so i have a g wagen very capable off road vehicle but it has 2 issues at the moment
1 it is seriously lacking in the power department i had hoped to overcome this by fitting a turbo but it is not reccommended to fit a turbo to the normally aspirated engine and the motor the turbo is on requires some head work before i would be able to use it
2 i am having issues with the transmission as well it is slipping between gear changes
so taking the costs of repairing the engine and the transmission i'll be surprised if i have much change left from a $1000
when it occured to me my mate has a 350slc mercedes coupe with an engine and gearbox that he doesn't plan to use(it is a targa car project) i could probably get this off him for a few hundred dollars
certification would be relatively easy as these chassis are basically the same as the g55amg that mercedes sell currently
there would be advantages the power output from the 3.5 v8 is around 200hp a bit of a step up from the 88hp i am supposed to have at the moment and the turboed diesel is around 120hp standard but with an intercooler they can tuned to about 150hp without to many hassles
the more i think about it the more sensible it seems
hmmm what say you guys
i've been thinking
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Sadam_Husain
- Angry bird
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- Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:00 pm
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What's the transfer case in your G like, is it separate to the automatic?
If it's easy to adapt the new transmission to your four wheel drive system then all you will need to look at is the fuel and spark.
If it's a Targa car then you can probably get away with being able to get all the bits that you need. These motors used CIS injection which is a mechanical system. Ideally you would want both vehicles side by side so that you can transfer bits over.
You will also need to upgrade the cooling system to cope with the heat of the V8 and get a new exhaust built.
The only issue I would think about is what if something happens to the V8? Parts are not cheap and there aren't a ton of these motor's lying around. Also make sure when you put your budget together you allow plenty of contingency, these things ALWAYS cost more than you first expect.
Personally I would look at a repower with something like a Lexus V8. These motors are pretty cheap, a Link ECU and loom and a motor and waterpump, belt, idler, plugs leads etc will run you about 4k. That will give you a fell electronic EFI V8 putting out around 190kw. There are plenty of adapters available to put a range of gearboxes behind them.
Matt.
If it's easy to adapt the new transmission to your four wheel drive system then all you will need to look at is the fuel and spark.
If it's a Targa car then you can probably get away with being able to get all the bits that you need. These motors used CIS injection which is a mechanical system. Ideally you would want both vehicles side by side so that you can transfer bits over.
You will also need to upgrade the cooling system to cope with the heat of the V8 and get a new exhaust built.
The only issue I would think about is what if something happens to the V8? Parts are not cheap and there aren't a ton of these motor's lying around. Also make sure when you put your budget together you allow plenty of contingency, these things ALWAYS cost more than you first expect.
Personally I would look at a repower with something like a Lexus V8. These motors are pretty cheap, a Link ECU and loom and a motor and waterpump, belt, idler, plugs leads etc will run you about 4k. That will give you a fell electronic EFI V8 putting out around 190kw. There are plenty of adapters available to put a range of gearboxes behind them.
Matt.
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Rotazuk
- Hard Yaka
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I can see what Mattman is saying about the lack of spares but hey spares for a diesel G wagon can't be easy to come by either .
If the 3.5 v8 is a mechanical fuel injection , cool , no trying to keep the water and mud out of the elec's of efi etc ( not that this is a major ) .
Is this a weekend worrior , go the 3.5 v8 , keep it merc .
If driven daily , fix the turbo diesel and tweek it a bit . Gas aint gunna get any cheeper .
Chris
If the 3.5 v8 is a mechanical fuel injection , cool , no trying to keep the water and mud out of the elec's of efi etc ( not that this is a major ) .
Is this a weekend worrior , go the 3.5 v8 , keep it merc .
If driven daily , fix the turbo diesel and tweek it a bit . Gas aint gunna get any cheeper .
Chris
so i´ve done some more thinking about the V8 swap and this comment made me think
so i have had a look at some of the other mercedes engines out there looking at the M110 2.8l dohc motor that they built carbuerated they produce 155 hp in standard trim or the last of the line fuel injtected ones pushed out 185 hp the big advantage of using this motor is they are quite common if i ever need parts which is highly unlikely as they go forever but it should also go into the wagen alot easier as they were fitted in the gwagens and it should bolt directly to my trans that is currently in there
i´ve decided i will get someone to adjust my trans i did find out how to do it but i need a vacum guage and a vacum pump as well as a pressure guage and appropriate fittings buying them would probably cost more than getting a mercedes specialist mechanic to adjust it
especially considerng i should only need to adjust every 2 or 3 years
The only issue I would think about is what if something happens to the V8? Parts are not cheap and there aren't a ton of these motor's lying around. Also make sure when you put your budget together you allow plenty of contingency, these things ALWAYS cost more than you first expect.
so i have had a look at some of the other mercedes engines out there looking at the M110 2.8l dohc motor that they built carbuerated they produce 155 hp in standard trim or the last of the line fuel injtected ones pushed out 185 hp the big advantage of using this motor is they are quite common if i ever need parts which is highly unlikely as they go forever but it should also go into the wagen alot easier as they were fitted in the gwagens and it should bolt directly to my trans that is currently in there
i´ve decided i will get someone to adjust my trans i did find out how to do it but i need a vacum guage and a vacum pump as well as a pressure guage and appropriate fittings buying them would probably cost more than getting a mercedes specialist mechanic to adjust it
especially considerng i should only need to adjust every 2 or 3 years
I would be suprised if you can find a Merc specialist with the right gear for tuning the trans pressure.
You can do it yourself by making small adjustments and then road testing. Alternatively most trans shops should have the gear.
I used to own an 1989 560SEL and the trans in those are similar with respect to setting up the shift pressures etc. I ended up getting the trans rebuilt as after adjusting the shift pressure the upshifts still flared a bit and the downshifts were too hard.
Most Merc dealers don't work on these older models much so you really want to find someone with specific experience in your model otherwise it can get expensive quickly.
The 6cyl motor is a good motor, they have issues with weaping head gaskets and can suffer from valve seal wear but are pretty long lasting. As with any motor transplant ideally you want to be able to see the motor running before purchasing.
Check over at http://www.mercedesshop.com for a wealth of info if you haven't already.
Matt.
You can do it yourself by making small adjustments and then road testing. Alternatively most trans shops should have the gear.
I used to own an 1989 560SEL and the trans in those are similar with respect to setting up the shift pressures etc. I ended up getting the trans rebuilt as after adjusting the shift pressure the upshifts still flared a bit and the downshifts were too hard.
Most Merc dealers don't work on these older models much so you really want to find someone with specific experience in your model otherwise it can get expensive quickly.
The 6cyl motor is a good motor, they have issues with weaping head gaskets and can suffer from valve seal wear but are pretty long lasting. As with any motor transplant ideally you want to be able to see the motor running before purchasing.
Check over at http://www.mercedesshop.com for a wealth of info if you haven't already.
Matt.
Most Merc dealers don't work on these older models much so you really want to find someone with specific experience in your model otherwise it can get expensive quickly.
i found a guy in pukekohe who specialises in european vehicles he is a south african guy and i had a bit of a chat with him about it he seems to know what he is talking about
Most Merc dealers don't work on these older models much so you really want to find someone with specific experience in your model otherwise it can get expensive quickly.
i know what you mean there which is why i have been looking for mercedes specialists not mercedes agents if that makes sense