[Sabareesh]

Originally Posted by antonjeeper

Please correct me if its not a Mahindra CL340?

I have a feeling that this is a cut chassis jeep. Too many things out of order from a regular CJ / CL 340. Do you have any underbody pics ?? if so, please post so that we can check and let you know.

Also, check for chassis number on the driver side long member just before the bumper starts. That may give you some clue.

[antonjeeper]

Quick help needed please!!

Can any experienced Kerala jeepers confirm whether a price quote of Rs. 2.5 lakhs which is negotiable, too much for a CJ3b these days in Kerala (I think its a CJ3B based on my reading different threads)?? The owner claims that he has changed the original Hurricane F-Head 134 petrol to a Peugeot diesel engine (XD3P?-are there any other diesel variants?) and says that its in good condition, 4x4.

Attaching some pics (sorry for the less detailed pics). Will get more detailed pics once I go in person.

Cheers!!!
Please help....

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear antonjeeper - please PM me your contact details, I'll give you a call. Please do not take any hasty decision.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[antonjeeper]

Thank you Sir..I guess I don't have enough posts for availing P.M facility. But please can you mail me at anthony_toch@yahoo.co.in


Kind Regards
Anton

[antonjeeper]

@ DHABHAR.BEHRAM


I walked out from the previous sale offer for the CJ3B in the pics given above. Although I couldn't P.M you due to a lack of posts, with the help of extensive reading from various threads from the Team-BhP website I managed to come up with a decision.

Although I was able to bring down the price quoted considerably and also the owner agreed on paying for the tinkering work himself (fixing basic electrical glitches, minor paint patch work). These were the reasons for walking out on that CJ3B.

1) Interstate (A.P) registration. It was still registered under the previous owner. A couple of vehicle dealers I talked to and another driving school agency advised me about the hassle behind transferring to Kerala regn and about the 1 - 1.5 month approx delay, (NOC issued to different RTO region) in getting over with the paper work, even if the owner had all necessary docs with him.

2) The owner claimed that it was a Peugeot engine. I think it is an XDP4.88 ( RC shows 1948cc & insurance shows 2523cc ??). Couldn't make out whether it was any other XD variants. I had posted some pics before, but for some odd reason it never showed up in this thread

3) The exhaust showed up some light-bluish-white smoke when it idled and during driving some sooty smoke as well. I now know that both scenarios are bad.

4) It had a 3spd T90 gearbox with T18 2 lever transfer case which seemed to need a major overhaul.

5) Even after flooring the accelerator, the jeep lacked both the initial grunt and speed. I guess it had to do with the differential ratios which I presume is on 5.38.

6)The paint work was starting to come off and the floor of the jeep's body under the front and back seats have started rusting seriously.

I guess I made the right choice although the final negotiated price seemed to be a good deal with relation to Kerala Jeep prices (although none of the kerala jeepers suggested a reasonable price after making a request !!)

Thanks to Team-BhP and expert jeepers for the innumerable informative posts.

Regards
Anton

[antonjeeper]

Hello there,

Can some jeepers from down South suggest whether parts are available for the F-Head Hurricane Engine at least for a few years down the line. I am yet to close in on a deal for a CJ3B petrol jeep (1971). Just a bit worried about the scarcity of parts and skilful labour. Any suggestions!!

help

Regards
Anton

[4x4addict]

@antonjeeper:

Firstly decide what you want the jeep for. Petro CJ3B's are best kept as a collectors vehicle. Parts are difficult to source and you need a good mechanic who knows how to tune it.

If you want a daily drive come off-road vehicle, I suggest get a decently restored army 550. No problem with parts or maintenance. Plus engine power is decent and it comes with disk brakes.

Avoid the crap CJ500 (converted to various things) for sale in Kerala. You cannot overtake an auto with that engine. If you prefer that shape, go for post 1998 MDI engine with 4+1 gear box.

I don't mean to be rude, but there is no point in posting random jeep pictures here and asking people on this forum. You have to understand that most jeepers on this forum will never by a CJ500 with 35 bhp engine so they will not be able to advice you on this.

Many people in kerala take an old CJ500 worth 75 to 80 thousand rupees, slap on a Major sticker and quote 2.5 lakhs to fool budding jeepers.

First let us know what kind of usage you plan with your jeep, then we can suggest a good option for you.

[yamaniac]

Guys,

I have procured a scrapped thar DI complete with Gear box engine and diffs.

The soul purpose of purchasing the thar was to source the goodies from it like the engine, Gearbox, clutch.brake assembly and the diffs.Which are in great condition.

I also currently own a jeep, A 91 Di with a 3 speed gear box. This is a stock vehicle and is running the same set up since it was purchased new in 91 by us.

The jeep is amazingly torquey and does a good top end of 80KMPH max. I have no complaints and This is my daily drive. The breaks on this sucks though. The turning radius is also not great.This vehicle has only clocked 33k Kilometers so far and is unopened.

My queries are:
Retain the existing engine "the DI" and just change the gear box to the thars 5 speed and replace with the OKBJ front and rear differential from the thar. How would this effect its performance.?

Will I need to change the crown pinion as well? Because the Thar DI is very sluggish? I dont want to drive a slug after the swap. What crown pinon should I go for? Will the existing crown pinion fit on to the new thar's diff?

What if i only swap the engine to the Thar's and retain the 3 speed gearbox? How would this behave?

I am not big fan of a top speed, I just want the jeep to have a good toque and a great mid range. I also use this jeep for off roading as well.

[LJP]

My Jeep Story: Mahindra CL 500 MDI 2004
I’m thrilled to share the story of how I finally got my hands on a Mahindra CL 500 MDI 2004 after years of searching. I managed to find a rugged factory spec gem that I couldn’t be happier with. The journey to finding it was as exciting as owning it now. Prices here are extremely high and many of the Jeeps I came across were heavily abused or modified.
I surfed the internet relentlessly. Finally, I stumbled upon a listing for a Mahindra CL 500 MDI 2004 in Rajasthan. The photos and description were promising, and I decided to investigate it further. The first step was to make an advance payment to not lose the opportunity. Moreover, I couldn’t inspect the Jeep myself because I'm currently based in Russia. At this time my brother kindly stepped in to help. He traveled to Rajasthan, inspected the vehicle thoroughly, and confirmed that it was in excellent condition and that we could move forward with the deal.
This Jeep was a factory spec model, not heavily used or abused something I was specifically looking for. It had run 140K as per the meter said. But it could be a little bit more since the meter was not working at that time. It had an interesting history as it was previously owned by a DGP, Director General of Police. But something was unusual, the registration was covering the period 2004-2024, which usually should be 2004-2019 (15 years of registration validity). If someone knows about the rules for police vehicle registration validity all over India or in Rajasthan please share. The current owner had bought it earlier this year, and we negotiated the price to 2.85 lakh rupees, which I found reasonable. In Kerala, it would cost me around 4.5 to 5.5 lakh rupees.
I also sought help from the owner to get it serviced because my brother was planning to drive it all the way. So, I spent around 20K on it which includes, engine oil, transmission oil, and differential oil replacements. The odometer and speedometer, which were not working, were fixed. All the lights were inspected and repaired to ensure everything was functional. The leaf spring set was restored to its original condition. The wipers and combination switch were replaced with new ones.
Once the deal was finalized, my brother embarked on the adventure of driving it from Rajasthan to Kerala. The journey spanned six days, during which he also enjoyed a leisure trip. The transportation costs came to around 40K which included approximately 15K for diesel, 5K for tolls, and other personal expenses. I managed to secure 3474, which matches the numbers on my Toyota Fortuner and Maruti SB308. It was worth every rupee to see that familiar number plate on my new Jeep. The registration process in Kerala, including the number booking, cost me around 18K including agent commission. To the total investment on this Jeep was 3 lakh 63 thousand rupees.
Now it’s home, I’m overjoyed with my decision to purchase this Jeep. The robust build, unique history, and the work I’ve put into it make it a prized addition to my garage. I can’t wait to take it on more adventures and share updates.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, especially on any further enhancements or upgrades I could consider for this beauty.