I'm interested in the feasibility of a 4th gen or 5th gen single cab on a locked 80 series chassis? I've looked so many places so many times for an example of this, but can not find anything. Can anyone show me someone/pics/build thread of this already being done? Does anyone have some insight on the process of going about this?
Pickup cab on 80 series chassis? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter etzicle
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I think it would be easier to swap the solid axle and motor on to the pickup. 
inkpot
SILVER Star
You do realize that IF you are lucky enough to find the OM617 with a turbo, it only has 121 HP. It will be super slow!!!
IT would be easier to swap the axles.
Someone took an 80 chassis and put a 70 series pick-up truck body on it, with a 1HZ diesel IIRC. It passed through a couple of hands, not sure it was ever completed, but it was for sale about a year or two ago. Search through the classifieds maybe.
The turbo charged OM617 is easy enough to come by in the southwest as it was standard equipment on the 300D and 300SD Turbo Diesel. Oh and yes, it's super slow. It would climb up any roads in the Sierra Nevadas with the AC blowing cold (passing gassers all the way up) and the engine temp wouldn't budge, but I could barely break 80mph in my 1981 300SD Turbo Diesel.
But you could always put a chip innit.
Why do you need to swap the cab? Couldn't you make cuts at the B and D pillars, weld the D pillar to the B pillar and create your own cab?
Then maybe massage a tundra rear cabin wall and truck bed to bring it all together? With the tundra you'd get a power rear window...
Sounds like a fun build. Subscribed!
But you could always put a chip innit.
Why do you need to swap the cab? Couldn't you make cuts at the B and D pillars, weld the D pillar to the B pillar and create your own cab?
Then maybe massage a tundra rear cabin wall and truck bed to bring it all together? With the tundra you'd get a power rear window...Sounds like a fun build. Subscribed!
There was a complete 70 Series pickup cab for sale in Toronto a few weeks back. Gone now, but was thinking it would be nice to mount it on an 80 series frame.
inkpot
SILVER Star
The turbo charged OM617 is easy enough to come by in the southwest as it was standard equipment on the 300D and 300SD Turbo Diesel. Oh and yes, it's super slow. It would climb up any roads in the Sierra Nevadas with the AC blowing cold (passing gassers all the way up) and the engine temp wouldn't budge, but I could barely break 80mph in my 1981 300SD Turbo Diesel.
But you could always put a chip innit.
Why do you need to swap the cab? Couldn't you make cuts at the B and D pillars, weld the D pillar to the B pillar and create your own cab?
Sounds like a fun build. Subscribed!
That sedan weighed in at 3500 pounds. Add 2000-3000 more pounds for the average 80 series, and Im thinking it will slow down a might.
Lol, I'm putting an om617A (turbo version) into a 94 T100 with my spare land cruiser axles and an R150F 5 speed and a pair of transfer Cases. The 617's are a dime a dozen. I bought the whole car for $400 and after selling some parts and scrapping it (took 3 days total) I reclaimed all but $85. So $85 plus all new timing components, filters, gaskets, valve stem seals and glow plugs and I'm less than $500 into it. That's with original Mercedes supplier parts, like iwisketten, Elring/clinger and febi/Bilstein etc.. As far as power, plenty of guys reliably making more than the factory 120hp on a MW pump and factory turbo, done right you're supposed to be able to milk 150hp out of it stock. Add a .60trim turbo upgrade and Intercooler and a $1500 dieselmeken M pump and you're looking into the 200+ hp range easy. As far as adapters there are several choices. I chose the r150f could have gone with a w56 or others including an H42-55 4x4Labs makes adapters, I chose to go with a kit from Doomsday Diesel, all steel components,a flywheel and hardware for over $150 less than 4x4labs. As far as putting a cab on an 80 chassis, as it's been said, easier to put an axle under a truck, definitely feasible though. If you want dimensions on the 617 I can get some rough dimensions once I'm done cleaning and reassmbling it.
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- #12
Thanks for all the input everyone. I thought of doing the pickup cab because I thought it might give more frame space behind the cab than a 70 series cab or the 80 series body chopped, but I may be wrong. I just assumed that because the pickup cab has the smallest dimensions. It does sound like an axle swap, or and 80 series chop and weld might be a better way to go. It'll be interesting to see how that t100 comes along. If that turns out nicely. I may just try to repeat it.
No arguments here. I loved that thing, but it was slow. My cousin had the shorter 300D with an aux fuel tank. I don't know the capacity, but the aux tank too up more than half of her trunk. They drove down to TJ once a month to fill up. It has some range. Mine could go all the way from LA to ABQ on one tank so she could've probably done more than twice that.
I want to do this swap to a rusted out 60 series. I saw one in Milwaukee last year, but they wanted $2k and weren't flexible.
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Why not put the Mercedes body on it, more aerodynamic, a bit more class, upscale? 
There is a write up in last months (i think) Toyota Trails (TLCA mag) about Christo Slees truck he built on an 80 chassis. Very nice but looks very $$ to do.
