i have a 83 300sd the body is to bad but the motor is good it has 140,000 miles on it some buddy wants to buy it for $600 thats with the trans and i have to take it out i was thinking of puting the motor in a jeep or some suv i wud like 4x4 but i don't know if i just need to use the benz trans or not, how much do you think a adapter plate to fit a 617 motor to a Jeep trans wud cost? and making motor mounts or if i use the drive shaft how much do you think it wud cost to fix the drive shaft to fit the the jeeps or other suv's end of the drive shaft. i just don't know what i want to do, is $600 good to sell the motor and trans for or is that not good maybe $900.

is there some buddy thats sells MB adapter plate's?

thanks

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190D
190E
300SD

I think there is a pre-made adapter to fit a MB motor to a Land Rover
tranny.

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Ron Schroeder
'85 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
'83 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
Some former WVO vehicles since ~1980:
'83 Mercedes 240D
'80 Audi 4000D
'83 ISUZU Pup
'70 SAAB 99 with Kubota diesel
'76 Honda Civic with Kubota diesel
'86 Golf
Several diesel generators
All with 2 tank WVO conversion
LI NY

If you are serious, I will dig up a number for a fellow in California that makes one. As I recall from a prior conversation with him, you need to use the mb flexplate for a starter method, then he makes a flywheel that goes on top of it at the crank. I think he is somewhere in the 7-800 dollar range with the bellhousing adapter.

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64 European Coupe Brilliant Silver with Red interior 4 Speed Sunroof
87 TDT 286k
87 SDL 195k
83 SD 202k
83 SD 201k
83 D 286k
02 R1150RT 32K
00 122HP FLSTF
07 KTM 250SX

"Danger takes many forms"

You might try Kennedy.

http://www.kennedyeng.com/

go with something that has a divorced transfer case . you can use your engine and trans if you can get it to mount to the frame. Divorced transfer case uses a drive shaft that connects from the trans to the transfer case.

Had an 81 Datsun truck with a 240D engine and 4 speed.

Sold it , Cause it cause a 240D engine is way underpowered.

Hi sootypast,

I am trying to do the same, if you could dig that info up, that would be very helpfull.

Thanx Johan

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85 MB 300TD with om616 4 spd
83 MB 300TD
83 MB 240D scrapped
82 MB 240D scrapped
97 Ford E350 diesel 4x4, WVO
94 Ford E350 4x4 diesel blown head..parts car
85 cherokee diesel 2.1, 300.000, WVO
85 cherokee diesel 2.1
85 lebaron convertible, to be electric
85 lada niva 4x4 with 1.9 peugeot diesel,
72 citroen DS 5spd, LPG
77 Jaguar XJS, LPG
73 corvette 350 auto
88 MB Gelande 240 GD military
98 Ford E350 mini bus to be new 4x4 camper

thanks. ya i am serious, i am looking at a 1995 Land Rover right now

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190D
190E
300SD

can we get more info on the landrover swap? Can it be done with a range rover? Who sells the adapter plates?

i have been thinking of the same swap ( a lot actually probably for the past year or more, maybe a little too much) unfortenetly the folks in the jeep forums are in love with there 4.0l jeep engines and when you give them an idea of swaping a diesel into a jeep they think o yeah a 6 cylinder cummins would be great !!? i believe that a om617 would be a great power plant for a Cherokee mated to the proper manual transmission (hopefully the jeep stock ax-15) would produce a great jeep simallar to the loved Toyota land cruisers or expensive g wagons the idea itself is great think of a american jeep running svo or even wvo WoW!!

anyway sorry for my two cents
from my reaserche i believe there are two possibilities using the jeep manaual transmission ax-15 http://www.jeeptech.com/trans/ax15.html <- some info on it

one would be using the jeep bellhousing and making an adapter between the block and bellhousing or between the mb adapter and jeep bellhousing

or # two would be useing the bellhousing from a old 240 diesel 4 speed bellhousing and make the adapter between the jeep trany and the bellhousing of the 240 which aperently bolts on fine to the 617 engine without major problems

the two versions have there pluses and minuses ( and for the most part i don't even know if any of them would work so do not pull my tongue here ;-P )

for the first version well you dont need to buy many extra parts like the bellhousing
the adapter will be bigger then from the second version
i did not measure this because i did not have the jeep tranny side by side with the 617 engine .. yet

the second version , well you don't have to worry about the starter because that would not change but i don't know if the shaft in the tranny will have the correct length i don't know how long is the mercedes shaft manuall transmission or the jeep trann shaft

about the flywheel and clutch setup
i believe the best would be to use something available in north america, but personally i will probably order a flywheel from europe unless someone has used a different one, as for the preasure plate is concern i think that using the jeeps stock would be great since it will match the shaft from the jeeps tranny , though im not sure if it will fit with the flywheel

anyway my plan is once im done with the "wedding" of the tranny and the engine, is to use the stock tranny mounts in the jeep and modify the engine mounts (by modify i mean cut them out and install the Mercedes mounts)

from what i have heard from a man in california the main problem is that the jeeps oil pan is in the back of the engine while in the mercedes its in the front
which means that with out a suspension lift or some wacky way of modify the steering shafts or mercedes oil pan to gain more clearance .. your gonna have to give her a lift job ... which might be a good thing ... or bad... depends on how you look at it

any way i think i puked out my thoughts for now, but i believe this is a great project on which im not giving up, i just need to find a decent jeep cherokee for sale which is difficult to find in my area

i would be interested in a bellhousing which will mate a 617 though .. anyone?