[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

What an amazing thread. I must have read it twice. This has got to be one of the best 800's.

Thanks.

Another being Varun's.

Absolutely no doubt. His 800 is healthier than ever too, now that he has removed most of the mods he had done, and is back to stock.

I know it's asking a bit too much, but could you list out all the mods/upgrades you have done with links to the relevant posts and part numbers?

Will try to compile and post in near future.

Where did you get the LHD parts catalogue from. Do you have the part number and can we order it from any MGP dealer?

The manual was given to me by my good friend in MSIL. Unfortunately you cannot get it from the regular MGP stores.

You should buy it and keep it for spares.

No use, half the shell is totally gone. Plus its type 1, so useless to me.

Did you manage to get the part number?

Unfortunately, no.

************************************************** ******

Update: I got my steering wrapped from Bangalore, however it started wearing withing two months. Quality was pathetic. Good friend and BHPian Captain Slow offered to get it done again, this time monitoring himself. He did all the hard work, and I must say, the results are impressive. Thanks man!! I owe you a carton full of rare spares for your 1994 Esteem.



It's lovely, isn't it??

Regards,
Shashi

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Will try to compile and post in near future.

Great. Looking forward to that.

The manual was given to me by my good friend in MSIL. Unfortunately you cannot get it from the regular MGP stores.

That's unfortunate. Probably it will be available with dealers in LHD markets. Meanwhile can I ask you for some part numbers of LHD stuff? Basically looking at things like the rear wiper / washer mod and the rear defogger. All parts for the same. For the rest of the mods stuff should be available from other Maruti models and I'll post in your other thread.

Unfortunately, no.

Do let me know if you ever find out.

I got my steering wrapped from Bangalore, however it started wearing withing two months. Quality was pathetic. Good friend and BHPian Captain Slow offered to get it done again, this time monitoring himself.

Any details of the shop that did it?

It's lovely, isn't it??

Indeed it is. Factory finish I would say.

[AShubrah]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

I got my steering wrapped from Bangalore, however it started wearing withing two months. Quality was pathetic. Good friend and BHPian Captain Slow offered to get it done again, this time monitoring himself. He did all the hard work, and I must say, the results are impressive. Thanks man!! I owe you a carton full of rare spares for your 1994 Esteem.

Attachment 1702650

It's lovely, isn't it??

It looks absolutely lovely, sir.
I bet BHPian Captain Slow will be my “best friend” too once I see your steering wheel in real life

My 800 has the same shoddy MGP steering cover on that you had before you got that smashing piece of beauty all the way from Bangalore.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Meanwhile can I ask you for some part numbers of LHD stuff? Basically looking at things like the rear wiper / washer mod and the rear defogger. All parts for the same. For the rest of the mods stuff should be available from other Maruti models and I'll post in your other thread.

LHD specific items aren't available for sale in India. Also I refrain from posting about modifications and spares compatibility for obvious reasons.

Any details of the shop that did it?

More details about the shop posted here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post4318249

Originally Posted by AShubrah

It looks absolutely lovely, sir.

Thanks Buddy.

Regards,
Shashi

[chiranjitp]

Brilliant thread Leoshashi, this is kind of a bible on Maruti 800. The way you have maintained your car over the years is simply outstanding, your car looks like that it has just rolled out of the showroom. We own a 99 Oct Maruti Omni that is a few months older than your car, but nowhere well maintained as yours. I hope to restore her to showroom condition one day.

Your attention to detail in getting all the emblems, decals in place is outstanding. I also like to have all the original decals, emblems in place, without those I somehow find the looks to be incomplete. Out of curiosity shouldn't your 800 being from the early 2000 have mpi euro II decal at back in place of bharat II & maruti in Hindi on the steering wheel ?

I learned to drive in a 2009 Maruti 800. Over the years I have driven over half a dozen Maruti 800 ranging from hours in bumper to bumper traffic to long distances ( one way 440km) . The thing about Maruti 800 is that each car has its own identity, the brakes will bite at different point & gear shift quality will feel different in each car, the effort required to steer will be different.

Among all those Maruti 800 the best one to drive was a 2000 Phoenix red Maruti 800 5speed EX which was owned by one of my friends. It was a different animal all together, super sharp throttle response, revs more freely, slick shifting gearbox with one extra gear & I personally felt that it had a slightly better exhaust note than the normal 4 speed Maruti 800.

[Leoshashi]

Thanks. I am grateful you asked about these finer details.

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Out of curiosity shouldn't your 800 being from the early 2000 have mpi euro II decal at back in place of bharat II &

You are right. Since I loved observing, this is the trend of combination of decals I observed in 5 Speed cars:

1. 5 Speed Decal on Hatch plus Yellow Greenwheels above fuel lid.
2. 5 Speed Decal on Hatch plus Yellow Greenwheels above fuel lid plus MPI Euro II
3. 5 Speed Decal on Hatch plus MPI Euro II
4. 5 Speed Decal on Hatch plus Bharat 2

My car, being from the original batches, had 5 Speed Decal and GreenWheels only. No decal on the RHS side of the hatch. In October 2000, just 3 months after purchase my car was banged by a brakeless auto in Varanasi, which damaged the bumper, and also the hatch was dented on the right side. No other damage. While the bumper was replaced, the hatch was cleverly and patiently repaired using a crude form of PDR(Paintless Dent removal). The dent came out completely but some waviness is still is visible if you look closely or in some pics at a particular angle. The Bharat 2 sticker hides some scratches which was gifted by the auto.

This entire section had caved in badly, the TL however survived miraculously.

maruti in Hindi on the steering wheel ?

You are right again!! All Type 2 and Type 3 cars got two types of Hornpads:

1. With Hindi Maruti Emblem

2. With English Maruti embossed in the hornpad.


My car also came with Hindi Maruti. But I ordered English Maruti emblems from Export variant. I currently have some 10 pieces each of both type of emblems, and I keep swapping between them as per my mood.

Among all those Maruti 800 the best one to drive was a 2000 Phoenix red Maruti 800 5speed EX which was owned by one of my friends. It was a different animal all together, super sharp throttle response, revs more freely, slick shifting gearbox with one extra gear & I personally felt that it had a slightly better exhaust note than the normal 4 speed Maruti 800.

Since you brought up the topic of exhaust, and I had promised to post a video of my Suzuki Exhaust, here it is(Request you all to use headphones to get the actual bassy effect):

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The Exhaust story: While going through some Japanese forums, I had once seen that the F8D Alto they got, had the option of going with some mild performance exhaust. Basically it was a part of the Genuine accessories for them.

I tried to record some audio clips, but the echo of the engine in parking space made it sound like a car with busted exhaust. Will record a proper video and upload here soon.

Maruti 800 4 Speed's Stock exhaust note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4xMm5vreC8

My 5 Speed's exhaust note with the Suzuki Exhaust: Notice all the crackling and popping sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlTnBvwExmE

They say water droplets coming out of exhaust is a sign of healthy combustion. What do you say about this tap??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFV6J6NPBjE

Video Credits: BHPian Sumitsinha0280, BHPian Saket77 and my friend and aspiring BHPian Aditya Pandey.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: One request to all the admirers of GG: If you ever come across the Yellow Greenwheels or the MPi Euro II decal, kindly let me know. These are the only decals which I don't have. This is how they look:

1. Yellow GreenWheels:



2. MPi Euro II

[AShubrah]

Firstly, congratulations, good sir, on being promoted to Distinguished - BHPian.

This calls for a treat, so be ready to go to Kaveri the next time I’m in town.


Secondly, having been through all the pages of this thread & read everything that you have done and still do to keep the Golden Goose in top condition (read: better than showroom condition), I must say that, I being a stickler for detail, am more than impressed.
This certainly means that I’ll bother you a lot when I’m restoring my 1997 Maruti 800 to its original glory.

Keep up the great work, Shashi Bhaiya.

P.S - I might have a surprise for you regarding those decals.

[dailydriver]

@Leoshashi, congrats on a well deserved elevation. I remember speculating about such an occurrence a while ago and being mildly reprimanded by a friendly mod and getting my post deleted .

Your knowledge, curiosity and first hand experience in dealing with Maruti Suzuki cars is a boon to all of us. Keep up the good work. Keep the Golden Goose running!

[R2D2]

Congrats Shashi! A well deserved recognition as a Distinguished BHPian. I was wondering when you'd get it.

There are very few members who have the attention to detail, passion for cars (even old ones!) & a hands on approach. Your helpful nature is the cherry on top of the cake.

[samsag12]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

1. Yellow GreenWheels:

Attachment 1704661

Is this the part number for said decal >> 11955M950C0 ?

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by AShubrah

Firstly, congratulations, good sir, on being promoted to Distinguished - BHPian.

This calls for a treat, so be ready to go to Kaveri the next time I’m in town.

Thanks a lot buddy. Regarding the treat, just drop by whenever you are free.

This certainly means that I’ll bother you a lot when I’m restoring my 1997 Maruti 800 to its original glory.

Sure thing.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

@Leoshashi, congrats on a well deserved elevation. I remember speculating about such an occurrence a while ago and being mildly reprimanded by a friendly mod and getting my post deleted.

Ya I remember your speculation very well, and it was actually pretty embarrassing.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Congrats Shashi! A well deserved recognition as a Distinguished BHPian. I was wondering when you'd get it.

There are very few members who have the attention to detail, passion for cars (even old ones!) & a hands on approach. Your helpful nature is the cherry on top of the cake.

Thanks a lot sir. Blessing and Love of BHPians propelled me from a Newbie to the DBHPian I am today. Hence I am equally grateful to all of you.

Originally Posted by samsag12

Is this the part number for said decal >> 11955M950C0 ?

No sir, unfortunately it is not. As I mentioned, I need "Yellow Greenwheels" decal. Actually Maruti cars got two types of Greenwheels decal

1. White decal: This usually came with carburetor cars, with BS1 emission norms. It read: Unleaded fuel only



2. Yellow Decal came with early MFPI cars like Omni, Gypsy, 800, Esteem etc. It read: India 2000 Compliant.



Sorry for the long explanation.

Regards,
Shashi

[Leoshashi]

14th December, 1983: The Golden letter day in the history of automobiles in India. The keys of the first Maruti 800 SS80 was ceremoniously handed over to Late Mr. Harpal Singh by our PM, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.


14th December 1983 to 18th January 2014.

Happy Birthday Maruti 800, you'll be missed.

The proud owner:



The man and his machine:



The last one to roll out of the plant:



And between all those legends, was my Goose too:



Regards,
Shashi

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

14th December, 1983: The Golden letter day in the history of automobiles in India. The keys of the first Maruti 800 SS80 was ceremoniously handed over to Late Mr. Harpal Singh by our PM, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.


14th December 1983 to 18th January 2014.

Regards,
Shashi

Any idea where the first and last 800s are currently? Especially the last car to roll out of the line - was it purchased by someone or kept by the company itself? The first one I guess would be a museum piece somewhere, maybe in a collector's home. My friend's dad has one of these special edition maroon 800 and I liked the colour very much.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Any idea where the first and last 800s are currently? Especially the last car to roll out of the line - was it purchased by someone or kept by the company itself? The first one I guess would be a museum piece somewhere, maybe in a collector's home.

You'll be quite disappointed to know that according to a report published in HT in April 2017, the car was abandoned and was rusting away on the road side after the owner passed away. Let me search the report for you.
Here you go: http://m.hindustantimes.com/delhi-ne...L80E8QkMP.html

[TejasKinger]

The last Maruti 800 according to this report in the Indian Express made it to the hills of Shillong.