[hillram]

Originally Posted by ilangop

2) Sir, you will have to find a Hitachi manifold and the carburetor. Again finding gaskets and regular service parts for Hitachi carbs is a pain. Also it would need a vapor separator connection as explained by Mr. Behram Dhabar in the Premier 118NE thread. Is the fuel pump in your car mechanical or electrical?
3) Not sure about Autopal. Actually I have seen Autopal universal round headlamps performing well in my dad's jeep. But never seen one in a 118NE. And I am happy with Lumax in my car.

It has electrical fuel pump.
Personally, I prefer Lumax.

[hillram]

Since i reached Hyderabad and taking a first drive in my Grey goose gave me all the happiness and pleasure of driving this awesome car.
But noticed that the paint was dull in few places and there were nicks and dents, here and there. Well this is not my style to own an atuomobile.
Hence started the entire new paint job with Dupont colour scheme and its progressing well.Now for the shoe talk. I scouted for new set of alloys and reached out to one of the reputed dealer of Alloys on Minister Road and he advised me that, installing Alloys on 118 NE would need :
1.Spacers
2.Extra long wheel nuts
Also the turning radius could be effected as per his experiance. He quoted that few 118 NE owners abandoned Alloys after few months of use, as the vibrations at higher speeds of 100+ was terrible.
This lets me down completely.
What do experts have to say?

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by hillram

Now for the shoe talk. I scouted for new set of alloys and reached out to one of the reputed dealer of Alloys on Minister Road and he advised me that, installing Alloys on 118 NE would need :
1.Spacers
2.Extra long wheel nuts
Also the turning radius could be effected as per his experiance. He quoted that few 118 NE owners abandoned Alloys after few months of use, as the vibrations at higher speeds of 100+ was terrible.
This lets me down completely.

Sir, good that the alloy wheel seller has been frank with you. Many a times he has to sell those patterns liked by the buyer and it might happen that those patterns dont have the offset, centre hub dia and width apt for the NE suspension & wheels. Initially I had 3 spoke alloys lifted from an M-Esteem, on my NE. Ofcourse I had to install spacers and long wheel bolts. But I didnt settle there. Took some time to learn some basics and replaced them with the alloy wheels with the right specifications. And I am happy new.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by ilangop

Took some time to learn some basics and replaced them with the alloy wheels with the right specifications. And I am happy new.

Right specs!! Did you actually manage to find 13" alloys with 98PCD? I thought they are not available at all. Could you please share the contact?

[johannskaria]

Hey congrats buddy!
We too used to own one!
I remember my dad restoring it to awesome condition after buying it !!
She was a white beauty, brought back those memories...
Have fun with her!

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Right specs!! Did you actually manage to find 13" alloys with 98PCD? I thought they are not available at all. Could you please share the contact?

Ok, Didn't expect mentioning "Right specifications" tends to mislead people. I have used wobble washers and bolts on a 100 PCD alloy. Though the rest of parameters were quite a good fit.
Width - 5" (Fits fine for a 155/80/R13 tyre)
Offset (ET) - 27mm. Gives enough clearance for steering fully with this 5 inch wide rim. You may use some of the online back spacing & offset calculator for other rim widths if you plan for wider tyres.
Hub size - 62 mm. I had machined and press fitted a bush here to reduce its dia to 58.5 mm.
Actually I started with measuring the back spacing and offset of the OE rims and them cross-checked with the new alloys. Bought the alloys only when I was convinced with the width & offset as I was sure that I could manage the hub dia & PCD.
If you are close-by some industrial area then finding a M12X1.25 pitch bolt of various lengths wont be a problem. Else cut & use M-800 rear shocker bolts.
Sorry Hillramji for hi-jacking your thread. This discussion should actually find place in the PCD conversions thread. Since this is very specific to NE & you are also looking for an Alloy wheel upgrade, I had to continue here.

[hillram]

Eid Mubarak to all.
Time to unveil my restored Grey goose..A new paint job,interiors spruced, AC Chilled out to the core and I have a broad smile on my face, as its a dream come true....Enjoy the fresh snaps.Thanks to everyone who supported me. Needless to say...first restored pics come on Team BHP !!!

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by hillram

Time to unveil my restored Grey goose..A new paint job,interiors spruced, AC Chilled out to the core and I have a broad smile on my face, as its a dream come true....Enjoy the fresh snaps.

Congratulations!!. I can imagine how you feel with the fresh looks of your car. Just have a few questions & suggestions.
1) Have you retained R12 refrigerant or else filled the system with R134a. Could you please elaborate what all changes have to made for R134A.
2) Please find the front door ash tray, AC vent at the extreme right, and the horn switch monogram from any scrap vehicle for still more original look. Also please get rid of Indica side indicators and revert back to the NE blinkers.
3) Chrome hub caps would look good, just my opinion. I guess you like the fully covered rim rather than the chrome cap.
4) Have you got a 5 speed gearbox in this car?
Regards,
Ilango

[hillram]

Im not too for original looks and would prefer some jazz added to the car. Hence Chrome hubs are not prefered.
The car has AC running on R134a now and its mind blowing chill factor inside.

[saket77]

Very nice shade and color scheme. Matches the structure of the car. A job pretty well executed without going overboard.
It would be nice if you could hush up the wires dangling under the dashboard to keep them out of view. The only other stuff worth taking care is the door pads which have probably lost some fittings and hence have empty slots.
Grey grass mats would look good on it and cover most of the rear & front foot well. Just my 2 cents.

[ByDesign]

Nice acquisition. I remember how solid and smooth these cars used to feel on the road back in the day. My father's official govt. car used to be one of these in the 90's.

Good luck in keeping her in top notch condition Sir, and safe driving!

[luvDriving]

Congratulations and may I say that she is a beauty !

I have driven the 118NE in college days while working in a friends garage specializing in Premier cars. His dad's favourite joke was whenever a Maruti car arrived, he used to say - "Hey, no gents (maruti) allowed - only ladies(padmini). Hehe

Wish you all the very best.

[Mehul1100]

Originally Posted by hillram

Eid Mubarak to all.
Time to unveil my restored Grey goose..A new paint job,interiors spruced, AC Chilled out to the core and I have a broad smile on my face, as its a dream come true....Enjoy the fresh snaps.Thanks to everyone who supported me. Needless to say...first restored pics come on Team BHP !!!

Wonderful Ram Kiran sir, Congrats its looking dashing with new coat of paint, thank you for saving this wonderful car, otherwise it could have end some ever. Hows the AC cooling.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by Mehul1100

Wonderful Ram Kiran sir, Congrats its looking dashing with new coat of paint, thank you for saving this wonderful car, otherwise it could have end some ever. Hows the AC cooling.

Thanks Mehul. I have no words to describe the driving experiance of this car.
We went for a ride with the family and the driving comfort was amazing and the suspension took the potholes and ditches so smoothly. Effortlessly touched 80km and crossed 100 mark thrice. Im still to get a command of driving this car.
AC was the highlight with chilling effect and beautiful throw around the cabin. My family was floored after a 100km ride on the Outer Ring Road.
Needless to say, I may never part with this car in my life.

[samsag12]

The NE came out real nice, like the subtle racing line (decal?) & wheel covers look good for the moment. Must be a cruiser & u already touched 100 mark thrice, its a testimony of a well behaved engine, lucky you
Hope you enjoy many miles on it.

BTW please correct me if wrong but does your NE got a plastic bumper set ?