[Aditya]

Thanks to Sunu Babu for sending this restoration story in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

After working in the IT industry for 11 years, I was waiting for a unique 4-wheeler which I could restore, when I found a Daihatsu Wildcat TAFT F20. The vintage beauty was abandoned in the corner of a workshop at Aluva market. I wanted to wake this sleeping beauty and bring her back to life.

The Wildcat was a victim of not one, but two floods and was untouched for 9 years. It was completely rusted, without a carburettor, distributor, cylinder head, radiator, dashboard, seats and windshield glass - just a piece of scrap metal. It was owned by Jijo Joseph, a vintage car collector based at Aluva and was initially imported from Dubai. It is a very rare and unique vehicle, probably the only one in India.

I started with restoring the 12R engine and hence, dismantled everything. Ordered parts and engine rebuilding kit from Japan and Indonesia and started assembling everything from the scratch. The 1.6-litre petrol engine fired up on the first attempt itself.

The auto body mechanics struggled with the scrap car since they hadn’t had another vehicle like it before to work on. But, I appreciate their patience to build the body and the outcome. I love the design of pick-ups, so made the Wildcat cabin closed making the car a two-seater. When it was ready for painting, the first thing which came to my mind was the yellow-white combination of the Toyota FJ40. The glossy yellow stands out in a crowd with pearl white on the roof and steel rims. Some of the Wildcat’s unique features are:

• The original indicators and rear lights have been imported from Columbia.
• The original steel rims of 6J width have been customized to 9J to accommodate wider MT tyres.
• The dashboard has been built out of teak wood and new meters have been installed.
• The steering wheel has been pulled out from an old Willys and the steering rod customized for it to fit.
• There was no wiring kit available for the Wildcat. So, the expert electricians designed the wiring from the scratch.
• The bedliner has been built out of mahogany wood and steel strips have been installed between each wooden panel.
• Seats have been custom tailor-made.

It took 2 years to build this beast, but it was worth spending time on. Giving life back to something which was abandoned made me very happy!

Technical Specification of Daihatsu Wildcat TAFT F20:

The term "TAFT" stands for "'Tough and Almighty Four-wheel Touring Vehicle"

The 1.6 L (1,587 cc) 12R was produced from 1969 through 1988. It was also built in the Philippines as the 12R-M by Toyota's local affiliate Delta Motors Corporation.

Technical Specs:

• Four cylinder, 4-stroke, OHV
• Bore × stroke: 80.5 mm × 78 mm (3.17 in × 3.07 in)
• Compression ratio: 8.5:1
• Maximum power: 90 PS (66 kW / 89 BHP) @ 5,400 rpm SAE

[shankar.balan]

What a lovely story. What a true labour of love.
Great Going Sunu Babu!

[Excommunicado]

A picture is worth a thousand words. This particular post emphasizes this statement. As for the costs, I think I know the answer.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

A lot of efforts have gone in bringing back the vehicle from dead! Congratulations to the team and the owner for thier perseverance!

One question - what would be the intended use? Only off-roading or will it also see highway rides?
Asking this because this is a left hand drive vehicle and may not be very easy to drive it around.

[Jaguar]

For a moment I thought someone had created a thread about the Golden Nugget Restoration that I was following. See the video below. Pleasantly surprised to see such a project being undertaken in India. Kudos to everyone who worked on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryNMsRsxv4Y

[AnishRanjan]

What a fantastic story. Looks like a mini Toyota FJ 40. The looks are immortal to be honest. Please need more pictures, specially interiors and details of post restoration experience with the vehicle.

[Gypsian]

Would be glad if you post some videos too. This is rarest of the rarest in India. Please shed some light on the drivetrain of this vehicle, as it appears to be 4WD. Are the stock drivetrain parts retained?

[SandyX]

https://www.indulgexpress.com/cultur...ire-41327.html

You never know when you will find your spark in life. Ask Sunu Babu, a resident of Kakkanad, Kochi, and he will talk to you about this serendipity at length. Even as the pandemic confined everyone to their homes, Sunu’s love for vintage machines kept him up and alive. On July 23, 2020, he was walking around Aluva market past midnight looking for the object of his desire.

Many onlookers may have smirked at the man, assuming he was mad. But little did they know he was looking for a vintage four-wheeler abandoned in the corner of a workshop at Aluva market. One of his friends had told him about it. When he finally found it, it was something out of a movie. “It was raining and I admit it was love at first sight. When I first set my eyes on the Daihatsu Wildcat TAFT F20, it was almost whimsical,” he says. ‘TAFT’ stands for Tough Almighty Fourwheeldrive Transport. Manufactured between 1974 and 1984, Daihatsu is one of the oldest Japanese automakers.

After working in the IT industry for over 11 years, Sunu started his venture Petrolhead Customs around five years back. The company deals with customisation and restoration of motorcycles. But he was always in love with jeeps. “My first off-roading experience on a jeep was at Kudajadri when I was seven years old. I was very excited to watch the jeep climb. By the time we reached the top of the hill, I had decided that I would get a jeep. Years later, I went on the same trail on my jeep,” recalls Sunu.

After he started working, he saved up enough money to buy a 4x4 - A Mahindra MM540. “I started exploring lesser-known places, staying in tents. I visited Kudajadri in my jeep too. I also ended up owning a Land Cruiser from the LJ79 series,” Sunu says.

However, of all vehicles he owns, Daihatsu Wildcat TAFT F20 holds a special place in Sunu’s heart. It has been through two floods, lying in the Aluva market unattended like a piece of scrap. “It was completely rusted. It didn’t have a carburetor, cylinder head, radiator, dashboard, seats, or even a windshield. A day after I picked it up, I found the owner, Jijo Joseph, a vintage car collector based in Aluva. He had imported the vehicle from Dubai, but even he doesn’t know where it was before that,” says Sunu, who claims it might be the only Wildcat in India.

New and improved
The restoration of the Wildcat began two years back at SuperBee Automobile Union, a garage in Edappally owned by Sunu’s friend Azrif Rasheed. Sunu started by dismantling the entire unit and restoring the 12R engine. Since it was an original vintage vehicle, the spare parts and engine rebuilding kit had to be come in all the way from Japan and Indonesia.

“I started assembling everything from scratch and the 1.6 litre petrol engine fired up in the first attempt itself. The mechanics struggled with the body of the vehicle since they haven’t seen anything like it before. I love the design of pick-ups so I closed the Wildcat’s cabin, making it a two-seater. When it was ready for painting, the first thing which came to my mind was a yellow-white combination of the Toyota FJ40. The glossy yellow stands out in the crowd with pearl white on the roof and steel rims,” says Sunu.

The original indicators and rear lights were imported from Columbia. Wildcat’s original steel rims are 6J wide but Sunu customised it to 9J and put MT tyres. The dashboard was built out of teak wood and new meters were installed. Likewise, the steering wheel was pulled out from old Willys and customised for the steering rod to fit in.

Since, there was no wiring kit available for Wildcat, the expert electricians from the city designed the wiring from scratch. The bedliners were built out of mahogany wood. “Bringing something like this vintage machine back to life was an experience in itself,” Sunu says.

[AKSen2015]

Originally Posted by SandyX

https://www.indulgexpress.com/cultur...ire-41327.html

Attachment 2339586

Wow. This looks so awesome. I mean it's compact and I'm sure is competent enough to tackle what's off the road.

The pictures of the before and after are like magic. Kudos to everyone who contributed to bring this to life. Honestly the paint job stands out and makes it immortal.

[Jeroen]

Awesome story! Great little car! Thanks for sharing

Jeroen

[knightfurry]

Wow! I was in the process of restoring my Dad’s 1986 Ind-Suzuki AX100, had given up a month back. This story has inspired me take up the project again.
Please do share interior photos.