[Jaggu]

When someone lives abroad for a decade and a half and then it is time to return to India; there is always this dilemma of what all stuff to bring back? The hassle of sorting, packing, shipping... and finally the customs means, the stuff that goes into the container has to be carefully selected and should make sense to bring down. Usual stuff would include the personal belongings, furniture and maybe some electronic appliances. Very rarely would a vehicle brought down these days, we have all the right choices that one would need and the import duty does not make any sense at all.

But Guru Kulandaivel was not one of those regular NRI, he was clear and he wanted something special, something that would bring back the americana memories back with him. What better than his beloved Jeep Wrangler he thought and that is what he opted to add to his list.



This is a V6 3.8 liter, auto box, 5 door version that he bought in 2010. Was used to go offroad, especially during the hunting season in the wild west of the US of A. He ensured that he added loads of aftermarket goodies before shipping her back to India. The list is long, couple of pages long

PS: Pics courtesy Guru and the iPhone

[Jaggu]

Let us start with the exteriors, the original wrangler is quite a head turner in stock form. The overall proportion is just about right, is big but not that overwhelming that one gets intimidated to drive on our relatively narrow roads. Guru decided to go one step further and here goes the list of modification added.



Warn Winch - VR8000 fitted on SmittybiltGen 2 Front Bumper & LED Lights - OPT7 18w Cree


Rubicon 10th Anniversary Dome Hood & Kevlar Anti-scratch paint


Nice rubber latch for the front hood


Truck-lite Headlamp & Anti flickering harness


Smittybilt XRC Front Fender Armor, rear ones also are the same brand


Smittybily XRC Rock Guards and Smittybilt XRC Side Armor


The front roof is openable x 2


Very flat and clean cuts and ridges to give it an extra bit of rigidity


Side profile, with the black and red combination, the proportions are well hidden


Body Armor Rear Bumper


Smittybilt XRC Rear Fender Armor


Offroad Antenna & Rigid Industries D2 Series LED Lights


Hi-Lift Jack 48" & RotopaX RX-2G Gasoline Pack &Teraflex Mount


Close up of SpyderLED Tail Lights


Toyo 295/60/R20 A/T Tires sitting on that tail gate


Fuel filler neatly hidden from all the muck getting splashed, thoughtful design


CURT Rear Receiver Hitch, helpful for towing or taking along a camper

[Jaggu]

Interiors

Pretty much stock affair in here, some pictures to share how it feels inside the jeep.

Standard dash that welcomes you


Center console is basic but functional, comes with an integrated head unit. Quality is top notch!


The cluster has all traditional meters in place. Switch gear is oriented for Left hand drive.


The openable front roof and Switch Pod (sPod)


Front seats are spacious and comfortable, though seating is little on the lower side


Rear seats but can get little claustrophobic with the high doors closed


This is a very neat integration of the rear speaker set that houses the interior lights also


Rear roll cage neatly covered with fabric


Boot large enough to accommodate all your offroad or camping stuff.

[Jaggu]

Engine has not been modified and is running the Superchips Tuner and a K&N 77 Series Cold Air Intake Kit.


OPTIMA Red Top Battery.


Driveline

Get's the basic set of goodies that are needed to take one offroad without any risk of getting stuck or breakages.

• Front & Rear 4.88 Gears
• Front & Rear Detroit Truetrac Locker
• Sleeve Axle Heavy Duty Gussets
• Tom Wood's Front & Rear Drive Shafts
• B&M Automatic Transmission Cooler

The V6 is smooth as a silk and vibe free, i had taken a small spin on tarmac and power seems adequate. Though the automatic transmission is not something that i would term as spirited.

Suspension

• Rubicon Express 2.5” Lift Kit w/ Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir Shocks
• Fox Steering Stabilizer
• Rubicon Express 1.75" Front Coil Spacer
• Teraflex Front & Rear Adjustable Track Bars
• Synergy Chromoly Tie Rod
• Front & Rear Chrome Alloy Axle Shafts
• Synergy Ball Joints
• Front & Rear Bearing Kit Upgrade
• Rugged Ridge Cowl Body Armor

Rubicon Express 2.5” Lift Kit w/ Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir Shocks


Fox Steering Stabilizer


Rear shocks with reservoir, you can see the braided brake lines.


Front & Rear Detroit Truetrac Locker inside ARB Differential Covers & Lube locker Gaskets


Rugged Ridge Cowl Body Armor gives underbody superb protection


Fox Steering Stabilizer


Toyo 295/60/R20 A/T Tires


High performance Brake Kit Upgrade - Slotted Rotors & pads


XD811 Wheels & Chrome Locking Lug Nuts (sits inside the cover i guess) & Tire Pressure Monitor Sensors, rear rotors are also slotted


Other small bits i missed capturing.

• Mopar Door Entry Sill Guards
• Rugged Ridge All Terrain Jeep Cargo Liner
• Rampage 3D Mesh Grille
• Portable Air Compressor
• Teraflex Hi-Lift & Rotopax Accessory Mount

[Jaggu]

Some shots of the jeep in the wild

Looks best from the front for me


Infact the front 3/4 th is the best


It is a long wheel base version with 5 doors, but the rear quarter in black is making it look small


Front end articulating and the mud splatter thanks to those bikini wheel arches


Rear is equally good when it comes to articulation


And those wheel arches helps in accommodating those big tyres


And you thought that was it, well no there is this little camper which was also brought down from US


Can sleep two and has TV too


Kitchen and a sink too, perfect for cooking up something in the wild


The man in his camo hunting gear and his mean machine

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the 4x4 Section. Thanks for sharing!

[mayankk]

Wow!!
Those interiors and a dirt chugger too! Thats the kind of car that makes you want to quit your job and wander off.

Oh, how many times has he been stopped by people asking him where the bolero was modified?

[desertfox]

A right hand drive Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from the US ? Do they sell it there ? or was it specially ordered ?

[4x4addict]

@Jaggu, nice write up. Hats off to him having made the effort to bring down the real deal.

If Fiat can get off their lazy backsides and launch this, they can double the footprint in fiat showrooms.

Originally Posted by desertfox

A right hand drive Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from the US ? Do they sell it there ? or was it specially ordered ?

RHD Wrangles were available for the Postal Department.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by desertfox

I dont understand. Postal department ? Why do they need RHD Wranglers or any other RHD car.

From the movie Men in Black II they make you believe it is staffed by Aliens, but otherwise this is as baffling. Which country has RHD on the entire continent ?

To park next to the mailboxes, and drop in the mail without getting out, or not getting out into traffic(?)

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by desertfox

A right hand drive Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from the US ? Do they sell it there ? or was it specially ordered ?

Yes

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

RHD Wrangles were available for the Postal Department.

Yes

Originally Posted by Anand123

Now, that's something unique! Since its from USA, I assume this was originally a LHD and now converted to RHD, right? Any idea about what was the customs duty when imported under TR?

No it was not converted, i checked with the owner now. He mentioned the mods being done did not include the conversion (as i originally thought). Infact the RHD ones were sold for rural postal deliverys and that is how he procured it.

Duty was whooping 20x % !!

Originally Posted by mayankk

To park next to the mailboxes, and drop in the mail without getting out, or not getting out into traffic(?)

Yes in rural areas, apparently. Worked out well for Guru.

Apparently it used to freak out people, seeing a RHD on the roads but thankfully cops never stopped him

[vivriti]

Postal delivery vehicles are usually RHD. Makes it easier for the postman to get in/out and pickup or deliver mail to mailboxes in front of houses.

They do have RHD Subarus too.

[Twinn]

That's a mean machine. I wonder how is he going to manage the raising petrol cost in India. The owner might be one happy driver. Loved the setup on the machine, looks like he just got out of the Outdoor shopping malls (T-shirts to Guns to Boats all under on roof) that you find in USA. Jeeps here are a pretty expensive affair thou and with all that modifications under that machine, its quite obvious the owner wanted it with him wherever he goes.

Here in US driving a right hand drive vehicle is not illegal and there is no (monetary) penalty, but Newer vehicles will have to pass modern U.S. safety standards but classic automobiles won't require any modification is what I heard when I spoke to a couple of car enthusiast who had RHD's.

The main issue is that they are impractical here. Passing vehicles on a two lane road would be exceedingly difficult and dangerous as you would be unable to see if there was any oncoming traffic until you were almost fully in the oncoming lane.

Additional problems would be utilizing any sort of drive-up convenience such as toll booths, restaurant drive up windows, atm machines, or bank teller windows unless you have a passenger who is capable of handling your business for you.

[khan_sultan]

What a tastefully done vehicle. Loved EACH & EVERY bit of the mods done on this red monster. The trailer is like the icing on the cake and one can spend months on the road with this vehicle doing go-anywhere cross country expeditions.

Never seen a front bumper like this one. Though will splash mud all over but still an interesting design.


Did you drive and take it off-road, Jaggu?

[motorpsycho]

Firstly hats off to the patience of the Guy, I had read another thread wherein a fellow member got his SV650 flown down to India on TR, the thread highlighted the frustration of importing a used vehicle.

We would greatly appreciate if you could detail, what entails getting a vehicle imported into India on Transfer of Residence.