[Roomy]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

But could you run cables from the column mounted shift to the 5-speed?

Thank you joybhowmik.

Would this workaround have any issues in the long run/ would this make the interiors an eye sore in any way.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Roomy

Thank you joybhowmik.

Would this workaround have any issues in the long run/ would this make the interiors an eye sore in any way.

I don't have direct experience of this.

But I am guessing there would be some linkages between your column mounted shift to old gear box. While you may not be able to use all the linkage, you could look into terminating linkage with cable to gear box.
These cables could start behind the bulkhead and routed to gear box from beneath the floor, beside the exhaust well.

[Roomy]

Thank you!

I shall keep this in mind when I start with my project.

[Gearphile]

Originally Posted by tonrag

Regarding the horns, they were originally Lucas windtones and produced that nice dual note 'paaam' - tone , like a fifties American car!

Do you, by any chance, know the model number of the 12V Lucus windtone horn that was OE with early 1960s Ambassadors ? Thanks in advance.

[shramik]

Originally Posted by Stanher

A logo like that, to the best of my knowledge, wouldn't exist as OE at all! For the reasons I'd mentioned before, the car was officially never known as "mark1".

True, STANHER, but when the side valve was replaced with the OHV in 1960 end, the first of the cars came badged with "OHV 61" on the 2 rear fender tops.
It is only towards the end of 1964 or so, that Mark II was introduced, & which then sported the badge we all know of !!

Originally Posted by Gearphile

Do you, by any chance, know the model number of the 12V Lucus windtone horn that was OE with early 1960s Ambassadors ? Thanks in advance.

The Lucas wondtone horns on Ambassadors were discontinued as early as 1963 when a home grown company called SPARCO produced a (poor!) replica of the Lucas windtone. Needless to say, it sparked off a great "horn replacement" industry, as these horns rarely lasted the few feet's drive from the showroom, & emitted a mere whimper of their customary "PAAAARP" ! A famous & relatively well made make was JALWA, and its copycat sibling JWALA. Fiats, Jeeps & even Heralds used these, too !
Lucas later introduced a chrome, round, two tone horn which was really very well made, but, due its premium quality & price, was always an after market accessory ! We used these Lucas horns for many rallies, as it was really reliable.. (To the moderator: Capitals may please be excused, they are only for emphasis....!!)

Originally Posted by shramik

True, STANHER, but when the side valve was replaced with the OHV in 1960 end, the first of the cars came badged with "OHV 61" on the 2 rear fender tops.
It is only towards the end of 1964 or so, that Mark II was introduced, & which then sported the badge we all know of !!

Correction.....The Mark II was introduced some time in 1963, nit 1964 as I erronously thought !!

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

I don't have direct experience of this.

But I am guessing there would be some linkages between your column mounted shift to old gear box. While you may not be able to use all the linkage, you could look into terminating linkage with cable to gear box.
These cables could start behind the bulkhead and routed to gear box from beneath the floor, beside the exhaust well.

The steering gear-change linkage as used on the Ambassador was truly a masterpiece of design by Morris. It transfers an almost vertical movement of the gear lever to a horizontal movement of 3 rows of shifters in the gear box. Many German, Italian, US & British cars had various variations of this "technology" but the easily the worst was what HM adapted & peddled in their cars to us. The "play" in the gear levers in Ambassadors was a legendary horror ! When you shifted to 1st or 3rd, the gear lever would limply fall down almost to where the neutral position should be !! And shifting up from 4th to 3rd always, without fail, emitted a "crunch". Driving downhill, it took a brave driver to shift from 3rd to 2nd, almost always accompanied by a prayer as one never know if the down shift would ever take place before you reached the turn you were changing down for......!
In our 1969 Ambassador, one garage in Ahmedabad, "Rashtria Automobiles", near Chandola, run by a certain Mr Garg, had completely mastered this movement of the levers....For years, after he had set it right, our car had absolutely no "play" at all, and shifted so easily as to be comparable to the excellent shift quality of the Fiats of that time....I am told he did this by very careful adjustments of the all the variables in the linkages, and each was then finally "locked" by drilling a "counter" in the mating component, and then sealing it with "imported" loctite ! Needless to say, the cog shifters within the gearbox were first machined to perfection, because this where most of the trouble started due to poor machining tolerances in the first place.
It was a divine gift from heaven when HM started offering the "floor shift" as an "option", and then they had the gall & audacity, in 1981-1984, to charge "extra" for this, when in actual fact they saved considerably on its lower cost of production !!!!!

[amit V8]

Originally Posted by shramik

True, STANHER, but when the side valve was replaced with the OHV in 1960 end, the first of the cars came badged with "OHV 61" on the 2 rear fender tops.

The OHV 61 was not a OE badge, aftermarket which was fitted by some owners. The OE 'Mark 1' came with only the 'Ambassador' badge, placed on the bonnet (straight) and above the rear no. plate (curved).

[shramik]

Originally Posted by amit V8

The OHV 61 was not a OE badge, aftermarket which was fitted by some owners. The OE 'Mark 1' came with only the 'Ambassador' badge, placed on the bonnet (straight) and above the rear no. plate (curved).

I beg to differ, Sir. The first few cars when introduced with the OHV engine were indeed delivered with 2 badges reading "OHV 61", one on each side of the rear fender on the top, just where the steel beading is. What you state is also true too, there were always 2 "AMBASSADOR" badges, the straigt in the front, and the curved over the number plate lamp. In fact these 2 badges continued for many years until the HM sticker replaced them.

[Gearphile]

Originally Posted by shramik

The Lucas wondtone horns on Ambassadors were discontinued as early as 1963 when a home grown company called SPARCO produced a (poor!) replica of the Lucas windtone. Needless to say, it sparked off a great "horn replacement" industry, as these horns rarely lasted the few feet's drive from the showroom, & emitted a mere whimper of their customary "PAAAARP" ! A famous & relatively well made make was JALWA, and its copycat sibling JWALA. Fiats, Jeeps & even Heralds used these, too !
Lucas later introduced a chrome, round, two tone horn which was really very well made, but, due its premium quality & price, was always an after market accessory ! We used these Lucas horns for many rallies, as it was really reliable

The car I am restoring is 1962 model, so a Lucas windtone would be perfect. They are available from some UK based sites. However they are hard to get here locally. Alternatively, I am looking for a set of Jalwa horns.

[Gearphile]

Would this Lucas 9H be the right stock horn for a 1962 Ambassador - http://www.holden.co.uk/displayprodu...&pCode=080.221 ?

I can also see switches from that era that I have been looking for. Anyone has experience ordering from Holden and getting delivered to India ?

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by shramik

It is only towards the end of 1964 or so, that Mark II was introduced, & which then sported the badge we all know of !!

Correction.....The Mark II was introduced some time in 1963, nit 1964 as I erronously thought !!

In fact, the Mark II was introduced in January 1964. The first car, in black colour was gifted to our then Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru.Unfortunately, he passed away on 27/05/1964, within five months of the car being delivered to him.

The then PM Shri Jawaharlal Nehru also owned a black Hindustan 14, that was with the family for a long, long time. Mr Rajiv Gandhi as an Air India pilot frequently drove this car, apart from a white Ambassador he owned to commute.

[Gearphile]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

In fact, the Mark II was introduced in January 1964. The first car, in black colour was gifted to our then Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru.Unfortunately, he passed away on 27/05/1964, within five months of the car being delivered to him.

The then PM Shri Jawaharlal Nehru also owned a black Hindustan 14, that was with the family for a long, long time. Mr Rajiv Gandhi as an Air India pilot frequently drove this car, apart from a white Ambassador he owned to commute.

According to several sources rajeev_k pointed out in another thread, Mark II production started in 1963 itself. Here are some of those links -

http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/H...k_I_to_Mark_IV

http://www.hindmotor.com/article1.asp

http://www.business-standard.com/art...2501236_1.html

It could very well be that the sales started in 1964 and production started in 1963. The gift to the then prime minister is mentioned in the articles.

[a.ashokdurai]

Hi am looking to restore my 1995 Hindustan Ambassador Nova. Looking for Quality Restorers either in TN or KL.
Am looking for advice on a Newer engine swap .

Please suggest

[benz220]

Originally Posted by shramik

I beg to differ, Sir. The first few cars when introduced with the OHV engine were indeed delivered with 2 badges reading "OHV 61", one on each side of the rear fender on the top, just where the steel beading is. What you state is also true too, there were always 2 "AMBASSADOR" badges, the straigt in the front, and the curved over the number plate lamp. In fact these 2 badges continued for many years until the HM sticker replaced them.

I have an original 1962 Mark 1. The car came with two fender badges :OHV” and a trunk badge “OHV” at an angle. This is the way the car was delivered by Sarosh Motors, Ahmednagar in 1962.