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Old 27th July 2008, 15:30   #1
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Building a new SUV / Car

Hello Everybody,

I am pretty new to TeamBHP. I am interested in getting an SUV custom built. The reasons are simple.
1) Its gonna be a gift for my dad
2) I want the car to be different from the crowd
3) I really dont like the designs that are existing (except Scorpio)
4) I feel the companies charge much more for what they offer, and my belief is that one can have an SUV custom built with the same money, but with more features.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

I dont mind waiting for a long time for the car to hit the road. Following are the questions that are in my mind for the moment. It will great if I can get some gyan on these fronts.

1) Which is the best turbo diesel engine? I assume that its Innova's. What bout Scorpio and Safari or any other? 4X4 feature isnt mandatory.

2) Is it a possibility to buy a new engine and an old/new chassis of a best SUV? So this allows me to maintain the handling / stability of the original manufacturer.

3) What are the major problems that I might face? Do you think i will end up spending more than a new SUV?

4) Who are the good body designers in Bangalore (primary choice), Chennai (2nd choice). I am also looking into the option of customizing an existing body...

5) How safe will it be, considering the fact that body will be custom made - eg: I cant conduct accident tests or see if the design is aerodynamic... etc

6) How practical is my above idea? My budget is upto Rs. 7 Lakhs.


I would like to have information on a high level.... and if things look positive, then I want to drill down....


I look forward for your response. Thanks a lot in advance.

Best Regards,
Yogesh
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Old 27th July 2008, 17:41   #2
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I dont know what can be done ( seniors will explain ) but I think problem will be mostly from aerodynamic front.

But one thing is sure that you have expressed what I was thinking for many days i.e. Can we not have the body of expensive cars like A4, of course custom made look alike and put the engine of our cheaper car ?

Although it will look like its expensive counterpart but wont have expensive engine or features, only exterior beauty. Can it be done ?

I know it wont find much takers but many are there who cant afford 30lac but at least sub 10.

Last question, can I add front grill of Audi, BMW or Steel Logo of Mercedes( in old variants on the bonnet ) to my trustworthy Esteem ?
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Old 27th July 2008, 20:59   #3
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Why reinvent the wheel? Manufacturers spend crores of rupees in R&D toward achieving safety, balance, reliability and useability of their cars. Then there is the question of finding someone competent, sourcing parts, the complicated long build process and your custom SUV becoming road legal. I can tell you its not going to be worth it.

If you want something thats unique, why not customise one of the existing SUVs? You already like the Scorpio, so its a pretty good idea to have it souped up by the best from the aftermarket? Dilip Chabbria had done a pretty impressive job on the Scorpios interiors. IIRC correctly, the cost was 6 lakhs over and above the cost of a Scorpio. It had the works; luxo seats, tv, bar and all bells & whistles. PM Dippy, he was marketing that project car at one point in time. He will be able to give you tips and get in touch with the right people.
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Old 28th July 2008, 12:46   #4
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Like GTO said, get hold of an existing SUV that you like somewhat, identify the areas that can be improved upon and work on these. There is no way an independent workshop can match the quality and standards that the manufacturers maintain. They have to meet a zillion quality standards to build quality products. Of course, mass production means certain compromises are made to meet budget requirements & maintain profit margins. Shortlist these areas and improve them in your vehicle - it will be much less of a hassle, and the end product would be far more reliable than building something from ground up.
My 2 cents.
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Old 28th July 2008, 12:49   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by razor4077 View Post
Like GTO said, get hold of an existing SUV that you like somewhat, identify the areas that can be improved upon and work on these. There is no way an independent workshop can match the quality and standards that the manufacturers maintain. They have to meet a zillion quality standards to build quality products. Of course, mass production means certain compromises are made to meet budget requirements & maintain profit margins. Shortlist these areas and improve them in your vehicle - it will be much less of a hassle, and the end product would be far more reliable than building something from ground up.
My 2 cents.

I agree completely, why not upgrade the suspension, brakes and wheels on a scorpio since you like it. Maybe you could get nice leather seats and a nice music system. Good luck and keep us updated.
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Old 29th July 2008, 02:32   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arnold991 View Post
With due respect I like the second part of your answer i.e. what it will result in.

But regarding your first part which is totally INCONGRUOUS. Listen, everyone isnt rich but still have the desire but this doesnt mean he doesnt have the will. If this were not the case then why there are close replica of devices. Why people mod their Indian Car to increase performance in less price ? Why dont they buy Super Cars instead ? Why here peoples are taking pic of expensive cars ?

Though they may not have that ability of the original but that gives satisfaction to the person.

I am sorry to say but your comment doesnt lead to any help from the point of view of topic of thread or any takers. If you dont know then kindly dont add anything other than required.

Mod, please see, let my message appear here because the message user has posted has SARCASTIC tone.

Because of the users like him sometimes I refrain from posting my inquiry, that results in such type of answer. I joined to Learn but that will only happen when Cordial atmosphere will be there.
I am glad that you joined the forum to learn like all of us here.

In my opinion I don't see how adding an audi grill to an esteem is an aesthetic mod job. As far as modding Indian cars to increase their performance, that is a very legit process. There is no comparison betwen making performance mods and making a mod that was talked about earlier.

I obviosuly did not mean to be sarcastic, I was being dead serious, grafting an audi grill on an esteem will NOT make it an audi, instead that moeny would be beter spent maybe getting a nice paintjob, nice lightweight wheels or maybe a good system.

When you do a mod job like making one car look like another, the original car loses its identity.

As far as replicas go, they should only be made of cars that are not currently in production, like the shelby cobra or gullwing benz etc. And even when building a replica it should be 95%+ exact, other wise its pointless.

I certainly did not mean to upset you, but what I said is the blunt reality, you are not going to be able to pass off an esteem as a replica by just slapping on an audi or mercdes or what-have-you grill. The result will be a comical abomination.

And please post your questions freely, we can all only learn when our mistakes are pointed out, including me !!!

Last edited by spawnofsatan : 29th July 2008 at 02:34.
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Old 29th July 2008, 07:46   #7
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Another koshun. I always thought the sum was cheaper than the parts. ie car would be cheaper than just buying engine and spares direct.

So in 7 lakhs, you will go nowhere. Plus the logistical time/costs in sourcing new chassis/etyadi? You might as well earn 2L more in that time and buy a new Scorp since u mention that
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Old 29th July 2008, 08:03   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman View Post
Another koshun. I always thought the sum was cheaper than the parts. ie car would be cheaper than just buying engine and spares direct.

So in 7 lakhs, you will go nowhere. Plus the logistical time/costs in sourcing new chassis/etyadi? You might as well earn 2L more in that time and buy a new Scorp since u mention that
Absolutely agree, 7 lakhs will not be enough to tackle the project you mentioned. Plus to build from scratch will take a long long time.
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Old 29th July 2008, 08:47   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman View Post
Another koshun. I always thought the sum was cheaper than the parts. ie car would be cheaper than just buying engine and spares direct.

Sum is always cheaper than the parts by at least 50%. In addition one would not get the advantage of the assembly line to assemble a good car. If one tries building a car, at best one can build a car which is way below in build quality to what comes out of assembly line.

People like Dilip chhabria do build custom cars but they come at a huge cost which we mortals can't afford.
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Old 29th July 2008, 23:57   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spawnofsatan View Post
I am glad that you joined the forum to learn like all of us here.

In my opinion I don't see how adding an audi grill to an esteem is an aesthetic mod job. As far as modding Indian cars to increase their performance, that is a very legit process. There is no comparison betwen making performance mods and making a mod that was talked about earlier.

I obviosuly did not mean to be sarcastic, I was being dead serious, grafting an audi grill on an esteem will NOT make it an audi.

As far as replicas go, they should only be made of cars that are not currently in production, like the shelby cobra or gullwing benz etc. And even when building a replica it should be 95%+ exact, other wise its pointless.

I certainly did not mean to upset you, but what I said is the blunt reality, you are not going to be able to pass off an esteem as a replica by just slapping on an audi or mercdes or what-have-you grill. The result will be a comical abomination.

And please post your questions freely, we can all only learn when our mistakes are pointed out, including me !!!
Well, I wasnt only talking about grill of audi but whole body. Please tolerate my question and take it as noob question.

So mod guys cant make whole replacement of body ? But only certain parts of it.

I dont know but what is normally the percentage of cost of engine or body of the car in total cost of the car? I hope engine is more costly.
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Old 30th July 2008, 01:09   #11
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Making a custom vehicle is of course possible. Be clear on what the end result is. Do you want a rolling junkyard of parts that looks kind of like a car? Or do you want a real performance vehicle that works better than most mass produced cars?

Assuming that you want the 2nd choice, then the budget must be on the order of 3-4x of a normal vehicle. Assuming a Scorpio is 10L, you should budget 30 to 40L to make a nice custom vehicle.

Part are expensive. If you buy all the spare parts of a vehicle to make a complete vehicle, the cost will be about 2x of the vehicle. You will also have to make many custom manufactured parts, again very expensive. Then thousands of man hours will have to go in to assemble, test, and reassemble.

This is exactly how race vehicles are made.
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Old 30th July 2008, 02:23   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arnold991 View Post
Well, I wasnt only talking about grill of audi but whole body. Please tolerate my question and take it as noob question.

So mod guys cant make whole replacement of body ? But only certain parts of it.
It is possible (given that certain factors of both cars match) - but generally its not worth it since you will never get the quality of the car you wish to immitate, you will be considered a "poser" by some people and all the money you put into it will lose value very quickly.

See this:
Honda-Tech.com: Acura NSX: NSX Conversion to F50 ~56k be scared~

And the TBHP discussion on it here :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...d-his-nsx.html

cya
R

PS - Heres another one - BBC NEWS | South Asia | Luxury refit for Dhaka's old bangers

Last edited by Rehaan : 30th July 2008 at 02:28.
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Old 30th July 2008, 12:29   #13
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1) I believe Mahindra has a custom vehicle department, who design custom cars on rolling stock of either a scorp or Bolero. A few examples have been featured in the auto magazines.

In addition, Mahindra has tied up with Dilip Chabaria ( yes, I know people on this forum hate him ), to come up with a custom built Scorpio, and this was there in AutoExpo'08. I cant find the pictures of this car.

You may want to take something like that and customize it further.

BTW, will this be your Dad's daily ride? or something to use for occassions ?

2) There are other companies who do stretch limos of the Endy ( chennai ??), Pajero etc., You may want to look at this option as well.

If you want a road worthy car, take a good SUV in the market ( a 2nd hand also will do ), and modify it.

From a workmanship perspective, i think, kitup cars in Coimbatore is a good bet. See the thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ri-pics-2.html.

3) If you only want the wow factor and dont really care if it is a SUV or a car, then buy him India's first Fiat 500.

cheers!
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Old 30th July 2008, 13:43   #14
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home Link to Mahindra First the DC designed car i was refering to.

Last edited by smsrini : 30th July 2008 at 13:45.
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Old 30th July 2008, 13:59   #15
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DC cars are definitely Different!
They will stand out in the crowd and not look like anything that has rolled out of the factory. But will cost an arm and leg.
Bangalore look at chameleon..they do designs as well
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