The Sleipnir of City Sadar Road

[capsat]

hope you will not keep us waiting till late evening to see the outcome sunday

[fouadhafeez]

Another decision - albeit a hard one - that we've made is to stick to the extra-large Cooper Discovery tyres for daily use, rather than the much-smaller Goodyears.

The reasons for this choice are many. First off, the rims that I'm about to lay hands on. These are beautiful Weld Racing wheels in the correct lug-pattern and PCD for the car. They're reversible; which will allow a ginormous negative offset at the rear and a positive offset up front. This should complement the narrow-at-the-front and broad-at-the-rear look of the car, perfectly.

We'll also be getting rid of the need for wheel spacers. Much as I hate to admit it...at best, spacers are but a poor substitute for proper-fitting wheels. The Magnum wheels should fit perfectly, and make the ride well-balanced and smooth.

Third; the tyres themselves. I love the Nascar Goodyears, but the fact of the matter is, they're of an older vintage when compared to the Coopers. The Coopers are brand new, manufactured this year, are softer, more pliant, thicker, fatter, and should (hopefully) provide massive amounts of traction.

The downside to all of this is going to be the ride height, which is going to go up, considerably (almost 3 inches). I think this is a trade-off that I can live with, though. For daily use then, the 285/75/16 inch Coopers on Weld Racing Magnums...and when you want to really lay it low, the 275/65/15 Goodyears on American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels.

[fouadhafeez]

hope you will not keep us waiting till late evening to see the outcome sunday

Hopefully...I'll share photographs much earlier than late evening.

[UAHMAD]

OK...by that last post of mine, I did not mean to discourage anyone from thinking big. Or dreaming. So please, no one should take it that way.

If we didn't have that urge for excellence, or for thinking up the bizarre and beautiful, the motoring scene in Pakistan would be very bleak indeed.

It's just that I've lost count of the numbers of enthusiastic young men (some, as young as my son), who've asked me something along the lines of "Fouad Bhai, I want to build a Charger/Camaro/Mustang just like the one in Dukes of Hazzard/Transformers/Bullitt...using the frame of a Mark II/Cressida/Mazda 808. Who's the right denter for the job?"

Usually, my answer to this is "NO ONE". Because these legendary creatures don't actually exist out there. There is a huge disconnect between the clients and the craftsmen. The clients are thinking something along the lines of a Plymouth Barracuda. The craftsmen have been trained (and equipped) more along the lines of "Maan ki dua, Jannat ki hawa" or "Pappoo taar, yang na kar".

If you're going to embark on a project that is visionary, and stretches the limits of creativity: don't let the builder have artistic license over the build. You have to keep the overall end product in YOUR mind, and make sure that the creativity is well-within reasonable technical limits. Set standards accordingly. Which, have a direct connection to the amount of money you're going to be spending. Lastly, be ready for some serious heartburn, and be prepared to do things over and over and over again. until you get it just right.

Very right. On Discovery Turbo many programs are aired that show that a client just specifies his requirements and style to the builder, who then convert that into a custom build. And mostly they exceed expectations of their clients. There was once a series in which a builder from Bangladesh used to work with basic tools to modify and build cars. He then went to the UK with his team to work with a partner. But his styling and designing was quite unique and appreciable even when he was working in Bangladesh with meager resources. Where there is a will there is a way. That is unthinkable in Pakistan as all of these guys start as chottas, without any education and creativity etc. So it's never easy to go for a project like this one.

[fouadhafeez]

Sorry about the lack of photos pertaining to the under-fabrication window-frame. We'll probably be seeing more of it tomorrow, after all...since today, the fabricator was indisposed to finish the job he'd started.

In other news, though, I think we may have stumbled upon a rather exciting mid-course correction.

Everyone knows how the classic "hot rod look" focuses on thin tyres up front with positive offset wheels, and thick meaty rubber on deep-dished wheels at the back...right? Well, we're getting the wheels...do why not the tyres to fit, too?

On a visit to Gawalmandi, I happened to ask my tyre provider for a combination of thin tyres up front. He did some checking around and found a pair in 16 inches, which just might fit our requirement.

The rear tyres (the Coopers) are 285/75/16. This means they are 32.8 inches tall, 11.22 inches wide, and have a sidewall of 8.42 inches.
The front tyres on the other hand are 175/80/16. Hence they are 27.0 inches tall, 6.89 inches wide, and have a sidewall of 5.51 inches.

In layman's terms, this means that (overall) the car's front will be dropped by about another inch (in comparison to the Goodyear Eagles, which are 29 inches tall). The rear of the car will sit approximately three inches higher than the front (which should provide it a lovely, sloping aggressive look). Each rear tyre is 4.53 inches wider than its corresponding tyre at the front (for a total of a little over 9 inches). Keeping in view the fact that the rear wheels have a 5 inch offset each, this means that the rear track will be approximately 19 inches wider than the front.

We should be testing all of this out on the car, tomorrow, Allah be willing.

[fouadhafeez]

Very right. On Discovery Turbo many programs are aired that show that a client just specifies his requirements and style to the builder, who then convert that into a custom build. And mostly they exceed expectations of their clients. There was once a series in which a builder from Bangladesh used to work with basic tools to modify and build cars. He then went to the UK with his team to work with a partner. But his styling and designing was quite unique and appreciable even when he was working in Bangladesh with meager resources. Where there is a will there is a way. That is unthinkable in Pakistan as all of these guys start as chottas, without any education and creativity etc. So it's never easy to go for a project like this one.

In my view brother, our mechanics and craftsmen have an acquired knowledge rather than a purely technical one, which in ways is a good thing. Their skills have been honed over time and have been sharpened on the whetstone of experience - and yes, have little or nothing to do with formal education and theoretical knowledge of how things work. Doing things again and again, and yet again, is good for practicing a defined skill-set...but it stifles creativity, curbs initiative, and makes an individual wary of experimenting. It also deters them from adopting out-of-the-box solutions, and makes them resort to what they saw Ustaad Jee doing...e.g., "niswar in the radiator to fix leaks" and "the foil wrapper from a cigarette pack to fix fuses".

Again - and particularly in our neck of the woods - this is where the car owner has to step up to the plate. It is he, who must provide artistic direction, and creative momentum. It is he, who has to keep things orderly and organised. Who must set a timetable and timelines of sorts, and ensure adherence. Of course, this isn't always possible...for the simple fact that the owner may not be there 24/7. But in a nutshell...if you want to attempt a build for which no template exists, you're going to have to do more than just sit back and watch the craftsmen work their respective brand of magic.

[capsat]

:-# :S test of patience - chief that's a foul.

[fouadhafeez]

:-# :S test of patience - chief that's a foul.

Apologies, boss. Apparently, the sheet-metal worker is a taaza taaza shaadi shuda banda. I guess I can empathise why he's a little less pushed about building a window-frame, and more obsessed with playing truant from work.

[fouadhafeez]

What I CAN share, are some daylight pictures of today's ongoing work...still without the window-frame.

[madhouse12]

Wouldnt 175 up front be too thin to provide ample grip for slightly high speed turns for such a heavy vehicle?

Sent from my HUAWEI G700-U10 using Tapatalk

[fouadhafeez]

Wouldnt 175 up front be too thin to provide ample grip for slightly high speed turns for such a heavy vehicle?

I don't think so, brother. This is the stock tyre size that comes on quite a few of the smaller SUVs. But yes...you're right. The only way to dispel this suspicion is going to be by practically testing it, thoroughly...i.e., LOTS of high speed turns!

[capsat]

thanks for the eye wash do share the road test results along

[fouadhafeez]

A teaser of a related subject...the wheels.

A few shots of the 16 inch staggered , deep-dish, reversible Weld Magnums that are heading over to Pindi for this baby.

[fouadhafeez]

Radiator Fitment
You know, it's funny how you plan on one thing, and end up doing another. Earlier on, I'd been asked what sort of radiator I was looking at, and I'd mentioned a 3-element radiator or something like that. Well, when we got around to searching for one, the best fit turned out to be something entirely different. Here, you can see the radiator from a Coaster fitted perfectly between the shock towers, and in a decent position. For cooling, we've opted for twin electric fans.

[fouadhafeez]

Engine Bay Aesthetics
While we're making sure everything is perfectly functional, we're also trying to keep our eye on the form as well. The engine bay is no exception to this rule. For the radiator inlet and outlet pipes, we've chosen a combination of rubber hose and metal pipes. The pipes of course, will be chrome plated to keep the bay looking nice and blingy, as will be the clips which will keep everything locked tight together. Eventually, similar piping (chrome plated) will be used for the cold air intake, too.

[fouadhafeez]

The floor of the car is just about finished, too. You'll notice the sloped piece that has been used to close the space around the transmission bell-housing. Having sat in the car, this sloped panel is at the perfect angle for your idle (left) foot to rest. When we get around to the ergonomics and aesthetics of the interior, this sloped plate and the plate its connected to, will be chrome-plated and blinged out...with the rest of the floor done up in a matte-black, rubberised finish.

[capsat]

radiator setup is awesome chrome finish wheels are half nice will wait for cosmetics ( tyres )

btw when you snapped the deep dish rims where was lady of the house ? is there any bandage over your forehead after rim photoshot, no wonder, ride wheels over bed ! i can't wash the car cleaning stuff in washing machine let alone bringing it inside the house You are One Brave man Salute ~

[fouadhafeez]

radiator setup is awesome chrome finish wheels are half nice will wait for cosmetics ( tyres )

Thanks. I'm quite pleased with how this radiator sits perfectly between the shock towers, as if it was built for this very purpose. As for the wheels, I'm quite certain that the Coopers are going to look freaking awesome with the chrome finish, chrome (or gold) hubcaps, and gold lug nuts.

btw when you snapped the deep dish rims where was lady of the house ? is there any bandage over your forehead after rim photoshot, no wonder, ride wheels over bed ! i can't wash the car cleaning stuff in washing machine let alone bringing it inside the house You are One Brave man Salute ~
Sir, hum itne dalair hargiz nahin hain. This credit has to go to a dear friend of mine in Karachi who purchased the wheels for me, and snapped a few photos just to slake my curiosity to see what they really looked like.

[capsat]

sir ji we roar & rumble in our domains while " THEY " consider it as only purr will wait for road test results & some VeeeDeeeOooo clips too please

[fouadhafeez]

sir ji we roar & rumble in our domains while " THEY " consider it as only purr will wait for road test results & some VeeeDeeeOooo clips too please

Insha Allah. Tentatively, we should have the eight-legged horse on road, by the coming weekend, God willing.