[wild child]

hi guys

i'm planning to get a damn cheap mm comander dp and rip off its body shell. In place of which i am planning to plonk a relatively newer ( around 2000~2001 model) bolero GLX's body shell. Checked out the forum for the same. not able to find a solution. Hence requesting fellow petrol brains to help me out.
I'd like to know whether this crazy act of mine is feasible in the first place and also what are all the modifications required for ex., repositioning of brake and clutch pedal, steering wheel, body to chassis mounting holes, etc.,

thanks in advace

Wild child

[Rajith]

Originally Posted by wild child

hi guys

i'm planning to get a damn cheap mm comander dp and rip off its body shell. In place of which i am planning to plonk a relatively newer ( around 2000~2001 model) bolero GLX's body shell. Checked out the forum for the same. not able to find a solution. Hence requesting fellow petrol brains to help me out.
I'd like to know whether this crazy act of mine is feasible in the first place and also what are all the modifications required for ex., repositioning of brake and clutch pedal, steering wheel, body to chassis mounting holes, etc.,

thanks in advace

Wild child

Hi,
Before doing that please tell me your end use with this project and also the total budget.
Dont seems to be a right idea as the final out come will have only issues.
Variance in tracks,clutch/break systems,Chasis,Steering set ups,Engine,GB etc..

[pganapathy]

Unless there is no difference in sizes (length, width, size of engine, body etc) this is asking for a full modification. Unless this is a DIY project, it is not worth getting into. Any particular reason you want the commander dp chassis and engine. If not, and if budget permits, why not just get a used Bolero.

[wild child]

Originally Posted by Rajith

Hi,
Before doing that please tell me your end use with this project and also the total budget.

hi ranjith

End use of this project is to turn this double decade old metal heap into a new age people mover, a big family indeed ! In a nutshell, for daily use on broken roads. No offroading planned as it is a 2wd.

There will not be any price tag for the commander as such, hence only the re-build should be budgeted. With a rough estimate of a lakh of rupees, i'm planning to go ahead.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Unless there is no difference in sizes (length, width, size of engine, body etc) this is asking for a full modification. Unless this is a DIY project, it is not worth getting into. Any particular reason you want the commander dp chassis and engine. If not, and if budget permits, why not just get a used Bolero.

Hi pg
the basic preliminary dimension check has just been completed and the following is our observation.

1. Bumper to bumper dimension - same in both vehicles.
2. wheel base - same
3. Front track - differs
4. Rear track - same.
5. Space between both ladders of chassis - same.

The reason for selecting the commander DP was that my friend currently owns it and he has invited me to join him in this project.

Yea, this is would surely be a DIY project only, where we have planned to get the used/beaten up bolero shell ( GLX / SLE / or even ZLX ! ) and bonnet alone. All five existing doors of the commander are in appreciable condition and hence will be carried over from to the new bolero shell.

The major work which i see so far which will need an expertise hand is the re-orientation of the floor mounted clutch and brake pedal to fire wall mounted ones and also to move the brake master cylinder from under the cabin into the engine bay. Another addition to the brake circuit would be a single 9" vacuum booster ( bolero's ) which is currently absent in the commander.

used boleros with a decent body shell and engine in good condition costs a good 3 lakh and above. so thought of getting our commnader "overhauled ", well kinda !

[pganapathy]

Please find my thoughts in bold below.

1. I can't remember. Does the commander have row seating or is the back side seating like the MM 540 jeeps. Ensure you get row seating. It might seat less but is a lot more comfortable.

2. The budget sounds alright if there are no mods needed to the engine. Otherwise things start to mount fast, especially with a 2 decade old motor, though, the one advantage is that these are simple to repair provided parts are available.

3. If that is the case, and given that you are not using the entire shell, it does not sound like there will be too many adjustments that need to be made. However, one question, will the door locations fit the A, B and C pillars or are you not removing those from the Commander.

4. In that case don't worry too much about the budget, provided there is not a major overhaul required of the commander.

5. Sorry, like lots of TBHPians I am an enthusiast but not technically very knowledgeable. However, what I can say is that in moving the pedals from the floor to the wall, there just needs to be enough space for the fulcrum points of the pedals. Otherwise it is not too difficult. Moving the master cylinder will undoubtedly be a harder job and one thing to be certain of is that the space required for it is there (albeit it is not very big).

Good luck on the project and we look forward to viewing the before and after pics.

[wild child]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Please find my thoughts in bold below.

Hi pganapathy

The commander does have a row type seat and not the one similar to the mm540's rear. Hence no modification required in that portion.

I'll be removing the 4 passenger doors and one tail door from the commander and plonk it in the bolero frame. In short, the A,B,C pillars will be that of the bolero's while the mating door will be the commander's.

Yea, will surely update the pictures shortly.

[Miel]

Hello Wild,

Though you have not specified it, I infer that the exact model of the Mahindra Commander which you are planning to work on must be the 750 DP. That was the only Commander with a full metal body!

Other than for the comparatively new age looks, switching its body with a Bolero's does not seem to have other advantages. Moreover you wish to keep the project's expenses under a tight budget of 1 Lakh, which may not be realistic.

Before you proceed, why not have a look at the following short thread. This thread has comments from the best experts here including Behram Dhabar, whom you can try contacting too. I guess the model featured in the thread maybe the same as yours, with the exception of the 4wd in the former.

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

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Wildchild - DON"T DO IT, it will not work. Although some dimensions may be common (Commander / Bolero is basically made on the MM540 platform ), the end result will be a disaster as the old Commander does not have NGCS (New Generation Chassis and Suspension). Don't waste your money on something which will not add any value. I have seen such Bolero looking vehicles in villages being used as taxies. With the narrow track, they look absolutely atrocious.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[wild child]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Wildchild - DON"T DO IT, it will not work. Although some dimensions may be common (Commander / Bolero is basically made on the MM540 platform ), the end result will be a disaster as the old Commander does not have NGCS (New Generation Chassis and Suspension). Don't waste your money on something which will not add any value. I have seen such Bolero looking vehicles in villages being used as taxies. With the narrow track, they look absolutely atrocious.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Hi DB sir

Nice to get the details straight from you. My goodness ! The commander and the Bolero are based on MM540's platform ?? Anyways, all the three vehicles are a beauty - The legendary 540, the commander in chief and bolero the warrior !

Anyways, coming to the track details, I've measured the front and rear track on both the commander and the bolero. I've observed that the rear track width dimension of the bolero equals both the front as well as the rear track width of the commander. Have I measured it correctly Sir? Also, just for arguement sake, will i be able to mount a rigid axle found in a Bolero Di with NGCS onto the commander?

Thanks

P.S.- DB Sir, does Thar Di and CRDe sport an NGCS or not?

Originally Posted by Miel

Though you have not specified it, I infer that the exact model of the Mahindra Commander which you are planning to work on must be the 750 DP. That was the only Commander with a full metal body!

Hi Miel,

You seem to strike a bull's eye man ! Yep, that's a 750 DP for sure. Thanks for the link anyways. It was useful indeed.

Regards

Wild Child