[MM440]

Hi guys
Of late there has been a lot of talk about which jeep one should buy and what one proposes to do with it once bought,so on and so forth.
Having owned jeeps,both petrol and diesel I thought I would pen down a few of my experiences in owning them.
Petrol jeeps:
Not going into the rhetoric about the illustrious , magnificent history and sheer brilliance of these machines from origin I would like to point their day to day aspects as experienced by me.
Pros.
1> Awesome 2.2ltr engine and power to weight ratio.
2> Fantastic offroad performance and control.
3> Iconic jeeps appreciation in value guaranteed.
4> Silent operation,smooth engine,fantastic forest game drive vehicles.
5> Pretty reliable and low cost maintenance.
6> Left hand drive vehicles more fun than Right hand drive ones.
7> The original 80 inch wheelbase vehicles.
8> Can take upto 31x10.5R15 tires with negative offset rims with no alteration to running gear other then fitment of longer wheel studs.
9> Easy to fabricate removable roofs for them.
10> Fantastic to drive with the windscreen down.
Cons.
1> Parts are getting scarce but will improve if more owners join hands
2> Gas tank placed right but leak prone if full on trails .
3> Not many around.

Choices of jeeps:
1> Willys MB(Rare ww2 jeeps, prices high accordingly)
2> Ford GPW(Rare ww2 jeeps,prices high accordingly)
3> CJ2A (First civilian jeeps,equally rare and costly)
4> CJ3A (Same as the 2A still low bonnets in common parlance)
5> CJ3B ( Few left hand drives around,many more RHDs around as were army recon vehicles. Prices lesser then the low bonnets)
6> MM440 (hardly any exist,most have been scrapped)
7> CL 440 ( medium chassis vehicles fitted with the hurricane engine.
Vehicles 1 to 4 were fitted with the famed Go devil side valve engines,and 5 to 7 with the Hurricane engine.)

Diesel Jeeps
Most of the diesel jeeps are but petrol jeeps with a heart transplant,however in their transition they lose some of the endearing original characteristics of the petrol jeeps.
Pros.:
1> Lower running costs.
2> Good reliability if it is a factory fitted diesel.
3> Some like the Classic and the CJ340 are practical and valuable.
4> MM540s are excellent offroad and daily use jeeps.
5> They are workhorses.
Cons:
1> Noisy engines.
2> Maintenance costs are higher.
3> Higher wear and tear of tires and running parts.
4> Vibration levels are significantly higher.
5> Lack precise slow speed control of petrol jeeps.
Choices of Vehicles:
1> 500 D series( Utilitarian vehicles. )
2> MM540 (Nice overall jeep, easily available and decent prices)
3> CJ340 (Precursor to Classic,rare so higher priced)
4> Classic CL340( great package, costly buy ,rarer to find one on sale)
5> Invader ( latest gear train makes it worthwhile)
6> Mahindra Major( Maybe good)
In terms of a long term report I would request all the above vehicle owners to post their owner's report so people who are looking to buy a jeep will know what to expect.
Cheers
Jammy
P.S. Posted some pics of jeeps owned by me, an MM540 of Karthik.

[offroad_maniac]

Hi Jammy,
I must say, the thread started by you will be very useful to wannabe jeep buyers like me. Also the ownership experience of various types of jeeps will also shade some light on different driving styles, comfort level & reliability issues.

Thanx,
O_M

[4x4addict]

Nice pics. Is the Black MM540 your's? Looks like you put a full floating rear diff. Did you change the hubs to the new Bolero PCD as well?

[kittigadu]

well,
coincidentally i found this today on my trip to the India Garage St Marks road Bangalore today @ noon.

Brand New Bolero Invader
Turbo DI
Available on order
4 weeks time to delivery
4x4
Around 6 Laks

If anyone looking to buy a brand new 4x4, this would be a good and practical choice right now.




Krishna.

[bhp1]

Can Mahindra 550/540, still be purchased from the company on order? If yes, then what price?

[kittigadu]

wow,
Jammy, great looking jeeps you have there.
karthik, if u are reading this,
I am in love with the soft top you have on your baby.

I would like to know some more information on
Where did u get it.
How much did you pay for it.
Can i get one for my jeep now ?

If possible can you share some photos of how it fits the places marked by the arrows.


Krishna.

[MM440]

The MM540 belongs to Karthik,I had the jeep done up for him.Those are fully floating rear hubs. I didnot change the pcd of the wheel rims mount as I thought we could go in for the Army discs at some point in time later.
cheers
jammy

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Nice pics. Is the Black MM540 your's? Looks like you put a full floating rear diff. Did you change the hubs to the new Bolero PCD as well?

[khan_sultan]

jammy, This is a great thread. This should really help lots of folks who are planing to buy jeeps and are clueless on how to start.

It's soo great when experts like you share your knowledge from the years of practical experience of owning and working with various different types of jeeps.

Cheers,

[S@~+#0$#]

Nice Thread Jammy. Some very useful information there. Thanks for sharing with us, helps wannabe jeepers like me in buying the right kind of 4x4.

@Kittigadu: I saw Karthik's Jeep at Jammy's place last week and it looks really monstrous in person thanks to the 16" rims and tyres. Overall, the jeep has been very tastefully done. The soft top is designed very well and offers a lot of flexiblity in that, it allows one to remove the entire top or just certain parts of it based on the need. AFAIK, even Samurai's Cj3b has a similar top. PM Jammy, he is very knowledgeable and helpful about Jeeps.

Anybody pls update TODAY what all models of regular jeeps (Not 4X4 OR Scorpio) - Petrol & Diesel, are available in the market? (new from showrooms).

What are the ex-showroom / on road costs & is there any waiting period due to order or they are readily available?

[sreerajunnithan]

A much awaited thread. Thanks for sharing Jammy. Me too in love with that sexy Soft Top.

--Sree--

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by MM440

The MM540 belongs to Karthik,I had the jeep done up for him.Those are fully floating rear hubs. I didnot change the pcd of the wheel rims mount as I thought we could go in for the Army discs at some point in time later.
cheers
jammy

Hi jammy,

Extremely nice thread and pics of great looking jeeps make it all the more better. The MM540 is my love and as you summarised it is an all rounder. I need the following suggestions from you-

1. The rims on MM540 look like the normal ones but both the front and rear axle appear to protrude outside. Did you use any spacer to increase the front and rear track of the vehicle? Or is it a different axle all together?

2. If iam not wrong those look like JK LT 4x4 tyres. How much do they cost?

3. How much would a paint job cost of the one done on kartiks jeep including tinkering?

4. Since you said MM440's are rare, is it a good idea to put a Huricane engine at the place of XDP 4.90? (just a wild idea)

5. How much will the top cost? If i need it can you send one to me in chennai? Would it be a straight fit on my MM540?

6. How much will the rims cost of the one shown in pics?


regards
vinod

[rranjith_kum]

Dear 4x4 addict
you identified the fully floating rear axle by the protrusion I marked using the yellow line isn't it ? I just wanted to know so that I too can identify things.
you do have some eagle eyes
and Jammy and the vehicle appears to be declined towards the front is it because of extra leaf added to the rear (does karthik carry lots of load) or downhill (I know i may sound silly but just a guess)??

[S@~+#0$#]

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

The rims on MM540 look like the normal ones but both the front and rear axle appear to protrude outside. Did you use any spacer to increase the front and rear track of the vehicle? Or is it a different axle all together?

I think the axle is from a Forward Control (FC). I have read elsewhere that it is possible to fit the FC axle onto a CJ5\MM540 with little or no modifications.

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

Since you said MM440's are rare, is it a good idea to put a Huricane engine at the place of XDP 4.90? (just a wild idea)

Even I had the same thoughts when I learnt that MM440 was powered by teh Hurricane.

[rranjith_kum]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

I think the axle is from a Forward Control (FC)....

Forward control ? Can you elaborate more on that or put up any link