Full Size Jeep Network

I'm putting together a build thread. I'll try to do it chronologically from this spring when I got it and filter through to current with future planned progress.
But for descriptive purposes I'll lay it out for yall briefly here now.

I got this thing in Aprilish 2016. Got it going and did some stuff needed to get it down the road. Had some fun with it and the motor gave out. I'm now in beginning stage of doing an om617 Mercedes turbo diesel conversion. So far all I got is a 1979 300sd donor car, and an extra transmission tranfercase if needed.

There is a topic I started in show and tell, but given the direction of this project I figured this would be a better place to continue.

Check out show n tell for brief current state of build, and I'll start from the beginning here soon

Here's when I first got it, dragged it out of El Dorado National forest where it sat for 30 years.

Passenger floor after I vacuumed away the "carpet"



Template I made for new floor needed.


New floor panel I made.

So by this time I was ordering parts to get this thing going, waiting for radiator which was absent at time of purchase and a starter which was completely shot... some sort of ratchet type bendix thingy problem.
meanwhile I was doing as much as I could to get this thing sorted out.
The floors were a fairly major concern and I managed to get the passenger side done pretty quickly. Still have to do the drivers side though not nearly as bad.

Hers the passenger floor removed and almost ready for new panel

New panel set in while making filler pieces.

New 16ga. Firewall toe panel.

First week of June parts started rolling in and I shifted focus a bid and got the motor fire up. Seemed OK but had a slight bottom end knock for about 20 seconds or so but went away and I just assumed the may have been some 30+ year old sludge getting cleared out.
Boy was I wrong, but that didn't stop me from doing full tune up on it.

At some point over the 30 years in the forest there was a squirrel living under the hood of the Jeep and had chewed half the harness from the firewall to taillights. This vacuum solenoid did not have any wire coming out (had been chewed flush) and I could not figure out where the red and black wire from w.o.t. switch went to. So I found a manual that eventually led me in that direction. Here's the modulator after cleaning and rewiring.

Its gonna be a cool project once you fit the Diesel!

I wonder what the weight difference is between the waggy and the MB? Those cars are built like tanks.

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Should be a cool build!

Are you familiar with http://www.mercedesdiesel4x4.com? All kinds of adapter plates for going to transmissions found in Jeeps.

What are your goals for the Jeep? I know you've said camping rig for the family but how important are things like rock crawling, ability to tow a camper (3000+lbs?) fuel economy, reliability, long trips, daily drivability? I owned an 82 300D sedan back around 2007-2009 and one of my thoughts with it was to transplant an OM617 into an XJ. At that time, there were no widely available adaptor parts to do that conversion and bolting it up to a 4x4 transmission seemed a huge undertaking. I really hadn't considered this engine for a 4x4 since, and have started formulating plans to do a 4BT in my GW, but you've got my wheels turning on the OM617 now! A rough budget for the 4BT swap was looking like around $5k, but buying a donor car for less than 1k and then adapters, medium duty transmission, and all the parts needed in the process for the OM617 swap is looking to be more around $3k max so that would leave me enough room in the budget to (most importantly be able to KEEP), then lock my D44s. This could be a beautiful thing and I'm excited to see yours start coming together

Posting to follow the projects progress. This thing should be sweet!

tedlovesjeeps71 wrote:I wonder what the weight difference is between the waggy and the MB? Those cars are built like tanks.

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A W123 sedan weighs in around 3500 lbs, so a bit lighter than a Wagoneer but not much.

The OM617 is popular upgrade for Unimoogs. So, with the right gearing it should be fine in a Wagoneer---not fast but fine

And there is a fairly common upgrade path for the OM617 (and other common Mercedes in line 5 and 6 cyl. diesels) to increase boost, HP, and Torque moderately.

I have been looking at OM603/606 possibilities for my truck as I am fairly sure I do not want to stay with the 360/TH400/BW1339. I am pretty sure I want to go diesel and do not want the weight of the 6bt or the expense of the 4bt swaps. I just need to figure out what trans and transfer case to mate with the Merc diesel.

I will be following you build with great interest.

Ok. Wow thanks for replies and interest .
So my goal is efficiency, and maintaining my jeeps ability. The mbz om617.950 motor is already a huge improvement, by huge i mean costs less than rebuilding the 230, add to that todays fuels and oils with all the additives needed that i cant buy in California, diesel just seems best option and om617 is very similar in size, weight and power output plus fuel is cheapest with 2x better mpg.
And the 79 300sd donor is a fairly heavy car at 4860 gross. Which is capable of 30 mpg, hoping for mid 20s with the added drivetrain. Not looking to build a rock crawler.
Just similar capability with better fuel economy.

And yes ive seen the mercedesdiesel4x4 kits available, ive talked with them and they have the experience and even know simple power tweaks to gain performance on the trail. Ive got a landcruiser 4 speed and tcase with chevy bell. I do plan to go that route if i cant mate to stock drivetrain, i just want to try it first.