Builds The "Red Rocket" Troopy (4 Viewers)

[theglobb]

I just rebuilt a set of OM617 injectors with fresh nozzles for my '75 300D, they're pretty easy to do but you really need a pop tester to do it properly. I would bet you've got at least a couple of sticky pintles in your injector nozzles that are causing the knocking, probably the Diesel Purge has just enough extra lubrication to make them slide a little easier. I would caution against using used motor oil without thoroughly filtering it first; my recommendation would be some fresh ATF, or just an extra dose of additive.

Sweet! thanks for all the info. Where did you get your rebuild kit for them? I put in x4 the amount of recommended additive with no change.

You have the "Holy Grail" of diesel vehicles there. The 123 series with the 5 cylinder diesel is a forever vehicle. I had a 81' 240D with 4spd stick and a 82' 300CD. Great on the highway and in traffic. Not fast, but adequate. You're surrounded by quality when you ride. Incredibly reliable........................That's a good deal as well. For some reason the wagon is even more popular than the sedan...................... In addition the "climate control" on that vehicle is the finest design you will ever have in any vehicle you will ever own. After a few days of driving you will be able to control it completely from memory without having to look at any of the controls.(unlike all of the newer vehicles on the road which dangerously require you to divert your attention to adjust the AC/Heat with something as stupid as a touch screen control) You only need reach down and turn the appropriate knob. Both driver and passenger can control the mix of heat and AC on their side as well as having a roller in the center to set the thermostatic temp switch turning on the AC compressor. You can put both hot and cold air on the windshield to defog or defrost as you wish. Unlike any car ever on the road, the 2 center dash vents are plumbed to only blow cool AC or fresh air no matter what you have the temp set on. So when it's crazy cold you can have the heat on keeping you warm, but the 2 center vents can direct cool fresh air to your face to keep you awake and not feel stuffy. These vents can also turned off or mixed with a slider................Phenomenally awesome! .....................There should also be a first aid kit behind the backseat on the shelf to provide first aid for yourself and passengers.

About 6 months prior to buying my BJ73 when I was at my most angry at expensive modern vehicles with their computer controlled electronics I almost bought a gray market 84 300D sedan "taxi version": 300D with straight stick 4 speed, cloth seats, and manual roll up rolld down windows. It was $3000+- running good with minimal rust on the NC coast.........In Germany Mercedes is just a normal car and not necessarily a luxury model. The cheaper base models didn't get sold here, but they do exist.

I've heard!!!! Part of the reason I got it is cause I knew I could get it running, also at that price I could pretty much only make money on it. I'm thinking if I have enough money to keep both then it would be a pretty sweet daily as the automatic still shifts smooth as butter and who knows how reliable (or not) the troopy will be. It is MUCH faster than my 1987 4Runner I've been driving around recently, this thing PULLS up hills. I love turbo diesel

On the lube for the fuel. ATF was commonly used for lubing injectors as sulfer levels dropped in the 80's and 90's. It's still probably a economic method of adding lube to fuel. Perhaps 1/2 quart per tank? Some have used 2 stroke premix oil at 200:1 or leaner in a effort to use something that burns better/cleaner. Once met a guy at the gas station that carried a 2gal gas can full of used tranny fluid he'd get free from a transmission rebuild shop in his trunk. He'd pour some in at every fillup........If you feel a need to add lube to the "ultra low sulfur diesel" of today, you have options.

I was sick and tired of the noise. Put half a gallon of unused 2 stroke oil in the tank from when I was rebuilding chainsaws as a side gig and then another GALLON of ATF from my work... still the noise continues. I wonder what in diesel purge makes it quiet down so much?? Pretty impressive

Dood!! A lift, some tires and the Troopy is reborn! It's even the right color!! Woohoo!! Great find!

I was originally looking for a really cheap sedan model (cause the wagons are so pricey) to do a Mad Max build with, like below, but I stumbled upon this STEAL of a wagon and couldn't pass up

Cool find.
Here in Germany the original rims only would probably sell for 400.
If frame and body are good, this a great deal.
The engine is legend. 250k is not much on it.
Injectors rebuild, just like the fellows said.
Why had it been abandoned?
Your automotive adventures are just amazing.
Looking forward to more news on the Troopy.
Cheers Ralf

the body is great, the frame is also great. the car is a texas car originally, but sat with the window open in North Carolina for 20 years so the floorboards are rusted out. Just the floorboard, not even the rockers. Don't know why it had been abandoned. Sold in texas originally, somehow came to NC, and then a guy ended up buying it with his property and didn't want it, had no title for it (which I got through something called the Vermont Loophole) and now its back on the road in my hands! Appreciate all the kind words

At last years “70 Series Meet & Greet“ we made an exception for an Isuzu. Will we be making an exception for a Mercedes this year?

HA! I hope not, the troopy should be ready by then, at least its red and turbo diesel!

View attachment 3314012

Perfect! it actually doesn't look tooooooo bad.

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Alright, so pretty much what I'm hearing is injector rebuild, noted! The hydraulic rear suspension works fully in this car and doesn't leak at all... crazy lucky with that one. It was spider infested when I got it and obviously the paint looked horrible, its had quite the turn around.

and there it is next to the 4Runner I've been driving, pretty cool duo

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Sweet! thanks for all the info. Where did you get your rebuild kit for them? I put in x4 the amount of recommended additive with no change.

I've heard!!!! Part of the reason I got it is cause I knew I could get it running, also at that price I could pretty much only make money on it. I'm thinking if I have enough money to keep both then it would be a pretty sweet daily as the automatic still shifts smooth as butter and who knows how reliable (or not) the troopy will be. It is MUCH faster than my 1987 4Runner I've been driving around recently, this thing PULLS up hills. I love turbo diesel

I was sick and tired of the noise. Put half a gallon of unused 2 stroke oil in the tank from when I was rebuilding chainsaws as a side gig and then another GALLON of ATF from my work... still the noise continues. I wonder what in diesel purge makes it quiet down so much?? Pretty impressive

I was originally looking for a really cheap sedan model (cause the wagons are so pricey) to do a Mad Max build with, like below, but I stumbled upon this STEAL of a wagon and couldn't pass up

View attachment 3314564
View attachment 3314565

the body is great, the frame is also great. the car is a texas car originally, but sat with the window open in North Carolina for 20 years so the floorboards are rusted out. Just the floorboard, not even the rockers. Don't know why it had been abandoned. Sold in texas originally, somehow came to NC, and then a guy ended up buying it with his property and didn't want it, had no title for it (which I got through something called the Vermont Loophole) and now its back on the road in my hands! Appreciate all the kind words


HA! I hope not, the troopy should be ready by then, at least its red and turbo diesel!

Perfect! it actually doesn't look tooooooo bad.

----------------------------------------------------------

Alright, so pretty much what I'm hearing is injector rebuild, noted! The hydraulic rear suspension works fully in this car and doesn't leak at all... crazy lucky with that one. It was spider infested when I got it and obviously the paint looked horrible, its had quite the turn around.
View attachment 3314567View attachment 3314569

and there it is next to the 4Runner I've been driving, pretty cool duo
View attachment 3314568

Need to see more of that 4Runner.

 

[theglobb]

Need to see more of that 4Runner.

Don't mind if I do! This is the 1987 4Runner I've been driving around since December. My mom spotted it for sale on the side of the road during winter break, only 86,000 original miles on it when we got it, now it has 93,000.

2 weekends ago I was lucky enough to head down to the Outer Banks to go to @Roastchestnuts wedding, he used to have a prado but sold it to buy my dads 1964 FJ40. I was also lucky enough to meet up with @svsisu and talk with him for hours about just everything and anything, sadly his troopy is in for rust repairs so I wasn't able to check it out.... one day. Here are some pics of my 4Runner out there.

and some pics of the 40 being used as the get away vehicle, so dang cool!

That's all my car updates for now didn't really post much cause this is a TROOPY thread, but then again its also just kinda a thread following my life as I grow up, centered around this one special car I have. So I guess these fit here as well. Thanks everyone for the kind words and wisdom. More updates coming soon

 

[FJBen]

very cool stuff. It’s your thread, post away!

Hell I post about my crappy accent in drive-thrus…

 

[AirheadNut]

Sweet! thanks for all the info. Where did you get your rebuild kit for them? I put in x4 the amount of recommended additive with no change.

I got the injector nozzles from mercedessource.com. The pressure tester, shim kit and associated tools I also got from them years ago when I rebuilt the injectors in my G-wagen. To properly rebuild the injectors you will need the tester, new nozzles and a shim kit. The most important part of the rebuild process is cleanliness. Find a clean workspace as free of dust as possible, take your time, and be meticulous with cleaning, lapping and lubricating the parts. Make sure to torque the injector bodies to spec and pressure balance them to with ~50psi of each other for optimal performance.

The process can seem a little daunting at first, but after a couple it makes a lot of sense. The first set of injectors I did about 6-7 years ago took me several hours; this most recent set I got done in under 2.

 

[svsisu]

Congratulations Rob @Roastchestnuts!

Good times talking to you during your visit! Next time you need to stay a little longer and get some waves. That mercedes is looking sweet as, and hopefully it can make it to the crusty, rusty, cruiser surf and turf along with the troopy and 4Runner... when ever that happens.

 

[bcsteel]

Go for a lift kit. Kinda cool

 

[sodafeld1]

SCORE!!! here is something to inspire you..also she did a feature on mythbusters running on veg oil. You can have fun in these.

black smoke racing w123 - Google Search

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Congratulations Rob @Roastchestnuts!

Good times talking to you during your visit! Next time you need to stay a little longer and get some waves. That mercedes is looking sweet as, and hopefully it can make it to the crusty, rusty, cruiser surf and turf along with the troopy and 4Runner... when ever that happens.

@svsisu I am planning on driving up to avon a few times this summer. Ill hit you up next time!

 

[theglobb]

Well I'm back in town, with the troopy for about 2 months. Time to make some progress.

Yesterday my dad helped get the engine back into the troopy during the last 2 hours of light after work. Today I completed rerouting my brake lines, got a plan together for fuel lines but have a question I'll ask down below, have a half-assed plan for the air intake system, I'm taking the radiator to a local shop to have it pressure tested/cleaned, and did some other small stuff barely worth mentioning.


The clearance is a bit tight between one of the brake lines and the oil filter on the Isuzu but it'll be fineeee.

I ripped out the factory catch can and will just vent blowby to the atmosphere. Then will run the intake behind the valve cover and out into the engine bay, still need to figure out how to tie it into the factory air cleaner.

For a throttle cable I can use the factory 3B one and will just have to make a mount of some sort for it. Funny enough the next thing on my to do list for the red rocket a year ago was to replace the throttle cable as mine was mangled... then my engine blew up, and the engine after that blew up... so now I finally need to replace it! I've looked a bit online, cant find much. Does anyone know where to find a new throttle cable? or are other ones from other cruisers also compatible? orrrrr?

For my fuel line issues... I only have 1 line running from the tank to the engine bay... even though I swore there was a return line for the 3B and the IP for the 4BD1T definitely has a return line coming off of it aswell... I only have 1 line going into the bay. I just don't understand, is there something I'm missing? and if I have to add a return line whats the best way to do so? Thanks for anyone who responds


it'll run this summer, and probably break a lot, I just want to see it move

 

[bj70bc]

Looks good!
i posted on your 3b part out page for some stuff, let me know

 

[robmobile73]

Well I'm back in town, with the troopy for about 2 months. Time to make some progress.

Yesterday my dad helped get the engine back into the troopy during the last 2 hours of light after work. Today I completed rerouting my brake lines, got a plan together for fuel lines but have a question I'll ask down below, have a half-assed plan for the air intake system, I'm taking the radiator to a local shop to have it pressure tested/cleaned, and did some other small stuff barely worth mentioning.


The clearance is a bit tight between one of the brake lines and the oil filter on the Isuzu but it'll be fineeee.
View attachment 3324834

I ripped out the factory catch can and will just vent blowby to the atmosphere. Then will run the intake behind the valve cover and out into the engine bay, still need to figure out how to tie it into the factory air cleaner.
View attachment 3324833View attachment 3324832

For a throttle cable I can use the factory 3B one and will just have to make a mount of some sort for it. Funny enough the next thing on my to do list for the red rocket a year ago was to replace the throttle cable as mine was mangled... then my engine blew up, and the engine after that blew up... so now I finally need to replace it! I've looked a bit online, cant find much. Does anyone know where to find a new throttle cable? or are other ones from other cruisers also compatible? orrrrr?
View attachment 3324831


For my fuel line issues... I only have 1 line running from the tank to the engine bay... even though I swore there was a return line for the 3B and the IP for the 4BD1T definitely has a return line coming off of it aswell... I only have 1 line going into the bay. I just don't understand, is there something I'm missing? and if I have to add a return line whats the best way to do so? Thanks for anyone who responds


it'll run this summer, and probably break a lot, I just want to see it move
View attachment 3324837

Well I'm back in town, with the troopy for about 2 months. Time to make some progress.

Yesterday my dad helped get the engine back into the troopy during the last 2 hours of light after work. Today I completed rerouting my brake lines, got a plan together for fuel lines but have a question I'll ask down below, have a half-assed plan for the air intake system, I'm taking the radiator to a local shop to have it pressure tested/cleaned, and did some other small stuff barely worth mentioning.


The clearance is a bit tight between one of the brake lines and the oil filter on the Isuzu but it'll be fineeee.
View attachment 3324834

I ripped out the factory catch can and will just vent blowby to the atmosphere. Then will run the intake behind the valve cover and out into the engine bay, still need to figure out how to tie it into the factory air cleaner.
View attachment 3324833View attachment 3324832

For a throttle cable I can use the factory 3B one and will just have to make a mount of some sort for it. Funny enough the next thing on my to do list for the red rocket a year ago was to replace the throttle cable as mine was mangled... then my engine blew up, and the engine after that blew up... so now I finally need to replace it! I've looked a bit online, cant find much. Does anyone know where to find a new throttle cable? or are other ones from other cruisers also compatible? orrrrr?
View attachment 3324831


For my fuel line issues... I only have 1 line running from the tank to the engine bay... even though I swore there was a return line for the 3B and the IP for the 4BD1T definitely has a return line coming off of it aswell... I only have 1 line going into the bay. I just don't understand, is there something I'm missing? and if I have to add a return line whats the best way to do so? Thanks for anyone who responds


it'll run this summer, and probably break a lot, I just want to see it move
View attachment 3324837

Normally you can get bicycle control cables at walmart and you can get aluminum crimp sleeves from a tackle shop to crimp and make your control cable. At least that would be my first go to.

On the fuel line return. When I put the 4bt in my 71 chevy it did not have a fuel return line so I ran the fuel return line back to the fuel supply line in a T connector between the tank and lift pump. It worked. Normally the fuel return goes to the tank. The T worked in my situation with no issue. Perhaps someone else will chime in here with why this simple easy solution won't work.

 

[jblueridge]

McMaster Carr apparently offers cable making service.
McMaster

As the engine runs and rumbles, will oil filter bash your brake line?

 

[Tigris]

Good progress man!

My 2¢ on fuel line return:

I don't know for certain, but I strongly believe that your troopy has/had a fuel return line. Vehicles without return lines exist, using a 'deadhead' fueling regime, but a deadhead system is highly unlikely to be found on a diesel engine since having a fuel like diesel circulating in and out of the injection pump is simply crucial due to the diesel's lubricating and cooling properties.

if I found myself lying under say, an unfamiliar truck trying to locate a return fuel line, I would first locate the most optimum cross section between the engine and the tank(s) (from a visual stand point, where I can see any and all traversing lines across the entire width of the vehicle) and look/feel everything by hand until I find my answer. Lines could be tucked away above something else like other lines, sleeves and chassis rails. I hope this makes sense.

 

[flx]

I'm not sure for the BJ75, things can evolve, but on BJ4* there are no fuel return line AFAIK.
I think it depends of the type of fuel pump that is used by the engine (and a same engine can be paired with multiple types of fuel pump depending of application).

So if your Isuzu engine had a fuel return line you probably should find a way to add one.
The cleanest way would probably be to source the tank and plumbing from a petrol 75 that has the fuel return, but mostlikely expensive and timely. Second option you create the plumbing yourself and use a venting outlet as a fuel return inlet on your tank.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Well I'm back in town, with the troopy for about 2 months. Time to make some progress.

Yesterday my dad helped get the engine back into the troopy during the last 2 hours of light after work. Today I completed rerouting my brake lines, got a plan together for fuel lines but have a question I'll ask down below, have a half-assed plan for the air intake system, I'm taking the radiator to a local shop to have it pressure tested/cleaned, and did some other small stuff barely worth mentioning.


The clearance is a bit tight between one of the brake lines and the oil filter on the Isuzu but it'll be fineeee.
View attachment 3324834

I ripped out the factory catch can and will just vent blowby to the atmosphere. Then will run the intake behind the valve cover and out into the engine bay, still need to figure out how to tie it into the factory air cleaner.
View attachment 3324833View attachment 3324832

For a throttle cable I can use the factory 3B one and will just have to make a mount of some sort for it. Funny enough the next thing on my to do list for the red rocket a year ago was to replace the throttle cable as mine was mangled... then my engine blew up, and the engine after that blew up... so now I finally need to replace it! I've looked a bit online, cant find much. Does anyone know where to find a new throttle cable? or are other ones from other cruisers also compatible? orrrrr?
View attachment 3324831


For my fuel line issues... I only have 1 line running from the tank to the engine bay... even though I swore there was a return line for the 3B and the IP for the 4BD1T definitely has a return line coming off of it aswell... I only have 1 line going into the bay. I just don't understand, is there something I'm missing? and if I have to add a return line whats the best way to do so? Thanks for anyone who responds


it'll run this summer, and probably break a lot, I just want to see it move
View attachment 3324837

Bring it down to Ocracoke when you get it going! Stoked for you.

 

[onemanarmy]

Is the 4 runner 22re/5speed?

What a great find!

 

[Rigster]

I'm not sure for the BJ75, things can evolve, but on BJ4* there are no fuel return line AFAIK.
I think it depends of the type of fuel pump that is used by the engine (and a same engine can be paired with multiple types of fuel pump depending of application).

So if your Isuzu engine had a fuel return line you probably should find a way to add one.
The cleanest way would probably be to source the tank and plumbing from a petrol 75 that has the fuel return, but mostlikely expensive and timely. Second option you create the plumbing yourself and use a venting outlet as a fuel return inlet on your tank.

This would probably be the easiest, but if you tap into the vent line on the tank, you will need to have a ventilating (one way) fuel cap. You must have some kind of ventilation on your tank or you will be creating a vacuum in the tank and you won't very far before experiencing some runtime issues (lack of fuel)

Now if you have access to a proper newer style tank that you can put in with the return line, this would be the best way to go, but again... more costly.

 

[flx]

This would probably be the easiest, but if you tap into the vent line on the tank, you will need to have a ventilating (one way) fuel cap. You must have some kind of ventilation on your tank or you will be creating a vacuum in the tank and you won't very far before experiencing some runtime issues (lack of fuel)

Now if you have access to a proper newer style tank that you can put in with the return line, this would be the best way to go, but again... more costly.

Aren't there 3 venting lines on the 75 also? (not 100% sure on 70 series again but on 40 there are 3)

 

[Rigster]

Aren't there 3 venting lines on the 75 also? (not 100% sure on 70 series again but on 40 there are 3)

Not sure on the 75's, but on my 76 I only have one hose from the tank to the body frame above that plugs into a rubber grommet for ventilation. There is another line that routes up to the filler nozzle to allow for recirculation while filling, but this is still a closed system. So if you convert the one ventilation hose to a return line, then you will still need some way for equalization. I believe @OGBeno had a spare 3B tank for sale, not sure if he still does, and I am equally unsure if it has a fuel return line on it already since it came from a 3B.