[Bullitt]

Kamat Sir, the Pune RTO part is already taken care of, I have F&F in high places who can get things done here. The only thing I need to ensure is that I receive all the right documents in the right quantities from the seller/owner of the car. I talked to an RTO agent here yesterday to find out what I need, and here is the list he gave me:

1. NOC from Vashi RTO.
2. Form 28 in triplicate.
3. Form 29 in duplicate.
4. Form 30 (single).
5. Valid insurance document for the car.
6. Valid PUC certificate.
7. Address proof of buyer.

Now, the seller has only one signed copy each of all the 3 forms and no NOC, so I will have to arrange for procuring more copies from the owner. I am in touch with both of them, and I am already in the process of arranging the forms from the owner.
I have also told the seller to make arrangements for the NOC, and he has gotten hold of an RTO agent for this.
Let us see how things go, if all goes well, I should be able to arrange all the documents on Thursday itself.
I will definitely let you know in case I need any help with the paperwork at the Vashi RTO.

Lo and Behold! The pictures of the car (as is, where is)

- Bullitt

[underground1419]

nice.. but why is the steering wheel upside down??

also, doesn't the Turbo come with a blue coloured instrument panel?

[mercedised]

The car looks like a finely maintained one, atleast in the pictures. The tyres really needs tobe changed as they are not coping up with the car.

[condor]

@Bullitt, congrats. Looks to be in fair condition, good enough to get working on it and get it to your liking. Engine layout looks to be the same as in the TCIC Sumo..

What FIP is it running ? Any plans of getting a diff one ?
What's the plans for the A/c ? Are you going to get a diff compressor along with the blower ?

underground1419 : .. but why is the steering wheel upside down??

If you notice the front wheels pics in the 2nd & 4th pics, you can see the wheels have been turned a little. That's the reason for the up-side down steering wheel.

[sierrakamat]

bullit i envy you the car is in as good condition as any that can be found in that price range in the market today .the alloys and tyres are a quick fix kurla cst job(the local scrap market of mumbai) for the daily ride and safety change the tyres asap you will get a good buy back in vashi new mumbai .if the FIP is LUCAS will give better mileage but more expensive to service if THAT GOES KAPUT just shift over to mico.the instrument cluster was changed only in the 2000 model sierra all earlier models had the old one .for better cooling if required can change the condenser fan to a higher rpm rating.as you will come to know over a period of time as far as the sierra is concerned the thumb rule is IF IT AOINT BROKE DONT TOUCH IT

[Bullitt]

Thanks for the approval guys, it endorses my belief that I have bought a good car.

@ UG:

Condor is right about the upside down steering wheel. Thats how it got parked after the TD, and the steering locked when the key was removed, so we didn't bother straightening it. I'm not sure about the instrument panel, I guess its like what the good doctor says. ^^

@ mercedised:

If you see in the fourth picture (front 3 quarters view from drivers side) where the wheel has been turned outwards a little, the taper in the tread is very obvious. The tyres are near bald on the inside, and good as new on the outside. The mechanic said that they can be used for no more than 6 months, provided we flip the tyres on the rims (to bring the inner side out). I will probably change them anyway once the car has been done up properly.

@ condor:

You took a direct dive into the engine bay mate. I like that

I have no idea what FIP the car has, or whether it even has one (he he... kidding). I will let you know once I have the car with me. Is it a good idea to replace the FIP irrespective of its condition? Or should I just service it and continue using it?

The seller mentioned that he had the AC serviced after he got the car. The cooling is just about average, grossly insufficient for summer though. Do come up with suggestions on what after-market options (like better condensor/compressor/blower) I have for improving it's performance. I have read about the (Unicla) Superking blower, but I think you need to install a separate control switch for it. I don't fancy that switch very much, looks quite tacky(its a simple twist control knob with a ring around it). Right now, the car's AC is working on the stock in-dash controls, which looks decent. Is it possible to install the Superking blower such that it uses the stock controls of the car?

I also plan to install good quality UV-resistant sunfilm (Garware or V-Kool) on all the glasses to keep the heat out. But only after the bodywork and paintwork is complete. Besides, winter is approaching now, so I am not in hurry to work on the cooling aspect of the car.

As for the tyres and rims, I need full details about the stock rims of the car, specially the offset. My guess is that the existing alloys have incorrect offset, causing the tyres to stick out a bit too much. I will probably change the alloys to stock Safari rims if I find them unsuitable. I believe later Turbos used to come with the same rims as the older TCIC Safari, and those look quite good too. Any idea what a used set of Safari rims would cost?

Keep the inputs coming guys. Together, let us make it "THE Sierra", as the good doctor said.

- Bullitt.

[kaustubh_vaze]

Bullit,
Heartiest congratulations on buying the car. I have been driving my NA car on and off and with a measly 68 BHP, it still is good to drive thanks to the torque of the diesel. The work on my car continues. I have spent close to 13K already in getting it mechanically tip-top. Changed everything there was to change (apart from the engine).
Next I am planning to upgrade the A/C. There's a person named Mr. Vinayak Bogam in Sahakar Nagar and he gave me an estimate of @18K for upgrading the entire A/C system Compressor/Condenser/Blower et al.
I am trying to find a middle path instead of upgrading everything. Will post some pictures after I get them.

Regards,
Kaustubh

[sierrakamat]

THE ac upgrade is to use a superking blower with a 508 compressor no amount of filming is going to cool the car the safari standard rims and tyres will fit so the issue of the offset is solved besides in the right hands the measly 68 bhp in the right hands can and do wonders for the sierra .as mentioned earlier the safari rims in 16 inch with tyres will cost 25000

[condor]

Bullitt : Is it a good idea to replace the FIP irrespective of its condition? Or should I just service it and continue using it?
sierrakamat : ..besides in the right hands the measly 68 bhp in the right hands can and do wonders for the sierra

the TCIC churned out 90bhp, not 68 bhp. With the 1600kg kerb weight, even 68bhp is fair .. though 90bhp would be really good. To put things in perspective, the TCIC Safari weighed approx 2150kg - so compare the 90bhp driving a 1600kg vehicle vs driving a 2150kg vehicle.

@Bullitt, have it checked & if required service it. Replacement is going to be expensive - 40k for a Bosch. And this is the reason why I decided not to swap my (working) TVS-Lucas FIP with a Bosch unit. But if you must replace, then Bosch is the way to go.

Bosch FIP part numbers are 0460494422 or 0460494418 (both valid).

[sierrakamat]

i am talking about exchanging the lucas pump with a mico at the second hand market with a refurbished unit total cost not more than 7 k including labour charges ,there are so many scrapped sierras lying there the you can just build your own car ground up

[kaustubh_vaze]

@sierrakamat,
How much should a used Sierra Turbo/Old Sumo Victa IDI turbo engine cost in Pune/Mumbai?
I was also thinking of plonking the Sumo Victa DI Turbo. Has just 70 PS, but the torque is 223 NM. Should add to the fun factor. How much would that engine cost?
Regards,
Kaustubh

[condor]

sierrakamat : i am talking about exchanging the lucas pump with a mico at the second hand market with a refurbished unit

Definitely an option.

kaustubh_vaze : I was also thinking of plonking the Sumo Victa DI Turbo.

@Kaustubh, I would suggest not going for the DI engine in this case. The IDI TCIC should be more than sufficient for the lower weight of the Sierra. It's rougher, unlike the more refined IDI engine. I also suspect that NVH is not so good in the Sierra, and the DI engine may become too noisy.

[Randhawa]

@Bullit- Did you buy this car from some place near Hingeawadi?

[sierrakamat]

Originally Posted by kaustubh_vaze

@sierrakamat,
How much should a used Sierra Turbo/Old Sumo Victa IDI turbo engine cost in Pune/Mumbai?
I was also thinking of plonking the Sumo Victa DI Turbo. Has just 70 PS, but the torque is 223 NM. Should add to the fun factor. How much would that engine cost?
Regards,
Kaustubh

the tcic engine with the turbo and the safari gear box should cost you around 35 k second hand but it requires modifications in the sierra na vehicle and the job can give more headaches than joy .also RTO is a big problem with such alterations

[kaustubh_vaze]

@Condor and @Sierrakamat - Thanks for the inputs. Well engine swap is on hold as of now. Just dropped my car at the A/C workshop to install the superking blower.
After checking the system thoroughly, the guy said that the compressor is good and he can change a few things so that the newer R134 gas can be filled in the existing system. No idea how, but he said he has done it before and it can be done. I will get an estimate from him around today evening.

I will start a new thread with my rebuild process in a few days.

Regards,
Kaustubh