Thinking of swaping out the 225 slant six in my 78 Dodge D100 for an 83 5 cylinder non-turbo diesel and tranny I have. How hard is it to get an extra 20 HP out of the diesel to get up to the same hp as the slant six?

You probably won't notice the difference in HP due to the higher torque of the diesel. It would be pretty much a wash.

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Current Stable

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

I'd be shocked if the car does not perform better with the benz motor than the slant six. The slant six is a torque motor too and may work just fine with the same rear end ratio with the 617. Should be plenty of room under the hood too.

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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.

You'll be very disappointed in its (lack of) performance. Fuel economy won't be anything to write home about either. Put a 4BT Cummins in there and be done with it.

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'83 300D, 126K miles.

4BT is way overkill for this vehicle and will probably ruin the transmission in short order. Chrysler loved to put in the weakest transmission they could get away with and most times they will not handle any more engine than they were spec'd for.

I think this would be a neat swap, as the others have said the torque increase will probably offset the HP difference. I'd want a manual transmission though...

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Sadly Benz-less

The slant six isn't exactly a powerhouse. I will be putting the MB engine and tranny in. I am an old poor guy so using what I have. I will just be using the truck to run into town and to the dump, so we'll give it a try. The truck has a 727A tranny which is a good tranny but it is easier to put the engine/trans in as a unit. I will let you know how it works. Thanks for the input.

With a homemade set of headers, advanced timing, a GENTLE ADA tweak, and everything else tuned up you should be able to get a little more from the NA engine. Don't know about 20hp though.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Some of this depends on what sort of shape the diesel is in, compression-wise. For example, I have a 1980 NA wagon. Everyone says it must be such a dog, what with the extra wagon body weight to cart around. Actually it's fine around town, no issues.

What's the weight of that truck?

PS: when I first read the thread title, I thought you meant you wanted to put a slant six into an '83 Mercedes. I nearly spit out my coffee.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

How much can I change the timing without getting in trouble? Already figured on opening up the exhaust. The present exhaust pipe on the MB looks like a soda straw compared to my 85 300CD turbo which is probably the engine I should be putting in the truck. Oh well.

Probably not much. I'd focus on getting it installed first...

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Sadly Benz-less

Advance is 2-3 degrees. Don't go much over that. Alda adjustment helps. Straight pipe it. Above all make sure the fuel system and injectors are in good condition.

Unless you get really lucky, you may need to have a drive shaft made. Also, think about final gear ratio. Transmission, rear end and tire size. All of those can make a difference.

A 4BT is nice but an OM617 is cheap and reliable. You are lucky to steal a 4BT for anything under $3k.

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1991 F250 super-cab 7.3 IDI. (rebuilt by me) Banks Sidewinder turbo, hydroboost brakes, new IP and injectors.
2003 S430 - 107K
1983 300SD - Tanoshii - mostly restored ~400K+.
1983 300SD - Good interior. Engine finally tamed ~250K.
Monark Nozzle Install Video - http://tinyurl.com/ptd2tge