Thanks, Abhijeet. At this time of the year (monsoons) there is a bit of wet mud but since I have not had a problem in the 800, these tyres should be fine. The mechanic reckons they are probably good for another 20,000 kilometers but I think I will change them after 5000 kms or so. Will pick your brains at that point of time.Congratulations Rusty! The tread pattern on the tyres is more suitable for road/ sand than mud plugging, but I recall you mentioning you don't have much muddy terrain to cover so it should not matter... All in all that looks like a fine example indeed
That's precisely what I plan on doing. One of our mutual friends in Delhi says he may be able to help.Too bad about the shotty having to go... how about putting in some effort for sorting out the Browning's paperwork? It'll be well worth it!
Awesome!Mack The Knife Bana";p="21077 wrote: That's precisely what I plan on doing. One of our mutual friends in Delhi says he may be able to help.
Hope you are feeling better now and it wasn't anything serious.
Mack The Knife
Let me know if I can help in any way.
Mack The Knife Bana";p="21075 wrote:May I have the recipe? It should knock KFC into a cocked hat...amongst shooters atleast.Congrats on Gypsy and sad to hear about shotty batter
Heard the water supply department's giving incentives to people who adopt rainwater harvesting.Time to claim yoursMack The Knife Bana";p="21076 wrote:[Did you know that the soft top can collect water like a large shallow bucket?
Well observed! Since this car is going to be parked outside, I was wondering if there is some sort of treatment for the soft top to keep it from aging faster. Would the silicone polish we use on platicky dashboards do the job?The good thing is (from the looks of it) the previous owner has not cut corners and replaced the top with an OEM one in stead of the much cheaper "local" type ones... The latter usually have very poor fit & finish and the fabric does not last as long...
In India you can not go very fast .110-120km's hr is about the max that you should be doing on the roads(with one or two exception.The Mumbai-Pune expressway being one).Any faster and you are a handshake away from the devil.What with pedestrians with a death wish,two wheeler drivers similarly inclined,tractor trolleys and over laden trucks with almost no brakes,slow moving bullock/ mule carts with no reflectors and which are thus invisible at night,truck and bus drivers who wish to play chicken with you, with the occasional elephant,camel,pig and the ever present stray cows thrown in. Rarely do you brake for stray dogs (for fear of causing an accident).Nice looking vehicle Dodger......although it looks a heck of a lump to only have a 1.3 litre engine.
I know what you mean but in India it's better to have that if you don't want the dash to fade. The dash isn't too deep on this one though, so the problem you speak off should be minimal.One thing that really infuriates me when having the car valeted is if they spray that shiny silicone muck on the dashboard ....... when you drive in the sun the dash is reflected in the windscreen so that you can`t see a thing !
Definitely. Had no intention of putting Mud & Snow tires.Keep the road tyres on the car.
Thanks for the reminder. Must ask the previous owner if he had changed the battery and if so, how many times. Did give it a cursory check yesterday and the green light indicated that it was fine. I am not sure if batteries with the green and red lights were available in 1998 in India, so it is possible that it may have been changed. (My friend just called and the battery has indeed been changed as the original conked out one and a half years ago.)Why should a 9 year old car with only 48,000 km on it have had three batteries ?
Thanks Grumps. Was up into the wee hours giving it a wax polish as it will be kept outside and not in the basement. The 'lump' has already started annoying me in certain aspects - the reduced visibility at the rear, certain blind spots on the sides and last but not least the absence of power steering which makes taking U-turns in traffic. Here's hoping I get used to it fast.Nice looking vehicle Dodger......although it looks a heck of a lump to only have a 1.3 litre engine.
Yes it is. This one has an aftermarket pair (as seen on most cars today) rather than those horrid one's that are adjusted via a buckle.ngrewal";p="21116 wrote:btw is it mandatory to have seat belts in cars in India?
penpusher, I was doing a bit of online research and it turns out that this toppling business isn't all that we have been lead to believe it is.It however has a tendency to topple if turned sharply while at high speeds.It had failed the elk test and the version sold in other countries was slightly wider and shorter.
The damn thing is already being treated as some sort of family pet. The kids obviously love it but my wife who wouldn't be caught dead in my 800 seems to have taken a fancy to this and I have already been asked twice if she could drive it. I think I'll let her sweat and then swap it for her Opel.Great going Mack The Knife you wont regret it.
You may well be right. Even though it's still very early days the fuel indicator needle has barely budged since I filled her up some 50 odd kms ago. However, I must mention that I haven't even taken her beyond 60 kmph. BTW, that fuel cap was a real b**ch to unscrew and yes, it has been cleaned and lightly greased.Contrary to popular belief the Gypsy is not a gas guzzler and if maintained well will give you a constant 8-12 km/lt.
This one is already nine years old but there is no trace of rust yet. Since I am not into mudplugging I don't see this one being put into 4WD very often. It was bought more for it's ground clearance, space at the rear, soft-top and price. What really contributes to a 4WD gear box falling off and what is a half shaft? Do cars usually rust more quickly in Mizoram?I used to own a original suzuki engine gypsy for 12 years (It took me that long to drive it to the ground) During its last year (2004) Its 4x4 gearbox fell off while I was driving it and then on occation the half shaft would fall off every now and then
This one doesn't. The previous owner told me to use the choke when starting it first thing in the morning and he is right. However, for the remainder of the day, it will start on the first turn of the key.Never failed to start on the first turn of the key
Not yet.Want to exchange it for a 1 and a half year old maruti 800?
WHAT?Mack The Knife Bana";p="21281 wrote: Incidentally, this Gypsy was never supplied with free wheel hubs. I am told it improves the fuel efficency and something else that I cannot recall.
It's always nice to have a leaner air-petrol mixture.The previous owner told me to use the choke when starting it first thing in the morning and he is right. However, for the remainder of the day, it will start on the first turn of the key.
