Trips with Trailer - Mahindra Classic

I have been thinking that I will add a winch, overdrive and Peugeot XD3P 2.5L Diesel power plant to the Jeep. But never thought that I will be needing a companion to the Jeep itself. Though my farm and urban travels are always filled with my rear passenger area of the jeep, I never had an idea of trailer.

In the recent past, I wanted to give it a try to mate a trailer with the jeep. Few of my train travel via. Chennai, Avadi military scrap yard made me think like that. You know what today I own a trailer.

A month back I paid an token advance to take my trailer(Mahindra branded) from one of the army scrap vendor here, however I requested him to assist me for the paper work so the trailer is road legal.

I saw my trailer loaded in a truck, collected few pictures for future reference. Then my rush to know about the trailer gave me mind full of information.



1. Mahindra Trailers are equipped with Break assy. with the hook bar and emergency breaks.
2. Mahindra Trailers got cross bar to manually pull the trailer, this could be folded down when towing
3. Mahindra Trailers are got smalls hooks inside and outer side of the body
4. Mahindra Trailers got tools box on the right side of the outer body wall
5. Mahindra Trailers got Quadrilateral shaped mudguards and box typed mudguards


1. Bantam Trailers got no break assy but equipped with emergency break
2. Bantam Trailers got round shaped mudguard
3. Bantam Trailers got wiring for rear taillamp which could be attached with the Jeep (advantage)
4. Bantam Trailers were easy operatable when taking reverse as there is no breaks attached in the tow bar, the Mahindra's normally hit the break and makes bit tough for reverse operations.

Finally today, it was my towing experience. It was scary and exciting as I'm learning something new.
The first trailer towing experience was bit too long, as I had to tow the trailer for aroudn 30kms in Chennai's peak hour traffic. Unfortunately I had to drive the jeep with trailer during office close time and got stuck in the traffic. The issue came when I wanted to reverse the trailer, woah.. no way I could do the trailer goes on it's own path. I need to learn the tactics of driving the trailer now. Since I was not sure how to reverse the jeep with trailer finally I had to remove it from the hook and manually reverse then got it back to the jeep again.

The trailer has been dropped at my sand blasting unit, tomorrow morning the guys in the sandblasting workshop will do the required work for the trailer.

I hope to pick it up after 2-3 days as my office time realy prevents me going so far during week days.

Mahindra Classic - Engine water pump service

Last week I observed sudden hike in thermal gauge, Initial investigation showed that the radiator water level was bit low, though I used radiator coolant I used bit water to top up the fluid level.

The same day again same over heating issue and water in the radiator was far lesser than what it suppose to be. I was suspecting the radiator and found no leak in it. Rushed to the mechanic and he said there is a leak in water pump and it requires attention. I got a brand new TVS Autolec water pump who incidentally the OE suppliers for Mahindra Vehicles.

Today we corrected the water pump issue by replacing with the newly acquired one. It was in a shocking state when we saw the water pump and most of the water pump body was damaged with corrosion and barely any metal wall was left over.

Picture of engine block after removal of the old pump.

Just for your comparison purpose here is the old and new water pumps next to each other.

This picture shows the engine with newly installed water pump.

Along with today's service, I did change the rear half gate handle, bit of house keeping work for the music system setup and Air-filter intake air hose.

I got some hint from fellow visitor and my references to the mechanic that the distinct sound from my Jeep may be from the Diesel pump nozzle and he urged me to check up before conducting any Engine work.

This is the first day I saw all the four friendly Jeeps came together to the garage, except Mad-Bull Ram who's jeep is parked next to my jeep in the above picture we three had a little chat on jeeps.

The two jeeps in the above picture are Vinod's and Samy's precious vehicles.

Indentifying Mahindra Classic

There are so many queries about Jeeps, many folks turn to me asking for information about the Mahindra Classic. In fact many people think the word classic jeep is meant for the older jeeps. But the term Mahindra Classic is itself a product name and here is the information how to recognize a Mahindra Classic for those who wanted to own the precious and the last produced short wheel base Jeep in the world.

As many as people tried to fake the Classic model with Willys CJ3B, M&M CJ3B, M&M CJ340 and M&M CL340 (not a classic) by adding the stuffs to look like a original Mahindra Classic jeep.

1. Original classics are CL340 DP - Classic 4WD (Not CJ340)
2. Chassis number of CL340 DP/4WD starts with CL340DPCLS4....
3. Produced between year 1996 and 2000 (The first batch of CL340 DP/4WD (M&M Classic) rolled out in Q3 1996 and the last batch of CL340 DP/4WD was in Q2 2000, could be used in conjunction with the RC book)
4. Suspended pedals for gas, break and clutch (Other jeeps will have floor mounted system)
5. Front wheel got Disc break (I bet no other jeeps got prior to this)
6. 1996 to 1997 models came with spokes wheels (Wire wheels) and then Alloy 96-99 Models came with spoke wheels, the alloy wheels were an option from 97-98.
7. Chrome plated 2 piece Front bull bar(actually the bull bar and cover to the bumper are 2 pieces not like the replicas)
8. Filmsy dash board with colorful indicator lights
9. Little wider track than CJ340s
10. Single lever 4WD operations with KMT-90 gearbox (Old jeeps got shafts for 4WD options plus one for normal gears)
11. Rear seat setup came with forward facing seats like Willys MB or CJ2A
12. A nicely designed roll over bar with a little bend towards the sky on the center of the middle pipe.
13. Seat belts on the rollover bar
14. Idling speed switch on the dash board
15. Right to left wiper arms
16. Plastic Rear spacers are bit wider than the MM540 type spacers (one on the read mudguard)
17. Front rear spacers with a carving for small side indicator (the smallest side indicator than in any jeep)
18. Originally availed Red, Black, White and Dark Metallic Green colors
19. Mesh(or insect shield) on the grill without a hole for bonnet knob (available for MM540)
20. Front tow hook on the right side
21. Side view mirrors (OVRM) setup from front of windshield with 4 screw mount each side, inside of the 4 wholes in windshield protected with a rectangle metal plate for extra support. (Not seen in any other CJ3B variants)
22. Extra Plastics for the location between fascia and the bumper with Mahindra written on it and neat plastic cover for the windshield joints.
23. Company fitted bucket seats
24. Ignition key on the steering column with steering lock
25. Lamda free wheeling hubs as seen in the Maruti Gypsy
26. Center mounted spare wheel brackets on the tail gate (all other Mahindra models to have it on one side of the door)
27. Three screw sun wiser attachment on the windshield like MM540
28. Servo assisted break operations (booster break)
29. The Emergency break or the Parking break on center of body tub between passenger and driver seats.
30. The air filter inside the engine compartment was fitted on the left side (passenger side) firewall, as to give space for the servo booster of break assembly in the right side (driver side), hence the air filter intake tube in Classic runs over the engine from left to right.
31. A prominent logo on the sides of bonnet saying “CLASSIC" and 4x4 on both the sides of rear of body tub
32. The diesel tank got a fancy cap which had 5 distinct circle kind of design and it was made in France
33. The diesel tank got a fibre cover to hide from under the passenger seat in the interior
34. Additional plastic corner covers for front and rear bumbers were made available as extra options from manufacturers
35. The hood (soft top) had a distinct model compare to other Mahindra vehicles, the model was almost as same to the Tiger top brand of USA. It had 2 piece metal frames one is static and one is foldable with 'Y' shape. The top was also came with soft door wich is not rollable (seen in the previous mahindra models), the doors have also got zipper top portion to look like window which could be rolled down.
36. The headlight of Mahindra Classic also got a grill which is not common in other Jeeps, it was added to the Jeep's face with 3 bolt nuts.

Allow me to take some time to post pictures for each point wherever possible to identify the Classic.

Thiruporur - mud drive OTR

It's been some time now to write about a offroad that the Explorer had, though a week back I was in the Jawadhu and did the complete offroad in reverse, I didn't write about it as the blog is already seen many posts on Jawadhu front.
Last weekend We had a small OTR(25 Jan 09), It was in the afternoon which started at about 3 p.m and ended by 8.30 p.m We guys met at sleepy looking hotel in the end of IT corridor a place called hotel Harish in Padur on Old Mahabalipuram Road in Chennai. After all of us assembled the convoy of Jeeps headed to Thiruporur the same location chosen for the offroad this weekend, it was a new terrain for me but not for the other Jeepers who were with me.We had couple of Jeeps, Gypsies and Mitsubishi L200 as part of the convoy. After a few kilometers of on road drive, we got into the offroad terrain which splits through a village. We drove through a forest which had lots of eucalyptus trees and bushes. The terrain became wet loose soil one and the 4WD was engaged from there on.

It was quite a tough drive and I was following my friend Vinod who stopped few times to click pictures. He had come with his friend's family hence many more pauses to click pictures ;-). Hmmm I could hear my Explorer wanted me to take him ahead of my friend's jeep and finally it happen to that way.
After passing through the water channel and loose mud we got to stop as the there was a canal which is bit deep and too narrow for crossing, so we split into three groups and started searching for other ways to cross the place. This is where the problem happen to me, I was trying to climb a soft and steep mud wall right from the water channel and failed to achieve, hence I wanted move to the other location but got stuck big time.

As said here I had to reverse instead took a challenge of crossing the rut perpendicular with a steep mud wall. god stuck royally. As you can see from the picture below the later maneuvers took the jeep to the edge of the mud wall. bushes made the headway impossible, and the branch of the tree which was on the mud wall damaged my soft top and lost the front parking lights already. I had to roll the windscreen down and remove the top to prevent any further damage. In the process finally with the help of a Gypsy without any additional damaged I came out but couldn't prevent damaging the tail lamps.
During the scene we used Manpower to rescue another gypsy which got stuck where no other vehicle could reverse and position itself. The trail was amazing and it really a feist for our four wheel drive enabled vehicles.
After couple of hours of offroad, we were intend to get out of the trail through a lake bund. By the time my turn came it was already bit late evening and the dawn is out of the sky. I switched on the head lamps and guys shouted at me to switch it off as to save some power. The Explorer is without doubt one of the best performing Short Wheel Base jeep. I faced least problem in clearing the bund though this activity required some tough maneuvering. The bund lead us to crossing the embankment through fields to the main road.
As a whole it was another great Jeeping Weekend, and the week started with restoring the damaged that was caused to my Jeep. By the time when I was writing this blog the jeep is all set ready with new lamp assembly and stitched soft top.

Mahindra Classic - Major Service

After many successful OTRs and Rescue operations during the last flood that happen in Velachery, Chennai due to the rain the Jeep was crying for attention.

I really thank to my jeep for saving us during the last rainfall, our house was flooded with 5 and half foot water and the only vehicle to take us out from the flood is the Mahindra Classic. It did really heroic action during the critical time.

Right from water mixed oil in the differential to broke components under body, I decided to address all of them at one stretch. So my future offroad plans will not have any interruption at the last minute.

At first we stripped the Jeep to an extend to see what are all the stuffs required attention

After careful investigation, found

1. Differential oil and Gear oil needs to be changed
2. Steering components (most of the joints) needs major replacements
3. Break career plate, cylinders, oil, disc break pads & caliper, drum break shoes and converter TC valve all required to be changed.
4. The suspension also been worked out so I will have comfort drive again
5. In addition few engine related items such as shields and valve door washers are also required attention.Hence we decided to change them all including king pin bearings and few other components. I hope to see the music system will have a change too in the Jeep.
My mechanic's team is fully aware of the importance that I have in my jeep hence they do have careful lookout of individual components for any attention that is required. I'm guessing the jeep will be delivered in a day or two before I make my debut drive after service.

Ubbalamadugu forest exploration

Friends, This time I'm starting the blog with a video clip. Press the play button to watch my TADA forest exploration fun.
It was another off the road weekend, this time some friends joined together to explore the TADA aka Ubbalamadugu (Remember my TADA stunt post) little deeper than the last visit which happened to be solo offroading.The trip turned out as good as a picnic as families joined for the off road event. One of the families brought us delicious food for the lunch.We had enough water crossing and steep incline and decline route on boulders this time; the vehicles ranged from Mahindra CJ340 to Toyota Land Cruiser.

In one of the streams, I had to really go parallel with the CJ340, oooh! I wish I had removed my soft top and gone open.

While we were resting after couple of obstacles, I found a giant sized butterfly sitting just next to me.

I wanted him to flip his colorful wings, but no help even after long waiting.

In another steep incline I got to go really slow, however the engine breaking idea of Diesel engine helped me a lot.

Most of the day's activities were around many water bodies in the forest ; hence lots of water crossing.

For me it was not so difficult, as I did my exploration to an extent in my last visit at the same spot.

While returning we were traveling through a green paddy fields.It was a great experience driving in the middle of paddy fields. One of the Gypsys was running out of coolant and the engine stopped at one stage . We had to do little cooling treatment before we could start the vehicle. The picture below was taken while we were fixing the engine temperature issue.

Given a chance, I wish to award the man of the day title to Vivek who co-ordinated with all of us and did a great Jeeping today with the CJ340 he drove.

Anyway it was gala time today as we all got our hands put on the rugged toys.

RECCE one at Jawadhu

It’s been my dream to do OTR in a forest, but doing it in a forest is no easy task. First of all, no one is clear on which is the right path and what may be the obstacles.After my couple of visits to Jawadhu Hills, I called the folks in Jeep Thrills for a RECCE trip. Thought it took some time to materialize but we could succeed it by doing nearly a 50kms offroad trail.

Bad roads, No road, Off road, Slushy path, Water crossing, Boulder crawling – we did all these during the RECCE.
At around 6 AM, my jeep roared from Chennai after couple of my calls to fellow Jeepers Dr. Jones from Kanchipuram and Rajmohan from Trichy. Another talkative friend Satheesh also came in my jeep to keep me some company in the long 230kms highway drive ;-)

We had breakfast at Vandavasi and Lunch at Jamunamaruthur & in between we had highway and offroad exercises. After fueling the monster jeeps our trip started climbing up hills in Jawadhu. With 2 short breaks for smoke and discussing about our jeep building histories our third stop was directly on the offroad terrain. Jawadhu hills has around 270 mountain villages, people in these villages needs to walk for 4kms to 20kms to reach the main road.

We rolled up our stuffs in the jeep to visit one of the villages that is 9kms from the main road, but people said only by walk we could reach them. But we had our machine and started rolling the wheels down to the path, and with in seconds the path was covered with boulders going steep into the jungle route.
We made some preliminary plans and each one of us started crossing the boulders in dark jungle and hurray first success was written on the jungle.

Dr. Jones did some extra stunts by driving the prowler in reverse climb. I saw a spark of interest in the tribal people’s eyes who gathered to watch our offroad activities. I think this is the first time they have seen an automotive piece coming near to their abode.

The next obstacle we found in our way towards the village (Patraikadu) was couple of steep turns and slushy land.. ohhh Rajmohan crossed it first with his MM540, we witnessed his NDMS doing action perfectly.The entire route was too good; if there would have been rain prior to our trip I’m sure the OTR would have been more thrilling too. After some times we reached the village and U turned to face the challenges we experienced again, however during the slush action in the return trip I felt that my jeep started loosing power. He he he but no cause for worries… It was my mistake, as I was not driving it in the correct gear.
After a while we reached the guesthouse and got appreciation from the jeepers for the accomodation. It was clean and neat; we took the air-conditioned accommodation and had our lunch (Parathas and Chicken Curry). Jeepers seemed totally tired after the long drive and offroad and they took quick nap. Then in the evening we went to the waterfalls discussing about interesting jungle experiences we had ourselves. My friend Satheesh made the trip hilarious by his questions and face expressions in the jungle.

We did take a break near the waterfalls with moon light reflecting on the water, four people inside the thick jungle in a late evening with moon light enjoying the water falls sound.. We really had our fun

Our return to the room directly pushed us with couple of bottle beers and dinner, oh yeah long discussions then we hit the bed. (End of Day one)

The day two started a little delay as we had our break fast late. Then our stop for shopping wild honey pushed us 3 hours late. Dr. Jones also got some tow cable from the village shop for the jeep. Though we couldn’t get the jack fruit as this is not the season, we kept moving towards Athipet village from where our actual bad road travel towards Mettupattu village initiated. It was really struggling roads and in between we reached the mouth of Cheiyar River where we did our river crossing and fun filled jeep stunts. An ex-postmaster from Jamunamaruthur fell in lust with the jeep after watching Rajmohan’s machine playing in the river.
Oh… god I did my attempt to get into the river’s same path as others but the riverbed got digged little deeper after two jeeps crossed hence my attempt directed me to hit the river bed with my front bumper. Dr. Jones’s Prowler with his newly purchased tow cable came in first hand help. Effortlessly in a moment I was out from the struggle. Later I took another easy way to play in the water and came back to the road.Our trip from here towards Mettupattu was in the roads of beautiful scenic mountain villages and we really enjoyed the drive. In the whole trip, I didn’t get my eyes crying of stress as we witnessed various shades of green everywhere.
After crossing couple of villages we started seeing the roads going worse and worsen leading a great of jungle travel. On the way we found a tree… Opps more than 30 ft circumference standing along with path, Dr.Jones marked our presence in the tree by sculpting “JEEP THRILLS” with an axe.
That’s all our somewhat comfortable drive the rest of our day was filled with boulder and boulders crushing our energy very fast as we really lost the lunch time. After 6 hours in the 42kms stretch finally we reached the downside of the Jawadhu Hills which is called Paramananthal Village. The final 14kms stretch was in the jungle and deep slopes in our sideways showing a dark avenue of trees.
We drove towards Chengam town and picked up our Briyanis and Mutton towards my farm where we had our lunch with tender coconuts for our dehydrated tongue.
After lunch at 6:00 pm we started our travel towards home and we expressed farewell to each other and the RECCE 1 was written as success in our books.

Here is the Video of Jawadhu Hills RECCE

Bathing Mahindra Classic

I haven't done water wash of the jeep after it was restored. About two weeks back I have done a slush offroad with folks from Chennai. Though the terrain was too good, I missed my opportunity to click pictures that stopped my writing blogs about my trip. Since it was a slush offroad, loads of mud caught into my jeep's under body and badly wanted to do a water wash, but subsequent rain made the whole Chennai city into a larger water pool, so didn't give bath to the Jeep.

Last week Thursday turned out to be a perfect day after the rain for water wash.
I could manage to spray some oil in the under body portion of my jeep, I hope that will prevent any rust formation as it prevents the metal from directly exposed to the moisture and salty air (I stay close to sea shore.)

What else, the water service also paved way for greasing the Jeeps parts, hmmm I really felt the changes in the last weekend trip.
Last weekend was a great JEEP weekend, as I drove the jeep for about 750kms out of which about 20kms were offroading at my farm.