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-   -   My '65 Ambassador Mark 2 (Kolkata) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-war/152403-my-65-ambassador-mark-2-kolkata.html)

Dear Friends,

I feel good to inform that I have finally bought the Mark 2 which I was chasing since last eight years. The car was always not for sale until the 70 year old gentleman decided to call it a day and let me have it.

The car is in very good condition, and I guess a little effort would reach it to concourz. The prevous owner however revealed that it was a lighter shade of grey than the existing, when he bought it new.

Gurus please advice on the colour, matching apoulstry, and other goodies, helping me towards purifying this car..

Warmest Regards...

Congrats on your buy!!! Now you must be the happiest man on earth after chasing this car for 8 years. I'm also a person with burning desire to own an original Mark II Ambassador.

Car seems almost complete. Since you're in Kolkata, you may not have issues sourcing the parts.

I'm not a guru but what I could find are missing steel trims on the rubber beading of front & rear glasses, Mark II monogram on the fenders, original tail lamps. If possible get the period type license plates too.

Keep us posted. More pictures are welcome.

Note the original sunmica dashboard. Really rare!

What make are the metres BTW? Smiths, or Yenkay?
Cheers!

Congratulations,It is of course a well maintained car. Please remove that fan from the B pillar inside.It looks odd.
Please update the restoration pictures here, once the same is started.

The current paint shade is a mark 3 colour called steel grey. The original mark 2 shade was called Dove Grey.

The ignition key would have been the black combination barrel and the gear shift lever knob, ivory coloured with a chrome ring.

Over to Karl, Daniel, Anjan etc:D

Looking at the interior photos reminded me of the amazing under thigh support the Ambassador seats have. Take a look at the length (width?) of the lower cushion of the bench seats.

Modern cars give lots of importance to leg/knee room, but not enough to under thigh support.

Great find and you are really lucky indeed to grab this beauty.Almost original except certain minor things.like the carburetor, steering monogram, rear lights, windshield beading, gear lever etc.Take good care of this gem.
Which make are those instruments, Smiths graduated in MPH or Autometer make?

Thank you all..

Kindly post reference pictures of the original paint shade, and the maching seat sealing combinations, if any.

The sunmica dashboard doesn't seem original as beneath that has surfaced the original metal plate in hammertone grey, which needs a respray.

I have found the following original parts:

1) ivory gear knob.
2) steel rear number plate light cover ( lucas England )
3) tail lamp base and lences ( outer ring still pending )
4) steel wiper arms and blade ( which I have already put )
5) set of wing mirrors as extra ( which I have already put )
6) ign switch with HL SL combination.
7) 2 small switchplates ( hamertone silver )
8) 2 switch knobs.
9) outer sunvisor ( used )
10) front side lamp 'glasses'. (not plastic)
11) extra set of autometer meters.
12) steering motive black plastic surround ( motive due)
13) roof light.

The current meters and clock are of the autometer brand.

Kindly advice...

Congratulations on a very nice looking Amby. In your hands I'm sure she has a rosy life ahead.

It seems to be a very complete ready to use car to begin with, so do start using her as-is till you gather all the spares needed.

You can refer the owner's manual here

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/post-...on-manual.html

(Pl note it is a for a later model with different meters)

Off the top of my head I would first attend to the following (as pointed out by the others too) -

- Metal trims in the front and rear windscreens (this is a tricky item, you need the rubber to match as well)
- Mark II script badges on the fenders
- Rear curved script is off centre
- I love the thin strip whitewalls - see if you can salvage them
- Taillamps to be corrected (if the base is still the original you can just screw in the lenses, else you have to grind out the hole to accomodate)
- Ignition barrel in the centre has a rotary knob for the lights as well. Starter is cable-actuated by a knob to the extreme right
- The wood laminate panel is an extra fitting. The original I think is grey painted metal with a crinkle finish, whereas the Mk 1 had a grained plastic sheet (subject to correction)
- The steering wheel centre is also from a later model, the original has a silver centre with red highlight and gold 'H' lettering like the Mk 1
- Gearlever knob should be ivory or black, not sure
- Roof lining of course is changed to a one piece affair, easily reverted. Start looking for the 'saliyas' now
- SU carb missing
- Horns I think would have been Prestolite, not sure, with the HI and LOW mounted on either fender (much like the present placement)
- The bonnet stopper mechanism is altered, but a practical and wise one at that. The original is a drop down support - a nuisance to use. And with an Amby you need to open the bonnet every now and then:D
- I think for the 65 Mk 2 the meters should be AUTOMETER copies of the Smiths units. What is in your car?

While new glasses are still available I would change the whole set for a very light green tint or clear.

Since this is a one owner car did you get any literature/history file/period photos that would be of interest to us? Do share.

What were the other shades offered at the time? My 65 Mk 2 is a light beige from new (Could it have been called Sahara Beige or Bahama Beige?). My Mk 1 was delivered new in Smoke Grey, and a previous Mk 1 I had was a light green (colloquially called surf green or apple green?)

This is a neat car, if I were you I would not go in for a major restoration straight away and would keep it like it is for a while and enjoy it !!

Of course you can start with the cosmetics right away, but paint and upholstery looks good for a while !!

Nice find!! clap:

cheers
Kartik

Here is the original interior from a very early Mk 2, maybe 63/64, in original beige paint

You've got a beautiful example there. Looks nearly complete in all respects. Even though I am no expert, I can see that the car is very very beautiful. It reminded me of someone in our acquaintances who had a similar looking blue coloured specimen. All the best with your restoration. Will the parts of the current Amby fit this one?

Is the tint on the windows done at a later date? I don't think they look period. Seats seem to be in great condition for their age. Really good find!

Congrats, the car looks really worth the chase. I have been chasing a 1100D too since last four years. The exterior colour looks good enough to last another year or two. You must be really enjoying the ride.

A great find in awesome condition. Brings back old memories as I learnt driving in one of these. The pics reminded me of the seat spring noises that our car would make and i could almost remember the smell of our car while going through this thread.

Waiting to see more pics. Cheers.