5 cylnder non turbo to 4 speed 1983 240
 

Hello:

Ii have a 240 4 speed that drinks oil and a factory exchange 5 cyl with 12k on the clock. I would like to swap out the 4 for the non turbo 5.

Reasonable? It would be faster and tougher. I also have a 79 300 parts car (home of the 5cyl) as a donor. I can do about most anything auto so am not afraid of making mounts etc.

Thanks!

Matt Laube

Reasonable. You'll need a different driveshaft and shorter shift linkages.

i would rebuild the 616

You want to swap out the rear end and speedo too. The driveshaft will need to be shortened and the shift rods as well, and the radiator. be sure to remove the mount that goes into the back of the 240d oil pan from the crossmember.

I have one with that combo and I also swapped in a 307 diff from the automatic turbodiesel. It got 30 mpg with regularity that way. Now with my five speed in it it gets 35 and 36 with regularity.

Search about the flywheel being match balanced to the crank. We have discussed it a lot here.

If you cannot find anything check back and we can go into more detail about it.

But not much. I understand you already have an engine, but this is going to be a big job, and for about the same amount of work you could put in a 617 turbo engine. That would make a BIG difference. Just a thought.

The car drives like a 240 with a quieter more torquey engine. Nothing wrong with a turbo motor, and you may get the same mileage with some additional power, but with the taller gears the 300 na engine makes all the difference in driving the 240 on the highway.

If you didn't have a good na motor then getting a good turbo might make sense but since you have a good na motor I encourage you to put it in there.

I have done two 300 conversions of 240s both using the entire 300 ddrive train. Both made the lethargic and buzzy 240 into a quiet and somewhat more powerful car. The mileage is only slightly impacted with the 346 diff. Using the 307 diff the mileage is equal to a good running 240 but taking off is a bit of a chore expecially on a hill.

Its an especially sweet motor with a proper 300 flywheel....but they are only slightly more common than the 123 five speed.

My father (DANSMB) and I put a 1977 5 cylinder into my 1981 240D 4 speed and it's a whole different car! We swapped in a 3.07 diff and see 31-33 in return. My car beats my buddies 84 300CD by a mile, until his turbo finally kicks in:P. My engine was $250 and was rebuilt 32k ago, plus the timing may have been advanced in the process. This car is 20x better than the OM616, and 6x better than the OM617.952=Auto.

Michael.

So what I am hearing is that If I take the 5cyl out of the 300-it would bolt up to the 4speed? But-I would have to have a drive shaft custom made. The slush box shaft nor the 4 speed shaft will fit. Correct ? The diff should be from the 300 as well.

Or I could just swap the whole 300 drivetrain into the 240 but that's no fun! The thing is that I have 2 85 300TDT's, a 92 300e and this low rust 240 that is a oil glutton. I thought about yanking the motor and rebuilding it but then I would still have a buzzy slug that gets good gas mileage and I have a Toyota for that purpose,

Am i correct?

Just shorten the shift rods and drive shaft by four inches, and match balance your flywheel

Hey do it man, we'll figger it out
 

I'm going to do the same thing Matt. I am going to pull the 617 turbo out of my rusting 85 and put it in this 240D that I am getting out of Florida, that is all nice and purdy and it has a 4 speed and a brand new rebuild but busted engine. Camshaft broke at speed with 7000 miles on the rebuild. So we better stay in touch and help each other. I wasn't going to do much on mine till spring.

I would rent a trailer too, if I were you. I would not say for sure it would ruin a tranny but I did ruin one on a 52 pontiac once towing it from INdy to Lafayette....and Larry Bible wouldn't lead you wrong.

I also would never use a dolly on a decent car too because the only time I used one it damaged the fender near the dolly wheels.

When I hauled the 300D 500 miles home, we used a U-Haul car trailer. they
give you straps for the front wheels, and only a little chain with a hook to
go over the rear axle. not hooking anything to the MB axle.

we bought a wide nylon ratchet strap, hooked it to the hook on the spare
tire well, and down to the trailer to hold the rear end down. worked really
well.

You do have to stop and check your tie down every once in a while, they
will loosen as the car settles.

Once I got the feel for the Rig, never knew it was back there.

Charlie

Pics?

I towed the 79 300D from Los Angeles to Athens, GA (2300 miles, give or take) on a full trailer like that (from Penske). Did pretty much the same thing: built-in straps on the front tires and a heavy-duty ratchet tie-down on the back. I did make the mistake of using that hook in the front to further secure the front of the car. By the end of the trip the hook was bent pretty severly and there was some damage to the sheet-metal below the hook where the strap was rubbing. I would avoid using that front hook, and just check the tire straps and tie-down in the rear periodically.
http://www.chem.ucla.edu/%7Eswheele2..._B_trailer.jpg

That looks like the way we were loaded down. Think we had a 1 1/2ton roll up door truck.
We were west bound, Winnemucca, NV to Santa Cruz, CA.

wished we had a digital camera then.

Charlie