JohnnyBGood
New member
94 Range Rover Classic Diesel Conversion using Mercedes 1987 300SDL 300tdi & Tranny
Hello Everyone, first post, so go easy on me lol...
I know the topic of Diesel conversions is one that has seen its day and has had its fair share of posts, but I'm gonna throw my question into the mix... Before I do, I'll say that I had considered this idea for a couple of years now and shelved it about a year ago after reading all of the posts back then. Now it is a year later and I have started researching the idea again and low and behold the posts I pull up are all the same ones that were around a year ago! So time for some new blood...
I have a 3.9L 1994 Range Rover Classic LWB that I'd like to do a swap on. I love the truck and used to drive it often up until about three months ago when I noticed what sounded like a loose exhaust shroud or something minor like that rattling from the back of the engine compartment. When I got under there and poked around, what I found was not a loose shroud, but a bolt or something loose in the bell housing. I'm guessing it may be a bolt associated with the TC, but not sure at this point. So, realizing that it won't be as simple as I thought and will probably require separating the tranny from the block, I started thinking about doing a diesel conversion again.
I have access to a really nice old 1987 Mercedes 300SDL (300tdi and 722.321 transmission) that runs great and shifted smooth before it was decommissioned due to an accident to the right front portion that affected the front axle of the car but didn't affect touch the drive train. It still runs and shifts, but can't be driven anymore. This would be my donor car.
So here's my question: Can I swap the drive train (motor and tranny together) from the 300SDL and put in my Rover without too huge of a headache or expense? I remember reading a post from someone else who was going to do the same thing and custom fabricate a shortened drive shaft to the transfer case. I'm not sure how that project turned out in the end, but it sounded to me like a great idea.
I'd rather go this route than to go through the gyrations of trying to mate up the 300tdi to the ZF tranny and then have to worry about shift points etc. I know some may say off the bat may say that it will be under powered and that the MB tranny isn't strong enough to move the Rover well, but I would counter that the 300SDL isn't exactly a featherweight itself.
As a matter of fact, the curb weight for the 300SDL is 3836 lbs. and my Rover is 4574 lbs., a difference of 738 lbs. The Gross weight on the MB is 4872 lbs. compared to the gross weight on the Rover of 6019 lbs. My rover is a weekend car that I would never load up to the gross weight or try to pull a trailer with. I have my wife's suburban for that stuff. I don't mind going low and slow with it either because I never drive the rover for anything that would be considered mission critical or need lightning fast arrival times.
I'd rather swap both together Instead of splitting the tranny off only to go through all of the headache of trying to adapt it to the ZF or finding a 5 speed manual Rover tranny and have to install the pedals etc...
So, long story long, is this a do-able idea? Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? Has anybody out there tried this with any success or failure?
Thanks in advance for any advice...
Hello Everyone, first post, so go easy on me lol...
I know the topic of Diesel conversions is one that has seen its day and has had its fair share of posts, but I'm gonna throw my question into the mix... Before I do, I'll say that I had considered this idea for a couple of years now and shelved it about a year ago after reading all of the posts back then. Now it is a year later and I have started researching the idea again and low and behold the posts I pull up are all the same ones that were around a year ago! So time for some new blood...
I have a 3.9L 1994 Range Rover Classic LWB that I'd like to do a swap on. I love the truck and used to drive it often up until about three months ago when I noticed what sounded like a loose exhaust shroud or something minor like that rattling from the back of the engine compartment. When I got under there and poked around, what I found was not a loose shroud, but a bolt or something loose in the bell housing. I'm guessing it may be a bolt associated with the TC, but not sure at this point. So, realizing that it won't be as simple as I thought and will probably require separating the tranny from the block, I started thinking about doing a diesel conversion again.
I have access to a really nice old 1987 Mercedes 300SDL (300tdi and 722.321 transmission) that runs great and shifted smooth before it was decommissioned due to an accident to the right front portion that affected the front axle of the car but didn't affect touch the drive train. It still runs and shifts, but can't be driven anymore. This would be my donor car.
So here's my question: Can I swap the drive train (motor and tranny together) from the 300SDL and put in my Rover without too huge of a headache or expense? I remember reading a post from someone else who was going to do the same thing and custom fabricate a shortened drive shaft to the transfer case. I'm not sure how that project turned out in the end, but it sounded to me like a great idea.
I'd rather go this route than to go through the gyrations of trying to mate up the 300tdi to the ZF tranny and then have to worry about shift points etc. I know some may say off the bat may say that it will be under powered and that the MB tranny isn't strong enough to move the Rover well, but I would counter that the 300SDL isn't exactly a featherweight itself.
As a matter of fact, the curb weight for the 300SDL is 3836 lbs. and my Rover is 4574 lbs., a difference of 738 lbs. The Gross weight on the MB is 4872 lbs. compared to the gross weight on the Rover of 6019 lbs. My rover is a weekend car that I would never load up to the gross weight or try to pull a trailer with. I have my wife's suburban for that stuff. I don't mind going low and slow with it either because I never drive the rover for anything that would be considered mission critical or need lightning fast arrival times.
I'd rather swap both together Instead of splitting the tranny off only to go through all of the headache of trying to adapt it to the ZF or finding a 5 speed manual Rover tranny and have to install the pedals etc...
So, long story long, is this a do-able idea? Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? Has anybody out there tried this with any success or failure?
Thanks in advance for any advice...
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