1975 Mercedes 309 Camper Possibilites

[aschafer14]

Totally new here but I'm in the market for a expedition camper. I came across this Mercedes 309D camper and love the look of it. Just curious if anyone knows if it s possible to do a 4x4 conversion on these and if so then I'm sure something would need to be done with the already under-powered with the 85hp 4 cylinder 314 diesel. It has an Allsion 540 transmission.

 

[mhiscox]

I'm pretty sure the general wisdom is to leave the truck as it is. It's one of those "tool for the job" things, and if the job involves highway speeds and lots of miles each day, it's probably best to give it a pass. On the other hand, if you are thinking of going somewhere where the pace is slower, these have made outstanding expedition trucks for many people. Also, if you are worried about the 4WD for rock crawling, etc., this won't work, and if you are staying on roads, remember that 4WD is rare among the locals on the market roads you'd use to get around. Also, FWIW, these are considered some of the better 2WD trucks for getting around; my friend Jim Ince drove a similar vehicle as an ambulance in the Himalayas and had very good things to say about it's suitability.

I like the looks, too, so I understand where you are coming from. And with enough time and money, most anything is possible, But given that parts can be expensive and experienced mechanics hard to find, I'd suggest figuring out whether this truck will do the job pretty much as it sits.

 

[Ullie]

With a locker on the back axle, this vehicle gets very far in 2WD. Do it slowly and you'll be amased.
We came across some Germans in the Albanian mountains last summer with such a vehicle and they passed everywhere where we did in 4x4 (merc 814 DA). When it gets muddy or in loose sand, than they have a disadvantage to the 4x4.

 

[thebigblue]

If the truck has the same axles as a 608 you can´t have a diff-lock - I've been told by a 608 specialist that a diff-lock does not exists for the axels on these trucks....?

 

[aschafer14]

Guys thanks for the feedback.

So I never get a response from that seller but just came across another one a few days ago. This one is 1972 with an asking price of $14k which seemed crazy given the condition of the interior, I have talked him down to $10.5 but I am having trouble justifying that price, there are so few of these I have found for sale/sold its tough to get a sample size on price. I have seen them as low as $3k for the Omnibus that was sold here, ok condition bus for around $15k or $30k fully restored and then about $6-$8k on the German market.

Any advice here, chances are I would rip out the interior and start from scratch on anything this old unless it was already restored.

I plan on going to check it out tomorrow, anything specific I should be looking at with these?



Any insight would be a huge help

 

[thebigblue]

I've fetched, myself a ex-fire truck L608D in Germany 6 month ago, reasonable prices, no rust and very low milage is the main advantage IMO, mine had 32.000 km. on it then. The 4 cylinder version are fairly common, the 6 cylinder are rare and expensive too. Try to find one with the bigger wheels and power steering.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/149681-Mercedes-Benz-L608D-ex-feuerwerk-truck

 

[aschafer14]

I found a bunch of stuff at the link below in Germany but I would have to import to California, which is a mess. I have no idea what the cost to import is but I feel like the import taxes, shipping, and then import service fees would be at least $3-4k which kind of negates the price difference.

This one allegedly has low miles, I just have my fingers crossed on the rust situation and hoping the roof is still in good shape.

suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?isSearchRequest=true&scopeId=MH&makeModelVariant1.makeId=17200&maxFirstRegistrationDate=1980-12-31&maxPowerAsArray=PS&minPowerAsArray=PS&fuels=DIESEL&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED

 

[aschafer14]

Well unfortunately it was a good from far, far from good situation, I went and saw today and the rust was going to be a big issue, it had been sitting for a while, he didn't know if the fridge or stove worked (which means they don't). The interior wasn't as bad as it looked in the pictures but this was a little too far gone for me, undercarriage and motor looked good but I was afraid to dig any deeper so I passed on it. The search continues.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[ctp13]

Hi Mike

I'm pretty sure the general wisdom is to leave the truck as it is. It's one of those "tool for the job" things, and if the job involves highway speeds and lots of miles each day, it's probably best to give it a pass. On the other hand, if you are thinking of going somewhere where the pace is slower, these have made outstanding expedition trucks for many people. Also, if you are worried about the 4WD for rock crawling, etc., this won't work, and if you are staying on roads, remember that 4WD is rare among the locals on the market roads you'd use to get around. Also, FWIW, these are considered some of the better 2WD trucks for getting around; my friend Jim Ince drove a similar vehicle as an ambulance in the Himalayas and had very good things to say about it's suitability.

I like the looks, too, so I understand where you are coming from. And with enough time and money, most anything is possible, But given that parts can be expensive and experienced mechanics hard to find, I'd suggest figuring out whether this truck will do the job pretty much as it sits.

Good to see your still out there

Chuck Presnail

 

[olafboswijk]

what about this 609 from '88 on https://www.facebook.com/camperpoint? don't know the price and you'd have to import and ship it but it's a trusted source
and great vehicle. it has powered steering and the inside is still empty so you could do the conversion yourself. only 78000km on the dial. not 4x4 but these can go far with just 2WD.

 

[rbgerrish]

mb309.com has some literature.

 

[extrememory]

In Germany a company called Igelhaut made conversion to 4x4 in the past.
german wiki

english wiki T2

 

[Ullie]

In Germany a company called Igelhaut made conversion to 4x4 in the past.
german wiki

english wiki T2

In the past? They still do it. It's the firm in Germany to get a better 4x4 than from the mercedes factory.