[wanderer4x4]

Hi friends, am glad that my membership has been approved at last and am happy to be here. Though a newbie as a member, I've been browsing through the forum as a guest for quite sometime particularly the 4x4 section and have come to know many of the experts and gurus. And found out that this is one place which is unmatched in quality and information about automobiles, along with a bunch of helpful, friendly people. So, when I set my sights on having a Jeep to fulfill my childhood dream (as many of you have), the first thing came to my mind was "I must ask the guys at Team BHP for advice first". And friends that time has come when I require all the help and advice that I can get from you all. (Hope I am not boring you all with this prologue.)
As I have been looking for a Jeep for quite sometime(I wanted the CJ3B model), when I saw this Jeep, I just jumped into this shrubbery (infested with leeches and snails) where it was in a derelict condition waiting to be cut up and sold as "iron". And I must admit I so badly wanted to take it.























Now, I am in a fix..the body of the Jeep is more or less okay with nominal rusting, chasis is also quite okay considering the age. But the main issue is the engine. I think it is missing the carb, air cleaner/filter, radiator, the whole 4x4 mechanism. These are the things I could notice at first glance, though I am no expert. As I am an absolute novice, more so technically, and availabilty of spares for this petrol Hurricane here in Assam is an issue, would it be wise to go ahead and buy this one and start a restoration? Pls take a look at the pics and advice. The asking price is 40K.
If I bring it home, it'd be primarily used for my periodic forays into the national parks and to our farm and terrain is mostly rough jungle roads and hilly tracts with mud and slush. Not much rock climbing or dune bashing. And I am looking forward to the following:

1) Reliability: I'd want it to be trouble free so that I don't get stranded in the jungle and the hills which can be lonely and far from help at best.
2) Fuel Economy: Considering the distances covered, FE is imp for me. So, how much can I expect from this Hurricane? Or can I change the engine to a diesel one keeping the same Gear Box? What will happen to the 4x4 mech then? I want a fully functional 4x4. (But I want to keep it LHD and also am not averse to keeping the petrol if i become confident of its reliability)
3) Ease of maintenace: By this I mean that it should be repairable easily by an average mechanic coz thats what I've got at my disposal and that many a times I might have to do a lot of "jugad" with parts from other make/models as original spare availability is going to be an issue. So, how is the interchageability of spares for this engine?

If I go ahead, then what are the challenges that I might face vis a vis spares and can an average mechanic do it? The mech at my disposal is quite gung ho and confident and says that all the spares are available and "duniya main koi Jeep aisi nahi hain jo unrepairable ya unmanageable hain". But I am not falling for his words as I don't want to burn a large hole in my pocket considerig my limited savings by undertaking a huge unmanageable restoration job. But at the sametime my heart does not want to let go of this beauty and let her go to the butchers. Guys your views please.

Wanderer

[DirtyDan]

40k is a whole lot of coconuts to pay for what is essentially at this moment, scrap, according to the sellers. Especially as it has many parts missing or broken.

It is as doable as your money, patience and time permit. There's no easy answer to this.

You have seen threads on this vehicle. They are finicky. It strikes me that a Gypsy might fit your needs better, save the FE vector. Gypsy excels on #1 and #3. Parts are going to be easier to find in Assam and there are probably mechs around that know how to work on them.

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by DD

It strikes me that a Gypsy might fit your needs better, save the FE vector.

+1
Firstly, Congratulations on the yard find.
But, buy it and restore it if you have the jeep itch.
If you have the requirements that you've mentioned, you're better off with a gypsy.

[rajeev k]

It is great to have the Jeep. Some critical components are missing from the engine bay, but can easily be sourced. Congrats for the great find.

The Fiat in the first picture appears to be quite appealing from what is seen in the photo. Is it still there and for sale. I am interested mate.

[svsantosh]

If Jorhat is in assam (per DD), then you must be closer to Calcutta, right? You know whom to find

But 40K is a bit high unless you are bent upon a LHD-CJ. PS, chassis MAY look 'OK', but remember it is the single most difficult part to replace, especially a LHD one, so get down under and dirty, scan it once again...

[condor]

And any money you pay is just bonus for the seller. You are paying him to take his junk off his hands. Looking at the pics, he should pay you to take it

Seriously, that Jeep will need a lot of work. You may be paying only for the papers. Even after you get it, you will still need to find reliable, knowledgeable guys to work on it. And parts - that may be another story.

Are you ready for it ? Like Nitrous said - unless you have the Jeep itch - and for a Hurricane, you may be better off checking other options.

[Kandisa]

1st of all welcome to Tbhp. Your desire to save an LHD Cj3b from getting scrapped is commendable. But just be aware of the practical aspects before taking a plunge. The experts will off course pour in their advice, here are my observations from my very limited experience with jeeps.

1. If restored properly, a 3b is going to serve you like a very reliable machine. But a proper restoration of a jeep in this condition is not an easy job.
2. If fuel economy is a matter of concern then you have probably chosen a very wrong jeep. From what i have heard, getting a mileage of around 6-7 will be at optimistic best!
3. I don't think it is an average mechanic's cup of tea particularly when you will be more interested to keep the original specifications and components intact.
4. To live with a LHD 3b which you want to use for frequent drives, you need to have some good understandings (of the jeep technicalities) of your own apart from having a reservoir of few spare parts which you might not be getting commonly or off the shelf.

Overall, you need to be prepared mentally to face these things if your heart is really longing for this jeep. Else, better look for a relatively modern jeep or a gypsy. Not to discourage you but many a times the initial excitement is really high and then it drops down drastically when one comes across the roadblocks or faces issues continously even after a thorough build-up.
Still if you want to go forward, you can always consult with the one and only UBS (he is also a member here with id U.B.Singh) in detail to dicuss about the project and you might end up in getting a detailed restoration guidelines along with all associated aspects.
If your concern is mainly about sourcing the missing engine parts, there is one shop in Delhi who has a counterpart in north east (most probaly Meghalaya). I can send you the details via PM if that helps.
Oh and do bargain hard on the asking price if you finally end up in picking this. 40k is too high for this.

[Attari]

The jeep looks good and very very restorable. Take it from me, I recently picked up a 58 and it was in much worse condition.

Like svsantosh mentioned, you must be sure of the chassis being in good shape to begin with. Most of the other stuff seems to be in place.

Finding spares for a Cj3b is not a serious problem. I suggest you visit a couple of authorized M&M dealers and check with them. Thats how i got all my parts.. in fact, I dint even have to go there... ordered over the phone (its something that comes as a surprise considering i had to run from pillar to post to get parts for my MB)

I would highly recommend restoring and not modifying (dieselization) this jeep. Petrol jeeps are fun to drive and since you like the jungle, it wont scare the living daylights out of the jungle residents....

A little bit of encouragement, attaching a picture of my jeep when o bought it.

[wanderer4x4]

Well, friends...thanks for the replies. Those made me feel comfortable and welcome amongst you all. Regarding the price I had a discussion with the scrap dealer and he is ready to come down to 30K now. But "ek paisa usse kam nahin".

@Attari- seeing the condition of your jeep has given me some confidence definitely, but I am still apprehensive as I am still a wannabe Jeeper with zero practical experience in restoring. Ideally, I'd have liked to start off with a good conditioned vehicle. But, still it feels quite bad to see the jeep being cut up and sold considering its "semi vintage" status.

@Nitrous- Well, its the Jeep itch, you know, otherwise Gypsy is quite easily available here. But...

@rajeevk- The Fiat is very much on sell and is in quite a good condition. Going price is 25K. But, how much you'd spend in transporting it from here is another matter.

PS- The seller has offered me another jeep - 1989 CL500D 4x4 SWB for 28k. Only the radiator is missing. General condition is good, but it has got the B275 International engine, I suppose. So if I buy it and drive it into the jungle, it might just scare the wildlife into their wits end as Attari has said . So, if I buy this and change the engine to a XDP how much difference can I expect in the NVH? And to this engine can the 3speed GB and the stock 4x4 mechanism be mated. This has a single lever to operate the 4x4 unlike to normal 2 levers. Or else can the "Inter" be serviced for some [FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]semblance of lower NVH. An avg speed of 50-55 km, FE of 8-10 km is ok with me if it can be "silenced a bit."[/SIZE][/FONT]
Sorry, I didn't click pics of this jeep as I was focussing only on the CJ.

So, now I am a confused sheep about the Jeep. One hand, not feeling confident enough to start the CJ job and on the other hand don't think the tractor engined CL500D is smooth enough for jungle forays. (Probably with a changed engine would be a diff story.) Pls advice friends.

[CJ3b]

Dear Jeeper,
Finally get to hear a jeeper from North East, Pick the LHD, it is worth restoring it back to action and it is exprience of a life time.

UBS is the best person right now to advise you on how to restor the jeep,

wishing you the best of luck,

best regards
vinay thomas

[fazalaliadil]

Wanderer,

Welcome.

1.Reliability factor with a Hurricane under your hood- This is an extremely dependable and uncomplicated engine, once you do it up just drive it for years.

2. Fuel economy, you can expect 7-8kmpl here .

3. Spares are still available in Hyderabad and other cities but at a price.

Get hold of a mechanic who has worked on Fiats and Ambassadors at least and then you have UBS Sir for advice not far from you.

Chassis seems to be in decent condition at the front but like SVSantosh advises you, go down and check for bends, welds or cracks.

Differentials will need to be worked upon, apart from suspension.

New wiring harness, electricals, battery and radiator, carburetor, air cleaner required.

New tyres, soft top and top frame too, as the existing one is not original. Seats, not original and the ones on it are wrongly fitted (driver's single is on passenger side).

LHD not advisable for highway overtaking, just going by the corroded tail gate, body needs major works before paint. Starter, dynamo are original and the engine seems to be relatively well preserved, expect minimum 50% job once opened.

Oh YES! It will burn many holes in your pocket. 30K is not a bad price if the papers are good. If I were you, I would pick it up and be ready to spend 2 lakhs on it to get it in the peak condition.

If you have the inclination, the time and most important funds...go for it otherwise like Kandisa points out you may end up disappointed after the initial excitement wears out as the crunch time sets in.

CJ3B and CJ340 have a different charm due to the SWB which the CL500 lacks. How is the CL500 offered to you a SWB?

Regards,

[SILVERWOOD]

Welcome to this forum.

You have started firing from the word go, indeed a very interesting thread to start off.

This Jeep will require lots & lots of labour,not sure if your have skilled mechanics as we have them here in Hyderabad.

40K is way too high,i would not have paid a penny more than 20k and as Fazal bhai said, the papers should be in order with no outstanding govt dues.

If you decide to buy, then your Jeep mechanic will be your best friend for sometime and you will learn a lot from the restoration.All the best.

[pdev29]

dont be under the assumption that body has little rusting.

looking at the pics i am sure once you start working on it your jaw will drop for sure.

i doubt papers will be clear fot this one.

if you still want to buy it then simplest and most practical way will be to strip it apart and start body work and mean while search for an engine and GB. dont get into building this engine again.

[wanderer4x4]

Thanks for the replies friends.

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

LHD not advisable for highway overtaking, just going by the corroded tail gate, body needs major works before paint. Starter, dynamo are original and the engine seems to be relatively well preserved, expect minimum 50% job once opened.

Oh YES! It will burn many holes in your pocket. 30K is not a bad price if the papers are good. If I were you, I would pick it up and be ready to spend 2 lakhs on it to get it in the peak condition.

If you have the inclination, the time and most important funds...go for it otherwise like Kandisa points out you may end up disappointed after the initial excitement wears out as the crunch time sets in.

CJ3B and CJ340 have a different charm due to the SWB which the CL500 lacks. How is the CL500 offered to you a SWB?

Regards,

Thanks Fazal ji for your inputs. But 2 lakhs for making it road worthy is beyond my budget at this moment.
And you are right, just had a word with the seller over phone, the other model is CJ340 and not the CL500. I was wrong. So, what do you suggest..shall I go for the tractor engined one?

Originally Posted by pdev29

i doubt papers will be clear fot this one.

And how right you are friend. Just had a chat with the seller, and I've a feeling he does not have the papers in order from the govt deptt from where he procured the vehicle. When pushed for the details of papers that he has, just asked me to come over and see for myself. So, planning to visit him on sunday to make my final decision.

[M.R.Boruwa]

Hi Wanderer4x4, Most delighted to see you here (I am blue blooded Jorhatian).

Just a quick question where did you picked it up (Is it Dass Motors in Engineering college road)? May I also suggest you to locally Check with Sakhi Singh in JPR Road and Nice in Litchubari (Do'nt remember the name of the garage) These two gentle mans are master craftsman and has excellent exposure on vintage Cars and Jeeps. I have known them for years and assure that their analysis & attention to miniature details in work is trustworthy.

Dass@ Engineering college road has a Willis but there is no engine. During my Gypsy hunt (this deewali) he informed that he may be able to get a engine for the same provided I buy it.

From my limited exposure, I can say that this Jeep is restartable. Regarding Spares one thing I am sure that if you do'nt get them in Jorhat/Assam, You will surely get them in Kohima/Shillong/Tezu.