[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by headers

Spitfire, I'd like to hear your POV regarding an ideal offroad vehicle. Dont mind if you start a separate thread and PM me on that.

There are enough threads in the 4x4 section for that. Even a very good poll by Arka. You should visit that section too.

We all know that the Trekker was hugely underpowered etc etc, but that vehicle has sold enough in the 80s atleast in the 4 southern states. It had a crappy engine but delivered a very good FE and had enough space to ferry people and luggage around.

Whats the connection to it being ideal for converting to be an offroader?

It was basically an Ambassador redefined! Those were the days when HM did the marketing and sold vehicles, typically a pre-Maruti era!

No they wanted to fuel the lower segment who wouldn't complain against the vehicle as long as it carried 30 people. That was the sole criteria. And not only HM, Mahindra and Tata went down that route too with the Commander soft top and Sumo with the 407 engine(they even posted an ad with TATA employess about 18 of them sitting in one). Redefined?

But then if you want to convert it to a 4WD, then yes interesting project. In the end its your effort, i can just have an opinion(not that you have to take it). If it was my effort i could have looked at other alternatives and this thing could never have been on the list.

I believe in starting off well and taking the right steps thats it.

[headers]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Whats the connection to it being ideal for converting to be an offroader?

Hey, we seem to be on different frequencies..nevermind!

Originally Posted by Spitfire

HM, Mahindra and Tata went down that route too with the Commander soft top and Sumo with the 407 engine(they even posted an ad with TATA employess about 18 of them sitting in one). Redefined?

All the above came a decade later!

Originally Posted by Spitfire

If it was my effort i could have looked at other alternatives and this thing could never have been on the list.

I believe in starting off well and taking the right steps thats it.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by headers

Hey, we seem to be on different frequencies..nevermind!

Ok if you say so. You quoted me in the start of that post.

All the above came a decade later!

So that does not make the product any better. You didnt get the point.

I get the sarcasm cheers:

[SuperSelect]

Simple, Basic, maybe even ugly.. but the Trekker was a wonderful Utility vehicle in its time, offering relatively cheap motoring to the masses. And as Addy rightly said, with a bit of imagination, it can turn into a most interesting lifestyle vehicle.
Imagine a Trekker with balloon tyres and wide alloys, a bull bar, winch, exposed spare fuel tanks, Recaro seats, the works. Ooh, I'd love to buy one and convert.
By the way, was the design inspired by the Citroen Sherpa UV ??

[desigNation]

i agree with superselect,the more uglier a vehicle is the more the challenge it is to modify and make it look good.i believe for that matter any vehicle can be made to look good even if its really an eye sore,the satisfaction you get looking at a beautifully restored or modded vehicle is amazing[at least for me]

[Bertoko]

Thank you all for your comments. So, apparently the Trekker did not arrive until 1982! I thought it was older, because it looked really out-dated.

[greenhorn]

something I've noticed is that they're still used by driving schools - a lot - to teach students for commercial vehicles

[headers]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

something I've noticed is that they're still used by driving schools - a lot - to teach students for commercial vehicles

THe steering is lighter than the Amby. The visibility is superb and thats is why driving schools use them.

Ofcourse, they are GROSSLY underpowered! which is another advantage for the driving schools!

[71Convertible]

Does the Trekker have torsion front suspension? Isn't that what the Landmaster has as well? are they the same? Wondering if the trekker is really based on the Landmaster rather than the Amby.

B

[Blue Thunder]

The Trekker is based on the Amby ( which is based on the Landmaster ? ) and all have a similar torsion bar front suspension.

[Enthusiast]

As far as the design is concerned , Trekkers are the exact replicas of "Minimoke", though enlarged .... Minimokes are still very popular with collectors in the UK

[headers]

I'd love to pick up one now and do it up to some wild specs - any pointers ?

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by headers

I'd love to pick up one now and do it up to some wild specs - any pointers ?

Visit Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and there are loads of it still in service as commercial vehicles. There is no special things about trekker. It shares same engine as of old Ambassador Diesel.

I grown up seeing these trekkers in our neighborhood. So many of them using as short distance commercial vehicle. They almost load (up, back, inside) 50 person in this humble trekker. For this they used to strengthen the chassis also.

[headers]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Visit Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and there are loads of it still in service as commercial vehicles. There is no special things about trekker. It shares same engine as of old Ambassador Diesel.

I grown up seeing these trekkers in our neighborhood. So many of them using as short distance commercial vehicle. They almost load (up, back, inside) 50 person in this humble trekker. For this they used to strengthen the chassis also.

My father owned one for 13 years and I have driven it for 4 odd years!

The steering of the Trekker is much easier the Amby and so is the suspension.

The only drawback in those days were that it cannot go over 80kph as it will burst the top hose!

Wish I could pick one this side of town and plonk in a 140BHP engine and 4wd!!

[SS-Traveller]

Talking of Trekkers brings forth a lot of nostalgia! Just came across this thread. I remember a friend's family in Kolkata owned two Trekkers, both with hard top bodies built from Leong Motors on Hazra Road. One had a steel body, the other had a body fabricated from aluminium sheets. Both cars had engine replacement done subsequently, to Matador (OM616? - IIRC) engines. The aluminium-bodied Trekker was much nicer to drive because it was lighter, with less effort required at the steering.

Trekkers had a tubular chassis as opposed to the Amby's monocoque, though the engine and suspension components were shared.

OT, but does Leong Motors exist now? Can someone from Kolkata confirm?