Project Suzuki Margalla

[hassankhan03]

@Hassan1991 @brownrose78 @Xulfiqar @mustansir44 Please provide your insights on the work that's been done.

also @capsat bro do you have any good electrician in mind near to F.B Area. Karachi.

[hassankhan03]

Minor Update

CNG was pulled out, and its all holes were closed forever.

Cutting the bolts as they were really stuck.

New pieces at the wheel arches were welded.

[Hassan1991]

Start the work from inside then go outside.
Your first priority should be chassis strength then all other parts like fenders and doors.

[brownrose78]

@hassantaewra
From where are you doing these denting works. Right now, your car is bucket of rust.
Complete your inside work then process it step wise

[nnabeel]

The work speed is very fast or you are posting pics from already completed stages.

the circled areas need attention specially the shocker mounts. pls also remove the screws beneath the back screen and remove rubber to see the condition.

this car is like it was submerged in water or standing beneath a water fall. the rust has to be cleaned and buffed before any paint job other wa=ise your money will go donw the drain.

[hassankhan03]

@nnabeel Bhai I am Giving Realtime Updates , The thing is that the Denter has no other major work, Except My Car, Also right now I have a semester break going on, so I really go and sit on his head and get the work done. Also will Make sure to get rid of all that rust,.

Little Story About the trunk : The Previous Owner Used To carry Solid Rock Salt in it's trunk , That's what caused all the rust.

[hassankhan03]

@brownrose78 and @Hassan1991 The Front Cross member(Gadri) Was Changed Years ago, and it seems to be in good condition, the Front Mukhan and the Frame has no significant cracks etc (alhamdulillah), The Floor HAs Surface Rust And Some Holes Butt he'll repair them later. that's why the denter is working on the door etc.

[Rafaymalik]

Looking forward

[Hassan1991]

These cars have unibody chassis. Not frame based.
Floor is a part of it.
To understand what i mean by chassis strength, lift the car from one front wheel and then try to open and close doors. Or measure the gap between them before and after lifting.
You will see your whole car chassis flex's.

[hassankhan03]

Oh Gotcha , What else can i Do to Strengthen it?

[syeddanishanwaar]

I had owned Suzuki Margala 1996 model for 10 years from 2008 to 2018.

I really loved the look and drive of the car. I had spent nearly 1.3 lacs on the whole body paint, suspension, bumper, and other minor repairs in 2017. It took nearly 1.5 months to complete the repairs.

It was the best Suzuki car I had owned. I wish you good luck with the restoration work.

PS. A strange incident occurred after I had restored my car that I want to share.

I was also studying in uni at the time restoring my Margalla like you. I had spare time so I also used to spend time at the shop while they were working.

A week after the restoration was complete, the main mechanic or ustad came to my house with his friend in a Bolan.

I was speechless when he asked through his friend if I will marry his daughter!

I had told him during a conversation that I was single when he had asked about my status. But I never thought it would lead to a proposal.

Instead of flat refusal I told him a lie telling my mother had already selected someone for me.

So, I advise you to beware of any mechanic or ustad there asking about personal stuff. They fish for young guys in such a situation.

[syeddanishanwaar]

Here are some of my experience that I had gained while restoring my Margalla.

Make sure that you buy the parts yourself. Never trust a mechanic to do the shopping for you.

Make sure that the mechanic does the work properly. The son of the mechanic had installed the car's viper backwards. I didn't focus on it at the time.
A few months later it rained and when I turned on the viper the entire windshield broke. I had to get it replaced for about Rs. 4k. I drove all the way from Tariq road where my car's windshield shattered into pieces to water pump in heavy rain.

Some other repairs that you should focus on include belt chain or tenshioner and gaskit. You should also consider a compression test to check the engine.

In addition, you should consider installing a new radiator if it is rusted. Also, check for any water leaks. I ignored these repairs during the restoration. A few months later my car car stalled at highway due to water leakage. The radiator was so hot that its cap flew up in the air and vanished as I opened the bonnet.

Lastly, you should check the condition of the clutch. You don't want to get stranded due to a broken clutch that is usually worn out in old cars.

[Hassan1991]

Look at the weak spots.
Strut to strut metal and inside sills should repaired first. Don't do it without braces or removing any stress from chassis otherwise metal will wrap due to heat.
Use the same gauge metal as used in car originally.
Try to bend a bigger metal sheet in shape then welding small patches( i know it's difficult as sometimes i also use small pieces).

[Xulfiqar]

The most critical weak spot right now is the roof panel which has corroded away, I personally would have scrapped the car as redoing the roof panel on any unibody car is a headache and a half and does not tolerate gas wekding.

He will need a complete roof panel and have it spot welded in place again.

[brownrose78]

Danish Bhai,
On a lighter node in my usual humour mood, Jab ap jesey khoobsoorat pakwheelers Ustad Jee k paas jaen gay to phir YEH TO HO GA....

It is difficult for me to control my laughter now by only thinking that how you managed that "Bolan Dabbey wala Proposal"......But seems dono taraf thee as you had not refused him flatly, instead preferred to do bahana over shoulders of Aunty(Your Amma).....What a trick Danish Bhai k USTAD Jee ka ️ bhee na toota or ap ne inkar bhee kar diya

[nnabeel]

Sir,
Yahan spot weld kahan miltey hain. normal dentars k pass to electric welding ka saman bhe theek se nahe hota.

[hassankhan03]

@syeddanishanwaar That's a messed up and a really funny story,

About the Mechanical stuff, When the engine was overhauled the Clutch Plates, and Pressure wheels were Overhauled too. < so the Car is OK in that aspect , And Will surely replace the radiator as it's Full of rust, Combined with the Water pump, I'll add the thermostat and auto fan with some coolant in it. The CAr is running a little rich as it gives Black Smoke when accelerated hard.

[hassankhan03]

Alright @Hassan1991 and @Xulfiqar Bhai will look into it.

[Xulfiqar]

This is why I said I would have scrapped the car, there used to be some shops in Karachi who had the equipment for spot welding, but just the labour cost for spotting the roof panel in place usually was similar to gas batee denter refinishing whole car.

Yazdani motors had it, so did the old chap on tariq road who used to work on old english vehicles. ( forgot his name) and so did the famous guy in khudadad colony.

[syeddanishanwaar]

Yep, I was a lot naive back then.

When it comes to restoration, the devil's in the details. You need to focus on a lot of things for a successful restoration.

Radiator, timing belt, engine seals, ignition timing, and also the type of welding as suggested by Xulfiqar is important. Ignition timing should also be set as per original.

You should also focus on the little things like viper installation, radiator fan, and water leaks to avoid facing big problems like I had to face. Lastly, you should go for bhatti paint eyes closed. I went for the normal paint during restoration and the results were not satisfactory.

Btw, what budget have you set for this project?