1986 Maruti SB308 Restoration: My Little Green Submarine


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A big hello to everybody.

Its my first time at Automotive India. I'm from Bangalore and have been driving a 1986 Emerald Green Maruti SB308 for over 12 years now. We bought this little green submarine back in 2000 from an owner who wanted to get rid of an old broken down maruti. I also have a story for naming it like I have but its a story for another day.

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At that time when the purchase was made, the reason was merely utilitarian in nature; a cheap Indian car to take us from one place to another. We bought it for 40 thousand rupees and put in another 20 to get the tyres and other replacements put in so that it would function well. At that time, it pretty much had all the original parts. I'm no expert but my driver at that time, who used to ferry my father to office, told me that it was a "100% original" or whatever it means. For me, there was no affection, the kind that I have for it now. It was just another car that I drove around when my Santro had very little fuel. (My father always kept the fuel talk full [;)])

IMG_20140502_113346427.jpg

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We have been taking things out and throwing in some as and when our mechanic felt that some parts was due for replacement. The changes were numerous and it would be difficult to list out all the important and rare spares that we might have lost in the process. I do feel a sense of regret to write this simply because it just drive home the phrase "you never know what you have lost until its gone." The original engine was replaced for a newer engine in 2006 or 07 which is my biggest regret. But I have moved on and am trying to bring back this little wonder of a car to its original glory days to whatever extent that I can.

IMG_20140502_113248293.jpg

Over these years, the car and its presence in our family has made it a kind of an icon not just at home but outside on the road as well. People stop next to my car in the usual Bangalore traffic for a quick chat about its origin. Some admire it simply for its classic appeal. People have even recognised the car and peeped in to say hello (or screamed my name out loud to scare me.[lol])

About a year back, we noticed some rust on the edges of the metal portions which meets the glass at the back. There were some on the inside as well which were pointed out to us later. We had only two options; sell it to someone who would take care of it like we had or just keep it and fix it ourselves. I am glad to this day that we chose the latter option.

The first priority was removing rust and repainting the whole car inside out. I was very clear on keeping the colour combination the same and took great pains in making sure that the painter does not mess up. I will stop it here at the moment and let the pictures speak for themselves. I would be happy to present pictures of the any portion of the car. Looking forward to interacting with some SB308 owners here.

This post is also to elicit some responses on the work that I have been doing on my vehicles. I must confess that my intentions do not just stop at that. The intimate bond between a car that one owns is strengthened even more when we give it that the much needed TLC that it deserves. I want to try and share them with like-minded people here.

More restoration and completion pictures soon.
Good day.

*Bornin70s*
 
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

Hello, Welcome to TAI.

Glad to see another SB308 lover. TAI is filled with restoration threads, DIY's and experts on car mods and maintenance too. I am sure you will get all the support and help.

THERE IS ONE GROUND RULE THOUGH: UPLOAD MORE PICS OF YOUR CAR [;)]

Here are a few links to threads that will help you out
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/ownership-reviews/13513-restoration-maruti-800-1991-tonnes-pics-uploaded.html

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/technical-zone/6996-brakes-booster-brand-new-clutch-maruti-800-a.html

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/ownership-reviews/5044-my-modified-maruti-800-a.html

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/technical-zone/14069-my-maruti-suzuki-sb308-restoration-1986-model.html
 
Thread Starter #3
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

THERE IS ONE GROUND RULE THOUGH: UPLOAD MORE PICS OF YOUR CAR [;)]
Thanks, SS80. Its good to see a quick response and that too from another SB308 admirer. I do have tons of questions but will ask them sequentially and at relevant intervals so that we all can benefit from the questions and their answers.

Two things that I am happy about.
One, I am quite lucky that the badges remained intact over the years. Its hard to find a badge which says "Deluxe". This seems to have been the only batch of SB308s produced which had this badge. The other have had badges such as "DX" or "Dlx".
And two, are the side rubber trims which have "Suzuki" Screen printed on them.

IMG_20140502_113325116.jpg

Here are some pictures after the first coat of paint.

IMG_20140530_163652327.jpg

IMG_20140530_163658308.jpg
 
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

I stripped off the body trims before the paint shop could tear it off and throw it away! They were surely intending to. I cleaned them myself, scrubbing off all the dust and muck deposited on it over the years and finally cleaning it with ample liquid soap.

I then gave it to a local screen printer along with a template of the original Suzuki Logo as a reference to create a screen printing template.

IMG_20140611_215602524.jpg
 
Thread Starter #5
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

While the car was getting prepped and rebuilt from the inside, I was cleaning my house when an idea struck me. The large number of cassettes at home were just sitting there unplayed for years! The only cassette player that we had in the car was out of order beyond repair. So I started looking out for places where I could buy a car cassette player for a good price. My budget was Rs. 3000/- for the whole setup. The first place that I looked was in National Market in Bangalore but to no avail. The only ones I found were cheap chinese made decks which had only USB players.

I started looking online and stumbled upon an ad on quikr. The seller was ready to sell a wonder little piece of car stereo history for 900 bucks. I immediately grabbed the opportunity and got it picked up by a friend in Bombay.

The owner had never used the deck and wanted to simply get rid of it. The Sanyo GT4100 came in its original packaging including its plastic and polystyrene covering. The only problem was that it was an "as is" piece and I was not able to check it was functional or not. Luckily for me, both the deck and the speakers worked just fine. Here are some pictures of that.

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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

Nice work there buddy. sorry i bumped in late. but its always said better late than never. [;)]. nice Restoration Project as well as nice classic Cassette player does the icing on the cake. Kudos keep up the good work just waiting for further updates. subscribed to this thread now. oh yes welcome to the Family we call TAI
 
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

Nice work there buddy. sorry i bumped in late. but its always said better late than never. [;)]. nice Restoration Project as well as nice classic Cassette player does the icing on the cake. Kudos keep up the good work just waiting for further updates. subscribed to this thread now. oh yes welcome to the Family we call TAI
Thanks, Incarnation. It would be great to hear from others on the restoration project as well. I absolutely enjoyed SS80's and adil3996's threads. They are indeed extremely information. I look forward to their comments in this thread as well. Especially to some of the queries that I have.

Let me continue with some other pictures.

A final wash
IMG_20140611_144619381.jpg

And some odd muck being removed
IMG_20140611_145233856_HDR.jpg

I am attaching a quick look at the finished product with the body trims on.
IMG-20140831-WA0001.jpg

I have a few questions here at this point:
  1. Are the older style rims available freely in the market and what could be the approximate prices of those?
  2. What are the various options that I have to attend to the under chassis area? I still haven't done anything there?
  3. Can I find a person in bangalore who can fix the old maruti Clarion SW Tuner which came along with the car? I'll post the pictures of the tuner later in the day.
  4. Where can i possibly find a Type-1 grille with "Maruti 800" logo on it? I am nearly done to death searching for one? I currently have a Type-1 grille without the logo which I bought from a guy from Kerala. It came broken at several places and I had to fix it with some sealant. (Pic Courtesy: Anvino)
    P_20140803_081530.jpg
 
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Re: My 1986 Maruti SB308 Emerald Green - Restoration pictures (my little green submar

Excellent work! [:)]

P.S: Do you live in or around Indiranagar? I swear I know your car.
 
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Hi bornin70s, Welcome to the forum and many many congratulations for your 800.
Here are my answers for your query-

Are the older style rims available freely in the market and what could be the approximate prices of those?

Yes, Older style (Type1) rims are still available at MGP shop, if not, try placing orders with them, they will get you. I recently got 4 rims for my 800 at a price of Rs 815 for one. The part number for the same is- 4310M77140. Part Name- WHEEL RIM (OMNI/M-800). Get new rims if possible as you will be sure about rust and other issues. Do get new wheel nuts too, they cost Rs16 For one.

What are the various options that I have to attend to the under chassis area? I still haven't done anything there?

What is the condition of your under body? It would be great if you post a pic of the same. The common rusty areas of an old 800 are Front cross member, Dash cross member, Upper and lower cowl panel, Floor, Running boards, Leaf spring mounts with the rear cross member. If there is rust on these cross members, Please replace these cross members (They are available with MGP).
If there is just surface rust on the underbody, get the under body thoroughly sanded- Rust converter- Paint- Anti rust treatment. Done.
Having restored an 800 from rusty state, i feel that tinkering is not a good option, if rust is severe, Its better to replace the whole panel. Say, your Front Aprons are rusted, If you get it tinkered, it will cost you approx 1500-2000 (with paint), Here you are compromising on the strength of the metal as well as you are not sure about the guy's welding job also. A new apron costs Rs 2400 (Price may have inc now, but not much). If you get a new panel, you are completely sure of the quality and the strength.
So, my opinion is that you should replace those panels which have severe rust.

Can I find a person in bangalore who can fix the old maruti Clarion SW Tuner which came along with the car? I'll post the pictures of the tuner later in the day.

Other Bangalore guys may help you out for this query.

Where can i possibly find a Type-1 grille with "Maruti 800" logo on it? I am nearly done to death searching for one? I currently have a Type-1 grille without the logo which I bought from a guy from Kerala. It came broken at several places and I had to fix it with some sealant.

I also searched for the grill for long and finally got it in a garage. I think you should search for those in Chor bazar (Gujris) or other small car spare parts stores. Some small spare parts shops keep spares for these old cars, and we guys ignore them because we think they may not have the part.
Search in Guzris and small shops.

Some Suggestions for your car from my side-
1)Get full orange front indicator lenses. Earlier SB 308's and SS80's came with Full orange Tokai Denso Indicator lenses. Though you can't get tokai densos now, but OMNI TYPE 4 (Latest) one is a direct fit for the front indicator. Using it in my car. Price is Rs 64 for one and part num is 35612M79030
2) With the new rims, get the steel Wheel hub caps which came in SB 308's and SS80's. You can again get them in Gujri or some small shops. I got one for Rs 20 from Scrapyard.

Do post some more detailed pics of your car.
All the best
 
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Thread Starter #10
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Excellent work! [:)]

P.S: Do you live in or around Indiranagar? I swear I know your car.
Hey Fintail! I don't live around Indiranagar but I do frequent that area often. If you find me loitering around, do stop me and lets catch up!

Hi bornin70s, Welcome to the forum and many many congratulations for your 800.
Here are my answers for your query-

Are the older style rims available freely in the market and what could be the approximate prices of those?

Yes, Older style (Type1) rims are still available at MGP shop, if not, try placing orders with them, they will get you. I recently got 4 rims for my 800 at a price of Rs 815 for one. The part number for the same is- 4310M77140. Part Name- WHEEL RIM (OMNI/M-800). Get new rims if possible as you will be sure about rust and other issues. Do get new wheel nuts too, they cost Rs16 For one.

What are the various options that I have to attend to the under chassis area? I still haven't done anything there?

What is the condition of your under body? It would be great if you post a pic of the same. The common rusty areas of an old 800 are Front cross member, Dash cross member, Upper and lower cowl panel, Floor, Running boards, Leaf spring mounts with the rear cross member. If there is rust on these cross members, Please replace these cross members (They are available with MGP).
If there is just surface rust on the underbody, get the under body thoroughly sanded- Rust converter- Paint- Anti rust treatment. Done.
Having restored an 800 from rusty state, i feel that tinkering is not a good option, if rust is severe, Its better to replace the whole panel. Say, your Front Aprons are rusted, If you get it tinkered, it will cost you approx 1500-2000 (with paint), Here you are compromising on the strength of the metal as well as you are not sure about the guy's welding job also. A new apron costs Rs 2400 (Price may have inc now, but not much). If you get a new panel, you are completely sure of the quality and the strength.
So, my opinion is that you should replace those panels which have severe rust.

Can I find a person in bangalore who can fix the old maruti Clarion SW Tuner which came along with the car? I'll post the pictures of the tuner later in the day.

Other Bangalore guys may help you out for this query.

Where can i possibly find a Type-1 grille with "Maruti 800" logo on it? I am nearly done to death searching for one? I currently have a Type-1 grille without the logo which I bought from a guy from Kerala. It came broken at several places and I had to fix it with some sealant.

I also searched for the grill for long and finally got it in a garage. I think you should search for those in Chor bazar (Gujris) or other small car spare parts stores. Some small spare parts shops keep spares for these old cars, and we guys ignore them because we think they may not have the part.
Search in Guzris and small shops.

Some Suggestions for your car from my side-
1)Get full orange front indicator lenses. Earlier SB 308's and SS80's came with Full orange Tokai Denso Indicator lenses. Though you can't get tokai densos now, but OMNI TYPE 4 (Latest) one is a direct fit for the front indicator. Using it in my car. Price is Rs 64 for one and part num is 35612M79030
2) With the new rims, get the steel Wheel hub caps which came in SB 308's and SS80's. You can again get them in Gujri or some small shops. I got one for Rs 20 from Scrapyard.

Do post some more detailed pics of your car.
All the best
Hi Sumit, Thank you so much for taking time out and posting your suggestions, especially info about the wheel rims. Full Orange indicators are on my shopping list. The part num will be helpful.

Is it possible to post a picture of the wheel hub caps so that I could use it as a reference point during my hunts?

I had to fix my cassette player yesterday as the head had heavily oxidised and wasn't something that I could fix myself. I went to this amazing shop near Kodava Samaj in Vasanthnagar, Bangalore. The place is called Lizzner Television and Radio Institute. This place at one point must have been the mecca of radio, transistor and tape recorder servicing. These days, I'm not sure what they do. They do seem to have some training classes which are held. I spoke to the owner there who at first tried to tell me that they don't repair cassette decks anymore but I urged him to at least take a look so that he can tell me what is wrong with it.

I hope this information will help anyone who is trying to fix their old players. Here is their address and phone number is anyone needs it.
1, Vasanth Nagar, 13th Cross, 1st Main Road, Vasanth Nagar, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560052
080 2226 9360

These are the pictures of the place.

My player being fixed
IMG_20150328_111813178.jpg

And the oldies on display
IMG_20150328_111819786_HDR.jpg

I got my car serviced and washed today. I'll have some pictures ready in the coming days. I do apologise for the picture quality. I would have liked to post more pictures but I'll need some help from my friends on taking good pictures. Until then, here is a quick picture I took last weekend after cleaning the car.

Standing in the shade, all nice and shiny.
IMG_20150322_103325555.jpg
 
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Hello bornin70s,

Welcome to TAi ! Your car looks awesome !! Better than all new cars.

We should meet for sure. Do you have the original clock ?

If you need any help in mechanical stuff I have a trusted mechanic to help you out.
Please feel free to contact.
 
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Hi bornin70s,

Your car is looking amazing man...weclome to the TAI!!

We have huge 800 fans here, have a great stay...lots of members from Bangalore too.

Let us meet sometime..

Girish
 
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Welcome to TAI @bornin70s [:D]
Good to see one more 86 SB308 Restoration Thread
How many kms has it clocked??
Thanks, Adil. This one is really close to my heart and I want the best of the world for it. It does deserve the attention. After all, it was the affordable luxury car of the 80's. A testament to the hard earned money spent by the middle class then.

The old engine had done about 2L before it gave up. After getting the engine redone, it has run only around 71K.

On Saturday, I got an oil leak plugged, changed the engine oil, brake pads and calipers changed and a full body wash. I then went to the electrician and got the music system fixed. I then polished the car myself with good ol Waxpol and took it out for a spin to check if all is well internally. I was massively disappointed when I saw that the engine was heating up and the coolant started bubbling and leaking out of the coolant reservoir. It had to be pointed out to me by a passer-by as I was clumsily slunched back on an empty museum road listening to some music.

I stopped and opened up the bonnet to find the coolant bubbling away. I immediately called my mechanic and told him to come to the rescue. After he had come, it turned out that the the bumbling electrician had forgotten to connect the fan to the power supply! [frustration] Moreover, I couldn't figure out the problem earlier because my house is a few blocks away from the garage! All he had to do was connect it and it was up and running again. Thanks to a small mistake by the mechanic, my engine could have overheated and I would have had to change the rings or even worse rebored it. Luckily it survived and no harm was done.

For the next step this is my shopping list which I will be ticking off one by one.
1) Front grille - Type 1 with Maruti 800 logo.
2) Steering wheel - Type 1
3) full orange front fender lights. (easy find i assume).

Here are some pictures that I took this morning:

Front view with the ugly grille
1.jpg

Back view (Comments?)
2.jpg

back close-up
6.jpg

Side view
3.jpg

Inside 1
4.jpg

Inside 2 (Pardon the empty space where the Clarion Radio is supposed to be fit)
5.jpg

A picture from the outside
8.jpg
 

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