[JayD]

Apologies for the late replies, just back in cochin!

Originally Posted by abishek2222

A very beautiful restoration,the car looks fabulous with a very stock and original look.
Perhaps some pictures of the rear too.

Than you! More pix coming soon.

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Awesome bro!!Congratulations.

No words to express the respect for your entire family in getting this baby to the outside world. Mind blowing some inspirational job done here. Hats off to the team who has worked hard on this day and night.

Its party time now buddy!! Enjoy.

Definitely! This entire project worked because it was a team effort!! Party time for the king now!!

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

That's a jaw dropping restoration. The King looks splendid, he must be gleeful to get in the hands of a true enthusiast like you. It takes tons of adoration to do a job like this. Congrats Please share more pics, as many as you can.

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

Commendable job JayD, kudos to you! You can actually feel 'The King' beaming with pride after being reborn!!

Cheers!

Thank you! Im pretty sure he is happy to be where he is now! More pix will be uploaded asap!

Originally Posted by Amogh Barakol

Very beautiful classic you have there JayD ! Love the way she looks ! Even though in the pics she's at a standstill , i can imagine her driving down the roads of yesteryear ! Oh, the beauty !! Congratulations on a job done exceedingly well .

During our various test drives, it was grabbing significant eyeballs, Cant wait for a proper drive now!

Originally Posted by greenhorn

JayD, awesome restoration!
Is the floor supposed to look like that, or is the carpeting still pending ?
and curious about your choice of tan(?) for the interior upholstery

Carpeting and finishing is pending. I wanted to get all the mechanical issues fixed, and car made 100% complete. Final paint finishing and interior bits being finished soon after

[JayD]

Originally Posted by the mole

Another classic back on the road in style. During the course of your restoration did you come across brochures, manuals books about kingsways lineup in India. If so can you share with us.

The car looks great and I feel this being the first Kingsway restoration thread on this forum your research and insight can help others.

Thank you, amol ji. I'll be sharing some interesting stuff which was found over the course of time, soon!

Originally Posted by vintagepoint5

JayD, Great job, one of best restoration, it is feast to see all pictures and your efforts to bring this beauty back to mint condition.

How it is when you drive, I think it will be smooth drive on highways.

All the best, Cheers!

The car is a dream to drive. I had to travel on work, for a while, hence havent gone on a proper long drive in it. Planning to do so this weekend. But on the drives i had, it felt like a magic carpet!

Originally Posted by mycarhasablower

Wow, amazing resto! always loved the kingsway and wanted one, sadly none of these american cars in india ever seem to have a v8. But still a beautiful car.

The person that did the metal work on the car is just an amazingly gifted craftsman!Saw the first few pics of the car and thought it was too far gone to restore , but the metalwork person you hired , made it look so easy. Wish there were a few like him in delhi, i would love to acquire metal working skills of his standards myself. My own contessa's restoration is at a standstill since i dont have the time to work on it myself and such gifted metalworkers are non existent in delhi

Sadly, not many preferred the v8s in india. and most of those that came down , were destroyed by bollywood in the 70s.

The metal worker is a real gem, and is a critical part of this resto. Even though he had never worked on such a car, nor seen a complete car up close, he was able to accurately reproduce all the panels and pieces needed for the car.

People lie him are a dying breed, and i really do not know how such a job can be taken up, say ten years later.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Truly amazing experience to go through such a thread. Sure would have been much better in person, living the experience. Hats off to you, dad and all the amazing people who worked on this project!

Indeed a King.

Thank you!! As you said, without the support i got from all around, it would have been an impossible task. Please drop by when you visit KL next time!!

Originally Posted by Indraneel Bhat

Hello JayD,

A true to life "Overhaulin'" story.... only difference is that the car is yours and it wasn't given to the 'Foose', instead you're the 'Foose'..... Great story!!! Very Inspiring.....

Thank you!! Im flattered, to say the least!

Originally Posted by mbz180

Congratulations on a job well done! It's amazing that you found so many parts within the country, and that too hard to find stuff.

Some pics showing the back too please.

Originally Posted by unni246

Cheers JayD!
The dedicated Rustoration work has produced one mouth watering Dodge indeed..
Appreciate you & your family for going through all hardships in the restoration phase. And ofcourse, the Engine idling is just music to Ears. Truly 1950ss..

Thank you. More pix coming up.

The engine note has become much smoother once it has set in, and have changed some more components now. Now its silky smooth.

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Finally got the time to go thru all the posts on the thread!

Fantastic work JayD! The outcome just shows how much love and dedication has gone into the restoration. Congratulations again on having such a lovely car!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Prabal

Good effort, JayD - so much better than the "chuna-patti" amateurish, sub-par restorations one sees on some of the other threads. I hope the uninitiated lot take notes more from threads like yours! TQM says, there's always room for improvement though.

I wish our stars hadn't crossed when you came to Delhi and even contacted me - with subsequent efforts by both to talk/meet never fructifying. I wish I could have made even a miniscule contribution to your effort in putting the Kingsway all together!

I'd like to see what the final outcome looks like - the upholstery that I've seen so far is the one thing that's bothering me a bit - could be misplaced anxiety on my part, nothing else, and I'd like to see it being proven so!

Thank you sirji. It is indeed unfortunate that i couldnt meet you in Delhi. But with the leads you gave, we did a bit of exploring. Was good fun. Will definitely catch up next time.

Reg TQM, definitely, there is always scope for improvement.

The upholstery, especially the door cards, as pointed out need more work. The issue is finding people to do it here.

One guy who took my seats for work initially, messed it up completely and made them almost un usable,. We have to reconstruct everything from ground up again.

Once im 100% happy with the car mechanically, ill be moving again to the interiors,a nd fine detailing. Then again, a project that is complete aint a project anymore!!

I welcome constructive criticism which will help me make the car 100% perfect!

Originally Posted by shk 8896

Congrats on the restoration, jayD. The car looks awsome and the colour gels well with the 1950s cars. The hardwork which you and your enthusiastic dad (lucky you ) did is nothing short of commendable.
And its time to update your S10 thread The words from a S10 fan

Thank you! Yes, the s10 thread will be completed soon!!

[JayD]

Originally Posted by Viju

What an amazing restoration story that is, JayD! Being from Cochin, I am particularly proud to see such amazing work being done in God's Own Country! Like Prabal mentioned, the level of work that has gone into recreating this King of yours is way way above the non-sense going on in the other "restoration" threads.

That truly is a blessed car to have found its way into your garage. And having seen the way you keep your other cars, I am sure this one is going to stay like this for another 100 years. God bless!

Than you!! Im only happy to have done justice to this gentle giant!

Originally Posted by CoolBlueBiker

Thanks JayD for bringing back this car to life. Amazing job indeed. The Landmaster and Mark I in the background seem to be in great shape as well.

Somehow, the I gen 800 is looking like a classic among this august company.

Hehe! Yeah, he is the lil boy in the group!Its a fully original DX model. Definitely a future classic i feel. Atleast in the indian context!

Originally Posted by kasli

Great effort and commendable to the car looking superb from what it was. If you don't mind I would like to point out that with the help of the snaps the few things that would help the cars basic finish stand out . Please don't get me wrong here but just some observations.

The Chrome has really come out well ! How does she drive ? Have you done a few trials etc

Wish you all the best !

Cheers

Thank you for the ind words, and the Suggestions. As mentioned earlier, it is such constructive criticism from experts like you, which will help me to take this car to the next level!

Reg the points you raised,

1) The paint, i deliberately kept the white on the panel, to break the mass of green on the lower half. Also, i found it a lil odd to have the pillars in white, but not extending down.

Then again, once its like this for some time, there is an option to change it to green, giving a minor facelift to the car!

2)
a) Windlace- I was not aware on what colour to put on there, hence went with the darker shade. Its not black, but the grey, as in the doorpads. Should i keep it or change?

b) The El cheapo lights will go very very soon.

c) Kickpad was temporarily fixed. Will Be reset properly, and screws painted in matching colour.

If there are any more points, please point out.

Originally Posted by Superleggera

What an awesome restoration !!!! Congrats Jay D.
Kudos to the "aashan", who did a wonderful job in the whole restoration.

Originally Posted by foby.sebastian

It’s time to put in a video of this amazingly restored Dodge Kingsway rolling through the streets of Cochin.

Coming soon!!

Originally Posted by Joe M

Awesome work JayD. The car looks fabulous! Sincerely - it's just like a newly purchased one! All the efforts you put in restoring the King got rewarded very well. The second pic is going to be my wallpaper for the coming days! Waiting for the high res photo album.

Thanks for sharing the story and pics stage-wise, and in detail!

Thank you! Ill be uploading more pix now. A whole lot of work has been done on the car after the last update.

Originally Posted by car love

This might be a bit off topic and incorrect too... About two years back when I had visited Colormech i think i had seen this ambassador in the picture fully stripped and work being done on it. Is it the same car and Do you have a separate thread for this car? Would love to see it...Thanks

Yes. Its the same car! There is no thread for the car as of now. Here are pix of the car.

[svsantosh]

JayD, superb thread on the dodge.

PS - Is the ^ Amby the one from 2008-09 stories? I remember last messaging you about a sad story from blore, right?

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by JayD

People lie him are a dying breed, and i really do not know how such a job can be taken up, say ten years later.

Some of the metalworker guys from a certain garage in Dubai, which became famous for recreating a full Jag E-Type shell, will retire and come back home by then.

You can keep them engaged during retirement...

[JayD]

Originally Posted by Nimish anthony

Ive witnessed the project from the time the car was brought down with just bits and pieces. The transformation is just awesome with hard work, time, perseverance, dedication and passion incorporated to the highest level. One of the most original restorations done straight from the heart.
You are one of the lucky few to have a family that supports your passion and hats off to your dad who is one of the most knowledgeable persons in classics. Thread will be an asset to the team bhp restorations. Congrats once again.

Thanks nimish! Im sure you will be shocked to see him in person, especially since you have been seeing this car from day 1!

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Wow, that's a lot of work/perseverance put in to restore a run-down car to such a beautiful condition. Great work, JayD !!!

BTW, I see a great looking M800 in one of the pics, but don't see a restoration-thread in your list of threads. Would be good to hear about that project too.

Thank you!

The ss80 is a very low run DX model. Fully original. Haven't opened a thread on the same. will share more info soon!

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

This is A grade material. The sheer amount of time and dedication that goes into such projects is what differentiates a car aficionado from the rest of the car-lover crowd.

Kudos to the op and his father for taking us through this journey, of bringing back a king back to life.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by ashphil

What a fantastic restoration job! It's awesome! It's beautiful!
Can we have a video clip of this beauty in motion?
regards,
Ashok

Ill upload a video soon!

Originally Posted by 4wdrifter

Wow JayD. That's a superb job and a lot of passion and pain has obviously gone in doing the car. I have a 1956 Dodge Suburban that needs some work. Will lean on you for that one!

Sure! Will be happy to help! Please start a thread on it soon if possible..

Originally Posted by aah78

What a fantastic restoration!

Congratulations and hats off to you on having undertaken and completed such a project.

Having had a Kingsway in our family, owned by my grand-father many years ago, it made for a very emotional read.

It's always fun following up on a thoroughly detailed, dedicated vintage car restoration project anywhere in the world but the added personal touches that enhance this aspect in Indian conditions, that western restoration projects just can't match.

Hope you and your family enjoy her for many years to come.

Thank you! Doing it in India and especially at home, was a huge challenge, but made it even more special. There were times i wished we had the infrastructure and parts availability like foreign countries, but then again, I wouldn't have been able to bond with the car so well.

Originally Posted by manishalive

Wow JayD Chettah, awesome very nice resotration and very nice color choice. This has indeed come out very vell. I loved the part where you made a mould and re did the park light lenses. Can you tell us more on that and who did that job. This could help other too.

@Kasli: you are very correct on the windlace, infact I have seen in my Fiat too that the windlace was matching to the seat colors.

Thank you. The lenses were made with the help of my friend from Coimbatore.

The windlace was kept grey, to match the colour of the door pads, and also, since we wanted it in a dark colour.

Moreover, since i didnt have a reference car to look at, i didnt know what was the original colour on it.

Originally Posted by tantricindian

Hi, would you happen to have made any extra front indicator lenses ? Looking for a pair for my dodge.

Will check and confirm.

[JayD]

One of the most commonly seen extra fitting in many restored vintage cars is a modern fuel gauge, fixed under the dashboard. I think that most of the owners agree to this addition, probably because of the wrong advice given by the mechanic that the old meter in the car is defective and that the original float is missing etc. Moreover, the conversion of the electrical system in the car from the original 6V to 12V also could be the reason for the scrapping of the OE fuel gauge and fitting of a modern one.

In our car also, the 6volt electrical system was changed to 12V system. A suitable alternator was fitted to take care of the electrical needs.

However, when it came to the original fuel meter on the dash board, it was not possible to make it work on the 12V input, as the deflection coil in the meter was rated for 6V, and would be damaged by the 12V input.We were keen on bringing all the original meters of the car into working condition.

The fuel meter was checked initially with a multimeter to determine whether its moving coil was intact and was deflecting, when momentarily touched by the meter probe. Having confirmed the same was in order, we set out to bring the meter back to life. The first step in this direction was to create an exclusive 6V supply line for the meter, derived from the 12V line in the car. The crude method of using resistors to reduce the voltage was impractical in this case as the current consumption of the fuel meter would be only in micro amps.

The way around was to make use of the voltage regulator IC LM 7806 which is freely available in electronic shops for about Rs 15/pc, and with the help of a few other components, make a circuit which would provide a stabilized 6V output from the 12V input.

The circuit diagram of the same is shown below and this can be put together on a 2" by 1" circuit board very easily by even a layman.
The total cost of the same would be less than Rs 50/ and this can supply steady 6V up to 1amp current rating. Only three components are required for the circuit including the regulator IC. An electrolytic capacitor of value 100Mfd/64v is given between positive & Negative terminals to reduce the ripple and variations in the input to IC. Similarly a ceramic capacitor of .1Mfd is given at the out put for same reasons.




Having provided the supply line to the meter, it was now necessary to provide the proper float system in the fuel tank. The float is basically a variable resistance, the value of which (measured in ohms) varies according to the level of fuel in the tank, and the position of the swinging external float.The float resistance is linked to the second terminal of the fuel gauge to give the information on the fuel level in the tank.

In our car, the float of a Fiat was found to be suitable to give the proper visual reading. In other words, a swing from 0 to 85 ohms on the variable resistance of float was all that was required to give empty to full indications on the meter. The important point here is to find out whether the zero resistance of the float gives empty indication on the meter and vice versa.

Unfortunately, the Fiat float has zero resistance in empty position and max resistance(85 ohms) in full., This was opposite to the requirement for the dodge meter, which needed the maximum resistance at down position and zero resistance at Full swing, to read full tank.To overcome this, we opened up the float and inverted its internal connection using a soldering iron, and the job was done. Pix of the job being done are attached below.

The modified float read 85 ohms in down position of the and zero in full position.












Please see the meter working, in the following pictures.

[JayD]

The next step was to revive the Ampere Meter. This was easily accomplished as the ampere meter is given in series with the positive line and it does not matter if it is 12v or 6v. The meter was connected and was found to be working properly.

[JayD]

As requested, Some pix of the car from today's drive around town.

In the scorching heat, he did the entire trip without breaking into a sweat!

[Nimish anthony]

The post is indeed very informative and its going to be useful for the future restorers. Amazing thread and the hard work put into it really shows.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by JayD

As requested, Some pix of the car from today's drive around town.

In the scorching heat, he did the entire trip without breaking into a sweat!

Nice going jayD! Congrats on your awesome resto! 'been following this thread though posting here for the first time.

And the Kingsway really looks a million $! Truly like the 'King' of the road (rather than those heavy vehicles that have the title painted on! )

Oh, and speaking of roads, if I might be a little , you do seem to have really nice roads there! Yours is the 2nd city (after Bombay) that I've seen decent roads in. This turns out very helpful to drive a classic car around. 'wonder when Hyderabadi roads would turn out as good!

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by JayD

One of the most commonly seen extra fitting in many restored vintage cars is a modern fuel gauge, fixed under the dashboard.

Wow JayD chettah, this is one of the best DIY advice I have come acroos on the forum in the recent past. Thanks for the information. Things like this would make restoration an easy affair. By the way can you post this also in the thread -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintag...-classics.html

I found only this thread relavent.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by JayD

People lie him are a dying breed, and i really do not know how such a job can be taken up, say ten years later.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Some of the metalworker guys from a certain garage in Dubai, which became famous for recreating a full Jag E-Type shell, will retire and come back home by then.

You can keep them engaged during retirement...

Steer, I will tell him when I see him next, that his retirement employment/engagement is assured with JayD.

Originally Posted by JayD

We were keen on bringing all the original meters of the car into working condition.

JayD hats off to your commitment and ingenuity in bringing back the meters as well to full working condition.

Beautiful restoration, the Amby as well.

Best Regards & Drive Safe

Ram

[JayD]

It was the turn of the oil Pressure meter to be activated next. Our car’s Petrol engine did not have on it,any accessory or fitting associated with the Oil Pressure meter, except a clean looking meter on the dash. Actually, in this car, the oil pressure is indicated by the high pressure oil from the engine coming right into the meter on the dash board through a capillary and the meter needle moving according to the pressure of the oil in the capillary.

The take off point of the capillary on the engine side was closed with a bolt in our car.

As a first step, this bolt was removed and a union was machined out in the lathe to fit into the oil take off hole. On the other end of the union, the capillary was securely locked without any chance for oil leak. The capillary was then connected to the meter by means of similar nut at the other end.

One has to apply utmost caution in this operation, as the slightest loosening of the nut at either end will cause the engine oil to splash all over the area when the engine is started. Fortunately no such mishap occurred and the meter showed the correct reading when the engine was started.





Have a look at the picture of the meter with the engine running

[Bulldogji]

jayD, HI.

Your dedication to the dodge and it's restoration is commendable. Congratulations on a very neat car.

Your last post, showing oil pressures makes me comment. I assume the two readings are when the engine is at idle, RPM being around 600, and the other with the RPM being around 1500, after the engine has reached its operating temperature of 80 degrees Celsius.

The difference between the two readings prompt me to request you to re check bearing clearances as you seem to have excessive clearances resulting in a large drop in oil pressure. If you check with a modern gauge you should have a reading of approximately 25psi at idle and 40psi at 1500RPM at operating temperature.

I mention this only because I see in you a perfectionist.