PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - OM617 swap into Ford Ranger, what would it take?

mach4 · #3 05-03-2016, 11:13 AM

The venerable 617 has been swapped into many different vehicles - Jeep, Toyota pickup, S10, Studebaker Pickup and lots more. I put one in a MB Roadster.

I'd suggest doing a search and reading through the various build threads to see at a detailed level what's involved.

Process-wise it's a simple two-step process

Make it fit - fab the engine/transmission mounts, deal with any chassis clearance issues, make sure everything lines up. Biggest issues here are steering gear and suspension components as they're difficult to change and involve safety and reliability.

Hook it up - go system by system making it work. There are lots of systems and lots of engineering and fabrication for each - fuel, cooling, vacuum, gauges, exhaust, suspension, linkages, glow, shutdown, intake, A/C, electrical, climate, and so forth...

You'll have a choice of transmissions as adapters are available if desired.

The good news is that there are no electronics to deal with. The 617 will be one of the very few engines still running after an EMP event.

You should definitely have facilities, tools, expertise, patience, engineering, money and time in ample supply. It can be done....the question is should it be done and should you be the one to do it. Only you can answer that question.

If you do, start a build thread, detail the process, take lots of pictures and you'll be surprised at the support and help you'll find along the way. Sometimes there are some really simple answers to what seem like intractable problems...and sometimes there are some really intractable problems.

I'd definitely do mine again!

...did I mention take lots of pictures.

Oh, and remember the first rule of swaps - the last 20% of the project takes 80% of the time...and the corollary: the last 20% takes 80% of the money.

I'm going to hazard a guess that your biggest issue is going to be related to the sump position and the length of the engine. You should be able to take some measurements off the engine and go to a junk yard and find a Ranger with a pulled engine and take detailed measurements off the bay/tunnel. You can fab a new sump, but to my knowledge there is no currently known way to move the oil pump, so you're stuck with a front sump configuration.