[getsurya]

Trammway, awesome ride you have made there. Share and feel the joy of your first day pride at office with CLASSIC!!

One small suggestion, would it look better to have tyre wells painted in black than red?

[trammway]

Originally Posted by Kandisa

By the way, any idea on how good is it to chrome polish/plating a steel wheel from cosmetic point of view. I mean how good is the finish generally and whats the cost involved?

Now that you are through your restoration process I guess up next will be your offroading experiences. But the way you have managed to build up your jeep within so many constraints (mainly locational disadvantages), its really commendable
-Best regards,

I'm really not very particular about chrome job, in fact I'm against chrome and many Classic owners here would have noticed my bonnet hooks, wire wheels and few other stuffs on my Classic turned black from original chrome finish, the reasons are:

1. Chrome is hard to maintain compare to black paint, if rust forms on chrome you have no way to wait and re-chrome the entire part where the black paint is easy and you do touch up.

2. Electroplating is costlier than painting

3. Electroplating requires the surface of the material to be cleaned with emery (making it rough by removing a layer of the material undergoes chrome plating). Which means every time you do chrome job the thickness of your material looses a layer and soon you will find rust holes eating the parts.

So, my choice is to paint rather electroplating.

If you are ok with the above criteria, there is no issue in chroming any steel product. When you do chroming of larger and strong materials it is advised to do hard chroming which is almost double the price of normal chroming job.


Exactly, this whole write up is about jeeping exercise not jeep building project hence Jeeps without Offroad is not a complete article. So wait and watch for the offroad exercise to complete.

Originally Posted by getsurya

Trammway, awesome ride you have made there. Share and feel the joy of your first day pride at office with CLASSIC!!

One small suggestion, would it look better to have tyre wells painted in black than red?

Thanks

Actually I was thinking in that line to paint the wells with black color. But looking at the company painting of all the vehicles the under mudguard parts are always painted with the same body color hence the red.

If you look at the later pictures of my jeep the red is covered up with mud and dust and not so prominent, hence I think it is ok to have it in red. Since the picture was initial ones with the red highlighted, I know that made a concern over the color.

[headers]

Originally Posted by trammway

1. Chrome is hard to maintain compare to black paint, if rust forms on chrome you have no way to wait and re-chrome the entire part where the black paint is easy and you do touch up.

2. Electroplating is costlier than painting

3. Electroplating requires the surface of the material to be cleaned with emery (making it rough by removing a layer of the material undergoes chrome plating). Which means every time you do chrome job the thickness of your material looses a layer and soon you will find rust holes eating the parts.

So, my choice is to paint rather electroplating.

Chrome is classier!

Originally Posted by trammway

I would have regretted if I didn't choose the Haida. With these tyres I have done couple of Mud, Sand, Boulder and Highway drives and all are with best results.

I have done more than 5K kms on my odo after fitting the tyres and I'm still happy for what I have done.

These tyres are radials and tubeless, Since I'm using it in the wirewheels I've inserted tubes in it.

Where did you get those tyres? Shop name, ;location please?

Originally Posted by trammway

I have inserted tube into a tubeless tyre because I'm not using a steel or alloy wheels.

• As I'm using the wire wheels where inserting a nozzle or the value is not possible.
• Secondly the spokes fitted on the wirewheels may lead air lead through the spoke joints the tubeless concept wont' work in wire wheels.
• I didn't have HAIDA or the chineese low cost tyres for tubed models

Hence I'm using the tubes in the tubeless tyre.

You should be able to use TL tyres on a classic with wire wheels IMO!

Originally Posted by trammway

I was part of Jeep Thrills for more than 2 and half years and almost the same age as JT, but never had a chance to do off-road either with my Willys or with some one else at JT as co-passenger. So except me in JT everyone was already very familiar with the JEEP and Off-road techniques.

Boss, there are a lot of happy people with JT and have done good off road with that group. Maybe we should not discuss personal experiences here!

Cheers

[trammway]

Originally Posted by headers

Chrome is classier!

Where did you get those tyres? Shop name, ;location please?

You should be able to use TL tyres on a classic with wire wheels IMO!

Boss, there are a lot of happy people with JT and have done good off road with that group. Maybe we should not discuss personal experiences here!
Cheers

I got the tyres from the following address (yesterday I inquired and they say no 16" available from Haida)

LAL SALES & SERVICE
Contact person: Mr. S.Goutham
11, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014.
Phone: +91-44-65191028/42011028
Mobile: +91-9840091028

TL and wire wheels are for sure not compatible.

Boy, I think the way I wrote made you think like that. I'm one of the happiest chap with JT. I was only telling you that when it is initial state everyone was more interested to try out their rugged toys in any place. When it was matured enough, now they look out for much worsen terrain than rubbing the tyres in the same places they have earlier ventured. ;-) (but those terrains were new to me as a learner)

[vinayrathore]

Hey Trammy!!

You really held me all through the day to read your posts. I read the entire thread in one day(with lots of breaks off course).

A great writing style and moreover, a job well done!!

I bow to your dedication and passion!!

Want to read the next post right now!!

Waiting eagerly!!

Surely 3cheers:

Vinay Rathore

[headers]

Originally Posted by trammway

Boy, I think the way I wrote made you think like that. I'm one of the happiest chap with JT.

Nevermind Siva,

And Thanks for the address of Lals. They are one of the largest tyres sales guys in Chennai, but i didnt know they deal in Chinese budget tyres, Do these have NDMS also?

Oops, dont wanna go OT. Please reply via PM on the tyre subject!

[TheARUN]

I remember reading the new car review of the CLASSIC in an Auto mag when it was launched.
The mag said things like
-Maximum top speek was 85 and the vehicle was howling like mad when driven at top speed on the highway. It tired out the driver in no time, and was hence no use for long distances
- The dash lights were criticised by calling the dashboard a 'Christmas tree'

In kannada we have a proverb "Katthege yen gothu kasthuriya vaasane"

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

...In kannada we have a proverb "Katthege yen gothu kasthuriya vaasane"

Translation please!

My guess is - " Does the _______ know the smell of Kasthuriya?".

(PS: Kathuriya = flower or camphor??? In the Tamil quote, it is camphor and the ____ is a donkey.)

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

....
-Maximum top speek was 85 and the vehicle was howling like mad when driven at top speed on the highway. It tired out the driver in no time, and was hence no use for long distances
- The dash lights were criticised by calling the dashboard a 'Christmas tree'

Surely SWB jeeps are not for long distance highway cruising at the 1st place. They are meant for off-roading. The dash of classic is really unique
@trammway, thats a sad news that these budget tyres are not availablein 16 inch size!

[Spitfire]

I drove the Classic from Goa to Bangalore and then back.

Each time for the next 48 hours each muscle in my body ached, I was temporarily deaf, I did not have any sensation in my bum - it felt as if it didnt exist, my eyes could not see anything clearly, my hair had become brittle and i used up a full bottle of shampoo to clean them and i could not smell anything - everything smelt like the exhaust gas from the trucks.

[Samurai]

In about 10 days I have to drive 600Kms to Munnar, off-road for two days and return the same way on my CJ340. The hair on the back of my neck is already tingling.

[Spitfire]

Sorry if i got you worried, but the SWB jeeps with the stock suspension are horrendous for long distance driving. You need to be mentally prepared for some rough time. If the roads are really bad like the one's I came across in the ghats then it gets a lot more difficult. Rocking and rolling around in the jeep straight for 100-200 kms in itself very tiring.

Why dont you send a driver over 2 days with a night halt inbetween? And you can probably take a train or drive down in your other set of wheels?

Atleast see that the seats are well cushioned and you have seatbelts. Carry your ipod or any music player. Leave early in the morning or in the middle of the night if required and reach your destination before noon. The heat can get unbeareable.

[Samurai]

On Christmas I did 320Kms of Jeeping on pretty bad roads, I was shaken to the core. But I was OK next day. However, I am told Kerala section of NH-17 is in great shape, my seats are good, so I should be fine.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

I drove the Classic from Goa to Bangalore and then back.

Each time for the next 48 hours each muscle in my body ached, I was temporarily deaf, I did not have any sensation in my bum - it felt as if it didnt exist, my eyes could not see anything clearly, my hair had become brittle and i used up a full bottle of shampoo to clean them and i could not smell anything - everything smelt like the exhaust gas from the trucks.

Thats the most horrible account of driving a jeep I have come across so far Just guessing, the eyes and hairs may be taken care of with the help of some indigenously fabricated hard-top?

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Thats the most horrible account of driving a jeep I have come across so far Just guessing, the eyes and hairs may be taken care of with the help of some indigenously fabricated hard-top?

Goa to Bangalore is 680 kms - doorstep to doorstep. Through one of the most horrendous ghats in India with about 500 trucks carrying unrefined ore which is finer then sand.

I did have a softotp, but the mini one covering only the top of the 2 front seats. No doors.

Problem was i used to do the same stretch in a M800 in 12-14 hours and was confident of the same in the Classic. You cant overtake without planning it over a mile and the fumes from the millions of trucks on that route is well very very nauseating. And forget about the heat - that was a different torture alltogether.