[donabrh]

Hello,

I have been following your thread and happy to see the restoration progress.

Sharing with you a video of a similar restoration published on YT. The car was found used in a good condition. It seems the restoration is complete and has come out well.

Thought the video could have inputs for the restoration you are undertaking. In the video, the owner Vincent, mentions he tried to retain all the original parts and sourcing some of the parts has been a difficult task. The car had the original jack, spare tyre, keys, wiring, engine was in running condition.

The tyre size mentioned on the spare tyre is no longer available. So he has used Innova tyres for the rear wheels. The front right side tyre is the original 40 year old spare tyre (not sure if they are road worthy, however he does mention all the tyres will be upgraded soon).

The color used could also guide you while finalizing the color you choose for your car. Notice the window frames on all doors have been colored the same as body color, unlike the factory spec where they used to be blacked out. Keeping the window frame color the same as the body, reduces the large blacked out glass area. The dark colored headliner, door trims all seem to be original and restored.

As the air conditioning was not adequate for the real estate, a rear air conditioning vent has been integrated in the boot. It seems to be integrated aesthetically well.

Later in the video, he also mentions they have got the owners manual which details the electrical wiring circuit, which could be of reference for you if you could manage to get a copy from them.

Vincent is based in Palakkad, Kerala. The channel's description mentions his Phone: 8891212324 and Email: vincentivin76@gmail.com.

Wish you good luck in completing the wonderful project you have undertaken.

Vincent in the video mentions that he will be posting a video detailing the complete restoration process soon.

Here is the link to the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIaiW8LUoy4

[Rodie09]

Good to see OP is moving ahead with the project. All the best to have the Estate coming back to life.

Is it possible to legally run a 30 year old diesel engine car today- any part of India? I know Delhi has a 10 year ceiling on diesel cars. What about the rest of the country?

Is there an exception process?

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by donabrh

Hello,

I have been following your thread and happy to see the restoration progress.

Vincent is based in Palakkad, Kerala. The channel's description mentions his Phone: 8891212324 and Email: vincentivin76@gmail.com.

Wish you good luck in completing the wonderful project you have undertaken.

Vincent in the video mentions that he will be posting a video detailing the complete restoration process soon.

Here is the link to the video.
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=vIaiW8LUoy4

Thank you for the wishes! I have been following Vincent’s channel “Petrolhead Motor Garage” for quite a while now. Just love his videos in which he starts cars that have been sitting unused for years, goes about scrap yards looking for treasure and posts interesting cars such as his Tata Estate. He even drove his Estate all the way to Kashmir a couple of years back. His car was a very well kept example to begin with and the restoration has made it look like a million bucks!

Even I have the owners manual, but unfortunately, the rest of the kit is missing. In fact, a lot of stuff is missing from my car.




As far as the colour is concerned, I have mostly decided to stick to white. However, I will paint the bumpers also, just like Vincent’s car. I do plan to keep the other bits, such as the ORVMs and window surrounds black though.

Originally Posted by Rodie09

Good to see OP is moving ahead with the project. All the best to have the Estate coming back to life.

Is it possible to legally run a 30 year old diesel engine car today- any part of India? I know Delhi has a 10 year ceiling on diesel cars. What about the rest of the country?

Is there an exception process?

Thank you for the wishes! Yes, a 30 year old diesel car can be run in any part of India except Delhi NCR, as long as the car has a valid fitness certificate. In my case, the RC and the fitness certificate expired in 2008, which means that for a renewal, I will have to present the car for a fitness inspection test. If the car passes, I will get a renewal for 5 years. However, I may have to pay the penalty for the time period between 2008 and 2023/24, which would come out to be quite a hefty amount. However, since the car has been off the road for 14 of the 15 years between 2008-2023, I am exploring the provision of what is called “G-form”, which is a procedure by means of which, tax exemption can be claimed for vehicles that have not been used for a long time.

I found this provision to be available in Kerala: https://www.kmvdgoacircular.com/forms/Form%20G.pdf

However, I have to see whether such a provision exists in my relevant RTO/state or not.

[condor]

hi SanidhyaMukund, check this:

https://www.cartoq.com/indias-cleane...4m_RsCnJcmlbl4

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by condor

hi SanidhyaMukund, check this:

https://www.cartoq.com/indias-cleane...4m_RsCnJcmlbl4

Thanks for sharing, that’s such an amazing result! That car has had a real high quality job done on it. Must have cost the owner a fortune. Well, I guess one cannot put a price on passion.

Meanwhile, mine is still far, far away from looking anything like this. The patch work is nearly done now, with the only thing being left is the bumper bracket. However, the mechanic is going through some extreme personal problems, so work has been at a standstill for the last few weeks. The car is currently lying at his workshop. Expect things to be better by beginning of 2024:

[Mitadru]

I have been reading this thread for a long time now. Its a mammoth task considering the vehicle you've undertaken. So how's the restoration going this month ? I am also curious to know about one thing. Since the car is based on the Telcoline pickup is there a significant amount of part sharing ? If it is a yes, then won't the restoration work be a bit easier? Considering the truck was in production for a longer time, and there are still a few of them on the road( at least in WB).
Anyways ,I hope that this restoration will be as successful as the Esteem restoration. It would be great to see an icon of the 90s on the road

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by Mitadru

I have been reading this thread for a long time now. Its a mammoth task considering the vehicle you've undertaken. So how's the restoration going this month ? I am also curious to know about one thing. Since the car is based on the Telcoline pickup is there a significant amount of part sharing ? If it is a yes, then won't the restoration work be a bit easier? Considering the truck was in production for a longer time, and there are still a few of them on the road( at least in WB).
Anyways ,I hope that this restoration will be as successful as the Esteem restoration. It would be great to see an icon of the 90s on the road

Hello Mitadru!


As things stand today, the tinkering, patch work and denting is 90% complete. The engine and gearbox have been joined together after an overhaul. I have also purchased a set of resoled 205/65/R15 tyres temporarily to move the car around while it gets worked upon. The correct size for this car seems to be quite rare. Some research tells me that the Ciaz Delta has the same size.

I have also bought most of the external fittings. Work has also started on the suspension and brakes.

As you can tell, most of it is coming together. However, the mechanic is going through some extreme personal problems, due to which, any further work is taking ages and ages. While I do appreciate and acknowledge his hardships, I feel like he is unduly irresponsible about this project. All I hear is false commitments.

Part sharing: Yes, the car shares several parts with the Sumo, Sierra and the first generation Telcoline that had this 483DL engine. All the front suspension components are exactly the same for all these models. Brake boosters etc are also shared. Engine and ancillary parts are no problem at all. You can still buy Tata genuine parts off the shelf. Even some body parts and interior trims are shared with the 207 that was around a few years ago. The only challenge is the Estate specific parts, such as taillights, interior switches, wiring looms etc.

Do note that the last 207s around were the ones with the big 3.0 motor, so they are quite different.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

The correct size for this car seems to be quite rare. Some research tells me that the Ciaz Delta has the same size. .

I have had this issue of finding correct size tyres for a Telcoline. What you could do is - talk in person to the tyre stores. They may be able to dig up old stock - and you could even bargain. (I got a good 40% discount ! )

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by condor

I have had this issue of finding correct size tyres for a Telcoline. What you could do is - talk in person to the tyre stores. They may be able to dig up old stock - and you could even bargain. (I got a good 40% discount ! )

Oh! That’s quite a saving. Will try that also. Meanwhile, a set of 17 inch Michelins with only 24k KM have come off my other car (They still had tread, but were 10 years old, so replaced). If I can get a nice set of 17 inch rims, say something like Aria/Hexa/Safari alloys, they would look smashing on the Estate.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Sanidhya mukund

. If I can get a nice set of 17 inch rims, say something like Aria/Hexa/Safari alloys, they would look smashing on the Estate.

suggest please stick to 15"s. Max 16". 15"s will give a stock look, and better cushioning. 17"s will push up the cost of tyres and also take away the stock look and feel. I suggest this also because I dont think you are going for any mod's

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by condor

suggest please stick to 15"s. Max 16". 15"s will give a stock look, and better cushioning. 17"s will push up the cost of tyres and also take away the stock look and feel. I suggest this also because I dont think you are going for any mod's

Yes, I will mostly be sticking to the stock 15 inch rims. I’ve even bought the original TELCO wheel trim that fits the standard rims, although they’re the export spec that were fitted to some Sierras and Telcolines sold in other markets:



However, the idea of 17 inch rims stems from the fact that that I recently changed the tyres on my 10 year old W204. It had the factory Michelins that had only done 24k KM. I replaced them because the car sees a lot of highway usage, so I did not want to risk a tyre burst. However, for a city only “hobby Car” like this, those tyres would do just fine.

If I can find a nice set of 17 inch rims for this car, I would put those old Michelins on those and then have two pairs of shoes for it.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Happy to share that the work has again gained some momentum.

The tyres I purchased have been fitted, new brake wheel cylinders have been fitted and some suspension work has been done:











The last bit of fabrication, the battery tray is also done now:







Some rusting was found along the edges of the rear quarter windows. They have been taken off to address that:



I think the ride height has increased a little bit due to the larger tyres. Or maybe, the suspension work has led the car to regain its original height:



Next up is paint, wrapping up of the running gear, getting the engine-gearbox back in place, fixing the electrical stuff, doing up the interiors and getting the body trim in place. A long way to go. This work can easily be done in 2 months, but the mechanic needs to be sincere for that to happen.

Here is a video showing in detail all the patch work and fabrication. A general walk around of the car showing what it currently looks like:

https://youtu.be/qL-tfxy2SEU?feature=shared

[condor]

Hey - good to see the progress there. The height does seem to have increased - I dont think the stock setup had so much gap between the tyre and the arch.

[Sanidhya mukund]

Originally Posted by condor

Hey - good to see the progress there. The height does seem to have increased - I dont think the stock setup had so much gap between the tyre and the arch.

Thanks, I guess due to the absence of the engine and gearbox, the front end is sitting higher due to lesser weight. I hope it will settle down once they are put back in place.

[Sanidhya mukund]

With the majority of the patch work, fabrication and denting done, I have had the car towed to my mechanics place. It was earlier at the body repair workshop. The remaining denting and repair work will be done here now. We are now preparing to paint the engine bay and the cabin. After that, we will mount the engine, get a new brake booster and clutch master cylinder and lay new brake pipes. This will allow us to start and drive the car for the first time! Sharing some current pictures of the car:























Also worth a mention. While cleaning out some junk at my ancestral house, I found the original TELCO document holder, the original warranty card and a pollution certificate from 2003!