Have a build thread in the year/make section, but doesn't get much attention.

Diesel swappers probably care more.

Anyway, about 18 months ago now bought a decent-ish 1988 4runner locally for 1200, didn't run, electrical problem, 22re auto. I wanted something to put a OM617 in, looking for a Wrangler, got this.




Drug it home, fixed the 80a fuse, bedlinered it blue like my old FJ Cruiser, melted down the head in about 6 miles after the below pic.



Found a 1984 300SD on Facebook in Wisconsin, rented a trailer, toted it home for 3 or 400 bucks... In hindsight should have spent more on a better car, rebuilding one is very expensive.


Snatched the old drivetrain out and hauled it off to scrap.


R150 trans and case for 150 off Marketplace.


Engine had a rod knock and cylinder 1 was .023 out of round lol, pressed new liners in in the driveway.


Made a oil pan from an old Ford hood I have out back.


Altered pickup for front sump. Or further front sump


Picked up a 7.5mm Dieselmeken pump on Marketplace for 900 bucks, it's about the one and only significant mod available.


OM617/R150 adapter plate from Doomsday diesel


LCE 44lb flywheel plugged and re-drilled to Mercedes crank pattern. I didn't balance, match balance, or anything else any of this.


Ford 300 I6 mounts on flat plate to frame.


Oil pan to steering center link clearance.


Made myself a bikini top with an old Kayline FJ40 top, went for a cruise


Broke down when the fuel filter fell off the engine lol. Guess they need to be tighter than hand tight.


Topless cruising.


Purchased a Softopper this year, love it!


Doorless is how I run all summer, almost ready for daily type duty here


Custom dash part way done, I have a CNC plasma table, so I can make infinity dashes pretty easy however I decide suits me.


More cruising, pretty quiet running, averages about 26 mpg for me.



And that pretty much brings us current, to where it's sitting outside the shop awaiting a lift pump rebuild since it seems to not want to run at much over idle for me currently. Will hopefully get to that this weekend.

 

Must have had a loose hose clamp or something, all I did was take apart various connections put them back together and it went back to running normally.

Drove it 120 miles round trip to and from work the other day, throttle linkage fell off, popped it back on and continued... Wastegate actuator came loose from wastegate door, wired it shut to get home and then put it back together with red loctite.

 

I dyno'd this over vacation time, it's on my Youtube channel, 110hp/210 ft/lbs.

I personally don't really care a great deal about the numbers per se, but this combo has a real lack of off idle response. Until the turbo lights at 1800, it's terrible in traffic or on a trail.

I bought a VNT turbo on ebay to try to rectifiy that.

 

Holy cow, what an adventure!!

 

Over the weekend I took the ALDA off the IP.

This isn't recommended with the 7.5mm pump I have, but if something didn't improve the off idle, very low end power, I was going to pull it and put a 4.3 in and be done with the whole debacle.

Taking the ALDA off immediately made a huge improvement. I can idle through ditches now in high range, I can climb hills, I can lug the engine... I couldn't do ˟˟˟˟ before without it spun up to 1800 rpm or more. Now it's like a little tractor.