[vivekiny2k]

Hi ppl,
assuming I can survive the heat, pollution and everything else that chennai offers, is there a way an indian car can be converted to a convertible? (soft top, manual lift, whetever).

I am just hoping i am not the only one who thought of it here.

i just need to be able to drive the car with wind flowing in my hair, and pull a temporary cover if it rains

[bhp]

yes its very much possible dude
i have seen a couple soft top zen s in mumbai but trust me they look real ugly

[Steeroid]

Hi Vivek

I've seen a couple of old Fiat Millicentos (bug fiat?) converted to softtops and they look real cool.

Obviously they are not very practical, but it would be nice to have a retro convertible, wouldnt it?

[hrag]

Why don't you get a Jeep with a soft top? That way, you get what you want and make a statement at the same time!

There are a couple of "foreigners" who do this everyday in Chennai.

hrag

[vivekiny2k]

thanks hrag and steeroid. I can't really go for a jeep because my wife needs to share the vehicle too, and besides, it's the cozy comfort of the car that's important. may be when I go for another car, i will think of that.

now, i have a white santro, and have been giving shapes to my dream for last few hrs, it shud look something like this. guess it will look more like a golf cart, but isn't that cool?



the only fear is, the security will go for a toss, since everything will be open to public.

[bhp]

there s also one pune registered safari in mumbai which is a convortable . looks horrible to me and it is also starred in some jackie shroff movie

[hrag]

vivekiny2k, have you seen the open-top Indica which is used inside the Tata Motors plant? In an episode of "Walk The Talk", Ratan Tata was driving Shekhar Gupta around in it. Looked very cool!

Your Santro looks quite nice but are you sure you want to do this in Chennai? You might have to change your drive timings - drive to work before 8 am and drive home after 8 pm :-)

hrag

[Steeroid]

Look at the convertible on my avtar...its what I went for when I wanted a convertible just for fun, but it turned out to be pretty practical.

[Montoya]

I am just hoping i am not the only one who thought of it here

Well i already thought about it.. and first thought of a San Strom and planned to put wider tyres transplant engine to a Swift GT and do all that but after reading GTO and Dippys test drive report i felt ashamed to think that way and dropped the idea immediately..

I used to see an Esteem long time back with a soft top.. its better to have a bigger sunroof then a soft top.. you can still get the wind in your hair feeling but are you ready for premature baldness?

the only fear is, the security will go for a toss, since everything will be open to public

Not exactly GTOs jeep is also open and has deck and all but no probs with it(Touchwood)

[vivekiny2k]

whoa, how did i miss that. looks like a short santro to me what exactly is that car?

By the way, i am just throwing wild ideas, something may click.....Ofcourse not in a position to get a car just for some fun, but if i cud get an old one within a lakh, and then a few 1000s on mods, can actually look forward to that.

(assuming I am staying in india till year end...........alas.......drawbacks of being a techie)

[manaa45]

Originally Posted by hrag

vivekiny2k, have you seen the open-top Indica which is used inside the Tata Motors plant? In an episode of "Walk The Talk", Ratan Tata was driving Shekhar Gupta around in it. Looked very cool!

hrag

hrag, i also had seen that open top in the episode of walk the talk and it really looked good. the shape of indica is such that the open top suits very well. and i also think if it can be made two seater then it would be fun.

vivek, i think indica would be a better option then a santro or any other hatchback.

shubbhi

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

whoa, how did i miss that. looks like a short santro to me what exactly is that car?

Its a Smart Cabrio and it fulfilled my convertible dreams... you can check www.smart.com but it is priced on the higher side.

[Revvmaster]

There are some options for you vivek.

If you do want to convert your car to a convertible.. and it seems to your primary car... avoid doing it since it'll render the exercise impractical. The best option is to look around for a cheap 2nd hand car and convert it into a convertible. And how?

For around 50k, you should get your hands on a nice 98-99 Matiz or even a Daewoo Cielo. There are several converted convertibles here in Mumbai doing the rounds. Both cars, especially the Matiz look quite good as convertibles.

Word of caution: Coupes have a certain rigidity level which when converted to convertibles lose it. The dreaded "scuttle shake", a phenomenon where the whole car rattles when you go over a pothole emerges. It is essential to strenghten several components while converting it, mainly the pillars and the sub-frame. Getting it done at a body-builder of repute is essential, and one who understands these nuances.

All the best.

Revv

[Mpower]

Here's my 2 cents. Go and get yourself a 2nd hand SanStorm Convertible. . Find the cheapest one you can. Its unlikely it'll have lot of Kms on it. You can get em cheap because their value drops like a brick.

San, in fact has good basics, but the detailing is terrible.....but that's OK because that's the stuff that can be modified..........its harder to modify the basics, like converting a 4 door Santro into a 2 door convertible.

Get all the panels refitted and give it a shiny coat of paint. If you dont like the front end looks, hook up with autopshcye or Rio and they'll do an all new front end for you. Similarly on the interior you can change things like seats and steering wheels etc. Find the best from each car and adapt it to your use. I think the back-end looks fine. San has good handling, so leave that alone. Just throw some neat alloys on it.

Lastly the engine, if you are looking for some power........find a Esteem or a Baleno engine from an accident car and drop it in there....now you will have just created the car that San should have done long time ago. All this is possible for under 5L.

[Edmund]

When the San Storm was launched we took it for a spin........ quite a peppy Renault engine so if the budget doesnt allow for an engine swap......a port and polish job with headers and a freeflow will do the job.........rear seat space is only for infants and contortionists!!!!