[DirtyDan]

In the last 3 weeks I have talked to a jeep restore shop in the Punjab about doing an extensive restoration of an MM550 Mahindra 4x4 ex-army jeep. I decided against it. There are 3 reasons why I did not engage their services. Each one by itself is a "show stopper".

1.) After asking them several technical questions about how they would proceed on such a project I was not satisfied with their answers nor did they display the knowledge and expertise I was looking for.

2.) Some of the prices they gave me on individual line items were too high. Most notably the motor and the cost of the vehicle, a 2000 mm550 army disposed jeep.
Also the painting and denting. The jeep was almost dent free. I consider this item over priced by almost half.

3.) Vague order sheet. I tried to pin them down on exactly what it was that they would do to bring this jeep into "like new" or better condition. After 2 one hour long face to face meetings and a long telephone call the only thing I could get out of them was a vague "rough estimate" of what they would do. What they wanted was some money up front to get started. Then, as the restore progressed they wanted to adjust the project according to what was needed. Granted there has to be some of this but they were leaving large parts of the procedure unresolved when I think I could and should have been given specific answers. What they wanted was an open ended contract to do the work. From my viewpoint this was an invitation to disaster. I would be at their mercy with potentially no end to the project in sight, time-wise or money-wise.

While I do not suspect them of being dishonest I think they are poor business men. They did not present me with a detailed itemized order sheet of exactly what they would or could do and why. For example, I asked them what the 4000 rupee charge was for lathe work and they could not tell me.

However, in the futrure I may go to them for power steering and the wheel/tyre package they presented. This was a good price and I think they can handle the PS. I may now look to large Mahindra dealers within a half day from me that perhaps can do the major portion of the work. Failing this I can consider shops further away that already have a good reputation and success at doing jeep restores. Below is a spreadsheet showing what was discussed and their pricing. If you see things missing or over-priced, well, so did I.

[bigman]

Nearly 5 lakh. That is getting close to the Hyderabad Bharat jeep prices and they look the business.

Was the stock MM550 a proper army disposal with stock engine and 4x4 intact ?

[vikram_d]

If they have to consult an outside senior mechanic, then I dont think they are competent.

[iceman91]

consult a senior mechanic and pay 5k for a 5 lac project!!!!

[Parm]

my vote for Hyderabad jeep builders!

fix a price and not a single paisa over it.

cheers:

[iraghava]

DD - Where are thinking of getting this done?

[ex670c]

Hi Dirty Dan,

1) Chassis - 5-10K
2) Body 10-20K
3) Engine - 7-60K (B275 - XD3P)
4) Gbox & Tcase - 4-15K
5) Front Diff - 4-10K (Including Axle, brake drums, hubs spindles)
6) Rear Diff - 4-10K
7) Leaf Springs - 1-5K
8)Shock Absorbers - 1-4K
9) Paint - 5-10K
10) Electricals - 5-8K
11) Brakes - 3-8K
12) Tyres - 12-40K (including rims/wheel discs)
13) Soft tops - 2-10K
14) Steering - 3-10K ( Manual worm & roller or Recirculating ball)
15) Labour for Assembly - 5-15K

Now do the maths add the total and figure out what the JEEP you are going to buy has or does not have.

A good functional JEEP cost Rs 1.5L to Rs 2.5L Depending on the accessories.

This is for both petrol & diesel engines.

Regards,

Arka

[simply_sunny001]

Hi Dan

This is highway robbery still considering that you are buying a brand new engine for 1.75 L.

I would say buy any junk jeep and find a competent mechanic near you and start it.

It will be some pain but you will save lot of money and you will always cherish the memories of it.

Another plus point is the scope of customization when you do it yourself and peace of mind that everything is the way you wanted.

I hope you will also agree.

Moreover i still wouldnt suggest that you buy a new motor,pick an old one and overhaul it,tune it and you might end up getting more than stock specifications.

And we have lot of jeep Gurus here on T-BHP who are always much more than willing to help,so i dont think you will at any point feel clueless.

Thanks

[S@~+#0$#]

@DirtyDan, I am glad you decided against this garage. Can we have more details like price, specs, condition & pics about the 550 that you bought recently?

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

Hi Dan

This is highway robbery

I agree. A case in point. Lambda free wheeling hubs cost well under 4k. Why is he asking for so much? I am sure he must quoted with such high margins on everything in the list.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by ex670c

Hi Dirty Dan,

1) Chassis - 5-10K
2) Body 10-20K
3) Engine - 7-60K (B275 - XD3P)
4) Gbox & Tcase - 4-15K
5) Front Diff - 4-10K (Including Axle, brake drums, hubs spindles)
6) Rear Diff - 4-10K
7) Leaf Springs - 1-5K
8)Shock Absorbers - 1-4K
9) Paint - 5-10K
10) Electricals - 5-8K
11) Brakes - 3-8K
12) Tyres - 12-40K (including rims/wheel discs)
13) Soft tops - 2-10K
14) Steering - 3-10K ( Manual worm & roller or Recirculating ball)
15) Labour for Assembly - 5-15K

Now do the maths add the total and figure out what the JEEP you are going to buy has or does not have.

A good functional JEEP cost Rs 1.5L to Rs 2.5L Depending on the accessories.

This is for both petrol & diesel engines.

Regards,

Arka

This is a great post, Arka. Thank you so much. I may PM you later about this.

Originally Posted by iraghava

DD - Where are thinking of getting this done?

Dunno. Dharamsala shops can not do it all. The above little mis-adventure was from Moga, Punjab.

Originally Posted by bigman

Was the stock MM550 a proper army disposal with stock engine and 4x4 intact ?

It had most of the parts but the front propeller was taken out for fuel average so the front drive could not be tested. I heard that this unit has now been sold. That's okay, there are others around.

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

@DirtyDan, I am glad you decided against this garage. Can we have more details like price, specs, condition & pics about the 550 that you bought recently?

I did not buy it, I turned it down. All the prices I have are in the excel spreadsheet in my first post. My purpose in starting this thread was just to show the money aspects and ordering aspects. My thinking was that by now you have seen before and after pics and it might be more interesting to talk money, project control, the order contract and stuff like that. I also thought you might want to see a negative experience.

When I sign the papers and start throwing money at a project like this I will post pictures and give a narrative.

[Parm]

the calculated cost can easily go up by another 50K-1 lakh.

[4x4addict]

Dan. Just checked with the MM Parts dealer I bought my 5-Speed Trans from. He quoted 1.35 Lakh for a brand new Turbo DI engine.

[mjothi]

One question.
The registration is always again the chassis + engine number pair right? So, if you change the engine, is it leaglly allowed? I mean can we register this? Or just get an endorsement from RTO for the new engine number? How does it works, please.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Dan. Just checked with the MM Parts dealer I bought my 5-Speed Trans from. He quoted 1.35 Lakh for a brand new Turbo DI engine.

Thanks, man! I am going to Chandigarh and a couple of other places next week to look for a Mahindra dealer (like GTO's Milestone) or a reputable shop. If nothing else I am getting to see a lot of India. There is no real hurry. But it would be nice to have a 4x4 for winter up here.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by mjothi

One question.
The registration is always again the chassis + engine number pair right? So, if you change the engine, is it leaglly allowed? I mean can we register this? Or just get an endorsement from RTO for the new engine number? How does it works, please.

In Himachal the same guys that give you your registration have to okay the new engine. Here this is not problem, you just fill out some form and pay a small fee. I think you also have to let your insurance people know.