Had a minute to go ahead and start my build thread. The ultimate goal is to have a simple, functional, and reliable running vehicle. It will be a farm work horse but must also be road worthy. This is my daily driver on hold (currently enginless in the garage) but I live in a town that craddles the bicycle as an ideal transportation choice and so I will be cruisn on my trail bike (custom Santa Cruz Heckler for any MTB enthusiasts) for the next few months. I am no automotive expert, then again practically none of us are; why we take and contribute to a forum anyway. But, I will execute this engine swap as diligently as possible as I am in no hurry and really want the end result to be a dependable vehicle. My girlfriend's father, grandfather and cousin all run a family shop so I've got inside know-how when I need it. That said, let the mistakes, bloody knuckles and mayhem begin.

Back Story:

Bought the truck rust free, I repeat, rust free from the original owner with 149,000 miles for 3k. My first operable 4x4. Parents never bought me one in high school probably for the following reason. Swamped it haphazerly in a creek/beaver pond. Long story behind it all but if someone insists I'll post it. A nearby camper insisted on pull starting me. Now you guys are probably thinking..."do i need to read any further? This guy is a nut, complete moron" Bare with me. Pull starting does not start a hydrolocked engine. It breaks it. But I will give the trusty old 22r/e this... it did not leave me stranded. The one thing I hear from 22re owners is that they have some sort of inner will to them that can read your situation. They dont ever truly crap out when you need them to perform. Well, pulled the plugs and spun the water out of the head, then drained the oil and replenished it with new juices and after 30 seconds on the starter and some gas pedal tappin she roared right back to that rattly sholshy 22re noise. Drove home, over the continental divide, fully loaded with 4 dudes a dog and gear, and then soared 75mph down the interstate. 5000 miles later cylinder #3 got in a fight with the east and west side of the block and became the new neighborhood pimp.
I shed a single tear then embraced what was to come...

Turbo Diesel!!!! two awesome words right next to eachother!

So I will be executing the recently popular mercedes 5 cylinder td swap into a yota 4x4.

What I've got:
1992 (California Built) Toyota 4x4 single cab pickup. Its the base of the base. Fleet vehicle I guese you could call it. Power nothin. No AC, no radio. Just sparkplugs and tires.
She is white, very purtty, with a bit of a saggy butt from a woody flat bed I built.


Currently she is enginless. I pulled the blown 22re and all its counterparts. What remains in the engine bay is the master cylinder, steering box, and wiperblade motor. Bout it.

In the driveway sits a 1984 300 SD with a running om617 about 199,000 miles on the ticker. Drove it home for $600. I was getting ready to pay more like $800 just for an engine but foundd this one on accident at the diesel emissions center. Even got an internship making bio-diesel out of the whole deal. Guess it was just my day.

The plan:
Chassis- 1" body lift (just the cab), Old Man Emu 50mm suspension lift. Medium duty springs, shocks and bushings out back. Torsion bars and shocks up front. No Cranking, just stock location. Complete kit is $1070. These t-bars are stiffer than stock and some think too stiff even with the heavier 3.0 but i think th'll be fine with the chunky MB engine. Also going to to a 3/4 inch drivetrain lift with a Budbuilt x-member as long as the benz engine permits.

Engine: Currently I have no intention of "turning it up" but we'll see how long that stand holds up. Driving the 300SD which is heavier than the 300d even with a somewhat tired motor I am more than pleased with its power. Turbo lag is definitly noticable but as soon as it starts whistlin...I'm pleased. My truck, with the heavier flat bed and me in it weighs 3600. The SD dry weighs 4200. Nuf said.
If the compression checks out, I'll repalce the timing chain and do a general clean up. Timing chain kit with chain, tensioner and color step-by-step intructions for the om617 is $275 from Mercedessource.com Local german auto shop quoted me $436 for a chain and tensioner. This website also has links to youtube videos. Very informative and trustworthy. AS for intake, I'd like to do a custom snorkle thats just level with the bottom of the windsheild. Im a georgia boy so a 3inch hood stack with a rain cap might be in order, but we'll see.

Everything else...
33's
4:10's
ARB in the rear
Spartan up front
custom metal

I will bridge the divide between the Benz engine and the toyota w56 5-speed transmission with the 4x4 labs adapter kit. I definitly respect those who have made adapter plates and have seen some incredible stuff from shade tree mechanics but I have no expereince nor access to machining equpment and my drill press is a pos so the $625 price tag does not scare me. Plus Luke will give you a flywheel in spec with the Benz engine. Alot of talk about the necessity of this but I just assume be safe rather than sorry. He does good work too.
It is my goal to be as thourough as possible at explaing my steps. Obviously, I am not the first but I would really like to give others the opportunity to take lots of info on this swap from my thread. Granted it will be a learning process and also something I couldn't even begin to get excited about without the input and know-how from the many other threads on yotatech and other forums alike. For those who are new to this idea, check out dmarsh, powerstrokejoe, and ofcourse pyrojoe's threads. Each of these has been a ton of help with game planning and general troubleshooting. Also note that two very big factors will play a role in the execution of your swap. Your transmission type and your front suspension type. Both have their ups and downs but I am doing the swap with the w56 transmission (strongest of the short bodied transmissions) and I am also maintaining the factory IFS. Contrary to popular belief, the IFS is plenty strong for anything up to rock crawling. IT will withstand 33's locked if you dont screw around with the cranking the torsion bars. It was designed to be tough and has only a few minor issues. The beauty of the IFS for this swap is that your front axle is static so no worries with front axle clearance problems. Just a little oil pan notch.

 

sounds awesome!!

pics. now.

 

Another mb motor cant resist good luck.

 

Lets see it .... Passed up on a 84 300D for 800 bucks last summer... kicking myself now

 

yes yes ofcourse the pictures. I was on the plane headed home to see the fam and the flight was shorter than I expected. Excuses aside, here is just what Ive got off my phone.

shakes_24--$800 bucks is a steal for anything you can drive home, let alone a Benz.

Pics: Da Benz, Coke bottle-sized defeat, cleaned bay

More to come when I'm back for vacation.

 

dude, you gotta get a photobucket account, for this thread deserves it

i like that swiss-cheese of a block!

 

photobucket account is in the process. Prolly the only way to give really clear images of stuff at close range. Til then, here is one of the truck as it sat just before the 22re had enough of me. It now has mahogony slat sides on the bed that come off with a couple of wing nuts. Wood bed is red oak...heaaaavy... but awesome for winter traction. I've built this bed twice now and would happily share the design. Nothing special but simple, relatively light (depending on the wood type) and pretty cheap. yea thats a utility bed tail gate. picked up for ten bucks. Couldn't pass it up.

 

Really looking forward to seeing this come together! It's going to be great! If you replace the timing chain be sure to re time the ip. Kent at mercedessource has the drip tube. It will make a huge difference in how it runs.

 

So my diesel check up kit should arrive tomorrow from Mercedes Source. It includes two custome valve adjustment wrenches, compression tester, valve clearance guides and a new valve cover gasket. I disassembled the exhaust at the down pipe and muffler input junction just to get an idea of the noise level of the straight pipe. It's a nice sounding engine and doesn't really seem too loud. The turbo whistle is definitely more noticeable. Anyway, I'll have an update soon with compression results. Gotta wait til next week when the weather is a bit warmer.
Also planning on purchasing a 15 gal auxiliary tank form frybrid. That'll give the truck a highway range of 750+ miles. Probably 550 in 4x4 or fully loaded. Numbers I'm looking forward to.
On a seperate note, I just started an internship with a biodiesel processing plant here in Boulder. We do the waste oil and filtration then send it off to west Kansas for refinement. The process of filtration is really no headache, just a little patience. The plant also has a dyno so I plan on getting some rear wheel power and torque figures after completion.
My apologies for the slow movement of the build but I gotta eat!

 

eating is overrated. so is sleeping. get back to work you slacker.

 

Subscribed...Seems like this will be a fun build!

 

So this is where I stand. Today I had the time to preform my valve adjustment so that the engine is suited for a compression test. Many have told me that if the engine easily starts in moderate temps then it's compression is probably fine but I'm playing it safe anyway. I'm a little worried though. After adjusting the valves, I cranked her up and let her warm up to normal running temp. Throttle response is noticeably sharper. Almost immediate turbo spool when you "tap" the throttle buttttt blow by is excessive compared to before the adjustment. With the oil filer cap removed it sort of just puffs away. Not über excessively but more than before the adjustment. So I shut it off, let it cool down, then opened her back up to double check the valve clearances. Three were a lIttle loose still so I rechecked all valves and made certain the locking nuts were tight. Put it all back together and restarted. Still, blow by is more and now white smoke from the tail Pipe. I'm a little bummed. It is peppier and sounds ok I guess but white smoke is new and came uninvited. I know white smoke is from unburned fuel exiting as vapor which could essentially mean that compression is no good. I have yet to test the compression and will do so. Just worried I might have a bummed ticker. Or maybe the ip timing is off?... Bad fuel?...water in fuel? The only thing different other than the valve adjustment is the outside temp. I've typically run this thing while it is in the high 30's. Today it was about 70.