Ford Endeavour - Diesel Beast Phase 1: Interior Painting + Seats + Roof + Door
| So after being generally satisfied with the interiors of the Endy, I woke up one fine morning with the itch to not just be satisfied anymore. I wanted to dramatically change the overall concept of the Endy interior. Of course, this road automatically leads to:
After looking through the options available to me (went through almost 22 shops all around Bangalore), and I was feeling a bit depressed. What I wanted was a shift in the philosophy of the Endy interior - and this road was merely leading to a refresh. To give you guys an idea of what the interior looks like: The first photo is actually from an Everest, but is a decent approximation. What irritates me about the car:
I wanted everything to change. This means:
Is essence, everything needed to change. But in my darkest hour of depression, my good friend Amit (from Drift, Koramangala) steps in. In a couple of minutes, he gets the concept drawn out, understands the overall requirement and budget, the timeline for execution and so on so forth and says,"Dude, I got this". Needless to say I was ecstatic!!! Finally someone who tells me how he will do what I want, as opposed to others telling me what they have. You gotta love Amit's "can-do" attitude. Needless to say, the next morning I woke up with a clutch of fear in my belly. This car is my most treasured possession. Do I really want people to strip it out completely from the inside and paint it through? I went to Amit and told him that I'm going ahead with the job, but I will hold him to any damage whatsoever happens to the car. Amit gave a blanket assurance, and from my prior experience with Drift, I knew these guys to be professional. So on the morning of 31st October, I handed him my car and my keys with a heavy heart. Subsequently, I was travelling outside India and did not get the opportunity to see the work in progress. The work was ambitious, and involved the following:
I kept wondering about the decision to do all of this. I mean, the Endy is a rigid beast. Taking him apart is not a decision I thought I would ever take. It sounds too risky. The only thing which helped me maintain my sanity was the knowledge that the car was in capable hands. Then on 11th November, I get a call from Amit telling me to come down and see the work. As I walked into the work area, I lost my breath. I'll let the pictures talk: Attachment 841793 The gentleman in one of the above pictures is Mr. Munawar. He was the genius who was responsible for taking apart the car and painfully painting each piece - there is a picture above where each part of the car has been laid out on the table for painting. Attachment 841794 Attachment 841795 Attachment 841796 Attachment 841797 Attachment 841798 Attachment 841799 Attachment 841800 Attachment 841801 God, I loved it!!! The interior was looking significantly more aggressive and vibrant. Of course, it still hurt to see the roof removed and see the organs beyond the skin, but I knew these surgeons were moving exactly as per plan. Full marks to Munawar for mixing the paint to exactly (98%) match the Bordeaux art leather. I went home buzzing with excitement as the guys were gonna put the car together the next day. I couldn't wait!!! In the morning, at around 11 am, I got a call from Drift. It went like this, "Brother, you should see this man. The interiors are wicked!!!". I ran to drift and sure enough, my baby was all put back together. The only part pending was the leather cover for the steering wheel - this needed to be machined and that too in real leather, but I couldn't wait. I told them to give me the car as soon as they finished cleaning up. I wanted to wear in the interior soon. Some pics of the nearly finished product: Attachment 841804 The only part remaining is minor touch-ups (there will be the inevitable scratches while installation), the steering wheel leather stitching and the rear AC knob repainting. And of course a couple of things which I can't remember.Attachment 841803 Attachment 841805 Attachment 841806 Attachment 841807 Attachment 841808 Attachment 841787 Now, I'm happy. I wanted a shift in my interiors, and I believe I've got it. Of course, this might not be to everyone's taste, but I'm a-loving it!!! I can now consider Phase 1 complete. |
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