Re-Building Jeep MM540 aka Mini Armada Grand

[DrJviyala]

This thread will tell you about my step by step rebuilding of Dads Jeep .

It is actually a mm540 Converted to Armada Grand 6 Seater with AC . 1993 model which was Modified in 2002 .

Earlier Color : red with Orange brown interior
Engine : DI Engine with 6 Speed gear box

Modification expected :
Jumping in the Jeep is much ,have to make a few under body changes to reduce the same .
Change of Parallel seats to front facing seats : Don't know which ones will fit in .
Change Color to Emerald green
Air-condition is the old one the ac guys tell me that the gas is discontinued now and the entire AC system needs to be changed including compressor and condenser .
Change tires .
Have to increase space between Body and Chassis

Will Post Photos soon .
This jeep would be given to my dad for field run .

 

[DrJviyala]

SO here are a few pics after alot of Struggle and hardwork

we managed to arrange front facing seats ,combining 1 innova rear seat and 1 ventura rear seat . Seal beams were new from hella orignal.

Main Concerns :
1) AC which is an old setup and the mechanic claims that that gas has been discontinued so the whole unit need sto be changed , Costing more than 25000 . If the new gas is used here then there are chances of leaking and compressor damage . Experts please advice
2) Need a rear ladder whoch is not availbel for this particular size ,hence will have a to get one build
3) i Am not able to find AC vents of Armada grand ,a Spare part guy told me Bolero vents would fit in But they seem to be oversized . anyone aware where i can get the vents in mumbai .

Experts please advice . Expecting the Mini Beast to be ready within a week ,Have to test drive it for a month in mumbai before we deliver it to dad in andhra.

 

[incarnation]

@DrJviyala i believe previously they used R12 gas for A/c and now they use R134 i know this as i have a 1998 Sierra NA which also had the same A/c Issue. so your mechanic saying that the pipes need to be changed is very true, however you havent mentioned wny the charge of 25,000 as for pipes any good ac mechanic can do it with used A/c Pipelines which you get in the scrap market. it should not cost you more than 2k for such a change of pipes, However if you are changing the blower, condensor, cooling coil etc then definitely the cost would be near or more than 25k.

hope the info helps.

 

[DrJviyala]

Dear Incar ,

The tech claims that using the new gas can blow up the condensor and compressor . hence he would be changing the complete unit

 

[incarnation]

nope it doesnt i have the same condensor and the compressor, and i have not encountered any problems so far.

 

[DrJviyala]

Dear Incar ,

Thanks bro will definately try that .

Here are afew more pics .
The flooring has got the chekkar plates . There would be a carrier on top which would be colored .

As shown in the pics my AC Vents are missing and needs to be replaced ,but i am nt able to find the original Armada grand vents ,instead was suggested bolero ac vents but they did not fit in .

The front seats are ready with the rexine and covers . will be posting pics of the seats soon .

 

[DrJviyala]

So finally the Jeep is ready . A few small works and ac work pending .

 

[incarnation]

Nice Looking jeep there Doc. Alloys would have enhanced the overall look. the bottle green colour suits the jeep.

 

[DrJviyala]

Nice Looking jeep there Doc. Alloys would have enhanced the overall look. the bottle green colour suits the jeep.

Thanks Incar,

Alloys are on the list ,if not atleast wheelcaps would be put on for sure .

 

[shrijit303]

Wow!!The jeep looks awesome after painting.Nice color choice.The color will shine in sunlight.As Incarnation said,alloys will look good on your jeep.

 

[DrJviyala]

Now with regards to the AC .


I have enquired with a few ac techs ,have got quotes ranging from 25000 (2nd hand parts ) to 48000 . A guy in juhu has assured me that the whole system would not need to be replaced instead he would be changing the bottle ,the Oil in the compressor and flushing the Whole system and then replacing the same with the new 134 gas .My Current system has the 75 gas .


Experts advice needed. Will this solution be permanent . It is cost effective though ,but I wouldn want a temporary solution .
Please help ,I am planning to get the Jeep out of the Garage and take it to the AC guy on Friday or Saturday .

 

[DrJviyala]

AC UPDATE :

The whole story changed when i took the Jeep to the AC guy , He checked the blower coil which was not working well ,it was slow and he recommended to install a Super king blower which was available with him ,The condenser had a leak which was not expected .

The Total Cost estimate given by the tech was 12000 including labor ,the bend pipes , the Bottle, The Super king Blower , Electrician Cost ,Gas filling . The Condensor issue was found later hence he suggested if the Leak is cause of a hit it could be repaired or else if the leak is due to some rust then the repair would be difficult and the new one would cost nothing less than 4000 rupees .

Now i drove the jeep from Parel to Andheri . Here is the update :

1) After driving Scorpio Mhawk for such a long time ,driving a jeep didn please me much ,the jumping of the jeep was uncomfortable,the technician said he would have to reduce the Phaata .
2) The Silencer seemed to have a leak because of which the smoke entered the cabin from the opening near the gear rod ,
3) The steering had a lot of play which needs to be reduced ,the rod seemed loose .
4) as the tyres were old the steering could not be controlled and had to be held all the while .

All these and Minor works like Seat belts ,The Sterring Grip ,ICE setup , Flooring Mats etc were yet to be done ,

Expecting the Jeep to be ready by Saturday .

 

[incarnation]

take your time Doc, Rome wasnt built in a day, same is the case with jeep. let it take its own time. and regarding the suspension jeeps are meant to be bouncy so dont sweat it as if now you can do it on a later stage. glad your Ac work was completed at less cost than estimated.

Wish you all the best for the build.

 

[DrJviyala]

AC UPDATE :
1) Super king Blower Fitted and Working weel .
Stood almost from 9:00am to 11pm and got the things done .

The electrician Screwed up with a few wires while fitting the Dashboard because of which the Indicators didn sem to work .

The bad news : Condensor had 3 major leaks which were irrepairable ,the mech suggested to fit a santro zing condensor but i totally disagreed to it . He said he would try to get a bolero ccondensor .
Lets hope he gets one .

Apart from the above ,while removing the condensor the guy damaged the radiator because of which there was a leak which i came to know today morning when i was travelling from andheri ti parel and suddenly the temp started soaring up towards the red .had to stop and check the water in the radiator which was totally dry . managed to arrange water from the petrol pump guys and then left the jeep at parel for the minor works ,steering adjustment , silencer repair/replacement .

The condensor would be ready by tommorow as the condensor fan needs to be altered to fit on the condensor .

Wil keep you guys posted for more .attaching a few pics that were taken .

 

[DrJviyala]

Finally got the Jeep out .PFA photos.
Changes Done .
Tyres : 215/70/16 Apollo
Ac super Cool
Front Lamination and Steering Lamination
Steeroing both Joints changed .still Vibrations present