[Jaggu]

Samu go to a good radiator repair shop and get it fixed, if core is too old/worn out just replace it.

[Samurai]

Today I had another CJ340 owner visit me at work, he is from Udupi. He has totally converted his CJ340 to look like a Classic.

As we compared the Jeeps I realised there are some work I need to get done fast.

1) The coolant overflow tank on his Jeep was placed higher than mine. He pointed out that mine may not work unless I raise it. See the coolant tank image in first page. Is this a valid point?

2) He has rust proofed his Jeep in many ways, very important considering the proximity to the beach. There are hardly any unpainted surface on his Jeep. Even his floor was painted with something he called fiber gum.

See my floor, it is rusting.


3) He felt my Jeep was much taller, the gap between the tyre and wheel arch was much more than his. We both had same size tyres. Is this a problem?

[arpandiv]

@samurai get hold of dinitrol corrosion prevention materials and do an underbody coating + vehicle cavity coating. goes a long way in protecting against rust.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Samurai

3) He felt my Jeep was much taller, the gap between the tyre and wheel arch was much more than his. We both had same size tyres. Is this a problem?

Your Jeep is already a short chassis. If its been made taller that affects the centre of gravity rendering it more unstable. Please return it to the standard height asap. Make sure you have a sturdy roll over bar too Samurai. Also install some seat shoulder seat belts if you have none. Apart from the routine servicing you are doing enhance the safety aspects.

[Samurai]

CJ340 comes with standard 2 inch roll bars, and I did get seat belts and side mirrors installed before I took delivery.

How do I reduce the height, get the leaf-springs straightened?

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Samurai

CJ340 comes with standard 2 inch roll bars, and I did get seat belts and side mirrors installed before I took delivery.

How do I reduce the height, get the leaf-springs straightened?

Yes sir. I'm sure the experts here can tell us the ride height of the frame from the ground. For my vintage cars that reference was with a full load of passengers, maybe the same for Jeeps? Using that as the reference any good spring mechanic will straighten them out for the correct ride height. Also revert to the correct no. of leaf springs front and back as too many or too few renders the suspension too stiff or soft.

PS Would a new spring stack be available for your model? Considering you are planning hardcore offroad use if its not too expensive you might consider getting new springs and shocks put in (considering the current ones have been meddled with). GTO was saying somewhere his entire front suspension rebuild didn't cost him more than 7k.

Leafsprings or coil springs have load rates so if you are sensitive to your car you will appreciate a new set which is matched by shocks that were caliberated with the spring loads in mind. Sadly no leaf spring mechanic will fuss about load rates. Give him a height he'll achieve that at best. As you may well know the suspension affects your handling and steering directly so you might want to give this a thought

[Jaggu]

Anti rust job is a good idea, and i think you need to find a dry area for parking or need to dry the carpets (wet floor board).

Regarding spring consultation with the experts on the number of leafs is required. Also check with previous owner if he had made any changes, to fit in the tyres or something. Seeing pics i also felt your jeep is on taller side, but assumed maybe for the offroad stuff or something.

Coolant tank at higher point is valid, you can read more here Cooling System Overflow Tanks and Expansion Tanks - Les Bengtson

How to install an overflow tank.

An overflow tank is installed by finding a place to bolt or screw it to the inner fender of the car. The radiator overflow vent hose is then routed to the overflow tank and inserted into it. You will still need to keep an eye on the coolant level in the radiator and keep it topped up to œ� to 1� below the bottom of the filler neck.

How to install an expansion tank.

The expansion tank is installed exactly as the overflow tank is, but should be located about the level of the radiator header tank. The radiator pressure cap is replaced with a blanking cap as used on the MGC and the expansion tank should have the proper pressure cap for your system used on it. The overflow line from the radiator filler neck is routed to the expansion tank. Hose clamps need to be used on this line, as it now becomes a pressure carrying line rather than an overflow line. The overflow line is the one on the filler neck of the expansion tank and it has a hose attached to it that vents to the atmosphere just as the conventional radiator overflow hose does. The radiator is filled to the bottom of the filler neck and the expansion tank is filled about one half full. The use of this system will add about one pint of coolant to the system, an insignificant amount.

Conclusion

The use of an overflow tank is done for environmental reasons. It prevents a slightly overfilled radiator system from venting onto the ground. The use of an expansion tank, with a conventional radiator, adds a very small amount of additional coolant to the system. If this small amount of additional coolant is sufficient to correct an overheating engine, there is some other form of cooling system problem, which should be addressed.

[nitrous]

Higher GC = better off-roadability.
Be happy about it, Samurai.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by nitrous

Higher GC = better off-roadability.
Be happy about it, Samurai.

Higher GC = better offroadability = highly unstable on turns = easier rollover ability

PS BTW I have seen too many SUV's rolled over to be able to state this. Offroad too higher GC usually adversely affects the vehicle's ability to handle inclines sideways. That's when you tend to roll over

Therefore higher GC = better ground clearance and not necessarily = better offroadability

[bluestraveller]

IMO the best option would be to drive your jeep down to the nearest M&M dealership and have them inspect your vehicle. Have them make a list of items that may not be considered stock with respect to your model and work from there. Body work should be your last priority get the brakes, radiator and suspension checked. Once these and any other issues are in order you can dig into the rest of the list. This is just my opinion

[DKG]

A small correction to the previous post. Raising a car by reworking springs does not increase ground clearance technically. Ground clearance on vehicles usually refers to the distance between the lowest point of the suspension to the ground. What they have done on Samurai's car is increased the body height from the ground which invariably affects the CG (not GC) meaning centre of gravity.

So except for avoiding scraping the undersides this increased body height has no value in terms of GC (ground clearance)

His car's CG had been affected assuming the car is hiked up. By messing up CG or centre of gravity you mess up a car both on road and offroad.

In summary in any context except for saving your underbody from bottoming out on crests this alteration has no value and is actually unsafe.

The effective centre of gravity of a vehicle is a paramount safety parameter and it is directly impacted by wheelbase, track, ground clearance, body height and weight distribution. Messing with it is suicidal onroad or offroad. Enthusiasts are strongly advised not to mess with this parameter unless they are automotive design engineers and know what they are doing.

[Samurai]

It is a little scary in turns, may be I judge it by GV standards. But look at the gap between the tyre and the wheel arch and look at the suspension. Is it too much?

Rear Wheels






Front Wheel





Can somebody tell where I can get a towing hook that can be installed here?

[headers]

Originally Posted by DKG

Higher GC = better offroadability = highly unstable on turns = easier rollover ability

PS BTW I have seen too many SUV's rolled over to be able to state this. Offroad too higher GC usually adversely affects the vehicle's ability to handle inclines sideways. That's when you tend to roll over

Therefore higher GC = better ground clearance and not necessarily = better offroadability

I get your point sir, to add to that the vehicles have basic leaf spring!!

Originally Posted by bluestraveller

IMO the best option would be to drive your jeep down to the nearest M&M dealership and have them inspect your vehicle. Have them make a list of items that may not be considered stock with respect to your model and work from there. Body work should be your last priority get the brakes, radiator and suspension checked. Once these and any other issues are in order you can dig into the rest of the list. This is just my opinion

There is no fun in owning a jeep then, IMO. Also the M&M dealerships hardly have much knowlegde about 3Bs. They are a good place to source parts, maybe!

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Samurai

It is a little scary in turns, may be I judge it by GV standards. But look at the gap between the tyre and the wheel arch and look at the suspension. Is it too much?

Going by the following picture you posted earlier it does look a tad bit too high at the rear.



May I suggest getting hold of a workshop manual and a parts catalogue. That way you can take the guess work out and do it once but right! You will get all the info on ride heights, castor camber settings, toe in etc.

somebody tell where I can get a towing hook that can be installed here?

Why not the standard trailer hitch for the Jeep? Does Mahindra sell new hitches?

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Samurai

... He felt my Jeep was much taller, the gap between the tyre and wheel arch was much more than his. We both had same size tyres. Is this a problem?

Samurai, you mentioned that you have 15 inch rims, whereas the stock size is 16 inch. Could the smaller wheel/rim size be a contributing factor to make the gap seem more ?

.