[Adivir]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

Adivir, firstly, welcome to Team-bhp! We are happy to see another Classic Fiatian on-Board!

The Safari looks fantastic, the color looks pretty good, a rare one. Do post some pics of the Safari from rear and do you have any old pics? Also the pics of the other Fiat you have. I am asking too much eh!

BD Sir will be very happy to see your car. Hope to see you regularly here!

Thanks a lot Karthik for your warm welcome and appreciating my car! I will surely post some more pictures. My Padmini is currently in a workshop, undergoing body work and paint job. Once, she is back, I will show her off!

Originally Posted by 1100D

Although its a nice looking Padmini you have there, I am sorry, but it doesn't look like a Safari, probably its a Sedan modified to look like an estate.

Safari has different rear door and also the rear section has a completely different shape.

Dear Senior BHPian,
Thanks a lot for your feedback! After reading your post, I checked with my father and got this information - This car is a Premier Drive Away (PDA) chassis with body built by Kamal Auto, Jaipur. I would be grateful for your feedback on the same.

Originally Posted by Anwesh

Here is a original first generation Safari built on President drive away chassis. This had the rear doors with the angular frame as shown in the pic above, but the tailgate was horizontal opening with hinges on rhs.

That said, I suspect that all Safaris sold new by dealers across the country may not have been built by Starline. If PAL was delivering chassis to the dealers, building the body at their local would have been a more viable proposal considering logistics and economics. So a dealer from Delhi may have used original President/Padmini rear doors while building a Safari at his end.

Somebody who was working with the sales department of PAL or with a dealer during 75/80 can throw light on this.

Regards,

Dear Anwesh,
Thanks a lot for your feedback. As you rightly suspected, the body was built in Jaipur by Kamal Auto.

Some more pictures of my Fiat Safari.

[Adivir]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

Adivir, firstly, welcome to Team-bhp! We are happy to see another Classic Fiatian on-Board!

The Safari looks fantastic, the color looks pretty good, a rare one. Do post some pics of the Safari from rear and do you have any old pics? Also the pics of the other Fiat you have. I am asking too much eh!

BD Sir will be very happy to see your car. Hope to see you regularly here!

Here is the photo of my other Padmini, painted three years back. I will post the latest one as soon as She is back from the workshop. Hope you like her

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Adivir

Dear Senior BHPian,
Thanks a lot for your feedback! After reading your post, I checked with my father and got this information - This car is a Premier Drive Away (PDA) chassis with body built by Kamal Auto, Jaipur. I would be grateful for your feedback on the same.

Originally Posted by Adivir

Some more pictures of my Fiat Safari.

I must say, Kamal auto did a "Kamaal" job. It looks much better than the Safari. However, is there a cross bracing behind the rear seat top?

[FINTAIL]

Since we're talking about the station wagon versions of the Premier Padmini;

Here's a gem- a station wagon job on a 1973 Premier President.

Job by Starline Motors? Who knows. Fact is, this is an excellent reference image, and @Anwesh's car's D-pillar corresponds with this one.

Ladies and gentlemen- Introducing the 1973 Premier Safari -

Note the Premier President grille; and the slightly different rear door. Very well done job.



Gosh, I LOVE how the car looks, particularly with 'em whitewalls on!

(Photo Credits: Well, you know who )

[Anwesh]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Since we're talking about the station wagon versions of the Premier Padmini;

Job by Starline Motors? Who knows. Fact is, this is an excellent reference image, and @Anwesh's car's D-pillar corresponds with this one.

Ladies and gentlemen- Introducing the 1973 Premier Safari -

Note the Premier President grille; and the slightly different rear door. Very well done job.

Attachment 1453559

This is a Starline Safari. The first owner of our car had confirmed that it was Starline built. The final version built by Starline debuted around 83/84 and had a longer wheelbase (IIANM) a top hinged sloping tailgate, rectangular head and taillights (may be from the 118NE), front wings with a angular top (the curve to match the original round h/ls was replaced to match the new rectangular lights). The grill was a long black one of about the same height as the h/ls. This front face was similar to that of the NE.

Regards,

[Adivir]

Originally Posted by 1100D

I must say, Kamal auto did a "Kamaal" job. It looks much better than the Safari. However, is there a cross bracing behind the rear seat top?

Thank you so much Senior BHPian. It does not have a cross bracing behind the rear seat. Sharing pictures of the rear side. A change to the rear seating is that it can be folded.

Originally Posted by 1100D

I must say, Kamal auto did a "Kamaal" job. It looks much better than the Safari. However, is there a cross bracing behind the rear seat top?

View of the rear seat from front.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Dear Dude with a Fiat,

I don't have an answer to your question, but I have another question: If you have an alrernator, do you still need an ammeter?

Hello Autocrat,

I had fitted the ammeter a couple of years back so that I can know whether the battery is getting charged. It was very cheap to get it done, so thought why not.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Dudewithafiat - hello to you. Please note that Lucas TVS SA15 alternator application on Padmini wiring harness does not call for ammeter. If you have an ammeter, please disconnect it, otherwise the system will not work properly.
Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Hello to you too Sir!. I had fitted the ammeter couple of years back to be informed about whether the battery is getting charged or not. I finally got hold of an auto electrician on Friday who examined and found that the alternator had gone bust. Replaced it with what he said Maruti Zen's alternator. I would like to get the ammeter disconnected if you say so. After I got my Fiat to Bangalore couple of years back, I had three mechanics serviced the car, two out of which did a bad job. I am still searching for a good mechanic for my Padmini (its an S1) in Bangalore.

Current issues: Slight clattering (like a diesel) from engine and exhaust leak. Both combined, I am able to get all my neighbors come out of their houses everytime I rev the Padmini .

The one mechanic who did service the car well once (near HSR Layout), literally yelled at me on phone when I told him of the idea of replacing the Solex with Mikuni (from Zen) and asked me not to come back to him if I even get the adaptation done, which I did with the help of Ilango and a friend here..

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Current issues: Slight clattering (like a diesel) from engine and exhaust leak. Both combined, I am able to get all my neighbors come out of their houses everytime I rev the Padmini .

The one mechanic who did service the car well once (near HSR Layout), literally yelled at me on phone when I told him of the idea of replacing the Solex with Mikuni (from Zen) and asked me not to come back to him if I even get the adaptation done, which I did with the help of Ilango and a friend here..

Hello Sreeraj,

Good talking to you on phone and look forward to meeting you at our workplace

The clatter seems to be from the tappets.

What was the reason for the switch from Solex to Mikuni? Do you notice better performance with Mikuni?

Question to BEHRAM SIR:

Sir, are the jet sizes standardized across manufacturers?

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Question to BEHRAM SIR:

Sir, are the jet sizes standardized across manufacturers?

May I reply?

Yes, I should think that carburetor jet sizes are standardized across manufacturers.

Still remember my father fiddling around with different carb jet sizes in the Mikuni Carburetor; bolted on our M800 (1997 SB308 DX AC)

Extracting every ounce of performance out of the tiny Suzuki F8B was FUN, mind you.

Still remember that humming sound from the engine @ 4th gear / 55 kmph. Sigh. Miss those days.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by Adivir

This car is a Premier Drive Away (PDA) chassis with body built by Kamal Auto, Jaipur.

Dear Adivir - hello to you. Kamal Automobiles was the PAL dealership in Jaipur. The owner was Mr.Dayanidhi Kasliwal, lovingly known as "gattababu". Please ask your father if he still has some contact. If yes, please pass on a message to Dayanidhi, that Behram Dhabhar had come to your dealership in the last week of October 1994 with MMB1975 and MMY5189, both Premier Safari Service Vans in blue color with yellow top, on the way to New Delhi and beyond for the Himalayan Rally. He may still remember!

Your car looks very nice. Notice that the rear bumper is fitted inverted to prevent fouling with the tailgate when opened. Anything sold in those days! .

Dear Gowtham - no, jet sizes are not standard across manufacturers. Jet size is decided by fluid mass flow on U-tube manometers and has no direct relation to diameter. Please help Sreeraj, his car needs your touch now!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Gowtham - no, jet sizes are not standard across manufacturers. Jet size is decided by fluid mass flow on U-tube manometers and has no direct relation to diameter. Please help Sreeraj, his car needs your touch now!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Small world we live in. I PM'ed Gowtham, exchanged phone numbers and it turned out that we work at the same company, SAME building! . Will be meeting at our office cafeteria after I come back from vacation.

[autocrat]

I did a quick solo Bangalore-Chikmagalur-Bangalore in my Padmini. Started at 9.30 am from home, was on NICE ROAD by 9.45, and reached hassan by 12.45. I did a full tank at hassan and was astonished to see I got 17.5 kmpl mileage with 97.5 jet. I continued onward and after some twisting and pothole ridden roads I took the arsikere road (single track) back to blr. Started by 8.00 and reached home at 12.00

Overall distance was 501 km and 32 l of petrol was consumed. Overall mileage of approx 15.5 kmpl.

[autocrat]

Some pics:







I drove through the night on a single lane highway and the lights on my car was a real boon. One parking light LED has conked and needs replacement. Brakes have settled down and retardation is progressive and predictable. Suspension is pliant on undulating roads, but there there are "thud" sounds on sharp potholes.

501 km and I was having no sign of fatigue. If only I lived farther, I could have driven longer

The doors squeak a bit - need to get door setting done - does anyone know where to get this done in Bangalore?

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Small world we live in. I PM'ed Gowtham, exchanged phone numbers and it turned out that we work at the same company, SAME building! . Will be meeting at our office cafeteria after I come back from vacation.

Indeed! Looking forward to meet you and your nice car

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by autocrat

I did a quick solo Bangalore-Chikmagalur-Bangalore in my Padmini. Started at 9.30 am from home, was on NICE ROAD by 9.45, and reached Hassan by 12.45. I did a full tank at Hassan and was astonished to see I got 17.5 kmpl mileage with 97.5 jet. I continued onward and after some twisting and pothole ridden roads I took the Arsikere road (single track) back to Bangalore. Started by 8.00 and reached home at 12.00. Overall distance was 501 km and 32liters of petrol was consumed. Overall mileage of approximately 15.5 kmpl.

Dear Gowtham - you have mentioned 15.5kmpl () already and the tail pipe is still not pink. There are still many things to do. This reading clearly indicates that you are still running rich. Take one more reading with another 97.5 size main jet (original only), this one seems to have it's mass flow skewed towards the higher side. Then, we shall start optimizing all other parameters.

Remember, you are still running 4.3:1 (cruise-ability), reworked muffler and 1.5 inch exhaust system with single outlet exhaust manifold (back pressure), engine driven fan (eddies and power rob), no fuel return line (fuel pressure variability at needle valve), tubed bias ply tires (coefficient of rolling resistance) and the production scavenge cylinder head with traditional 16/56 degrees valve timing (fill ratio and volumetric efficiency). All this, optimized, was the S1. I had obtained 21.6kmpl in GVW condition! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Gowtham - you have mentioned 15.5kmpl () already and the tail pipe is still not pink. There are still many things to do. This reading clearly indicates that you are still running rich. Take one more reading with another 97.5 size main jet (original only), this one seems to have it's mass flow skewed towards the higher side. Then, we shall start optimizing all other parameters.

Remember, you are still running 4.3:1 (cruise-ability), reworked muffler and 1.5 inch exhaust system with single outlet exhaust manifold (back pressure), engine driven fan (eddies and power rob), no fuel return line (fuel pressure variability at needle valve), tubed bias ply tires (coefficient of rolling resistance) and the production scavenge cylinder head with traditional 16/56 degrees valve timing (fill ratio and volumetric efficiency). All this, optimized, was the S1. I had obtained 21.6kmpl in GVW condition! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Sir, Gross Vehicle Weight 21.6 kmpl is phenomenal! I am trying to get hold of an S1 exhaust manifold, but so far in vain. I hope I can find one soon.