I gotta get one of those. That is awesome.

Very cool, mutt! Good luck with it.

See your other post
 

Ah, so this is what you wanted someone to go to the Pass to see. Vewy kewl. congratulations!

Husband says he'd go over and see if it runs (re your other post). (edit: he's actually quite curious to see it... never knew those existed.)

Email tamishel at yahoo dot com

According to the owner its a om616 BUT I am pretty sure a om617.91x will fit in there. One of the okie benz guys who is on here has a 617.95x for sale in miss for $300, I may pick it up on the way.

email sent.

While Forced is right, that in most van numbering designations the '9' would refer to the horsepower of the engine and indicate a 90 horsepower 617 NA, (a 616 would be a 7), for some reason, the bus model followed a different numbering system, with 309d referring to a diesel bus but not necessarily with a 90 horsepower engine. (I think). Most of the 309d's had the OM352(?) I think. Perhaps some had the 616. When the OM352 was used in the standard numbered vans, they were designated 8's as in 408, 508 etc.
If it is a 616, there is a British company that specialized in retrofitting turbo's to the engine. I talked to a Brit who had a motorhome with the turbo retrofit who was quite happy with it.
Top speed will be pretty low. I doubt it can hit 60mph. I think typically they topped out around 90kph.
Parts are not readily available in the US. There is an importer in the Northwest who has a microfiche part numbers and can get them. I used EuroCarparts.co.uk. Patrick is the export man and he was always very helpful. They can send you a catalog of their standard 'commercials' parts.

Doesnt look like it.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-Mercedes-Monarch-Motor-Home_W0QQitemZ170273837454QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6315QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

How about that shifter in a W123:D Awesome find Mutt.

http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/16/88/e977_1.JPG

Ratrod style with a skull knob? :D

I was thinking before towing/driving it home you might need to get new tires....and then I noticed it doesn't seem to have any on the rear! :o And using a recliner for a driver's seat sounds a little iffy but might be more comfortable than the original. If you're lucky, there may still be some German beer in the refrigerator and not a leftover meatloaf surprise.

I'm very curious as to how the seller's dad "pasted" away, though....is he glued somewhere?

As a 1974, I'd bet it's an early style OM616 like in my '76 240D. The injection pumps in the earlier design tend to freeze up when not used for a long time (perhaps because have their separate oil reservoir)....so I would definitely check the plungers before trying to start it to make sure they move. An open or short in the series glow plugs or pull start switch seems to be another common reason why the older engines won't start.

This is a great find though and looks like a fun project. I've never seen a motorhome quite like this, but saw lots of 309d's in Germany as buses and vans when I was there in the 1980's, and if I remember correctly, some were used as ambulance & work truck conversions, and I'm sure motorhomes too, although I can't remember any specifically. I seem to remember that the engine was accessible from a doghouse inside the passenger cabin and had quite a bit of room around it to work. I wonder if it has a diesel generator too?

Can you drive it from the couch?
 

Sweet :D

Was the 616 available in 1974? If it has a car style engine in it, it could also be a 615, 220d engine.
If it is a 616 or 615 it's worth noting that the truck versions of these engines are different than the car engines. They have different IP's and also different oil filter housings and sometimes water pumps. They typically put out a little more horsepower than the automobile versions.

Winmutt,

I think you should "steampunk" it.:cool:

http://steampunkworkshop.com/bus1.shtml

That dude makes the coolest stuff!

OM616 is 73 on. No steam punking (although I am a huge fan of the genre).