Hi, my name is jason. A few years ago I picked up a 1985 mercedes 300sd from my employer for what I thought was a steal. In point of fact, it is a rolling mass of complicated german steel. The only reason I bought it is because it was a running diesel. Over the past couple of years I have put 10,000 reliable miles on it but unfortunately neglect has caught up with it. The rear window seal had failed before I got it and started the trunk to ruin. The transmission started leaking almost immediately from what looks to be the torque converter seal. The interior was in okay shape, save for the extensive sun damage. And the list could go on for quite some time. Anyway, tabs expired a month ago I decided it was time to retire the old girl - well, the chassis anyway. The engine, transmission, power steering, and maybe more, will live on in my old willys wagon.

I bought the '56 wagon in 1999. It came with a 289 ford coupled to the original 3 spd, 3 stick tranny. The axles were original dana 27 front/44 rear with the tapered axleshafts that easily break with v8 power and 4.88 gears. I upgraded the drivetrain to a new process 435 tranny/new process 208 transfer case and 9 inch rear from a 1981 f-150. In front I mounted a dana 30 from a 69 or 70 bronco. Both running 3.50 gears. I did all the work myself, though I will admit I had about as much of a clue of what I was doing as I had welding skills. That was 2001. I probably put about 20 miles on it and the old, frame mounted master cylinder went out and it has been parked ever since.

I joined here after lurking the various MB forums for the past few years. Though this was my first mercedes, I have driven diesels all my life. I am a longtime active member of isuzupup.com and currently own 6 diesel pups. While I can easily identify everything attached to the isuzu diesel in the pups, the om617 had me scratching my head. Pretty sure I have spent just as much time cursing german engineering as I have marveling at it.

The goal of this thread is to provide a tutorial on how to strip the om617 down completely of all the extra stuff it doesn't really need to run. I already have made a custom dolly for it and have run it for about an hour outside the car. Mainly just tinkering, learning, and identifying oil leaks, of which there are a few biggies. When this thing goes in the willys I want it to be as simple as the willys itself. If this works out well I may look for another one for my isuzu.


Thanks, more to come.

Also, I have some parts I will be posting here in the appropriate forum section.

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Cool! Keep us posted!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Welcome to the forum There are quite a few build threads on here about 617 engine swaps, involving Toyota, Chevy, Studebaker, Jeep as well as my own Mercedes roadster repower. A quick search will uncover hours of reading pleasure.

Just think through the swap methodically.

First get it installed - here you'll be dealing with engine mounts, frame and steering clearances, alignment to centerline in all three dimensions, etc. This step also includes making your transmission choice and getting the trans/engine mated.

Then just take it system by system to get it configured - cooling, fueling, starting, electrical, exhaust, steering, monitoring (gauges), intake, control (gear shift, throttle, etc), oil and of course vacuum.

These have all been addressed and solutions provided, though you may find some new problems/issues, in which case this forum will be invaluable.

Last suggestion is to be detail oriented in documenting your build.

People here love to help solve problems...and provide encouragement along the way.

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

That looks like a great project. You might enjoy reading my build thread (I have no clue how to post a link so you can just search for my name. The thread starts with "I'm Back......). I've just installed a 617 in an S-10 for Land Speed Racing - it'll never see a street. As a result of it's intended purpose I've kept it as simple as possible so it might apply especially to your goals.

The alternator is pretty straightforward (I kept the Bosch) and the fuel injection is pretty much a matter of getting the fuel to it so that's simple. You'll find it's a stinker to bleed the air out of the system but very do-able. The shut-down process on this engine is, to my mind, over-complicated but working with the guys on here I came up with a great solution.

I got rid of all the vacuum stuff by going to a 240D manual 4-speed trans (you could adapt your Jeep trans as it's a Ford 3-speed - betcha didn't know that!) and I converted to manual brakes which seem to be OK. Greazzer (our injector expert on here) got a machinist to make a cover plate for the location of the vacuum pump - pricey but elegant. You could just gut the pump and reinstall it to keep the oil in.

Anyhow, I'll be happy to share any lessons I've learned. Like you, this is my first M-B Diesel though I did dyno testing of Diesels for years and built many dyno set-ups so I was familiar with Diesels generically. A lot of my old knowledge applies but a lot of it DOESN'T!

Have fun with this

Dan

Nice one

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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!

Thanks guys for the responses.

I have free parts listed here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/365561-free-1985-300sd-parts-auburn-washington-local-pickup.html

I will list more parts at a later time as I reorganize the shop. This 300SD seems to have at least 20 times the amount of parts that my humble little isuzu pup's have.

Dan - I have read your thread a couple of times in the past few weeks. Lot's of good info that has been helpful. Thank you.

To all that have posted: I have already gleaned much information off of your posts over the past couple of years. Thank you very much for that.

Looks like fun.. Love the looks of the old Willys.

My thread on here is a sort of truncated version of my build thread on BangShift.com. From the front page go to "forums", then "project cars" and search for my name. There's a LOT more detail than I posted here as those are hot rod guys and I figured they'd be more interested in the details. There's a lot of banter with guys I've known for a while but also more pics. Anyhow, it's out there. In more ways than one!

Dan

Holy cow! 59 pages of reading. Thanks again Dan.

Neat stuff! Looking forward to reading about it.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

X2, love willys trucks, should be a good swap!

There are nearly enough swap threads for a dedicated forum heading now!

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Awesome project! Are you going to keep the four wheel drive intact? If so how are you going to use the stock Mercedes transmission? I put a 240D engine in my Jeep Willy's, and ended up hooking it to the stock T-90 transmission.

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1979 240D with a 617 turbo diesel.

Welcome to the Machine!

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72% 1992 FJ80 + 17% 1983 OM617 + 10% 85/87/92 4Runner + *Eclipse/GMC = 100% Truck
(*<1%)
Build Thread: http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/a-humble-fj80-om617-r151f-swap.759554/

That's not a bad idea - a new sub forum for DD would get my vote - given half a chance I'd be joining in with something obscure.

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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!

Right now I am unsure of what tranny I am going to use. I had intended to use the automatic but I want to keep the inside of the jeep looking stock which means I need a manual tranny. I love the old round clutch/brake pedals that go down through the floor on the jeep. Was it a lot of work to mate the 240d engine to the T-90?