One more MM 550 XD !!

4x4 loaded · 27th May 2009, 22:14

The broken B-Pillar, seats, doors and the hood pipes from the back were stripped off since the beginning of the mechanical works started.It looks so neat than the first time we saw it.

Gypsy-Boy · 28th May 2009, 09:35

Glad to see that your 4X4 is on its way to recovery

4x4 loaded · 29th May 2009, 04:50

The front diff is spotless, with good parts. Unfortunately every thing on the right side, from the knuckle were in scrap condition, as they were swapped at the depot.The disc, calliper e.t.c. needed replacement.The rear propellor shaft was missing, now got the new ones.

4x4 loaded · 29th May 2009, 05:07

What a radiator man ! Spotless......seem it was planted new moments before the auction. Lucky for us

4x4 loaded · 29th May 2009, 22:31

Couldn't upload the pic yesterday due to technical problem.

4x4 loaded · 3rd June 2009, 05:10

The mechanicals were complete sometime back. We took the jeep for a little offroad-test at a place called Sodepur.It was around 25 KMs from uday Sir's residence.The body work was still not done. We just fixed the driver and co-driver's seat and another one at the rear.The doors were somehow put into place.No electricals were done.We managed a spare battery from Uday Sir's wrokshop as he advised not to buy a new one untill electrical works are started.Vidyun and Adhiraj (both Uday Sir's sons) were also there on two other jeeps and another Gypsy joined us on the way.UBS was to join us later as he got involved with some urgent work suddenly.

The initial experience:
1. The jeep was baretop.It was very hot under the sun. I opened the windshield outwards and the breeze started to flow in. Now it was quite pleasant when we were moving.The seats were not in good shape still they were pretty comfortable.

2. A few times the engine was kind of knocking. I came down to the lower gear still it prevailed.I also noted that when I was trying to accelerate fast sometimes I felt a lag. I never drove a mm550 earlier still I felt 76 BHP should give me a faster response.

3. On the way we halted for sometime.That time we noticed Diesel was leaking from under the hood. It was actually leaking from the Diesel filter where the oil pipe coming from the tank was connected. We tightened the mouth of the pipe and the leaking stopped.

The Offroading experience:

The place used to be a brickfield earlier which is now owned by one of Uday Sir's cousin. It was a nice place to visit though not much scopes for offroading.All the brickfields have now become ponds.We could drive along the dry patch surrounding one of the pond. The banks of the pond were pretty stiff which were very tough to climb as there were no straight path to gain momentum. We had to drive almost parallel to the stiff inclines and moreover they were filled with trees.

While passing through the dry patch the engine stopped suddenly.I couldn't make out exactly why.I tried to turn on the engine but the battery gave up. In the meantime one of the newbie was driving the legendary "8181" from UBS stable. By mistake he drove into the water and then pressed the accelerator hard and tried to steer out of there. The jeep slided more into water and due to inexperience he didn't keep the engine started.The jeep was stuck very badly with one of the headlights on top of water and the other under water level. It was mostly due to the kind of soil in this parts of West Bengal which is very muddy and sticky.It had the PTO winch which was supposed to be the main recovery gear for us and now it was not working as the engine stopped responding. the other CJ3A had a ramsey winch which was also malfunctioning.The Gypsy couldnot come that far due to the stiff incline.

By that time the sky was covered with very dark clouds.We were trying our hard to pull the jeep from the pond.It didnt move an inch.Somehow I had a feeling that something could be obstructing the jeep.I just took a plunge inside water and there was a brick almost standing upright by the front wheel.I got completely wet. Within 10-15 minutes a heavy storm broke out with rainfall

....Now the situation was like this:

1. We were a bunch of youngsters who have never even drove a jeep earlier and just newly attending offroading workshop .Only Vidyun and Adhiraj were experienced in recovery job.
2. The main winch is under water with the jeep stuck there and the other winch malfunctioning.
3. My jeep was standstill. The Jypsy was unable to come that far.
4. It was raining heavily which made the place complete slippery due to the kind of soil.
5. In such a mess Uday sir was not present till then

.............

discoverwild · 3rd June 2009, 09:45

Nice place to give us the break in commentary, Saikat. Please go on. I am sure you would not have taken pictures with all this trouble, but if you did, please share.

hemanth.das · 3rd June 2009, 09:45

after that what happened how did you guys come out.

Kandisa · 3rd June 2009, 09:54

Thats a hell of experience for a test drive of the jeep! Still better that a seasoned off-roader like Adhiraj was with you. Awaiting the next part.
-regards,

4x4 loaded · 4th June 2009, 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by discoverwild

.. I am sure you would not have taken pictures with all this trouble, but if you did, please share.

Yes you are right.We were not really in a position at that time for photographs and moreover I did not carry my camera that day.However some of our fellow members had some moments captured in the lense. Will surely upload them once I get those.

@ Hemanth & Kandisa...will surely continue the story, just not able to find enough time.

Reagrds..Saikat

4x4 loaded · 14th June 2009, 18:51

Hello all, sorry for not updating the rest of the story...

The recovery exercise was getting from bad to worse with the heavy rains. Almost all the 10+ enthusiasts were fully drenched. We recd. calls from the host to come for lunch, but the failure was too bad to be digested.
The seniors arrived for lunch, and we were a bit anxious to get some firing from Uday Sir as he came in a car with his family to join us in the off road workshop that we were expected to do. He was very cool even after seeing two jeeps so badly stuck, and all he said was pack up for food. We walked back to the guest house and sure enough a deadly meal was there for our hungry stomachs.
After all the wash and cleaning we all sat down for lunch. During the session no one spoke about the disaster. Well it was a feeling of satisfaction that now we could surely bring the jeeps out. Luckily the rain had stopped and we headed back to the pond.

Final recovery begins:

The first lesson was to bring the 8181 out as only a winch could salvage my 550 out. In a previous outing I had experienced the brute power of the PTO winch in action.

1. The Gypsy was brought to the scene through another way.

2. Unwind the winch rope out of the stuck jeep and hook it on to the Gypsy, parked almost 50 feet away.

3. Take the wire from the Ramsey (in the CJ3A) and hook it on to 8181.
Both the jeep and the Gypsy started to pull forward and most of us were in the pond pushing the stuck one. Luck started to show, and the jeep was slowly moving even though two vehicles were burning their tyres on the slippery soil.

4. Immediately tyre pressure was lowered as per order, and the recovery looked positive.

5. Finally we suceeded, and the helper mechanic started to crank the 8181. It fired but was knocking. Immediately the engine was stopped and the diesel tank was ordered to be emptied as it was suspected to have water. Good enough after draining almost 8 to 10 litres of the 'hydrogen fuel', diesel was coming out. The pipes were cleaned and the Harvester International fired instantly giving me hopes of returning home with my jeep.

5. The PTO rope was taken miles away to be hooked on to the lonely beast in one side of the pond. The recovery jeep was anchored to a tree and the operation started. MM550 moved inch by inch and was on the drier land after almost 15- 20 mins.

6. On hearing the knocking issue I had while driving to the spot and also the lag in fast acceleration Uday sir adviced to check the oil tank and the oil pipe connecting the diesel filter as oil was not coming out of the filter fluently when it was pumped manually.To out surprise the oil pipe had some jute in it along with a stone chip that must have got in there from the oil tank. It was not checked earlier as I left the Oil tank to be taken care by Mrityunda in his bodyshop. But as the battery was dead, it was towed to the guest house, only to be jump started later. The alternator was not wired. Due to the storm there was a power failure in that locality and it was pitch dark in the evening by then. All of a sudden the storm brewed once again... we had no option but to bring it home in the next day.

It was a great experience learning the recovery techniques that evening...................

Finally the jeep is back:
The next day I went back to the place and drove back the jeep. This time the 76 BHP was enough for me to feel the potential of the MM 550xd..no knocking and no lag while accelerating. Finally I took the jeep to the bodyshop directly where it is being worked on right now...will update the post about the same.

Ramsagar · 17th June 2009, 16:43

It’s a great experience under a great man.
At least I’m expecting this MM550 not be painted in any of the green shades.

4x4 loaded · 19th June 2009, 05:04

Hello guys, the jeep is undergoing bodywork now. Its being done in Mrityunda's garage. Remember the first SWB jeep I was about to buy from a dealer? Its the same garage where he kept his jeep.

1. The front bumper was straightened.It was a nicely done job. The body mechanic wanted to open the rivet and then straighten the bumper. We instructed him not to open the rivets as they are not available original.He did the job without having the bumper open.

2. The B-pillar has been straightened and the doors were fitted.

3. The bonnet which had the ugly mark of the wire while lifting it into the truck was also taken care of nicely.

4. The floor in the driver's cabin had some rusts.They were invisible from the top as its covered by the floor mat.The toolbox under the driver seat was removed where the floor was a bit more rusty. Theese were replaced with GI sheet.

5. The fenders and the sidewalls were also done.

6. One of the main spring at the rear was broken. It was replaced with a new one. The front and the rear springs were raised an inch just to make sure there is enough room for them to swing. Dont want to raise it much as it leads to a bumpy ride.Moreover I noticed a few jeeps presently in service and none of them had springs raised.

7. The silencer pipe was missing.Bought a new one.

I am going to visit the body shop this saturday and will post further updates soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

It’s a great experience under a great man.
At least I’m expecting this MM550 not be painted in any of the green shades.

Dont worry I am not going to make it the army look

....This is time when I will be needing a lot of guidance for the bodywork from all of you guys.

harjeev · 19th June 2009, 09:02

Hey
Its good to see your work progressing fast!!!
What is the status of the mechanical work and any changes in the body or are you going to keep it stock???

ANd finally what color shade are you going in for???

4x4 loaded · 20th June 2009, 01:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by harjeev

Hey
Its good to see your work progressing fast!!!
What is the status of the mechanical work and any changes in the body or are you going to keep it stock???

ANd finally what color shade are you going in for???

Hi Harjeev,

1. Mechanical works are complete at Uday Sirs's workshop.No modification done on this part. Everything is stock. Its already mentioned earlier in the thread. Once the body work is complete will do some more on and offroad testing.

2. On the body front we will not put the army style soft-top. It will be done the scissor style. At the back we will fix the round backlights of Indicab/Tata Magic instead of the jeep lights as they are more prone to breakage. Thought of fixing a roll bar but then discarded it as it would look messy with the B-Pillar. Instead we are fixing two pipes whose one end will be welded/bolted to the B-pillar and the other end on the floor towards the back.It will in turn reinforce the B-pillar making it stronger. The backseats will be front facing.

3. First we decided to paint the jeep in black.We dropped that idea as it would be too hot in calcutta without the A.C. Then we noticed the Army rim looks pretty sporty in white as in Fazalali's previous white MM550. As of now we are sticking to this idea..... Any ideas will be welcome...Any idea of what could be the cost of a decent paint job without removing the body from the chasis?

27th May 2009, 22:14	#61
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	The broken B-Pillar, seats, doors and the hood pipes from the back were stripped off since the beginning of the mechanical works started.It looks so neat than the first time we saw it. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

28th May 2009, 09:35	#62
Gypsy-Boy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 298 Thanked: 9 Times View My Garage	Glad to see that your 4X4 is on its way to recovery
	() Thanks

29th May 2009, 04:50	#63
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	The front diff is spotless, with good parts. Unfortunately every thing on the right side, from the knuckle were in scrap condition, as they were swapped at the depot.The disc, calliper e.t.c. needed replacement.The rear propellor shaft was missing, now got the new ones. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

29th May 2009, 05:07	#64
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	What a radiator man ! Spotless......seem it was planted new moments before the auction. Lucky for us
	() Thanks

29th May 2009, 22:31	#65
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	Couldn't upload the pic yesterday due to technical problem. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

3rd June 2009, 05:10	#66
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	The mechanicals were complete sometime back. We took the jeep for a little offroad-test at a place called Sodepur.It was around 25 KMs from uday Sir's residence.The body work was still not done. We just fixed the driver and co-driver's seat and another one at the rear.The doors were somehow put into place.No electricals were done.We managed a spare battery from Uday Sir's wrokshop as he advised not to buy a new one untill electrical works are started.Vidyun and Adhiraj (both Uday Sir's sons) were also there on two other jeeps and another Gypsy joined us on the way.UBS was to join us later as he got involved with some urgent work suddenly. The initial experience: 1. The jeep was baretop.It was very hot under the sun. I opened the windshield outwards and the breeze started to flow in. Now it was quite pleasant when we were moving.The seats were not in good shape still they were pretty comfortable. 2. A few times the engine was kind of knocking. I came down to the lower gear still it prevailed.I also noted that when I was trying to accelerate fast sometimes I felt a lag. I never drove a mm550 earlier still I felt 76 BHP should give me a faster response. 3. On the way we halted for sometime.That time we noticed Diesel was leaking from under the hood. It was actually leaking from the Diesel filter where the oil pipe coming from the tank was connected. We tightened the mouth of the pipe and the leaking stopped. The Offroading experience: The place used to be a brickfield earlier which is now owned by one of Uday Sir's cousin. It was a nice place to visit though not much scopes for offroading.All the brickfields have now become ponds.We could drive along the dry patch surrounding one of the pond. The banks of the pond were pretty stiff which were very tough to climb as there were no straight path to gain momentum. We had to drive almost parallel to the stiff inclines and moreover they were filled with trees. While passing through the dry patch the engine stopped suddenly.I couldn't make out exactly why.I tried to turn on the engine but the battery gave up. In the meantime one of the newbie was driving the legendary "8181" from UBS stable. By mistake he drove into the water and then pressed the accelerator hard and tried to steer out of there. The jeep slided more into water and due to inexperience he didn't keep the engine started.The jeep was stuck very badly with one of the headlights on top of water and the other under water level. It was mostly due to the kind of soil in this parts of West Bengal which is very muddy and sticky.It had the PTO winch which was supposed to be the main recovery gear for us and now it was not working as the engine stopped responding. the other CJ3A had a ramsey winch which was also malfunctioning.The Gypsy couldnot come that far due to the stiff incline. By that time the sky was covered with very dark clouds.We were trying our hard to pull the jeep from the pond.It didnt move an inch.Somehow I had a feeling that something could be obstructing the jeep.I just took a plunge inside water and there was a brick almost standing upright by the front wheel.I got completely wet. Within 10-15 minutes a heavy storm broke out with rainfall....Now the situation was like this: 1. We were a bunch of youngsters who have never even drove a jeep earlier and just newly attending offroading workshop .Only Vidyun and Adhiraj were experienced in recovery job. 2. The main winch is under water with the jeep stuck there and the other winch malfunctioning. 3. My jeep was standstill. The Jypsy was unable to come that far. 4. It was raining heavily which made the place complete slippery due to the kind of soil. 5. In such a mess Uday sir was not present till then .............
	() Thanks

3rd June 2009, 09:45	#67
discoverwild Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: BLR/CBE Posts: 1,296 Thanked: 3,650 Times	Nice place to give us the break in commentary, Saikat. Please go on. I am sure you would not have taken pictures with all this trouble, but if you did, please share.
	() Thanks

3rd June 2009, 09:45	#68
hemanth.das BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 158 Thanked: 123 Times	after that what happened how did you guys come out.
	() Thanks

3rd June 2009, 09:54	#69
Kandisa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Noida Posts: 1,117 Thanked: 558 Times View My Garage	Thats a hell of experience for a test drive of the jeep! Still better that a seasoned off-roader like Adhiraj was with you. Awaiting the next part. -regards,
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 18:51	#71
4x4 loaded BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 138 Thanked: 13 Times	Continuation of the Offroading Experience Hello all, sorry for not updating the rest of the story... The recovery exercise was getting from bad to worse with the heavy rains. Almost all the 10+ enthusiasts were fully drenched. We recd. calls from the host to come for lunch, but the failure was too bad to be digested. The seniors arrived for lunch, and we were a bit anxious to get some firing from Uday Sir as he came in a car with his family to join us in the off road workshop that we were expected to do. He was very cool even after seeing two jeeps so badly stuck, and all he said was pack up for food. We walked back to the guest house and sure enough a deadly meal was there for our hungry stomachs. After all the wash and cleaning we all sat down for lunch. During the session no one spoke about the disaster. Well it was a feeling of satisfaction that now we could surely bring the jeeps out. Luckily the rain had stopped and we headed back to the pond. Final recovery begins: The first lesson was to bring the 8181 out as only a winch could salvage my 550 out. In a previous outing I had experienced the brute power of the PTO winch in action. 1. The Gypsy was brought to the scene through another way. 2. Unwind the winch rope out of the stuck jeep and hook it on to the Gypsy, parked almost 50 feet away. 3. Take the wire from the Ramsey (in the CJ3A) and hook it on to 8181. Both the jeep and the Gypsy started to pull forward and most of us were in the pond pushing the stuck one. Luck started to show, and the jeep was slowly moving even though two vehicles were burning their tyres on the slippery soil. 4. Immediately tyre pressure was lowered as per order, and the recovery looked positive. 5. Finally we suceeded, and the helper mechanic started to crank the 8181. It fired but was knocking. Immediately the engine was stopped and the diesel tank was ordered to be emptied as it was suspected to have water. Good enough after draining almost 8 to 10 litres of the 'hydrogen fuel', diesel was coming out. The pipes were cleaned and the Harvester International fired instantly giving me hopes of returning home with my jeep. 5. The PTO rope was taken miles away to be hooked on to the lonely beast in one side of the pond. The recovery jeep was anchored to a tree and the operation started. MM550 moved inch by inch and was on the drier land after almost 15- 20 mins. 6. On hearing the knocking issue I had while driving to the spot and also the lag in fast acceleration Uday sir adviced to check the oil tank and the oil pipe connecting the diesel filter as oil was not coming out of the filter fluently when it was pumped manually.To out surprise the oil pipe had some jute in it along with a stone chip that must have got in there from the oil tank. It was not checked earlier as I left the Oil tank to be taken care by Mrityunda in his bodyshop. But as the battery was dead, it was towed to the guest house, only to be jump started later. The alternator was not wired. Due to the storm there was a power failure in that locality and it was pitch dark in the evening by then. All of a sudden the storm brewed once again... we had no option but to bring it home in the next day. It was a great experience learning the recovery techniques that evening................... Finally the jeep is back: The next day I went back to the place and drove back the jeep. This time the 76 BHP was enough for me to feel the potential of the MM 550xd..no knocking and no lag while accelerating. Finally I took the jeep to the bodyshop directly where it is being worked on right now...will update the post about the same.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 16:43	#72
Ramsagar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BLR_Nellore(AP) Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	It’s a great experience under a great man. At least I’m expecting this MM550 not be painted in any of the green shades.
	() Thanks

19th June 2009, 09:02	#74
harjeev Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,899 Thanked: 292 Times View My Garage	Hey Its good to see your work progressing fast!!! What is the status of the mechanical work and any changes in the body or are you going to keep it stock??? ANd finally what color shade are you going in for???
	() Thanks