[53BHP]

Merc and authorised? You had better jump into a washing machine. they will take you to the cleaners anyway. Steiger and Kassam are the best independent Merc specialists I know. Steiger has really kept my W tight

Ferdi has put his Jeep expert Chand on the job. And he is looking into it himself

I want to go the soft top way definitely. But both Steiger and Ferdi wont let me take it off right now. Besides Steiger and I are planning a trip down to Kerala this year end with his Classic and my MM. So we will need at least 1 hard top to keep and lock samaan

Actually this is what I would like, the red one. Its the Mahindra Marksman that was sold in the UK:



Ferdi says there's a guy in Pune who he had worked on a Wrangler hard top proto with, for M&M. That guy should be able to do

So for the time being ROplas it is. All I need is Bharat Sarkar (in hindi of course) stencilled at the front and back of the Roplas and I am good to park anywhere in Bombay.

I am sending you the .xls. Remember i am a 3 day old Jeeper, so dont laugh okay

I am dying to see your CJ. I guess you have it under wraps till the grand unveiling. And when are you going to introduce me to your collection of W's

Hey I am also working on some insulation materials for the acoustic damping of engine bay and interiorn tub. Let me knw if you want something done too

Cheers

[gonewithwind]

I love the hard top of your 540. May not be trendy but got a character.

[53BHP]

Originally Posted by gonewithwind

I love the hard top of your 540. May not be trendy but got a character.

Thanks. We are but in the minority dude. Mostly everybody is keen that I get it off. This is a factory fitted top with the seriel number plated on to the chassis. It is absolutely practical though....

[53BHP]

Prashanth

The 540 is a good mix of practicality of a 7 seater with the off road ability of the classic

The price of 540's has gone through the roof. I picked up this one for 90 including brokerage, which is not bad for a 4wd 540 with factory fitted hard top. Still I think I paid 20k over

What you should be looking for is a piece with good bodywork that has minimum rust on it and no accident damage

Even if there is lot of mechanical work it doesnt matter. Because mechanical work involves replacement. Which is easy compared to tinkering and bodywork which requires great skill. However when most people look for a car they look at it the other way round

So find one that has got good bodywork and crib like mad about how much mechanical work is there. that will help beat the owner/dealer down

The complete engine rebuild can happen for under 25k. To do a complete chassis, suspension and drivetrain over haul will cos another 20k

The major money sappers are tyres at 20k, alloy rims or steel rims at 25k and 5k respectively

Another popular value add is disc brakes in front. That will set you back 20k including all components

Air conditioning if you desire will be another 20 to 25k

If the vehicle is not badly corroded then a good paint job will be 15k

All these prices are approximate

In any case you shouldnt target to spend more that 1.5 to 1.75 in total including the cost of the vehicle

Try to keep your vehicle like the day it came out the factory. STock. That will give it maximum value

Ask Harjeev, Arka and other experienced Jeepers. I am sure this will be pretty much the advise they will offer to Baby Jeepers

Happy hunting and feel free to tap me for any info you need

[quote=lobojames9]Hi,

I am thinking of getting a 540 myself. So i would love to have the excel sheet you mentioned about. Your restoration is going great. Following your thread closely. Is restoring a MM540 very expensive?

Regards,

[gonewithwind]

Is that true the availability of jeeps more in hill station areas rather than cities for those who looking to buy.

[53BHP]

not much of an expert on that. definitely know that there are more of these in the B cities like nagpur, kolhapur, nasik and an A city like Mumbai. Thats why i searched in Pune and got it from there. Try and buy within your state. saves you the hassle of tx and NOC etc

[BolBolero]

53BHP,
Congrats on the purchase of the new ride. All the best with the restoration. Looking at the pictures posted, it seems to be in very capable hands. Keep updating this thread with the progress.

Regards
Gautam.

[GTO]

Hey 53BHP! What a pleasant surprise.....all I can say is Congratulations on a wise decision. That Disco that you were thinking of would be tough $$$$, not only to buy, but also when out offroading. The last thing you want to do while roughing it out is worry about a scratch on your expensive 4x4 and a 50,000 rupee hard-to-get door. Nothing beats the Mahindras for their abuse-friendly construction or cheap to repair simplistic nature. As per the opening post, you've gotten 80 of the offroadability for 20% of the cost. And clearing an obstacle is as much about the driver as the machine.

Your "new" Jeep is in the right hands, Ferdi is the best in the business when it comes to Mahindras. In fact, my Classic is on the roads today thanks only to his attention. I don't absolutely agree with you on keeping her stock though. There is a long list of proven offroad tools, most of them bolt on which guarantee results. I say, have Ferdi install a rear limited slip diff on your MM. And while you are at it, ask him to order one for me as well.

The way that I see it, a Jeep project is NEVER complete. We are always working on that next improvement. You've been bitten by the Jeep bug, owning & building your own 4x4 is all the more fun. Be sure to take pictures at every stage.

Get your Jeep along for the next OTR, will be fun to see her in action.

[spawnofsatan]

Hi, 53BHP,

Great purchase, I have always loved the the MM540/550's. Hope to see some great work done on it. Goodluck.

@GTO - Like you said there are several bolt on mods for the MM's does a coil spring conversion count as one? Any substantial improvement after the mod? What about a 6cyl engine swap, anyone ever tried that?

[khan_sultan]

53BHP, welcome to the 4x4 world. Your passion & enthu is evident from this thread and each post of yours.

Enjoy the experience & wishing you all the best on a start of an 'interesting' relationship with your jeep & everything that goes with it.
I am sure you will love every moment of it and discover so many things about automobiles that one would never pay attention to in daily life.

PS: I think by now the garage's number would be on your speed dial list #1 :-)

[53BHP]

GTO: thanks a lot. good sense did prevail, thanks to a large extent because of Ferdi and Steiger, both committed Jeepers and knowledgeable gents when it comes to 4x4's


Dont get me wrong. Even I would like to do all the 'improvements' that will help improve the Jeep mechanically as well as in terms of ride, comfort and off road ability.what i am definitely not interested is cosmetic mods to drag queen this babu (i am calling him babu cause with the roplas hard top this is the ultimate ride for our sarkari babu's)

But Ferdi has advised me to keep things absolutely stock in the 1st restoration. He says 'enjoy the jeep as it came from the factory.use it for 6 months.get to know it. then decide on the things you want to improve. i am always there to lift the body back off'

On the top of my list of bolt on improvements that i would like are:

LSD (just like you)
front disc brakes (standard on yours)
5 speeder
revolver shackles
improved NVH

i am fully committed to the fact that work on this jeep will never end

I am also aware of the fact that i know next to nothing about handling a Jeep. So the next few months is going to be doing just that. taking tips and learning from you guys how to get the most out of this ride

thanks for your support

look forward to offroading with you

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

53BHP, welcome to the 4x4 world. Your passion & enthu is evident from this thread and each post of yours.

Enjoy the experience & wishing you all the best on a start of an 'interesting' relationship with your jeep & everything that goes with it.
I am sure you will love every moment of it and discover so many things about automobiles that one would never pay attention to in daily life.

PS: I think by now the garage's number would be on your speed dial list #1 :-)

Thanks Sultan:

I have been calling Ferdi 4 times a day. Finally yesterday he told me "Listen this is not the first time I am restoring a MM540. So if you keep calling me I will put it back down and send it back"

So now I am calling him only twice a day.

Jeeping sure is an infectious bug

looking forward to your support and experience getting this babu back in ship shape

Originally Posted by BolBolero

53BHP,
Congrats on the purchase of the new ride. All the best with the restoration. Looking at the pictures posted, it seems to be in very capable hands. Keep updating this thread with the progress.

Regards
Gautam.

Thanks Gautam

It sure is in capable hands

putting up more pictures and updates. hope you stay on this post

[Parm]

its always a treat to see a raw vehicle rather than a high tech vehicle with electronics and gagets all around!

MM Jeeps fits the first catagory and its the simple construction of the chassis and the body along with the engine and gearbox with transfercase, simple shocks along with the leaf springs makes a true vehicle which can be taken for a 4x4 OTR and repaired by your average road side mechanic.

53bhp, threat that nice vehicle with utmost care and give her what she wants and she will take you where ever you want her to go!

i must say thats a professional garage doing a professional repair and restoration on your Sarkari Babu!

will wait for more updates as the restoration goes along!

[4x4 loaded]

Congrats 53BHP on the new possession. MMs are flooding everywhere now.
Saikat

[V-16]

I am dying to see your CJ. I guess you have it under wraps till the grand unveiling. And when are you going to introduce me to your collection of W's

Anytime mate. No its not under wraps, just its taking a little longer than i expected. Should be out within the week.

You can come anytime. You have my no. call me and come over whenevever buddy.

Hey I am also working on some insulation materials for the acoustic damping of engine bay and interiorn tub. Let me knw if you want something done too

Please, i will really appreciate that.

Today my guy informed me that he has purchased the front seats of a Ford Ikon to fit into the Jeep. Why Ikon? I have no idea. He just told me he got them as OE Jeep seats would not do to well in an OTR and i think hes absolutely right. Also they are not exactly an epitome of comfort. I was thinking maybe Recaro style but thats not too comfortable too. Need to go to the garage and check it out. I have been updating my thread. Please go through it and add your comments. The progress is far more than what the last posted pics show.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...-now-what.html

Originally Posted by spawnofsatan

@GTO - Like you said there are several bolt on mods for the MM's does a coil spring conversion count as one? Any substantial improvement after the mod? What about a 6cyl engine swap, anyone ever tried that?

Coil spring conversion would not count for a bolt on conversion. Nor will a six cyl engine swap. This hampers the reliability of the vehicle, especially a Jeep. Maybe plonking in a diesel with an autobox would be worth a try but definitely not bolt on.

[spawnofsatan]

Originally Posted by V-16

Coil spring conversion would not count for a bolt on conversion. Nor will a six cyl engine swap. This hampers the reliability of the vehicle, especially a Jeep. Maybe plonking in a diesel with an autobox would be worth a try but definitely not bolt on.

I only meant the coil spring as a bolt on mod, th engine swap would be a big job. But wouldn't throwing in a diesel with an auto tranny need some kind of ecu work?