[zacs]

It was just another morning, my lazy eyes were wandering while sipping the tea. The Ciaz is looking beautiful in its Nexa Blue with slight fog in the background. The black Baleno, the car that served us from 2006 is next to it. I was spellbinding how it was when it came home back in the day. I still remember how excited I was. The car in Midnight Black was a treat then.
It has lost most of its charm over the 120 K it has already put through. The paint is faded, the body lines are not aligned, Interior is waning. The headlight hardly throw any light, the spoiler is lost to a truck back in 2014. Only by crop luck and my over confidence, this one passes for another 5 years in November 2021. I took it for a spin and in that drive I decided to give this old partner a new life it well deserved.
This is going to be a resto mode, the idea is to keep the car as stock as possible like it is now but is open to some mild mods to increase the performance, drivability and revive the interior to its original glory. Here is my current list.


1. Replace the clutch plate
2. Remove the LPG and all the wiring harnesses that came with it (It was very common then to install the LPG kit straight after taking the delivery, though this one hardly ran any kms on LPG)
3. New bigger drilled or slotted rotors for better brakes, new pads and shoes all around
4. Fix leaks if any
5. Change all the lights
6. Cold air intake
7. Free flow (Automech have a silent setup in SS)
8. New front and rear bumper
9. NGK Iridium spark plugs
10. Lower 3 inch
11. Spacers to make the wheels flush to body line (Want to keep the original 14 inch alloy after restoring it)
12. Add spoiler
13. Dress the engine bay and boot (It’s a disaster now)
14. Remove the shabby seat covers and revive the old cushion
15. Fix any rattling and add dampening
16. Full on body works, align the lines and repaint the same midnight black.

Here is the car the morning I took it for a spin.

[Mr.Boss]

Reconsider 10 & 11

- By lowering 3 inches you lose the practicality of ground clearance and plush ride quality
- a decent aftermarket alloy will improve the looks, adding spacers (or altering the wheel offset) will add unwanted load on the suspension and body

Apart from the above list you may consider ICE upgrade

[zacs]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Reconsider 10 & 11

- By lowering 3 inches you lose the practicality of ground clearance and plush ride quality
- a decent aftermarket alloy will improve the looks, adding spacers (or altering the wheel offset) will add unwanted load on the suspension and body

Apart from the above list you may consider ICE upgrade

Then I might consider retaining the factory spec, or if money permits add a upgrade 15 inch aftermarket alloy and rubber. An android head unit is also in consideration with back up cam as phase 2.

[varunanb]

Originally Posted by zacs

An android head unit is also in consideration with back up cam as phase 2.

Going through similar project with a recently acquired type 2 city. Would suggest to have an excellent 1 DIN system with decent speakers in place of an android HU.

As suggested by Mr.Boss, pls do not lower the car. Instead find a replacement spring which makes the car ride a little stiffer. Those will go a long way in inspiring confidence to drive these old cars hard.

[zacs]

Originally Posted by varunanb

Going through similar project with a recently acquired type 2 city. Would suggest to have an excellent 1 DIN system with decent speakers in place of an android HU.

As suggested by Mr.Boss, pls do not lower the car. Instead find a replacement spring which makes the car ride a little stiffer. Those will go a long way in inspiring confidence to drive these old cars hard.

I have decided to keep the stock setup.
Any suggestions on the spring spec and brand?

[varunanb]

Originally Posted by zacs

I have decided to keep the stock setup.
Any suggestions on the spring spec and brand?

I’ve no idea about the older cars Zach. Especially baleno. Bought my city just couple of months back and trying to learn about the 2000’s cars.
But I’m sure there should be lot of references available in the web including tbhp. Good thing about these cars are, we will not be the first ones to upgrade these cars. Countless guys would have already done it. All we have to do is pick and choose the way we want to setup our cars.
Have fun restoring.

[zacs]

Originally Posted by varunanb

I’ve no idea about the older cars Zach. Especially baleno. Bought my city just couple of months back and trying to learn about the 2000’s cars.
But I’m sure there should be lot of references available in the web including tbhp. Good thing about these cars are, we will not be the first ones to upgrade these cars. Countless guys would have already done it. All we have to do is pick and choose the way we want to setup our cars.
Have fun restoring.

Very true, The resources are abundant. I would like to keep it as stock as possible. The work has started, 1st thing 1st, making it mechanically sound. There is a leak in the steering column fortunately could be machined and fix, otherwise it would have been a 26K fix. Need to replace the clutch. Here are the new pics.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by zacs

The black Baleno, the car that served us from 2006 is next to it. I took it for a spin and in that drive I decided to give this old partner a new life it well deserved.

Your car looks good and with the makeover you plan, should look great.

Best of luck with your restoration. Is the car being restored at KL or KA ?

Originally Posted by zacs

There is a leak in the steering column fortunately could be machined and fix, otherwise it would have been a 26K fix.

What was the effect observed during driving due to the leak - any abnormal sound or difficulty in getting power-assist etc ? How was the leak detected ? And what is the 26K fix referred ?

Mine's a 2005 LXi that's done about the same kms as yours & in the same midnight black colour. My Black Beauty snapped last year on turning 16years.

[zacs]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Your car looks good and with the makeover you plan, should look great.

Best of luck with your restoration. Is the car being restored at KL or KA ?

What was the effect observed during driving due to the leak - any abnormal sound or difficulty in getting power-assist etc ? How was the leak detected ? And what is the 26K fix referred ?

Mine's a 2005 LXi that's done about the same kms as yours & in the same midnight black colour. My Black Beauty snapped last year on turning 16years.
Attachment 2276553

Kakkanad, close to CUSAT.
There was a bit of tight feeling to the steering. The leak was dictated only after the mechanic took off the clutch for replacement. It is a minor leak that could be corrected by machining. 26K is to replace the whole assembly.

Thz a sweet looking Baleno you have.

[sharkashwa]

Hi Zacs, sweet restoration project you've got going on there. I have a 2005 Lxi that is just gathering dust due to the parking woes in our locality. It was and still is a great highway performer, never left me stranded or wanting for more. I did perform a couple of modifications on it mainly to improve highway drives, updated the headlight assembly to a MkIV VW Golf setup with low beam projectors and HID for better night time visibility and upgraded the wheels to 15 inchers. The 15s are a sweet spot in my opinion and I think you should strongly consider them with an aspect ration of 195/55. Unfortunately it was too late when I was in the market for any suspension upgrades, there was no availability of Koni FSDs that were highly rated for the Baleno. Anyways, good luck with the project and I will be closely following this thread for more updates!

Cheers,
Sharath

[zacs]

It’s found that the brake proportioning valve is leaking and seems the part is common for 1st generation dezire, A star and Breeza.

[Gannu_1]

zacs, if you need help with OE part numbers, do check out this thread - Maruti Genuine Parts (MGP) Catalog: Post your queries here (model list on Pg 1)

Shashi is immensely helpful!

Good luck with the restoration.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by zacs

It’s found that the brake proportioning valve is leaking and seems the part is common for 1st generation Dzire, A-Star and Brezza.

After replacing this part, please do make a post in the following thread as to which cars it shares the spare with. This will help other Baleno1.6 owners.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...-sedan-28.html (Cheaper options: Spare parts for the Baleno sedan)

[zacs]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

After replacing this part, please do make a post in the following thread as to which cars it shares the spare with. This will help other Baleno1.6 owners.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...-sedan-28.html (Cheaper options: Spare parts for the Baleno sedan)

The whole purpose of this is just that. I shall be listing all the parts replaced with cost and any spare share that I find.

[Japspeed99]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Your car looks good and with the makeover you plan, should look great.

Best of luck with your restoration. Is the car being restored at KL or KA ?

What was the effect observed during driving due to the leak - any abnormal sound or difficulty in getting power-assist etc ? How was the leak detected ? And what is the 26K fix referred ?

Mine's a 2005 LXi that's done about the same kms as yours & in the same midnight black colour. My Black Beauty snapped last year on turning 16years.
Attachment 2276553

OMG A Kerala 31 car! . I do live in that location and never seen this car on the roads. The car does look clean though. I currently have a 96 Zen under restoration. Hope to see your car on the roads nearby