[Rajith]

Friends, After endless night searches i got a chance of owning one of the last piece of Mahindra Major 4x4.He was found in the ravines of Chambal's stressed.
Carried him back to silicon valley of India on a truck like a caged Tiger !
Below picture was took on 05-01-2021 some where in Madhya Pradesh at a Mahindra ASC to start with.

Please wait to see his work in progress and final roll out picture's in upcoming posts.

[Rajith]

After a four long days of truck transit Major got rolled out at outskirts of Bangalore. Brought him home for a night and next day it was driven to
Gods own country Kerala for a complete restoration Phase-1 !


Jeep drove from Bangalore to a local town in Calicut district negotiating highways, Wildlife sanctuaries and Steep Ghats without any fuss.

Observations found during initial ride - Hi Steering play, Both propeller shaft Yoke/Milling and star rattling's, Body vibrations, Hard clutch, Poor Breaking, Poor tyres, Poor Battery, Hard shocks and list goes on..

Work carried out.
Got all Silver and Golden parts re plated, Chassis, Under body and full body repainted ,Front and rear differentials serviced and changed the bearings with other serviceable parts. Brake Drums, Shoes, Disc and Pads with all 4 shocks changed, Both propeller shaft got new stars with Yoke+Teeths. Flywheel ring, clutch system, top and slave hydraulic assemblies changed , Dressed with new upholstery, soft tops, mats. Fixed new wiring kit, Starter & Alternator serviced, Amaron Battery, Combination switch, New steering wheels with Leather wrapping, 5new tyres with rims,4 OE fenders, New Registration plates ,All new Light fittings, New OEM Diesel tank with pipes, New engine sump, New Steering box assembly with ends, All new meters, Mirrors, Charging points, Fresh oils every where, Dash cam etc.

** Don't get scared by seeing the amount of spares removed. Will have a happy ending.

Likes.

Head turner with Strong presence on & off road, Nostalgic feelings , Got latest spec of di turbo bolero 4wd , hungry engine sound, Evergreen design , Ready to conquer look.


Dislikes.

Poor safety for Passengers & luggage's(When compared to todays standards), Easy to steal , No power steering or doors , Poor seating position with original seats.


Took 6 months from date of purchase to complete phase -1 restoration, many visits to work shop and had a total expenses of 8.5lac INR including Jeep cost with replacement of all possible parts.

Recently drove him to Wayanad for a spin, as expected he behaved just a like car. 100kmph on Bangalore Mysore express hi-way was a breeze.

Phase-2 to follow

Rolling out at Bangalore after a long haul.



Reached calicut workshop and got stripped.



New Clutch assembly.



Old Clutch assembly.



A pic from rear end.



Differentials opened.



Spares to change.



Chassis and Engine rejuvenated.



Side view.



Chassis close up.



Engine close ups.



Engine close ups.



Engine Bay.



Engine Bay.



Glowing meters.



New Wheels.




Interior.



Coffee break.



At home RHS.



At home LHS.



Wayand hills.



Wayand hills.



Wayand hills.



Wayand hills.



Wayand hills.



After a quick spa at Bengaluru.



After a quick spa at Bengaluru .



After a quick spa at Bengaluru.

[GTO]

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

Going to our homepage tomorrow morning

[ashis89]

It looks like a specimen fresh out of the factory. Excellent restoration!

The last couple of pictures amused me, seeing an open Mahindra jeep (as it's usually called) stand beside an Endeavour in a car spa. Do you get questions from people when you drive it around? Would be interested to hear more about your experiences.

[Samurai]

Nice restoration of an old time Jeep... those of us who have gone through this process at least once can read between the lines, about all the trials and tribulations.

The price tag for the final product feels very high, but then times have changed. There is nothing cheap anymore. I hear that Mahindra Majors now command very a high price in the resale market.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Rajith

Glowing meters.

Attachment 2452812

What a lovely restoration.

This picture actually made me nostalgic, I so vividly remember looking at the cluster/instrument panel when as a kid my dad used to take us for the spin late in the night. And not to forget that small door in the footwell for air ventilation, I made sure that was open all the time. Heck, even the colour is same.

I learned the nuance of driving on this machine way back in 80's.

Thanks for sharing.

NomadSK

[Jaggu]

Excellent restoration Rajah and looks like factory fresh! Wishing you many many happy Kms on the old young jeep! Congratulations worth every penny spent!

[Tejas@perioimpl]

WOW! That is a great transformation.

I remember the days when we spent endless sleepless nights figuring out stuff for restoration.

However, now my days with the Mahindra Classic and the MM550 restorations and modifications are behind me. With work life getting busy I wouldn't now step in the world of a ground up restoration anymore.

Well done, keep the flame of old jeeps alive!

[dicor]

I am in total love with this pure mechanical DI engine. This engine was discontinued upon the arrival of the BSIV era. This vehicle does not need Hi-Fi garages to get repaired. Any roadside truck mechanic can service and repair it.

It doesn't depend upon glow plugs and batteries to come into power. Once I was stranded in mid of water stream on my M&M Commander and the battery was weak to rotate the starter motor. We jacked up the vehicle, tied the rear wheel with rope, rotated it, and slot the vehicle in the third gear, and voila!!!

The Major was the last masterpiece with a boxy bonnet design.

Congratulations on this priceless possession!!!

[Wageabond]

Wonderful restoration pics! This was like a trip down the nostalgia lane as I grew up in Rajasthan travelling in Majors and Commanders whenever we had to travel to small towns. Wishing you many miles of smiles with this beast.

[jeeva]

Rajith Sir! Long time.
That's an awesome transformation. Congrats.
I was expecting to see the Gypsy wheels and Yoko tyres like your ex-Major.

[Abbas]

Wow!

Looks absolutely brand new. A set of AT tyres should making it even more capable and obviously will do wonders in the looks department.

[shankar.balan]

Superb work!
My dad used to use Jeeps like these in the ‘80’s in the Anamallais and Nilgiris. Lovely things. Those had the old Peugeot Diesel engines. CL 500/ 550’s. Floor shift gear lever stick. 3 speed Forward and 1 Reverse classic gearbox. R - left top and 1- left down, 2-right up and 3- right down. Two stick levers to engage and lock 4WD. Little tiny ventilation flaps near both footwells.
I learned how to drive on these types of vehicles. No power steering and AC and all those creature comforts. Lots of play in the steering. Almost felt totally disconnected. Thin steering wheel. Classis thin Jeep tyres. Canvas top. No doors only canvas flaps. The boxy canopy meant that one would always smell diesel fumes in the vehicle when driving it.
Amazingly capable fuss-free vehicle. Will go anywhere anytime.
Classic Forms and functional Designs like this will always remain timeless.
I wish you a superb enjoyable journey with this fantastic classic.

[Geo_Ipe]

Lovely machine!! Hats off to you for procuring & restoring this majestic Jeep - the last ones which Mahindra made.

Originally Posted by Rajith

Friends, After endless night searches i got a chance of owning one of the last piece of Mahindra Major 4x4.He was found in the ravines of Chambal's stressed.

Curious to know why you had to go all the way to MP to find a Major 4*4. There are plenty of them running in the hills of central Kerala, and quite a few are available for sale at 5-6L at any given point of time.

[ExplorerXIII]

Great restoration Rajith! Can you reveal the garage that worked on your Jeep in Calicut and total cost of the restoration.