87 jeep wrangler (617 coversion)
 

okay guys i am going to try to post these pics.this is my 87 wrangler with 3.0 td mercedes engine mated to ax-15 trans.I have seen a lot of interest in this project and it can be done.I have made this jeep to look stock and have made all my gages work other than rpm gage but am working on it.so far i have about 900 miles on this and runs great. now i am going to get rid of jeep rust and have a cool ride.check it out guys.

thats awesome my buddy was trying to talk me into going that route with my toyota the mercedes motors are supposed to be great

Looks GREAT!!!

you got any plans for lift or anything or is it mainly street driven bet that motor would make for a great rockcrawling set up

i may go with small lift but is street setup right now,but who knows a year ago i didnt think i will be doing this and just woke up one day with idea:ok1:

where ya from?

:U:akron ohio

well looks awesome man how hard was the swap what did it take to get it all together?

at beginning it looked like it was going to be pain but once started on it wasnt that bad. i made my adapter plate ,engine mounts and modified original jeep flywheel to fit engine and was on my way.got a lot of wierd looks and very little suport from people that new i was doing swap:booo: O and lets not forget a truck load of beer and here i am

Nice - Great ride!! :U::U:

Wow that's really cool. I've thought about putting a lot of different engines in Jeeps over the years but never one of those. Good job, man.:c: :upup:

How is it for power on teh street? What Kind of fuel milage you getting?

power iss good on road but only 5th gear is sluggish(no power) due to high gear ratio, but i plan on changing my ring and pinion but have little problem trying to figure out the best rpm's to run that engine so i can figure out my gear ratio.as far as mpg i got as high as 32 mpg if drive like granny but if i step on it hard it goes down to 22-23 mpg. but on average i get around 27-28 mpg normal everyday driving

I was thinkin 4bt ...... But you have the brain wheels smokin with thought !! Did you reuse the stock radiator ??? What ( mods ) to stock flywheel ??? Is the 85 Mercdz diesel turbo charged and is it Intercooled ??? If not intercooled ... How hard does it look to adapt an intercooler ??? How hard to make the engine to trans adapter ?? Could you do another and HOW MUCH ??? Is the engine computer controlled or mechanical ??? EXACTLY what 1985 Mercedez did you rob the engine from ?????????

Sorry for so many questions :c:.... I told you; you had the brain wheels SMOKIN !!!! :pca1::pca1::pca1:

I am in south Louisiana and I just installed a Supercharger in my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited but now I want to play with the YJ !!! I wanted a Diesel in the 07 but ( for now ) the swap is cost prohibitive !!! Maybe in a couple years !!??? :rocking:

:5:as you can see in my photos i did reuse stock radiator just had to reroute hosses.engine came out of 85 mercedes wagon and it is 3.0l turbo charged but not intercooled.it looks that jeep has enough room to fit intercooler in front of radiator but you would have to find cooler with inlet and outlet on same side as mercedes made exaust and intake on same side,unless you want to rig something up that may look goofy but work,that would be up to you.engine is completly mechanical and has no computer for it which makes it easier.i used stock jeep flywheel and made it to fit mercedes engine. and as for adapter you have to be patient and do lot of measuring but i didnt think it was that terrible. i couldnt find anybody to make me one so my buddy and i made it.i figured this was the way to go with this conversion as if i would ever need any parts for it you can buy of the shelf ,other than flyweel.everything else is eather jeep or mercedes.i was able to transfer all my sensors to mercedes engine so even my gages work as they should.since i have 87 i used same fuel tank and onlu had to make bigger opening for fuel nozzle

When you say " made the flywheel FIT " ... do you mean you re-drilled the holes to mate to the Mercedz crank ??? IF SO .... How far ( OFF ) were the holes ??? Any chance you wrote down the measurements on the engine to trans adapter AND saved the piece of paper ??? :5:

Many more questions to come !!!!! I am assuming the fuel pump is mechanical and not electric ... so is there a mechanical fuel pump on the engine ?? ... sorry for such a newbie question but I have no knowledge of the Mercdz engine !!!

yes by fit i mean i welded holes and redriled them to fit mercedes crank as these engines came only with auto trans in USA,which means they have 12 holes and jeep has 6.i didnt write down measurements on paper as i made it on the spot.fuel pump was mechanical in jeep and is on mercedes.in your case you may have to go with older fuel tank if it will fit from jeep 87-91

Cool !! Thank you so much for answering questions !!!! The 94 has electric pump , but I should be able to disconnect wires to electric pump and reuse the tank with a little modification ??!!!??

What kind of specialty tools did you use to " make " the engine to trans adapter ??? And didn't you know some idiot like me was gonna ask you for the dimensions on the adapter !!! :argh::argh: Man if you had the dimensions or could make COPIES of your adapter to SELL !! :humm::humm: There is your million dollar idea my friend !!! :U::U::U: Those would be worth a couple hundred bucks each !! :ok1::ok1::ok1:

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On the power steering looks like you used the Mercdz pump .... Did you keep the existing Jeep steering box ??? Did you just have a set of hoses made to adapt one to the other ?? My 94 has A/C and I live in south Louisiana ... so keeping the A/C is the ONLY option !! So is the Sanden A/C compressor adaptable to the Mercedz A/c bracket I did not notice this in your pics ????

no man i didnt figure that someone would have all theese ?. as far as a/c this engine had a/c and i removed it since my jeep didnt have one.i stripped brackets and also some other stuff that i didnt need.power steering hosses were soldered to mercedes fitting to fit pump and i was able to use original steering gear box.to make adapter i didnt use nothing special just stuff in your garage torches,drill,grinder,welder etc... but we did make this hole transfer tool to be precise on holes it is piece of rod with welded piece on one end and had sliding piece on other end with bolt on top to lock it up, and it worked like charm
as for milion dolar idea if i had machine that i could just put #'s in and make plate that would be great,but to cut ,drill and grind all day for for maybe couple houndred bucks, who knowes maybe one day if i loose day job i may have too lol

Another question !??

How did the pilot bearing / pilot bushing workout ???? Were they coincidentally the same size or " close enough " or how do you keep the tip of trans stabbed into the crank of engine ???? Was it an " off the shelf at the parts house piece " and if so ..... for what application ???? I will need one before it is all said and done !!!!

And again thank you very much for answering my questions !!!! :U::U:

i used needle pilot bearing from jeep and also used ford pilot bearing (i have old package in garage somwhere with part number) ford bearing was perfect fit into mercedes crank (outside diametar) and i drilled inside to fit jeep bearing. also in my case i used 5/16 steel plate for adapter which made my trans input shaft perfect fit without cutting or fabricating

Great to know !!! :ok1:

The depth was gonna be my next question :5:.... so the 5/16 plate made it correct depth !!! Was that planned or a nice by-product of a fluke???? :lol88:lol

no fluke just lot of measuring lol

More questions !!

Vlado .... What were the size and dimensions of the motor mounts ( brackets ) !! Where did you source the actual motor Mounts ( original to Mercedez ??? ) ????? Did you find the Ford part # or application for the pilot bearing ???? :5: :U:

i used original mercedes motor mounts and bushings.all i did is made brackets and reinforced them and welded to frame and cut off old ones from jeep.i had these on donor car and i used everything i could from it:choochoo:
i did find old wrapper from pilot bushing.i bought this at advance auto parts store.
ford clutch pilot bushing
pn-14656

applications
ford,lincoln/mercury
1968-82 250 cu.in.
1968-86 302,351,400 cu.in.

it will fit into mercedes crank.i tapped it in with rubber malet and was snug fit,and you will have to drill center hole litle bit to fit jeep needle pilot bearing in it or whatever bearing that you are using.measure twice cut once:c:

Thanks buddy !!!


I am gonna have to come to Akron; and take (pics) :c::c: of everything while we drink a couple pitchers !!!

no questions here, just a thumbs up great job... takes a lot to spend that much time on something. gld to see ya didn't do this witha cj5, I still have bruises from gettin in and out of the one I was involved with, 15 years ago ! how bout some power mods for that puppy now, you say all mechanical, pump tweaks/ plates/ cones.. any fun to be had there ?

any time my friend i am always up for some beer.lol

how bout some power mods for that puppy now, you say all mechanical, pump tweaks/ plates/ cones.. any fun to be had there [/QUOTE]

plenty of power to be had with this engine.it depends what kind of money you want to spend. these mercedes engines are able to produce 500hp, this was buget project ut who knows maybe some day:5:

I was interested in the swap for the fuel economy and being a truck driver I just like the DIESEL .... but it is also capable of 500 horses ????? :yeah::yeah:

Where can I get more info on this Mercedez engine ??? :humm: What book can I pick up to tell about pumps, plates, injectors, and other performance upgrades ???? :humm: Vlado :5:.... Where did you hear about this engine being capable of 500 horses ???? OMG the torque must be in the 1200 range !! :choochoo::choochoo:

google it and you will find lot of links and also i found it on mercedes diesel forum:ok1:

Vlado if you ever decide to sell the kit i would go back through and pull everything apart and send all the custom stuff to a GOOD machine/fab shop and have them replicate everything.........i can tell you that if you decided to sell these kits, you probably couldnt keep up with production cause of the demand........its alot cheaper alternative to the 2.8 diesel swap that costs like 7-8K to do......

You see VLADO !!!!! :5: I am not the only one that thinks this is your million dollar idea !!LOL !! :c::c::U:

go to a jeep website and post this up......your PM box will be full of requests......i can almost guarantee it......

Just noticed a company called 4 x 4 labs is already working on it .... they started with chevy trans but are definately doing the AX-15 in the future !!!

thanks for the input guys:U:i will be posting pics of finished product soon here as i was working on it non stop to get body work and paint done.one down side to finishing this project is that my wife loves the jeep and wants to drive it but i refuse to give it up at this point:madd:so now she is bugging me to build her one so i may be doing another one pretty soon:humm:

Thought this link may be helpful.

I am sorry if it is against the rules. It is a long read .... but well worth it B3.3T Jeep YJ - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums

Thanks for the link it is definitly interesting but that swap looks and sounds crazy expensive:argh: and you have to consider all the drivetrain gearing as that guy runs high gears for low rpm engine.also what is max rpm for this engine?:humm: in my opinion you cant justify the price for swap especially if you are trying to convince your wife :ouch:
also if you are going to drive your jeep daily you want that engine to be as quiet as possible as jeeps are noisy enough

Correct... It is $4400; but for BRAND NEW engine!! But, He used a b3.3 and I quoted for QSB3.3 price which is common rail and computer controlled !!( think 89 Dodge Cummins as b3.3 and 2004 Dodge Cummins as QSB3.3) VERY QUIET and VERY SMOOTH !! B3.3 STOCK is 85 horse ( he has played with injectors and timing and pump and is like 140 horse now ) and QSB3.3 is 99 or 110 horse because of common rail and it is tier III emissions compliant straight out the shipping box and MAX torque is 304 at 1700 rpm !!
He left stock 3.07 gears for low rpm highway cruising ( 1700 rpm i believe ) !! Max Horsepower is around 2600 so I believe MAX rpm is 3200 - 3300 !! IMHO.. You should be able to run 3.55 gears and still get high 20s for MPG ( like 27 to 28 highway )
The engine price is a bit higher initially but the adapter pieces are much cheaper than Advance Adapter and readily available from Pheonix Casting in Nebraska.

I believe I can do this in the $6000 area ( although, the end of the 50 page post has someone with " close to $8000 in reciepts" ) !! I have purchased correct bellhousing and flywheel from salvage yard and only paid $100 for both pieces !! I am figuring $4400 for engine ; $170 for clutch ; $100 for bellhousing and flywheel ; $495 for engine to trans adapter and engine flywheel to trans flywheel adapter ;( quote from Pheonix Casting ) and $10 for pilot bushing ..... leaves $ 825 for incidentals !! Thinking about it ... even though I know a welder and a Cummins mechanic for 20 years .... and can do ALL mechanical myself ( labor in my shop ) ..... maybe I am shooting a little low :w2:???? OK :yeah:... $6500

ALL conversions so far are daily drivers and ALL get low to mid 30's for MPG ; except the GMC Sonoma who is gettin almost 40 mpg!!:rocking::rocking:

I found an 1984 turbo diesel in the north of houston area ( unadvertised ) with 140,000 miles body is good !! Owner had ignition cylinder trouble so he pulled the steering column to fix and got frustrated and left it to sit 3 or 4 years ago !! :yeah::yeah:

It is just waiting for someone to pull the motor !! :ok1::ok1::ok1:

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I believe I am gonna sell/trade-in the 2007 SUPERCHARGED Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and work on the Cummins QSB 3.3 in the 94 YJ Wrangler !!!

does that engine comes complete (turn key ready) or long block... also if you know good cummings guy why not look at used engine and rebuild it,that way will save you some money up front and later for tunning if you plan on doing as you can buy all aftermarket performance parts and not spend the money on stock that you may soon after swap replace anyways.dont forget the rule of thumb when doing the swap,wathever you figure your cost will be double that and that is your final price.it may not be in your case but i think you may be closer to 8000-8500 price range.remember that you dont have donor car that you can go and pull parts off of behind your garage.your jeep is 94 and does your computer operates your gages,if it does you will have to replace all those and what sensors are you going to use.
one another thing dont belive those guys when they say they run stock rears and they are happy with them you may not be,figure out your gear ratio based on engine spec and see what is fuel sweet spot and what rpms you shuld be to have power when you need it and not having to downshift?what size tires you run?what is your trans gear ratio in each gear? what is max mph you want to run? those are just few things to consider that i can remember of top my head.i wish you the best of luck on your project and i want you to have that grin on your face when you start your jeep.i get one every morning and is a beautiful thing