[aravind511]

An Ambassador was never on my mind, but ended up picking up this 1980 model Mark4 which was in an abandoned state. This car was owned by quite a prominent name in Kerala in its early life and has later had 3 other owners.

The present owner picked it in 1996 and had been using it as a daily ride till early 2017. He met with a small accident and injured his leg post which he stopped driving vehicles. Still he chose not to sell the car and parked it in a nearby secluded plot.





It was left alone and has been rotting for 2 years now as the owner didn't want to sell it. I approached him through a friend and it took an hour to make him budge and sell it rather than let it die there. At some point he agreed to let it go and asked us to make an offer. Yes, I did and ended up picking it up by paying atleast twice of what the car is worth in this condition. Restoration may cost another bomb and I would like to do it taking some time.

If any of you guys are wondering why I overpaid for this car, there is a story which I will reveal once the restoration is complete.

Coming to the condition of the car, the body has quite some rust on almost all panels and the brakes are jammed. The interior looks comparatively neat but the seat foams are hard and needs replacement. Floor doesn't have much rust and even the chassis looks good.



The car was towed the very next day and was parked in a FNG.





The mechanic, who is a good friend, will give it a wash tomorrow and try to start the engine. Coming to the engine, it has a Matador sealed engine installed in 1996 and is endorsed in the RC book as well . The meter reads 68k kms which is definitely not correct. I would like to try and install a Isuzu diesel engine or any other maintenance free and usuable diesel engine. Kindly give your opinions and advises on how to go ahead with this.

After getting an update from the mechanic tomorrow, we will decide on how to go ahead with the restoration process. I will try and update this thread as the process continues.

The parting pic of the car parked in the FNG.

[Ashley Nair]

Hi, Aravind, congratulations for rescuing a gallant vehicle from its death bed. Matador engines( be it 301 or 305) are very heavy, but reliable to the core. It was a trend in Kerala during the 1990s to dieselize Ambassadors with matador engines, which could pull easily with air conditioners, unlike the stock BMCs. The car seems to be in good shape and those alloys, even in this state, looks beautiful. Happy restoration

[aravind511]

The initial step was to drain all the oils and give it a thorough wash. There was 5 litres of diesel in the tank though it didn't look like diesel anymore. Engine oil was drained and the hoses were removed. They are cleaning the engine now and are trying to get it started with a spare battery which is lying around.

The car was given a good wash and it was found that there is quite some rust inside the door panels, floor, boot lid, running boards and the front fenders. The patch work guy will have to spend quite some time on it.

Some pics clicked during the wash







The interiors are still left as it is. The focus is now to get the engine started and make the car presentable before the RTO to clear the pending taxes and get the FC done.

Mr.Ajith of Neo Driving School, Thodupuzha, happens to be a good friend of mine and is taking care of that work apart from keeping a keen eye on the daily progress of the restoration. Mr. Gopan of Universal Automobiles, where the car is currently being looked into, is equally excited about the project and is getting the car ready to be presented to the RTO as early as possible. Once the fitness is done, the remaining work can take its sweet time I think.

I am hoping that the engine will be put into life early next week.

Some pictures post the wash. I am in love with all those glasses on the car. No sun films on them, it's all tinted green

[Ananth_shukti]

Excellent Arvind.
Happy to see people like you and feel nothing wrong with me.. ( I too bought an old petrol Amby & waiting for restoration as all my money got spent on paper work , fc, transfers).
The body line of your car is very nice, try to keep stock.
Alos could you please help me whats app / email the details as to where i could source the alloys my no. 9900144315 / pna0211@gmail.com

All the very best i am sure the car with a detailed polish will regain its glory.
I will send my amby pictures soon.

Ananth

[aravind511]

Visited the garage today, and the work is yet to start. The pistons are moving when the mechanic tried to rotate the radiator fan and so he is suggesting to try and start the engine and see what's in store. He has given the same battery which was in the car for charging at a nearby store. I asked him to buy a new battery and try starting but he told we will wait for a day more and see. I believe he is absolutely trying to hold me back from spending unnecessarily on the car. What a gem of a mechanic!

I clicked a few pics of the interiors and I am uploading the same here. Hopefully the battery will be ready by tomorrow and then the game will begin.



The engine. I am not sure if it is a 301 or a 305


Holes formed due to rust on the left rear door. This door will need to be replaced.


The dashboard. It's a fabricated dashboard and looks pretty good and strong. I am planning to keep the same one. The left side air vent looks out of place and will be replaced by a cubby hole or a glove box. I am also planning to fit a better designed console which can house a touch screen ICE.


National air conditioner blowers which was one of the most common aftermarket AC fitment for the Ambys in the 90s. I admired this blower design right from my childhood and will definitely keep it as it is at any cost. Shutting and opening these blowers was one of my favourite pass time during the numerous trips in my dad's Ambassador those days.


The SOFA! Enough said

[aravind511]

Originally Posted by Ananth_shukti

Excellent Arvind.
Happy to see people like you and feel nothing wrong with me.. ( I too bought an old petrol Amby & waiting for restoration as all my money got spent on paper work , fc, transfers).
The body line of your car is very nice, try to keep stock.
Alos could you please help me whats app / email the details as to where i could source the alloys my no. 9900144315 / pna0211@gmail.com

All the very best i am sure the car with a detailed polish will regain its glory.
I will send my amby pictures soon.

Ananth

Thanks Anand. What a beautiful car you have got there. Even I have to get the paperwork done. But the car can be presented to the RTO only after some basic works. I had seen similar alloys as on my car listed on olx quite sometime back. Can't find it now though.

Getting my car back to stock will be tough ask as the entire interior has been upgraded over a period of time. I think a more logical thing to do now will be to spend for making it a reliable daily runner. However, I would like to get those square park lights and front indicators as those fitted on your car.

Will definitely PM you on WhatsApp. Kindly keep posting the pictures of your work.

[aravind511]

So, here's the big update. The battery is charged and the fuel tank is filled with a little diesel!

And the engine started in a single crank. Even I found it quite unbelievable but we really tend to underestimate these old engines with absolutely nil electronics. It's idling perfectly and is revving freely.

I still can't believe that this engine was unattended and was in a hibernation for almost the last two years!

https://youtu.be/ptu8yt_fG0M

Once the engine was up and running the next important thing is the brake. All four are either jammed or not biting. The mechanic opened each of the hubs and found that only the cylinders needed some cleaning. The hub and the liners were replaced with big ones and the mechanic is asking me to keep the same as it is and not to go for disc brakes.


The brake hub assembly. Notice the bigger hubs and liners





So now I have got a running car after spending an extra 3000 rupees after I bought the car.

Just watch this video to see what a remarkable achievement has as Mr.Gopan and team has achieved in a days time

https://youtu.be/ZmgnVgJujzU

I would like to call it a super duper happy day ��

[aravind511]

So, now that the car is up and running we have decided to get the minimal works done for the clearing RTO fitness test. As per the new rule, the penalties the RTO charge for renewing the lapsed fitness certificate of a car is huge. Each passing month will add Rs.500 to the penalty. Fitness of my car is pending since Oct 2017. Also, I can transfer the car into my name only after the fitness test.

The interiors were cleaned and the mechanic started using the car for small errands. The water pump is gone and the order for a new one is placed. We have also ordered for all new hoses and belts for the engine. The mechanic confirmed that it is a Matador F305 engine.

The brake master cylinder had corroded and needs replacement. I am beginning to source parts now and hopefully the build will start soon after the fitness test is over.


The corroded master cylinder assembly.

[aravind511]

Sorry to have not posted for quite sometime now. We completed the basic works and took the car to the RTO in quite good running condition for fitness. Luckily there were no issues and the car got FC for the next five years. We had begun with scraping the rusted parts and had pin pointed the places that needed to be patched or replaced.

The places were identified and sanded to see the damage. The mechanic advised me not to scrape the complete body now. He suggests to remove the patches from wherever necessary, paint the car and use it for a couple of years since the chances rust popping up from more areas over a period of time is more as it was lying in the open for quite sometime. He is suggesting to think about a full restoration only after using it for a couple of years and identifying how the car perform over this period of time, rather than spending a huge amount now. This needs some thought. Here are some pics.


Identifying patches and rectification


Identifying rust patches on the bodyline


Engine bay


Seats removed


Dash board. The floor has quite some rust which needs attention


The frame on which the rear seat sits


Notice how the black paint is used to fill the area where front grille sits. This is used to isolate the grille area from body colour.

However, at this point of time, an unexpected incident has brought the build to a stand still. The garage was sitting on a leased land for more than 20 years. The land lord decided to sell this land exactly when we started our work. It got sold to another person in a week's time and the buyer wants the garage to be vacated soon. So those cars which had minor works were delivered with priority and cars like mine which demands time got parked aside. Now the garage building has been taken down and the mechanic is trying to put up a new garage on the adjacent plot. The car is lying in the open and we are planning to move it to the mechanic's residence soon.


The present state of the land were the garage once stood


The car is parked in the open now and it is monsoon in Kerala

We are planning to restart the work as soon as the car reaches mechanic's house. He is planning to park the car in his personal garage at home and continue with the restoration.

I will update the thread as and when we start with the work again which will hopefully be soon enough.

[aravind511]

Another 2 months has passed without an update. That's because I had no other option but to let the car lie in the place where the garage used to be. The monsoon had hit the shores of Kerala and not only the car build but also the works of the garage came to a standstill due to the weather conditions.

By mid August, I decided not to wait further and finalised the decision to move the car to Mr.Gopan's house. The plan is to start with the patch works there and then may be later move the car back to the garage when it's ready. He already had a small shed behind his home. However it had a lot of stuff inside and had to be cleaned before we moved the car.

By early September, we could move the car to his place. The patch worker came and assessed the car and promised to start the work within a week. He just removed all the window glasses and some panels and confirmed that there is a lot of rust even on the insides of the fenders, panels and doorpads as well. We will be looking at these in detail once he starts the work in a day or two. The process is supposed to start soon after Onam festival in Kerala. Hopefully by early next week I am expecting some update on that part.

I am attaching some pics which were sent to me after the car was moved to the mechanic's home


Fenders removed to check the insides. Quite a lot of work to do even on the insides. Small patch works were done from the garage itself before it got demolished.


The right rear door has been removed and discarded as it is beyond repairable condition. I am on the lookout for a good condition door right now. Even the bootlid is in a similar conditon. But we haven't removed it yet, as many of the removed stuff from the car is kept in the boot for the time being.


Seats and doorpads have been completely stripped. The seats and the doorpads have to be discarded as the seat frame has rusted and the doorpads made of plywood has become damp during the past couple of years when the car was abandoned.


The interiors including the dash board and the console are removed. I am yet to decide whether to restore and keep the dashboard that came with the car or to buy and install a new Isuzu ambassador dashboard. I will have to take a call on that soon.


The engine bay and the engine are quite unaffected by whatever has appeared to have happened to the car in the past some years. If you remember the video I posted earlier, the engine started in a single crank after the long snooze of around 2 years.

I hope the work will start gaining it's momentum in the coming weeks. I shall update the progress here as and when it happens. So stay tuned and keep revving guys.

[Aditya]

My new buddy: 1980 Ambassador Mark 4 - Restoration begins - Posts moved to a new thread.

[aravind511]

The body panels have been removed from the car and most of them are not in a shape which I feel happy about. The prolonged exposure to rain and sunlight has not only spoilt the rear door and the boot as mentioned before but also it has taken its toll on the front fenders, the sides of the engine bay and the area below the windshield.

Currently, the search is on for the parts. Mr. Gopan is visiting scrapyards searching for replacement parts and he came across a couple of dealers but the available parts were either overpriced or not in a shape worthy enough to consider. I prefer keeping the original Mark 4 looks from the outside so Isuzu ambassador doors with the pull type door levers or the front fenders with side mounted indicators were not considered. But I understand that finding good Mark 4 Ambassador parts is a tough job in today's world and hence I may have to be satisfied with Isuzu model parts ultimately. I will keep searching for Mark 4 parts till the month end and will go the Isuzu way if I don't get lucky enough.

In the meantime, the patch works have been started on those panels that can be repaired. The rusted parts have been welded with new sheets and these looked quite good to me to begin the work with. Expecting some advices and opinions from fellow bhpians.


One of the chopped ears lying aside.


My HOT Hot-rod


This entire portion had been eaten away by rust but successfully recovered now


Another patch


I am not sure why this rod has been welded here




Somehow this Hot-rod look is growing on me as time passes. Should this car end up as an Amby Hot Rod! That phrase reminds me of the the "Ambierod" prototype developed by the legendary Remember anyone?

[aravind511]

Originally Posted by aravind511

Somehow this Hot-rod look is growing on me as time passes. Should this car end up as an Amby Hot Rod! That phrase reminds me of the the "Ambierod" prototype developed by the legendary Remember anyone?

"Ambierod" by legendary DC(Dilip Chhabria) I meant. Should I consider building a modern avatar of the Amby? It will be a risky thing to do considering the new Motor Vehicle Rule modifications in the country and it would be better to stay away even from such thoughts while living in the "Largest Democracy" in the world.

Here are some pics of the Ambierod which I could find on the internet.









I hope Peugeot who owns the Ambassador brand now, will come back to India with something similar and revive the legend as a C segment car. May be they will consider a re-entry to India once the sector recovers from its slowdown.

[skyocean]

As someone whose face is washed by many rains of the southwest monsoon, the tingly prickly sensation when one walks bare foot on that laterite soil I must congratulate on realizing a dream here. These very pictures reflect the nostalgia and reminds me of the glorious fading tales of a bygone era.

I'm eagerly waiting for your restoration to complete to know the story behind it. For me an ambassador car reminds me of my grandpa, and his floor shift Amby. I feel out of the many only two vehicles can instigate this sort of nostalgia in us, an old mahindra jeep and our good old Amby! All the best to you.

[Kosfactor]

Dear Friend, Please keep the classic amby looks, I would wish that you get inspired by the amby in Malayalam movie Lucifer, white wall tires , a metal dashboard, large thin steering wheel to go with it. (I think that was MK1)

Find a vintage roof carrier while you are at it. I'll attach a picture of an ambi I took a picture of from Kochi.
Best regards as always.