MB 616 diesel powered Astro build - Page 2



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ASE Master Mechanic
https://whunter.carrd.co/

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
2003 Volvo V70

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Calling JB3 you're famous again mate!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Lol, whunter has called me out. I hadn't intended to post up this project until it was actually running and I could see if it worked. Now that its up though, ill just slowly update it with my other threads on it. Now I really have to get it done, too many lenghty unfinished project threads out there.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

it's curious how identical the Astro front subframe looks like my 76 Firebird.

Nice project! That box you indicated on the master cylinder is the primitive rear ABS if memory serves me.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

That is a ton of work to put into such a crap-pile van!!!!
The custom adapter plate I bet is worth twice what the van was......
Somebody sure can weld, though!

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Lol, pretty good guess, adapater did cost twice the money I paid for the van.
Crap pile is a relative term, I like those old astros. Same kind of sickness that makes mb enthusiasts spend thousands restoring a old 123.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

touche!

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Steve A
92 W140 OM603
97 VW Jetta TDI
90 Passat variant TDI 6 speed MT
94 Chevy K1500 6.5TD
05 E320 CDI
+ others

I would use that van to go pick up all the mb parts I regularly haul back from the yard ,all it needs now is a plastic fantastic front grill off an sec.My yard outback is starting to look like a mercedes boneyard out of one of those paintings from past vintage cars of yesteryear.

Back when I had a Datsun Maxima diesel wagon there was a guy on the nissandiesel forum that swapped in a LD28 from a Maxima into his Astro van. A solid six cylinder 2.8L engine with a cast iron cylinder head...and you could add a turbo with factory parts from the L28T gasser engine.

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Steve A
92 W140 OM603
97 VW Jetta TDI
90 Passat variant TDI 6 speed MT
94 Chevy K1500 6.5TD
05 E320 CDI
+ others

he's making good progress. I wish I'd known he needed good subframes... I've crushed 4 rust free astro's...

as for the look of the subframe compared to an F body, yeah it's similar, but WAAAY shorter, and MUCH beefier than the F bodies... (I've got 4 first gen F cars...)

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I can't fathom how slow that is going to be when its finished.

Link is from page 2 of that thread. I'm also turboing the 616 on page one, and interestingly that shorty astro is a mere 200 lbs heavier than a 240D. (Stripped as it is for work)
I think even with NA it might have similar performance as a regular 240, though this is all estimation. The gear ratios in the T5 I'm using and the astro 3.71 rear end are all slighty more advantageous than the stock mb ratios also.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I understand your love for the Astro. My mom bought hers brand new in 1996 from a now closed Chevy dealer in Miami (while I was still in High School it was my car to borrow before I bought my Bronco) and it is STILL her daily driver. That car has been from Key West to Maine and out to Yellowstone. Last time I drove it which was about 2 years ago now it had about 350k miles on it. Still runs pretty good too.

Yes, that's me who did the swap. I still own it and love it. Get up to 26MPG. Average is about 24 MPG.

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Current Fleet:
'84 MB 190D 2.2L 5-Speed MT (Project)
'85 Astro Van powered by Nissan LD28 Inline 6 Diesel
Past rides:
'65 MB 190Dc fathers car maintained & driven by me
'66 MB L319
'59 MB 219
'58 MB 180D