'81 with Benz OM617 Turbo Diesel

[Rustybones]

Hello

I've started a re-power project for my friend. I'm putting a 5 cylinder Turbo diesel into a 1981 longbox. I'm thinking ahead and was wondering about the suspension upgrade (to make up for the heavier drive train going in). I'm guessing that the diesel is about 2x the weight of the 20r? Her budget is larger enough i think that I could and probably should put new springs on all four corners. Any suggestions? It'd be nice to get higher then stock ride height, to give the oil pan the most clearance possible. Do i buy a kit and add leaves? If so how do I decide where and what is appropriate, i have no experience with this. Any suggestions or discussion is welcome.

cheers

 

[Combat Chuck]

If the budget's high, then go for Alcan springs.
how're you mating the motor and transmission together?

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

X2, Call Alcan and tell them what you're doing, and the exact weight numbers etc. The rear springs may not be as crucial, but I would for sure spend the money and do the front right the first time!

 

[me_tu05]

Here is some info for you
The Mercrunner build up - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

One suggestion right off the bat would be to get a FJ60 steering box. They will make setting up the steering a lot easier.
You could go rear leafs up front and ford 56" in the rear. Cheap and it works.

 

[Rustybones]

The OM617 is being mated to a w56 with an adapter plate from 4x4labs. Check out their website, they also have adapters for gm trannies.

Thanks for the info on alcan. anyone ever dealt with OME on a custom setup? I was thinking of getting there 79-85 kit and adding a leaf or two to the heavy duty kit up front.... opinions?

they are based out of renton wa, which is a 20min drive (i'm in seattle).

The rears up front and the ford springs sounds like an idea, what kind of ford springs? do the rear shackle mounts have to be moved?

why does the steering setup have to be changed? Will something be interfering with the oil pan if i keep it stock?

After the spring discussion dwindles the next topic i want to discuss is cooling. Electric fans or stock fan (space is tight length wise) food for thought. Luke at 4x4 labs said he did a build on an '83 with the stock fan and moved the rad out by moving the rad supports.

 

[Combat Chuck]

I'm going to get murdered here, but I don't dig mech. fans.
There I said it!
My reasons being: I don't want my main cooling system dependent entirely on my motor's relative RPMS, and I really don't like to hassle with offset fan issues, or having the stock fan bore into your radiator because the motor's too close, have to deal with finding a fan shroud that works right, or mess around with fan clutch nonsense.

A well-made beefy electric fan that's wired up nicely, puts all your thermal options at your fingertips through switches, so you can run it on low on a cold morning, bump up the speed when things get hot, or idle the motor with it off to get the motor up to heat in the snow. What's more, replacements are a common find, so if you're far away from any kind of Benz stealership and your fan launches a blade, you can find a new one easily, and you can run a pusher and puller in tandem to increase effectiveness.

the downs: yeah, they don't move as much air as the mech. fans, but hey, it's a diesel, right?
you have to wire it up, which to some can be a pain, and there are many crappy electrics on the market waiting for you to unwittingly buy a POS, but a little research can help there.

hope this helps!

 

[Lost]

i have a buddy with a plate thatll mate up to a w56

http://s434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/defiant4wd/bellhousing%20adapter/"

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

A well-made beefy electric fan that's wired up nicely, puts all your thermal options at your fingertips through switches, so you can run it on low on a cold morning, bump up the speed when things get hot, or idle the motor with it off to get the motor up to heat in the snow.

Or forget to turn the fan back on after a water crossing and fry your engine... There are just so many more options with electric fans! (Had to do it... Hehe...)

As to cooling, get the engine in with it as far rearward as you can comfortably, and see what kind of room you have... there are a lot of variables without rear world numbers to work with.

 

[Lost]

as for cooling, 4 runner rad +electric fan wont be good enough.

the omb617 with w56 in stock position w/out the fan will fit in the engine bay

i read somewhere that some people use a ford taurus rad with electric fans for the same swap
look into some v6 ~3.0l taurus rad/fans
i dont remember where i read this...

 

[Combat Chuck]

Or forget to turn the fan back on after a water crossing and fry your engine... There are just so many more options with electric fans! (Had to do it... Hehe...)

As to cooling, get the engine in with it as far rearward as you can comfortably, and see what kind of room you have... there are a lot of variables without rear world numbers to work with.

yeah, or that...

It's your project, man, do whatever you think will work the best, squeeze the drivetrain back for the stock fan, run an electric, whatever works for you!

 

[me_tu05]

as for cooling, 4 runner rad +electric fan wont be good enough.

the omb617 with w56 in stock position w/out the fan will fit in the engine bay

i read somewhere that some people use a ford taurus rad with electric fans for the same swap
look into some v6 ~3.0l taurus rad/fans
i dont remember where i read this...

Look for volvo electric fans. There are some models that have the same fan as a taurus but it is bolted to the fan shroud. I have one and I'll take a pic for you. I had to move my radiator pretty far forward to fit the fan in as a puller, but it will work good that way.

 

[Rustybones]

Hi All

Thanks for all the info. That's great. So I think "Lost" said that with the w56 in stock position the OM617 will fit into place? If so that is great news, I was not looking forward to repositioning tranny mounts. The mechanical fan on this motor is broken, engine came out of a front passenger fender bender, fan was pressed about 1/2 cm into the rad and some of the blades cracked. I think it just sounds easier to go electric, thanks for the pointers on what rads and fans work. I'll probably write again with more specific questions when I need to.

One quick and easy question that i have is will the w56 sit on the same mounts as the L43? The answer to this will could also dictate whether to use a electric fan or not, because if I have to move the tranny mounts I may as well try and make a mechanical fan work.

 

[me_tu05]

I believe a L series trans is a couple of inches shorter then a W56. That means you would have to redo the mounts on the trans. If you do, you might as well move the engine back to the firewall. I have less than an inch between mine, and I still had to move my radiator pretty far out front to fit the volvo fan as a puller.

 

[Rustybones]

ok looks like i'm moving all the mounts, any suggestion on what to use for the tranny mounts, i have the stock L43 cross member, and I also have a cross memeber for the w56 and a across member for a r150f (a little bit of everything).

I've read that 22re mounts with a little gusseting are good for the motor mounts?? any helpful hints on what i could do on this front ( i'm parting out a 1985 4runner, so i have the full drive train available, i might and probably will swap the entire drive-train (minus engine of course) from the 4runner into the truck because its super low miles and will bolt right up to the w56 and I won't have to worry about gear ratios).

Is it true that 1980 pickup (oh ya its an '80 not '81) axles are a something like 3.7's and the 85's are 411's?

 

[Rustybones]

me_tu05

did you have any troubles with the down pipe, when putting the om617 all the way back? When I turbo'd my 3b I had to do some modifying of my bj60 firewall to make the custom down pipe work, whats the case with the om617?

ps check the classifieds if anyone's interested in the '85 4runner

 

[me_tu05]

I haven't bolted up the down pipe, but I have put it in there to see if it fits. It fit but will be close to the starter. I am going to try and shorten the pieces that come off the turbo and run the down pipe under the engine to the passenger side. I'll have to take some decent pics and post them up.

You may be able to use the 85 cross member to bolt the trans in the stock position. This I am not sure will put it in the correct spot like in the 85 but it may be worth the try.

If you are making a crossmember for the trans, you will want to use the largest mount that fits. They are all the same as far as bolt pattern, just the later ones are larger.

The stock motor mount on the toy can work, you just have to get the angle right or they will rip apart. The merc ones won't last long. Another option for those is the 4bt mounts.

 

[me_tu05]

Here is the clearance for the down pipe on my setup. I will be making it shorter and running it under the engine to the drivers side.

 

[Rustybones]

Update

The Pick up is going to get a custom OME setup, full kit bounce2:its going to be like Christmas around here...... wait it almost is christmas)

The truck is getting the heavy front springs plus d17xl extra leafs.

I have one question though, if the pick up is going to weigh about 260lbs more up front than it did before due to the om617 will the shocks that come with a 1980 pickup ome kit be adequate? Would it make more sense to get soft ome fj60 shocks?

If I go with firm pickup shocks up front, should I do the same for the back? or does it not matter if i have softs in the back and firms in the front?

lots of questions

but i want to make sure before i put the order in.

cheers

 

[Combat Chuck]

I wouldn't beef up the rear suspension. with OEM springs on mine, and rancho shocks, the bed's so light, it's like a catapult on bumps, it literally "hops" over bumps and potholes, and spews gravel in loose patches offroad.

Good luck with the build!

 

[Rustybones]

Order has been put in with 4x4 connections! Cam the general manager replied to an email that I sent at 1am by 430pm pacific time this morning!! awesome customer service, I called him at 7 this morning and he helped me out over the phone.

Also the shipping has been waived and I get to go to ARB head quarters in Renton to pickup the hard ware myself.

I'm pretty excited. This truck is going to be resurrected..

PS I don't know if i mentioned it but it already has 350000mi.

I ended up getting heavy front springs with the exra leaf d17xl with firm shocks and light/medium rear springs with soft shocks.

more updates to come