[SirAlec]

1981 is the year when it was taken delivery by army. Do you have the actual auction paper, NOC papers.

It will be very difficult to register it otherwise.

[nitrous]

Alec, you should go see his BHP garage to know how many rare rides he owns and how knowledgeable he is about vehicle documents.

[Mpower]

Congrats, but it looks like its in terrible shape. I am ignorant but please explain what makes this jeep special. It looks like the same bodystyle that Samurai bought... classic is it?

I know the WW-II jeeps are Willys stlye low bonnet which this one isin't. correct?

[Jaggu]

Congratz on picking up the Jeep, apart from engine mechanicals, chasis, suspension and body can be restored well with less effort compared to a car. Engine and tranny are the tricky part if you want to retain the originality. I guess you would have found a good person to do the job by now, so shouldnt be much of a trouble going further.

Do share the restore process in detail, especially the mechanical overhaul, will be of interest to many.

[GTO]

Thats one heck of a restoration project you got yourself, V16. Congratulations; it feels truly nice to see yet another Jeep onboard!!

1. The first thing that you ought to decide is whether your aim is absolute originality, or whether you are willing to sacrifice some of it for convenience / performance.

2. Couldn't agree more with Dirty Dan. The best way to start such a mega project is to split up the tasks in point form, and ensure that body, engine, transmission and braking remain of paramount importance. Everything else is secondary.

3. I am going to suggest an excellent CJ3B link to you. Spend your free time on The CJ3B resource. There is a ton of helpful information in there. It could also be useful in terms of sourcing parts.

4. If you wish to retain originality, expect a lot of credit card usage on eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices and some other international part websites.

5. Where are you getting the restoration work done? As I had communicated to you via PM, Milestone (Mahindra owned workshop) would be my first choice for such a project. In fact, they have been taking care of my Classic since delivery in 1997, and are currently testing my Jeep with the new 2.5L engine. I have seen a couple of work-in-progress vintage restorations at their garage. You really couldn't do any better than going to a bunch of Jeep crazy enthusiasts working at a Mahindra owned workshop. Hell, it's a stones throw away from your hotel too.

This is going to be a fun project. I am looking forward to updates, feel free to get in touch for any help at all.

EDIT : This link should be of particular interest to you.

[esteem_lover]

Congrats V-16. Jeep fever is spreading real fast, thanks to arka & friends.

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

By the way, I have the recoiless rifle and amunition that will fit if you want it. Traffic will part for you.

Originally Posted by headers

You could plonk the old Scorpio engine in the bolero to get more grunt! - 110 BHP. You should be able to source one cheap too!

Along with the gearbox too, i presume.

[V-16]

Thanks Samurai San, Nitrous, Headers, Dirty Dan, Thephamilyman, The Mag, Kurmist Mpower, Trrk, Sir Alec, Moralfibre, Jaggu, Gto, Esteem_lover.
Thanks for being encouraging. I m sure Ill need it.

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Just my 2 rupees here, which I submit to you humbly, a complex project is still made up of simples. Perhaps you could make a simple ordered list of, say, 10-20 or even more things of exactly what to do and when in the restoration process and submit it to Arka, GTO, 4x4addict, Samurai and whoever for their review and advice. Cosmetic things come last. Motor and brakes come first. Stopping and going are kind of important. This way you will stay on top of the project easier and also be less likely to lose money to sticky-fingered mechanics.

I have a nice mental picture of what this thing will look like when finished. Pretty darn cool! By the way, I have the recoiless rifle and amunition that will fit if you want it. Traffic will part for you.

Thanks buddy. I have gone the exact way as you have pointed out. The vehicle is being sandblasted as you read this and the engine has been dismantled and cleaned. Its going to the lathe shop the day after as it needs new sleeves.
I have sourced the carb which was missing and its available new for a price I thought was much cheaper than i would have imagined. Lets hope the project also is done in the same way...in a lesser amount than i have imagined.
Thanks for the recoilless gun offer and the ammunition. Ill start applying for a licence immediately

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Congratulations Gogi. Nice find and I remember Speedy also picking up something similar right?

I wish you could have a dummy recoilless gun and drive around town in this?

Yes it is indeed Speedy's jeep which i bought over.
One may if one wishes, fix a pipe, the size of a RCL-G and drive it around. One may risk being mistaken for a plumber though.

Originally Posted by SirAlec

1981 is the year when it was taken delivery by army. Do you have the actual auction paper, NOC papers.

It will be very difficult to register it otherwise.

The jeep is already registered so thats not a problem. Thanks.

Thanks fro the links Gto. I did get in touch with Milestone earlier when I had spoken to you but they told me sourcing the parts would be an issue as this engine is no longer in production. Also they gave me a time which IMHO is way- way above the time id get it done in.
Anyways, the guy who i wanted should handle this project is doing it so Im OK.
I would like to keep her as near original as possible but power enhancing mods can be thought of without risking reliability of course, something like adding Webbers or something of that sort....(There I go again!!)

@Mpower- It does share a similar body but is a CJ-3B not a Classic.
You are right this is not from the WW gen. Those are low bonnet jeeps called the MBs which I actually wanted but there are hardly any originals available in a respectable price now. Maybe later, who knows.

@ Headers- My intention is to keep her all original except for the rear seating and the canvas top which I will add on.
Yes i want keep it with the original Petrol engine. Didi think about a Scorpio swap but that was working out really steep. Also a lot of alterations.
Cant put in any other Diesels which are commonly available as that would mean no 4WD and 4WD si what i bought it for.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Congrats. Wow! It even has a rear mounted engine.

No...that's the spare engine.

Congrats V-16. It's raining Jeeps in Tbhp.

[pdev29]

congrats gogi, finally you have got what you were looking for.
looking forward to the restoration project of this machine.

[headers]

Originally Posted by V-16

Thanks Samurai San, Nitrous, Headers, Dirty Dan, Thephamilyman, The Mag, Kurmist Mpower, Trrk, Sir Alec, Moralfibre, Jaggu, Gto, Esteem_lover.
Thanks for being encouraging. I m sure Ill need it.



Thanks buddy. I have gone the exact way as you have pointed out. The vehicle is being sandblasted as you read this and the engine has been dismantled and cleaned. Its going to the lathe shop the day after as it needs new sleeves.
I have sourced the carb which was missing and its available new for a price I thought was much cheaper than i would have imagined. Lets hope the project also is done in the same way...in a lesser amount than i have imagined.
Thanks for the recoilless gun offer and the ammunition. Ill start applying for a licence immediately

...

I would like to keep her as near original as possible but power enhancing mods can be thought of without risking reliability of course, something like adding Webbers or something of that sort....(There I go again!!)

@ Headers- My intention is to keep her all original except for the rear seating and the canvas top which I will add on.
Yes i want keep it with the original Petrol engine. Didi think about a Scorpio swap but that was working out really steep. Also a lot of alterations.
Cant put in any other Diesels which are commonly available as that would mean no 4WD and 4WD si what i bought it for.

Thats a good way too. The orig petrol engine is pretty decent and you get a good power to weight ratio.

I too have been toying around with the engine swap idea with my 540, but the closest / easiest / pocket friendly / best option seems to be the bolero engine.

Will update if i get anything better. I'm really inclined towards a 3.5 litre engine that is lightweight / high revin and good fun. Any pointers?

[V-16]

Finally i convinced the person i was hoping would work on my engine. This is an old man who knows Jeeps like the back of is hand. Very whimsical but a man of great knowledge.
The last few days were spent on dismantling and cleaning the engine. The block and head were throughly cleaned inside out. This was required as the engine was lying on the front seat in the open and rains had been around for a while.
There was water in the cylinder bores which have got a bit of pitting owing to the rust and water collection. Will have to think of reboring and sleeves. Lets see.
The head is cleaned and ready.
I guess we will be taking the block to the machiners tomorrow.
Now the work of hunting for parts starts.
The water and oil pumps will have to be overhauled or got new if useless.. The oil pump is jammed but maybe we can get it to work.
The crank is one huge heavy piece of equipment. Luckily nothing seems wrong with that or the balancing weights.

The Head is all cleaned up. Looks like it needs no work.




All the bolts



The Block. Was throughly cleaned. Note the pitting in the Cylinders





The mighty crank and the rocker. You can see the long stud nuts too.




The oil pump. The Driven Gear is jammed but looks like it can be salvaged.



Whats this marking on the fender? And whats the nut for on the other fender?




Markings on the Block. Can someone decode this?



History Plate on the Block. Gives all details of the engine pistons, Big end Bearings and also date of overhaul at the army base workshop.




The engine bay, Chassis and the Bonnet. Is there anything specific that I should be looking for or paying attention to?






Need to make a parts list im going to need and get the parts along with a new carb tomorrow. Will also have to start searching for new meters. The jeeps also missing a starter will have to source that one out too.
Meanwhile the suspension and transmission will be opened tomorrow onwards. Trust theres nothing wrong with the tranny.
Till my next update....let the comments flow.

[Alfa_Kilo]

The marking on the front fender is for the tyre pressure, a common practice in Army vehicles.

In the last photo, it seems as if the bonnet has been dent repaired previously.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Alfa_Kilo

The marking on the front fender is for the tyre pressure, a common practice in Army vehicles.

In the last photo, it seems as if the bonnet has been dent repaired previously.

You are right.
There was probably some work done on the Jeep by the previous owner but he lost interest somewhere and then just left it without even applying a coat of primer. Now it has to be done all over again due to the Jeep being left on account of neglect.

[IronWolf]

Nice buy V-16. Another thread which I will be following.

Looks like lots of sandblasting and body work to be done. I like the fact that you are retaining the split windscreen. hope you can restore to original glory

[V-16]

Thanks Ironwolf. Body work begins shortly and yes a lot of sand blasting and primer work to be done. Hope to keep it as original as can but mod it for practical purposes.