[vis-racing]

Well finally after a lot of advise from all of you, I have finally decided to settle down for a Humble MM540. Thank you guys for helping me with this decision.

Now that i have the jeep i want in place. I have come up with this list of things i felt are necessary.

1) An MM540 from anywhere between 94 to 1997 make. And get it to perfect working condition.

2) Lamda free wheeling hubs.

3) want to raise the suspension for good ground Clarence, but also keeping in mind that the jeep should not be unstable while its doing 90KM/PH ( Need advise on the Same )

4) Want the wheels to extend out wards, so i can install bigger tires at a later stage.
Without it touching the leaf springs. ( Need advise on this )

5) A snorkel is an absolute must. ( Can i buy one which is a bolt on or does it have to be Fabricated )

6) A winch kit.

7) A soft top like the one in this picture.


8) A fabricated front bumper like the one in this picture. This will help the Jeep when descending down a steep slope.


9) A Normal MM540 has an extra piece metal body just behind the door. Apologies for the poor explanation i have attached a pick of the same.


And that part is completely missing in this Jeep.


Can this part be removed. Or do we have to fabricate the body.

10) Skid plates ( Does any one have picks of how they are mounted on a MM540 )

Well this is what i have come up with, Please do let me know if i am on the right direction or if a few things on this list are completely useless.

Cheers,
Vish

[Samurai]

First you will have to buy a Jeep, that is not going to be a picnic.

Originally Posted by vis-racing

8) A fabricated front bumper like the one in this picture. This will help the Jeep when descending down a steep slope.

Never heard of this, how is front bumper going to help you descend?

[MM440]

Hey
The CJ7 short wheelbase jeeps you see in the pictures are American made Kaiser jeeps which were imported mostly by departments in the public welfare works.
The MM540 is made in India.Goodluck with making the choice of the jeep.
cheers
jammy

Originally Posted by vis-racing

Well finally after a lot of advise from all of you, I have finally decided to settle down for a Humble MM540. Thank you guys for helping me with this decision.

Now that i have the jeep i want in place. I have come up with this list of things i felt are necessary.

1) An MM540 from anywhere between 94 to 1997 make. And get it to perfect working condition.

2) Lamda free wheeling hubs.

3) want to raise the suspension for good ground Clarence, but also keeping in mind that the jeep should not be unstable while its doing 90KM/PH ( Need advise on the Same )

4) Want the wheels to extend out wards, so i can install bigger tires at a later stage.
Without it touching the leaf springs. ( Need advise on this )

5) A snorkel is an absolute must. ( Can i buy one which is a bolt on or does it have to be Fabricated )

6) A winch kit.

7) A soft top like the one in this picture.
Attachment 45278

8) A fabricated front bumper like the one in this picture. This will help the Jeep when descending down a steep slope.
Attachment 45279

9) A Normal MM540 has an extra piece metal body just behind the door. Apologies for the poor explanation i have attached a pick of the same.
Attachment 45280

And that part is completely missing in this Jeep.
Attachment 45281

Can this part be removed. Or do we have to fabricate the body.

10) Skid plates ( Does any one have picks of how they are mounted on a MM540 )

Well this is what i have come up with, Please do let me know if i am on the right direction or if a few things on this list are completely useless.

Cheers,
Vish

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by vis-racing

4) Want the wheels to extend out wards, so i can install bigger tires at a later stage.
Without it touching the leaf springs. ( Need advise on this )

This is the most newbie kind of thing to do in your list. It might add to the cosmetic value of the vehicle (with those who know nothing about vehicles) but will ruin the vehicle's speed, suspension, stability etc, not to speak of fuel economy and long term health and reliability of the engine. Please remember that the tyre is a very crucial part of any vehicle and a lot of very serious technical design thought goes behind the OE choice. Tinkering with that can often have disastrous consequences.

Every year in Maruti organised Raid de Himalaya a few such vehicles turn up - from Delhi, Chandigarh region. They are the first ones to falter and withdraw from the rally - often within a few kilometers on day one - much to the silent delight of most serious mountain rallyists!!
Have fun
Sudipto

[kittigadu]

ok,
Is this on your mind


A few things to remember
1. Bigger and wider tyres will reduce your mileage and strain the jeep and the driver.
2. Increasing the height will increase body roll making it unstable.

Krishna.

[vis-racing]

Hi Krishna, the jeep in the pick you attached i think belongs to Jammy. And if increasing the height and the adding bigger tires has so many disadvantages. How come so many jeepers here have it done. A stock MM540 with factory tires is not what i have in mind.

Cheers,
Vish

[vis-racing]

Originally Posted by Samurai

First you will have to buy a Jeep, that is not going to be a picnic.

Never heard of this, how is front bumper going to help you descend?

Hi Samurai, Got the idea of the front bumper after i saw the video on u tube of the OTR of Jeep Thrills chapter Hyderabad. The jeep simply plunged down the slope completely out of control into the water.

the bumper could have helped slide the jeep in this situation.

But again i have very limited knowledge and all of this is guess work.

Still waiting for some expert comments from Jammy, Arka, 4x4 addict, Red MM440, GTO on all the 10 points in my list.

Cheers,
Vish

[Samurai]

Vish, after you buy, I suggest you spend few month understanding the Jeep before thinking about radical modifications. I am currently going through that phase. Once you get through that phase, come back to this thread and read your 10 item post again.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by vis-racing

And if increasing the height and the adding bigger tires has so many disadvantages. How come so many jeepers here have it done. A stock MM540 with factory tires is not what i have in mind.

Vish
I am sorry if I dampened your spirit. That was never quite the intention. The extra wide tyres do add to the beefy look of a vehicle but ...... It's a very big but. If you look at the gallery of the experts here and look carefully at what they personally drive, none of them has very flashy looking extra wide tyres.
At the end of the day you have to decide whether you want to go for the looks or for serious offroading and then do the modifications accordingly. Even the Hummer doesn't have protruding tyres. A protruding tyre, by definition, is bad for the vehicle's health.
Sorry if I offended you.
I hope you are not offended. I like your enthusiasm and hope you will keep it up.

[kittigadu]

hey vish,
i assumed you are a first time jeeper. So, i was against the idea of suspension height/wider tyre modifications right on.

My main concern was not about tyres.
1. Actually its about raising the height of the suspension.
correct me if i understood "raise the suspension for good ground Clarence" as something where you have to deal with the leafs and chassis. This is definitely not for first timers.

And if increasing the height and adding bigger tires has so many disadvantages. How come so many jeepers here have it done.

Almost 95% of fellow jeepers have only upgraded to 15/16" tyres which automatically increase the vehicles height from the ground.

A stock MM540 with factory tires is not what i have in mind.

Choosing tyres is a very tricky thing. Depends mostly on what you do with your jeep 90% of the time.
checkout MRF sandgrip (Highway&sand). This will automatically increase your ground clearance. No suspension job needed and they rock. That is what you find on arka's, jammy's, mine and the hyderabad jeep (jeep no 2) you mentioned.

Krishna.

[vis-racing]

Sudipto and Kittigadu .. Firstly i am not at all offended by any comments made on this thread. The only reason i stay up late after work is to read and understand what i am getting into. And all what is said here by you guys makes perfect sense.

I have read in many threads that jeeps with heavy tires have broken their steering rods due to the bulky tires.

And yes lifting the suspension will result in a unstable ride. Especially for a Jeep Novice like me.

What i need help with is, on what are the right kind of mods for a MM540.

Cheers,
Vish

[Parm]

i must say joining this forum has helped me a lot to understand jeeps in particular....MMs and other 4x4s offered in india.

many thanx to jeeps in this forum whom share their valuable experience and expertise.

cheers and beerscheers:

[MM440]

Hey Vish
Further to the discussion we had when you visited me a week back. May I suggest the following course of action:
1> Procure a MM540 if it is what you have finalised on.
2> Sort out all mechanical gremlins of the vehicle.
3> Accompany us on a couple of OTRs so you breakdown weak components and repair the same.
4> Decide on the type of tire and rim configuration you want based on what you see on the Bangalore jeepers have shod their vehicles with.
5> WRT you questions on ground clearance, handling and other aspects of performance on the trail you will see a live demo rather than a hypothetical analysis.
6> Come back to me if you are serious and we will have you jeeping in a couple of weeks.
Cheers
Jammy

Originally Posted by vis-racing

Sudipto and Kittigadu .. Firstly i am not at all offended by any comments made on this thread. The only reason i stay up late after work is to read and understand what i am getting into. And all what is said here by you guys makes perfect sense.

I have read in many threads that jeeps with heavy tires have broken their steering rods due to the bulky tires.

And yes lifting the suspension will result in a unstable ride. Especially for a Jeep Novice like me.

What i need help with is, on what are the right kind of mods for a MM540.

Cheers,
Vish

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by vis-racing

Hi Samurai, Got the idea of the front bumper after i saw the video on u tube of the OTR of Jeep Thrills chapter Hyderabad. The jeep simply plunged down the slope completely out of control into the water.
the bumper could have helped slide the jeep in this situation.

The bumper in the picture is heavy to hold a heavy winch. To date bumpers are not used to make contact with the ground and act like skids. Ideally the front wheels are sufficiently forward so that they make contact first with a berm or ridge regardless if it is an opposite stream bank, bottom of a hill or whatever. The bars are to keep stuff, animals, beggars, bushes etc, from hitting the grill.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

The bumper in the picture is heavy to hold a heavy winch. To date bumpers are not used to make contact with the ground and act like skids. Ideally the front wheels are sufficiently forward so that they make contact first with a berm or ridge regardless if it is an opposite stream bank, bottom of a hill or whatever. The bars are to keep stuff, animals, beggars, bushes etc, from hitting the grill.

well there is one more lesson about off-roading! now thats why i love this forum and the best of experienced guys ready with advice!

thanx DD.