[rajeevn]

Hi Friends,

This is a short and (hopefully) sweet story of how a Maruti Gypsy 1.3L has been reborn, giving the vehicle (and its ageing owner) a fresh lease of life. I have had a Gypsy before, actually two of them, and have driven this brute of an off-roader for nearly 10 years. That was when I was young, in my 20s, when little things like a bumpy ride, an often sore back, lack of pulling power and a thirsty engine were tiny niggles that were happily taken in our stride.

In today's day and age, with technology having taken firm hold and the line between SUVs, MUVs, LUVs and sedans blurring into non-existence, why would someone want to hang on to a rustic past? Many of my friends asked me this question, and the only answer I had was a stupid, toothy grin, followed by many one-liners, none of which made sense to them, but all of which were holy grail to me...

Some sample one-liners:
1. "I like seeing it in my drive-way, parked nice and pretty, waiting for me."
2. "I like driving it and enjoy its bouncy feedback to the smallest of bumps."
3. "I like the way the wind musses up my just-combed hair when I drive it to work sometimes."
4. "I like the way people stare at me at traffic signals, after many, many years!"
5. "I like it when young bikers ask me to race, and I floor the pedal for a bit and the FFE roars..."

And so on... Well, it made sense to me.

This, then, is a story of how this...



...was turned into this

[rajeevn]

Teaser over, let's get to the nitty gritty of the rebuild. The car we picked up was a soft top, canary yellow in color.

What I was clear about was the car needed to be white. There's nothing more inspiring than a Gypsy MG413W in gleaming all-white.

However, it was not to be.

"No way", said the lady, "it has to be red".

Me: "RED?! Why do I need a red Gypsy?! We have already got a red car. You forced me to go for red when we bought the Laura."

Her: "I didn't force you. You drooled like a puppy when you saw that maroon shade in the Skoda showroom and decided yourself."

Me: "I don't drool... Period."

Her: "Oh yes, Sir, you do. When you see a car that gleams and catches your attention, your eyes go misty, your breathing rate increases, your tongue hangs out, your nostrils flare and you go drool."

Her: "By the way, you also do all these and drool when ...[edited]".

Me: "Okay, okay. I get the point. Don't rub it in."

Her: "So long as you agree on red, i will stop the rubbing. And the ribbing."

Me: "What about a compromise? White body. Red Roof."

Her: "On one condition... It also has to have red graphics on the bonnet."

Me: "On one condition... White air scoop on the red roof."

Her: "Hmmm. Okay. Provided the front grill mesh is red."

Me: "Okay, okay. I will go with that provided that the roll cage is white."

Her: "Done."

Me: "Done2."

That was it. We shook on that. And laid the natty chatter to rest.

So that's how the color combination was arrived at. White & Red.

Other things that we decided the car should have (including some rally specs, lest we decided to go for rallies and the autocross[es] at a later stage):

1. Two-seater cabin;
2. Roll cage;
3. Sparco comfort seats;
4. Tachometer;
5. Aluminium floor cladding (no rubber mats, please);
6. Extra fuel tank;
7. Rally-ready alloy wheels;
8. Yokohama Geolander 215s;
9. In-dash kill switch;
10. Bonnet and tail-gate restraints;
11. Hellas and spots up-front; &
12. Air-conditioning.

With this list on an Excel Sheet, the work began. here are some before and WIP pictures to set the stage...



















And this here is the person who did most of the priming and painting work. Gem. Always smiling.



Bodywork done, cabin built and the roll-cage in place, the buffing was done to ready the Gypsy for the coats of white.

Here's some pictures of the white going on in stages... There were five coats in all.



















That done, the red happened for the roof, the front grill mesh, and the bonnet graphics. To get my own back, the roof air scoop, the front grill and the roll cage were adorned in white! Post that was the rubbing, polishing, teeny weeny jobs and then the Gypsy started coming together again. The dashboard came back on first after all the wiring was redone; the bumpers came back on; as did the bull-guard, which was fitted with the Hellas and the spots; and the extra fuel tank at the rear, along with the requisite motor and pump (to transfer the fuel to the main original tank).

Next on was the aluminium floor cladding, the rally pedals, the in-dash kill switch, the tachometer, the co-driver's map-reading light. Finally, the basic audio system and the air-conditioning. Game on!

Here are some pictures 'while and after all this'. The first two are of the brute at the workshop, getting the final touches...





The next few are of the Gypsy below the house, waiting for me to rev her up...













And finally, this is the inside of the cabin. This is what I see when I am in the cabin...







And that, my friends and fellow TBHP-ians, is how this White & Red wonder happened to me.

Thanks, and I look forward to your feedback on the same. And yes, I will be posting pictures of the brute when I take her for out-of-town drives and to the auto-cross next week.

She drives like a dream and brings back memories of some 25 years back, when I had my first Gypsy. It's great to let the hair down and go for a drive in the late evenings, when Delhi roads are kind enough to let me take her up to the 4th, sometimes even 5th gear.

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[Samar117]

Congratulations on your Gypsy. In our family, we've had 2 gypsys as well, a 1.0L and a 1.3L. And I can absolutely relate to every single one liner you've written as to why one would want one. The Gypsy will always be the mountain goat of a car I covet the most. When I was looking for a pre-owned vehicle, Gypsy was top priority, but due to budget constraints had to settle for a Fiat Adventure( a brilliant car in it's own turf though! )
Wishing you many many miles OFF the road, because that's where this beauty shines.
Cheers.

[karan561]

Hey rajeev,

Your Gypsy is indeed reborn & how

I really like the white & red color combo.

Also a nice touch with the steering wheel refurbishing & those bucket seats.

Originally Posted by rajeevn

8. Yokohama Geolander 215s;

You are running Yokohamas & you have "HANKOOK" decals, i think re-badging would be cooler

[rajeevn]

Originally Posted by Samar117

Congratulations on your Gypsy. Wishing you many many miles OFF the road, because that's where this beauty shines.
Cheers.

Thanks, Samar. Yes, I intend to do just what you are professing; take the brute off-road, and enjoy what only this vehicle can give. A bumpy but exhilarating drive over non-roads, with no worries about the suspension taking a beating (for there is NO suspension to really speak of!).

Originally Posted by karan561

Hey rajeev,

You are running Yokohamas & you have "HANKOOK" decals, i think re-badging would be cooler

Karan,

Right you are about the decals, and yes, I pledge to have this corrected this weekend, when I get some time to indulge!

[Desmosedici]

Congrats on being reborn . A Gypsy thread always brings a smile to a fellow Gypsy owner. Love the way the AC vents have been done up so neatly. You have used aluminium plates at the rear, have you also used the same on the front side as well?

Color combo of Red and White is looking fresh. Congrats again.

[ashphil]

Congratulations on building and owning such a beauty!
All the one liners on why you want a Gypsy make a lot of sense to me. My wife of 27 years just dosent understand why I fuss around my 1993 MG410 so much. She says just get a Thar and be done with it. Here's to many more miles on our respective Gypsies!
Regards,
Ashok

[Twinn]

Very Nice one. Congrats @rajeevn.

If at all you get hold of another grill, keep it black and red and check out how will that look on your brute.

BTW can you help me with the wire from which you are reading the RPM for the Tacho? Is it a brown wire connecting to the ECM or anything else.

Will check with Aman also on this. I loved your Dash setup, it looks quite cool infact

[codelust]

Congrats on the reborn Gypsy. Had a feeling that I have seen this one somewhere before; remembered it was on another forum. Red and white is an awesome combo.

Even without seeing the sticker, it is easy to identify the AA finish. His band of boys are good, they took good care of my Gypsy when I got it. Unfortunately, they are way too far off for me to get my 413W looked into regularly.

My Gypsy, though, is more of a touring vehicle than a city drive. But whenever I do take her out to run her a bit, it is like falling in love all over again.

If you want to stretch her legs a bit without driving 100 KMs out of Delhi, take her out on the Faridabad-Gurgaon road early Sunday morning.

[kavesh55]

The Ac fitment loks clean as OE. Dint you experience power drop with the Ac on, considering its only 1.3L engine.

[TwistOfFate!]

Congrats on your build Rajeev ji. Looks great in White and Red!
Great set of alloys you got and they complement the look of your machine.
However, is it safe to have the extra fuel tank right behind the driver's cabin? I'm just a novice in all these aspects. Ignore if irrelevant.
Everything looks so good. The tyres, the alloys, the color combinations, the tacho, the map-reading light, the interior etc. The only things I found to not gel with your machine are the cross marked stickers on the front headlights and the front mud-flaps. Please get rid of them. IMHO, they add no aesthetic value to your ride.
Need further information and pics regarding the mechanicals, articulation, suspension, brakes and the overall performance of the KING!
I wish you all happy miles with your restored possession and quite a number of OTRs in the near future.
Regards.

[Kandisa]

"NEAT" is all that i can say about the build up. Everything looks so proper and nice color combination at the end.
BTW, do you/other gypsy owners have any idea where to source that housing in which the Audio HU and lighter socket is installed? IIRC, this is a standard accessory for the Gypsy. Have been looking for this unit for some time, but no success so far.

[vroom666]

A very good built Rajeev. Looks awesome - except for those front mudflaps. I have somehow never liked that look on Gypsy's. Anyway its a personal opinion and if you find it good leave it as it is.

BTW your Gypsy seems to be having more of the made-for-Rally looks than for offroad usage Do you plan any other offroad related mods?

[desertfox]

I am very much interested to know how the AC performs in this vehicle.
I had installed one in my Gypsy MW413 with fuel injected engine, MPFI.
However I had faced umpteen problems with engine overheating whenever the A/C was turned on.