Dave Stark Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 So.... I purchased this truck many moons ago. I am ashamed to say that after nearly ten years the truck has not been in running condition for almost the entire time. I purchased it in Las Vegas, trailered it Texas, then a couple year later trailered it to California. I've let just about anything get in the way of getting this thing done, now i''m starting to make progress. Here's where it all started: https://comancheclub.com/topic/17442-old-drippy/?tab=comments#comment-178325 Started as: 1991 Jeep Comanche 2WD 4.0 AX15 Rough condition is an understatement... I decided to give this another try, this is what the final form is shaping up to be: Converted to 4X4 D30 4.10 Spartan Locker, manual locking hubs External slave AX15 NP231 / SYE Adam's Drive shaft...shafts Ford 8.8 LS 4.10, C-clip eliminator Mercedes OM617 Diesel Garrett T3/T4 Hybrid 97+ Front clip & doors Sheet metal on bed was garbage, decided on flatbed- only half done. 15 Gallon aux fuel tank, Also i painted it brown. Here it is as it sits today: Much more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Here's a shot of how the doors turned out: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 The flat bed. I drilled out all of the spot welds to retain the OEM stringers. Due to suspension travel I needed to raise it up because I didn't want wheel wells. I am also able to add some extra storage space, an under the bed aux fuel tank and hopefully an air tank. The plan is to have an access panel in the top of the bed to fill directly & also transfer pumps for either direction on both tanks in case the bed is loaded. I plan to keep the OEM style filler neck and mount to the side of the raised portion of the bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Nice. If I were going to do a diesel conversion, the Benz OM617 would be it. Probably the most reliable engine of any type ever build. Hurry up and get that thing done! It's looking great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 Thanks! I'm finally starting to get close on it so it's starting to feel real. Still have a few hurdles to jump though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted June 27, 2018 Author Share Posted June 27, 2018 The engine has been frustrating with no end in sight. It is taller the the 4.0 and has a forward sump instead of aft like the Jeep engine. Because of this I've mounted the engine as high in the truck as possible, still have issues with interference steering and track bar. - not to mention that after 4" of the total 8" of suspension travel the axel will hit the oil sump. No good. Engine will come back out after I get it running for major mods to the oil pan and oil pickup. When it came time to get a donor engine I found this 1984 300D: The body & paint is nearly perfect, but the inside is completely rotten. It had broken throttle linkage and wouldn't move under it's own power. Nothing a few minutes with a welder didn't fix. 156k on it & A/C works. I couldn't bring myself to tear into it & lucked out with a guy on CL that was selling a spare engine out of an '82 that had been sitting for 20 years in a barn. Got the turbo too, but it was unusable as it was. G-Pop Shop did a rebuild and T3/T4 hybrid mod for me: Th e engine turns over well enough, but I've go a small air leak in my low pressure fuel pump and haven't yet been able to get it to light. Here's some shot of the engine: Rebuilding fuel injectors: Got all five within 50 PSI of each other and very nearly new spec open pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 I have thought about those Mercedes 300td diesel sedan engine. Good to see someone making a move with one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 206 tail rotor blade? Cool project... I toyed with doing an OM617, just never found a good donor car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnj92131 Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Just found this thread. Nice build. One Question: What is the latest information on registering a diesel conversion in California? Did you check with BAR or DMV? Last I heard, 3+ years ago was Sacramento was not approving any diesel conversion. Love to hear updated information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 On 7/21/2018 at 9:59 PM, Swampy said: I have thought about those Mercedes 300td diesel sedan engine. Good to see someone making a move with one Thanks, this has been a very big challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 On 7/22/2018 at 12:37 PM, DirtyComanche said: 206 tail rotor blade? Cool project... I toyed with doing an OM617, just never found a good donor car. Indeed. The other side of the blade hit a fence post while the helicopter on frost patrol for grapes. In hindsight a well built stroker would be easier all the way around. Including financially. Heart replacement surgery is expensive even when done yourself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 Small update. I've been quite busy, but did manage to make a junk yard run. I got some seats, an extra injection pump and some other knick knacks. Today I tried again to start it. Got it to fire, but only on starter fluid. Beginning to worry there may be an issue with the injection pump after 20 years of sitting. It's unfortunate the seats are red, but they're in good shape. More to come!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted July 26, 2018 Author Share Posted July 26, 2018 On 7/22/2018 at 1:44 PM, johnj92131 said: Just found this thread. Nice build. One Question: What is the latest information on registering a diesel conversion in California? Did you check with BAR or DMV? Last I heard, 3+ years ago was Sacramento was not approving any diesel conversion. Love to hear updated information. Thanks! I'm aware of some friends of friends that have gotten diesel swaps registered in California recently. From what I understand there are some loop holes, but it mostly depends on how good or bad of a day the air quality rep is having. I really can't be bothered with any of that so I'll just register in another state. I could potentially go through Texas, Washington, Nevada, Alabama, or South Carolina. Hassle free and in SC I don't even have to have the vehicle with me. Working in aviation does have some perks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 Well, barn find engine has paid off!!! This was sitting on the dirt (mud when the infrequent rains happen) floor barn for at least 20 years. I only purchased for parts, but internally it was perfect. All i did was rebuild the injectors & turbo (I hired the turbo build out to J-Pop shop in Arkansas who did a T3/T4 hybrid for me). After some self-induced shenanigans with the injection pump timing it lives: Now unfortunately the engine has to come back out for significant modifications to the oil pan & to drill / tap the adapter plate to accept the Jeep CPS. It looks like i'll be able to use the stock Jeep gauges & I'll likely add an autometer pod for EGT & boost. The Big-Gulp zip tied to the LH fender is the oil filter. I remote installed it just for the test runs. It's going to have to be cut up to mount a spin on filter to fit the extremely limited space of the Comanche engine bay. All in all it may be a bit before i post again as there's lots to do. I'll try to remember to upload more pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDemon90 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 bad @$$ build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 She sounds sweet, good for another 300K+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted September 16, 2018 Author Share Posted September 16, 2018 Hello all. I've got some updates for you. Since i last posted I've gotten a few things done. I got the additional gauges I'll need, as well as Azzy's Design Works T-case linkage: I also wanted to update the look of the OEM gauges so i got some Azzy's gauge faces: I really like how they turned out. Definitely a recommend on those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted September 16, 2018 Author Share Posted September 16, 2018 Flatbed time! I've made a fair amount of progress here. I just need to add in some center bracing & finish out the inner fender area. I feel like it is really starting to look good. The tabs holding up the outer box will be cut away once I've welded it in. I hoping it looks pretty clean when finished. Now to clean my garage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Good to see you're making progress. Is that the MercedesDiesel4x4 modded oil pan you have now? How bad did it look like it would be to move the pickup tube to the rear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 On 10/28/2018 at 3:52 PM, BetterNoCarThanMopar said: Is that the MercedesDiesel4x4 modded oil pan you have now? How bad did it look like it would be to move the pickup tube to the rear? It is indeed. It interferes with everything. It will have to come off to be further modified. I will likely not move the pickup all the way to the rear but shorten it & make a shallower / longer sump. I the idea is to gain clearance for steering & some suspension travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 1 minute ago, Raoden83 said: It is indeed. It interferes with everything. It will have to come off to be further modified. I will likely not move the pickup all the way to the rear but shorten it & make a shallower / longer sump. I the idea is to gain clearance for steering & some suspension travel. Yeah, it makes sense. It's tight in the front with a 4.0L if you don't lift it a ton, given that pan design I see how it would be a huge issue. I'm wondering how much of the longevity of these motors is due to the fact they seem to take a bunch of a oil (at least the pan is massive) and have a huge filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 To say they are durable would be an understatement. It's a great engine. Arguably one of the most reliable engines ever produced. I love the all mechanical side of it too, it's like working on a super forgiving clock - a very dirty one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 What online communities are there as a resource for these engines and swaps related to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 On 10/31/2018 at 5:36 PM, BetterNoCarThanMopar said: What online communities are there as a resource for these engines and swaps related to them? The best that I've found is the OM617 swaps FB group. OM617 Swaps It's a closed group, but lots of good information there if you're interested in this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 Some updates: I've gotten the remote mount battery installed. Tail lights are wrapped up too: So far it's turning out better than I'd hoped for. I have a couple wire harnesses to rebuild then on to the fuel system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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