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Old 5th January 2017, 15:41   #16
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

I learned my driving in this car. I still cherish those old memories of me driving my dad's ZEN.

ZEN is actually Zero Engine Noise.
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Old 5th January 2017, 17:55   #17
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

The original Zen. Turned heads then and with amazing performance too. And all these years later, it is still such a looker.

Great work with the restoration. The car looks completely drool-worthy & as if fresh from the showroom.
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Old 5th January 2017, 18:39   #18
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Beautiful restoration. I really loved the attention to detail & the fact that you have maintained the originality of the car.
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Old 6th January 2017, 00:12   #19
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Saket77, congratulations on a marvelous restoration. The old girl looks as good as new. Co-incidentally the same Zen with the same colour was my late father's last car. I had gifted it to him in 2002 and he drove it for the last 5 odd years of his life. Enjoy the car and the memories.
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Old 6th January 2017, 00:32   #20
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A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Wow! That's a brilliant job done on the Zen. I was very close to picking up a 2002 Zen vxi in 2013 but our requirements had changed so had to settle for a tall boy WagonR.

Coincidentally in 2002 even when we were looking for a car, we had narrowed down our options to the Zen, Alto and Santro. Finally we ended up picking up an Alto 1.1. It was my dad's friend's car and he was upgrading to a city. We got an year old car at half the price of the same new Alto VX. Wish we had retained it.

You should seriously consider getting the B-pillar blackened. Congratulations on owning one of the best hatchbacks sold in this country. Even today a well maintained Zen is a head turner.
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Old 6th January 2017, 15:31   #21
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Excellent thread!! Rating it a well deserved 5 star. I can imagine the fun you two had while getting it restored. Everything is very tastefully done.

Kindly get the Michelins changed. IIRC, they are the same tyres which had cracking issue .
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...e-failure.html
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Old 7th January 2017, 13:23   #22
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Zen is a beautiful car and your restoration is spot on.Congrats to you for the same.

I own three of them, a carb and two mpfi of which one has clocked over 2.5lakh kilometres and the other one runs a 1.3mill,shes my escape car and pastes a wide smile every-time i take her out for a spin.

Fairly simple to maintain and most of the stuff like brakes/plugs/filter replacements etc can be done by yourself if you have patience and set of tools.
Iam quite interested to know your feedback regarding liqui-moly oil,is it worth it? i run W50 instead of 40and hence i ask if its worth switching over.Currently i run valvoline and am quite happy with it.

Wishing you many happy miles for your beautiful car.
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Old 7th January 2017, 17:26   #23
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

That's a beautiful mid life rejuvenation! Beautifully restored, super awesome job, Congrats! It's like owning a new car for just under 50K! When I was in school, some 14-15 yrs ago, the Zen was one of "the" cars to have. Nice engine and a fresh new shape. The A/C was the only weak point of the car. I have heard that it used to sap a lot of power and make the car really sluggish.

Enjoy your new car for a few more years! It's a wonderful machine.
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Old 7th January 2017, 18:51   #24
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by saket77 View Post

This is the small story of my dad's Zen. I'll make sure that you are taken well care of as long as I'm there. And in turn, just be the way you have always been...through all the thick n thin in our lives...


Thanks!
Good job. Engine is brand new, 33k is nothing for the Zen. However, please check LHS upper firewall near cabin air intake. The rust is a result of water seepage from upper firewall (commonly called cowl) due to blockage. Also check door alignment and rubber for water entry. Unless water ingress is addressed, rust is bound to reappear.

Speaking from first hand experience as former Zen owner.
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Old 7th January 2017, 19:05   #25
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Kudos to you Saket for rejuvenating the Zen, and nice gesture in memory of your dad
What I liked most is that you restored it to a mostly stock look without anything garish or extravagant accessories, even going in for the old style grille
My uncle had a 1993/94 (hope I got that right) Zen that was from the first generation and it was indeed a lovely car. Thanks again for sharing the details of the restoration.
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Old 7th January 2017, 20:52   #26
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

What I like best about this restoration is that the originality seems to be retained, with no unnecessary aftermarket modifications! The car looks like it could have rolled off the production line recently- good stuff.
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Old 7th January 2017, 21:40   #27
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by crdi View Post
Nice work. Looks as if it was delivered today, straight out of the showroom. Even the alloys have an OE look (except for the extra holes). Please post the interior pictures too.
Thank you for the compliment. Shall post more pictures, esp interiors soon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
Take a bow, Saket bhaiya!! Our "mid-life restomod" would have remained incomplete without this superb report of yours.
I was shocked at the shoddy work which your previous ASC had done, and while we have managed to correct most of that, there are still some areas which I would like to review.
Thank you Shashi. You have been the pillar on which this restoration job has mostly rested. Agree that some minor imperfections still remain but as stated, we shall address them soon in future.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rakesh_r View Post
One of the best and subtle restorations, Kudos to your efforts. The Zen was our first car, a golden Beige 1998 carburetted one. The Zen had one of the best gearboxes, smooth and precise. Sharing an old pic of my car.
Thanks for sharing this amazing picture. Looking at the Zen never tires me!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Boss View Post
Zen is one of the favorite car (till date) among many, for it's cute structure, crispy engine, mod friendly nature and more importantly spares availability. I wish I could get one in future.
PS: See if you could get the B-Pillar and window borders blacked out (like the M800)
Thanks! Will consider doing the same. May be first check with a photo-editor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ariesonu View Post
I would suggest that you paint those yummy alloys in black, reason being that they will gel very nicely with black ORVMs, Black mesh in grill & door handles. The car will look sporty & that 16V SMART sticker at back will get a "boost".
Also you must add those side beading on doors.
Not exactly black, but we were keen on giving it a gun metal finish. But since budget was overshooting than our previous estimates, we pushed it for later.
Regarding the side beadings; it was a part of the plan. But since there was a minor mismatch between the door & fender line on LHS, we decided against it for now as it will get more pronounced after beadings in place.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vsathyap View Post
I miss the Zen thoroughly, but I sort of make up for the engine since I own a K10 now - but the Zen will always be that - "ZEN"!
Thanks! K10 is a nice car itself. Take care of it! I have a feeling that it will become a rare breed in coming years.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashdel View Post
I learned my driving in this car. I still cherish those old memories of me driving my dad's ZEN.

ZEN is actually Zero Engine Noise.
Thanks! Yes, that's what the ZEN stands for; but probably it was in that era. Bigger engines are in fact more silent these days!


Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
The original Zen. Turned heads then and with amazing performance too. And all these years later, it is still such a looker. Great work with the restoration. The car looks completely drool-worthy & as if fresh from the showroom.
Thank you Sir! I can relate to every word. Cars like Zen carry a timeless design which still can turn heads on road if maintained well. I am witnessing the phenomena everyday now!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rmonie View Post
Beautiful restoration. I really loved the attention to detail & the fact that you have maintained the originality of the car.
Thank you very much. The restoration job rotated around the core being maintaining originality and with very subtle mods. I am glad that we stuck to the idea and didn't go overboard anywhere.

Quote:
Originally Posted by V.Narayan View Post
Saket77, congratulations on a marvelous restoration. The old girl looks as good as new. Co-incidentally the same Zen with the same colour was my late father's last car. I had gifted it to him in 2002 and he drove it for the last 5 odd years of his life. Enjoy the car and the memories.
Thanks! I am sure it must have struck the same chord with you too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93 View Post
Wow! That's a brilliant job done on the Zen. I was very close to picking up a 2002 Zen vxi in 2013 but our requirements had changed so had to settle for a tall boy WagonR.
Yes, a tall boy makes more of practical sense in today's lives. Be it tackling bad roads or interior space. Low slung cars struggle in these areas & are hence going out of tradition.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumitsinha0280 View Post
Excellent thread!! Rating it a well deserved 5 star. I can imagine the fun you two had while getting it restored. Everything is very tastefully done.
Thanks Sumit! Do join us for a test drive anytime.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scorpian View Post
I own three of them, a carb and two mpfi of which one has clocked over 2.5lakh kilometres...
Iam quite interested to know your feedback regarding liqui-moly oil,is it worth it? i run W50 instead of 40and hence i ask if its worth switching over.Currently i run valvoline and am quite happy with it.
Wow! 3 of them and one clocked over 2.5L kms! That is amazing to know!

Regarding the engine oil, I am totally in awe of this wonderful lubricant. This has changed the characteristic of the engine a lot making the car much more fund to drive. The engine note at higher RPMs have changed and the car can now easily pull above 100 KMPH, which felt little taxing before. In my opinion, its totally worth the price.

Quote:
Originally Posted by W.A.G.7 View Post
the Zen was one of "the" cars to have. Nice engine and a fresh new shape. The A/C was the only weak point of the car. I have heard that it used to sap a lot of power and make the car really sluggish.
Yes, the AC does snap much of the power from the engine. That's probably the only fly in the ointment in the otherwise great driving characteristics of the Zen.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fighterace View Post
Good job. Engine is brand new, 33k is nothing for the Zen. However, please check LHS upper firewall near cabin air intake. The rust is a result of water seepage from upper firewall (commonly called cowl) due to blockage. Also check door alignment and rubber for water entry. Unless water ingress is addressed, rust is bound to reappear.

Speaking from first hand experience as former Zen owner.
Thanks for sharing your experience. You are absolutely right. We have changed the door seals on the LHS. Looks all okay now. I shall keep an eye for anything suspicious around the LHS area which may result in rust formation. Only time will tell if we have succeeded in sorting out the root issue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NPV View Post
-mostly stock look without anything garish or extravagant accessories, even going in for the old style grille
My uncle had a 1993/94 (hope I got that right) Zen that was from the first generation and it was indeed a lovely car. Thanks again for sharing the details of the restoration.
Thanks a lot! Yes, I did like the old grill more than the newer one. Looks more meaty to me & at the same time more premium.

Quote:
Originally Posted by theMAG View Post
What I like best about this restoration is that the originality seems to be retained, with no unnecessary aftermarket modifications! The car looks like it could have rolled off the production line recently- good stuff.
Thank you so much. That's probably the best compliment a restorer can get - a car straight from assembly line! Thanks for the nice words.

Thank you gentlemen for your nice comments, observations and advice.

Regards,
Saket.
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Old 8th January 2017, 05:18   #28
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Beautiful restoration ! I had a zen for 6 years in Hyderabad and I fell in love with it. It always brought a smile when I drove it. Unfortunately, it got sold when I moved abroad . Reading your thread made me really miss that car !

Wishing the zen to continue bringing many more miles, cheers and happiness to you and your family !
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Old 9th January 2017, 09:06   #29
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Great restoration Saket! Loved the attention to detail and the end product! I had a purple-blue Zen back in the late 90s and loved that car to bits! Terrific car, and I have lots of fond memories with her! Wishing you many more happy miles with your family Zen.

By the way, how about a pic of your full garage, with the new additions? 🙂
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Old 9th January 2017, 20:35   #30
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Re: A Tribute to my Dad - Maruti Zen Restoration

Wonderfully done.

You are actually inspiring me to change my mind on selling off my 1999 Zen LX which has been lying idle for 6 months.
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