM me your mobile number, I'll call you and guide you in totality, till then please do not do anything to your vehicle.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Sir,
Thanks for your reply i am still holding on to the hurricane engine i have mentioned my mobile number 9869864494 please let me know your schedule and i will make myself available

Thanks for your prompt reply and concern we should meet up in Pune the jeep is already with suleman arab i will be going there on 13th feb 2013 to take stock of the work in progress when we meet up will brief you in detail about the entire episode
Have a good day sir
God bless
lester pinto

[pints12]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Lester Pinto - first of all, hello to you and congratulations on owning the legendary CJ3B which many (including me) are still aspiring to own. In my opinion, please do not change the petrol engine to diesel engine. Please overhaul the petrol engine and use it. As you have mentioned your base as Mumbai with your technician in Pune, it will be easy for us to meet. I am from Mumbai, I work in Pune. I want to see your vehicle. Please PM me your mobile number, I'll call you and guide you in totality, till then please do not do anything to your vehicle.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Sir,
I am getting the Hurricane engine overhauled by Suleman arab garage at Pune my only worry is that he should not swap this engine with a Mahindra petrol engine i will be there in Pune tomorrow ,does the hurricane engine have a marking on the engine block or a particular alpha numerical embossing inorder to help identify the authenticity advice accordingly
Thanks and God bless
lester pinto

[vivekjayasheel]

Hey dudes, if any of you is visiting Arab garage, let's meet up! Beer on me.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Vivekjayasheel - although I would love to visit Arab Garage (I'll learn something new), I cannot as I am now "far far away" from Pune now (on work, you know!).

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[jmvivek]

Hello All,

First of all , apologies for not providing any updates on my jeep build since March. In-fact, I have not seen it myself in person for the last 3.5 months since I have been away catching up with some consultancy work. Meanwhile the work was entrusted with a dear friend of mind, and tings are nearing completion this month, although it was at snail pace since I left. Sad part is that I will not be able to take this jeep for the Wayanad OTR this time.

I am yet to see the jeep in person sometime next week. meanwhile my friend has send me the latest pics for my eyes to feast on the same. After a good days waiting on this regard, i get them on my mail-drop at around 11:30pm. I straightaway woke up my wife and started showing her the practical mods/design(that's what I feel at my end ) changes that I got my guys to do for me on my 89'er MM540XD. Poor lady sat through till about 10 minutes ago supporting my enthusiasm after a tiring day.

So here I am once again going through my build checklist and also posting some pictures for your review and suggestions. Spiky...Hope you are seeing this.

Upgrades planned/taken-up currently

1) FFRA conversion - using 53'' 2010 model Bolero 4*4 pickup axles. The the break housing part is being changed from the existing automatic type to older manual type as per mechanic's advise. - DONE

2) Front axles - 57'' OKBJ from 2008 pickup. - DONE

3) 5.38 differentials to be retained - DONE

4) Disc brakes, old small round-type booster(old pickup model) - DONE

5) RCBT power steering - Bolero type - DONE, but MRCBT Rane model as per the advise that I got from Suresh Stephen sir during 2013 BAOTR. I was telling him about the mods and about this PS thingy, when he mentioned that guys at my age should be bothered about maintaining your health and strength rather than complain about manual steering efforts. Since I come from an era where your first driving lessons were on an Amby with no power steering or a jeep if its on a hill range, I fully understood his good intention and pointers. Thank you Suresh Stephen sir...

6) change to 160 PCD - DONE , bought 6.5j 16 inch, new steel rims that used to come on old scorpios.

7) MM army type air filter. Change current oil filter to paper type to enhance air intake - PENDING

8) Fuel tank position under passenger seat, doubling the capacity using a custom built one with a reserve 6-10 litre feeder tank - DONE, yet to see the actual build quality(custom made).

9) Starter solenoid to be changed to the dual setup one - thanks to DB sir's advise - PENDING

10) Degassing tank to be setup. Hope I don't have to do anything different with an ac setup on this- PENDING

11) Need to change the existing water pump MM540 XD3P 2004 model type.The earlier one busted before last years Avalaconda and had to replace this with a duplicate one. haven't given any issues as yet, but I saw DB sir's point on the duplicates not having some of the inbuilt passages for water circulation. Don't know where to get this. Duplicates are available in plenty - Not being done, since existing one is found to be doing the job

12) add a PTO driven air compressor. - DEFERRED, will adapt when I install manual lockers eventually, if at all.

13) Replace the existing fan to the scorpio type viscous coupled one - DROPPED based on Santhosh's advise. Will add a electric fan with manual control/override for high range/high speed area.

14) Larger capacity alternator . Plan for an ac upgrade , if possible. Alternator position to be moved to the highest point - DONE, Bosch 120AH installed

15) See if I can add a RPM meter to my XD3P - DEFERRED

16) Skid plate for the leaf spring U-Bolts, Diffrential guards / skids - custom fabricate - DEFERRED

17) A practical Rollcage cum softtop frame - ROLLCAGE DONE, CUSTOM TWO PIECE SOFTTOP PENDING

18) Breather pipes to be be extended, both diffs, transfer case - PENDING

19) Seal all electrical - PENDING

20) Wiper motor to be changed from the existing single speed. Need suggestions on better ones that can ft the MM540 windscreen - DONE

21) Lights to be upgraded to the 140 watts type...need to refer to DB sir's post - DEFERRED

22) Rear innova seats as per Jyobeb's thread - PENDING

23) Coolant hoses to be changed to scorpio type - DONE

24) Winch plate/mounting to be fabricated as per Arka's specs in his thread. - PLAN TO GET THE MOUNT AND WINCH FROM DUBAI.

25) Spare tyre cum High lift jack holder, swing bar type to be fabricated. - DONE

26) custom make wheel arches to suit the wider stance(fingers crossed on the outcome on this) - DONE

27) Body work/tinkering/paint job - DONE/DONE/IN PROGRESS

Addons

1) Custom fabricate rear door - Drop down tailgate style. - DONE
2) Custom spare tyre holder with Highlift jack and jerry can holder- DONE
3) Custom lockable storage area with a flat bed option under rear front facing innova folding seats - DONE
4) NEW good quality MM550 windshield, mirror and opening mechanism - DONE
5) New Bolero type fuse box to be installed - PENDING, spares sourced6) Custom fabricate rock sliders flush fitting on the jeep side body frames - DONE
7) Reduce 1/2 inch on both sides as shown in picture to flush fit innova seats as flat bed style over the custom rear storage box. - DONE , as shown at the area on the picture attached below.
8) Custom fabricate bigger storage box/door near front passenger seat dash board - DONE, can accommodate a large laptop and all necessary accessories in a functional manner.
9) Custom fabricate top side panels for the two piece soft top,both above front doors and rear sides. - DONE
10) Custom 1.5 inch step style wrap around body finish to flush fit the soft top planned at rear - DONE, hope it turns out as expected
11) Also extended the flat bed under front seats by almost 1 feet towards rear to provide better foot rest for rear passengers and avoid squat style seating. - DONE

Will be posting the pictures separately as this one is a tad bit too long.. Seniors, experts, stalwarts, mates and newcomers - please do go through this posting and provide feedback , if needed.

Thanks and Regards...Happy Viewing

[jmvivek]

latest pictures on the current state of build. These pictures are from my dear friend who is overseeing the job for me even during his busy schedules. Hope the pictures justify the work explained in the previous post.

The custom spare tyre holder swivels to the right on a bush and bearing mechanism and locks to the left side. The top side bush threads on to the bush below the left bottom side of the tyre holder as shown in the 2nd last and last picture.

[jmvivek]

the places marked in red are the places where I have reduced either 1/2 inch or more . The tub part inside the arrow shows that the tub has been extended at that level by almost a feet to the back almost till the wheel arches.

[jmvivek]

The plan for a softtop lead me to the design on the side rear wrap around design on the top 1.5 inches on both sides. Hope this really work to my expectation and do good. Taking cues from the jeep TJ and JK for the final design/installation.
Please let me know where in Bangalore, I can source good quality clear vinyl window material that can withstand scratches to an extend. Help..Please...Help....Someone!!!Anyone!!!

Attached videos that inspired the current approach on softop on my vehicle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQPuedc3HQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwNjk0grxaU

[jmvivek]

Knock , Knock ...Anybody in there, anybody...somebody...HELPPP


I currently have the Bolero heavy duty shocks on all fours. i think its the rear Bolero shocks. I am not sure about the stroke length and the damping coefficients (rates) of Bolero heavy duty rear shocks - Gabriel brand. I am pretty happy with the current cambering of the leaves and they are pretty good on and offroad.

Now I need guidance from the gurus and experts on this one going forward. As shown in the figure below, I would like to know the optimum cambering for MM540 89 model with the 53" FFRA rear axles and 57" OKBJ pickup axles in front with disc brake. Also would need to know the optimum number of leaves in front with a 2004oilcooledXD3P engine and for the rear. I will be using the 160PCD, 6.5j steel rims with 16" AT/MT tyres. Prefer taller tyres rather than wider ones. I am looking at getting maximum articulation without disturbing the on road behavior.

Thanks once again

[sreejeshmp]

Hi Vivek,

I used 5 long leafs on front & 6 long + 1 short - 7 leafs on rear with Bolero rear shocks on rear & MM pik-up (old 540 front type) front shocks on front. It worked well & I hope you seen how easily That TN66 MM550 XD performed in BAOTR with the new owner on his First OTR with his first Jeep. But never use it as a load carrier .
with dog bone shackles from Vijay.


- Sreejesh

[svsantosh]

Vivek

Lots of upgrades and progress. To help in your immediate question...

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post3046573

Get the 8.24" Travel Bolero VLX Rear shock on all 4's for your jeep. For # of leafs, try with 6 in front and 5 in rear, I know it sounds reverse but will be soft in long run. I am hoping you will not be doing heavy hauling with the jeep, plan for a softer ride quality and frequent leaf cambering. Costs less.

And Since you are going to use the jeep PURELY for OTRs, go for the MAX possible camber (should be around 5.5 - 6"s), and you will flatten them after 1 proper OTR. Then recamber them to your preference.

Regds your vinyl query for soft top - NO vinyl material will withstand more than a few proper forest grade OTRs. It will shred away. Go for a Tarpaul material if you are serious about a long term soft top. Not much fun in a topless jeep, long term you will get over it.

PS - Since you are going the full green mile, why not look at some BODA 540s and their permanent hard tops, custom metal solutions like a rally gypsy. Will cost a bit initially, but paisa vassol in long run.

[sreejeshmp]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Vivek

For # of leafs, try with 6 in front and 5 in rear, I know it sounds reverse but will be soft in long run. I am hoping you will not be doing heavy hauling with the jeep, plan for a softer ride quality and frequent leaf cambering. Costs less.

SVS what will be the handling of the jeep with 57"OKBJ + 53" FFRA on a C-section Chassis with 6 on front & 5 on rear ? that too on full of ghat roads in Coorg ?