The G.M. Hummer that should've worked...

[H3Coyote]

OH, the lift struts have locks..?! TOO cool..!
Which fabric did you pick..? Is the tent top piece "lined"..?
Would you mind posting pictures of the interior, the images on the site are difficult to see, if you don't have pics that's okay if it's not convenient, I was just curious about how the top piece is covered...
Would you change your mind now about the fabric you chose after having it..?
Thanks for answering my questions Natchez, I appreciate it..!

 

[H3Coyote]

Hey Dan, thank you..! I appreciate it, I really think you're right about that little Mercedes diesel being strong enough, I'll have to rebuild it before I put it in, and I'm going to be doing extensive research and measuring to make sure the pieces are compatible with anything I could get through an aftermarket dealer here in the states (pistons/bore sizes, rods, valves, guides, seats, timing components). I'll also be trying to adapt the engine accessories from any average car, like the alternator, and go with an aftermarket ac system like vintage air...
The original 5 cylinder wasn't terrible, and with the 4.56:1 axle gears, it was fine with 33 inch tires. But you're EXACTLY right about that transmission..! With 40s and daily driving, none of that drive train will move down the road without a terrible compromise to it's strength.
Thank you for the compliments..! I just had to do a roof chop more similar to the M998... I just couldn't resist the temptation...

 

[Natchez]

OH, the lift struts have locks..?! TOO cool..!
Which fabric did you pick..? Is the tent top piece "lined"..?
Would you mind posting pictures of the interior, the images on the site are difficult to see, if you don't have pics that's okay if it's not convenient, I was just curious about how the top piece is covered...
Would you change your mind now about the fabric you chose after having it..?
Thanks for answering my questions Natchez, I appreciate it..!

I choose the poly over the poly cotton as 90% of our camping is in spring, summer, and fall and didn’t think we needed the extra thickness of the poly cotton. Also the pot cotton take much longer to dry and that was a deal breaker. . The top of the clam shell is lined with a quilted polyester type material that I believe is glued to the fiberglass shell.. which is a two piece sandwiched shell with about a 1.75”-2” air gap. The floor is raw aluminum. I am going to put a layer of reflectix down under the mattress. Speaking of the mattress. It could be better, we supliment the mattress with a Nemo double air mattress. If it’s not raining too much tomorrow I’ll make a quick video and host it to YouTube.

 

[H3Coyote]

OH, good choice on the fabric, and that's a great point with the drying time, I didn't even think about that..!
A video would be appreciated..! What's your YouTube channel, I'll have to subscribe for sure, thank you much for the help with this..!

 

[H3Coyote]

Okay..! I'm so pumped today..!
I'm going to check out that Benz OM606 engine, it's still in the wrecked car, but he said it starts and runs, and has 143k miles on it..!
Here's a bit of inspiration from YouTube...
It's a Nissan Patrol, on 42 inch pit bulls, but im unsure of his gear ratios..
He used an adapter plate to hook it to his original Nissan transmission.
I'll be using a 4L80 transmission, with a fully manual valve body, so I'll actually have to shift gears up and down, like a manual with no clutch...
Insert sinister laugh here...
The last time I was this excited about a build, was a Honda VTR 1000 motorcycle.
It was a V-twin, and I built it from the ground up, it was pinstriped by Tom Wojahn, he used to pinstripe with VonDutch, and Ed Roth. He also used to draw cartoons for car magazines like "Open Wheel" and "Popular Hot Rodding".
He was the man who painted our Red Barron, 4x4 conversion van back in the 70s, does anybody remember the 70s van craze..?

 

[nickburt]

Great build, can't wait to see it develop and the end result.

 

[H3Coyote]

Thanks nickburt, I appreciate it, I'm so stoked about it today...
Here's a well documented, and completed swap into a chevy 1500 silverado I just found out in YouTube land...

 

[H3Coyote]

Okay, why do people lie about an engine, car, or anything for sale on craigslist for that matter, why not just be honest and tell people the engine won't even rotate... AT ALL..!
That was a huge disappointment..!
But, ya know, Karma always has a way of working things out..!
By the time I got home, member mep1811, messaged me that he was going to send out the cool euro reflectors today..!
THANK YOU MEP1811..! Very cool of you Sir..!
And it's not really a big deal, or difficult to do a search, but I did find a company, here in the U.S., that builds a transmission to OM606 engine adapter plate... and that was cool too.
And the murder dog didn't crap in the house while I was out, glad to know he's feeling better...

 

[H3Coyote]

So, I decided to post an ad in Craigslist for an engine...
HA HA HA..!
Why not... LOL

 

[Smileyshaun]

Awesome sauce !!! Had a friend that stuffed a merc diesel in a fj40 not sure what one but it worked well.

 

[Smileyshaun]

After a while he did end up pulling it and putting in a turbo 3rz

 

[H3Coyote]

THANKS..! Thats a big compliment to coming from a guy who built his ENTIRE rig from different vehicles to make it exactly what you wanted, I totally appreciate it..!
Oh cool about your friends swap..!
Oh no, about your friends swap... LOL..!
What did he not like about the Merc diesel if you remember..?

 

[Smileyshaun]

I'll have to ask him but I think it was drivabilty, diesels have a fairly short power band . For his situation the turbo 3rz just worked better .

 

[H3Coyote]

I'll have to ask him but I think it was drivabilty, diesels have a fairly short power band . For his situation the turbo 3rz just worked better .

Oh, that makes sense, that's one of the reasons I couldn't have used a 4bt...
The OM606 twin cam turbo diesel runs up to, I think, 5500 rpm if I remember correctly.
I'll have to regear for the tires for sure, but I think it will be a good balance between the low end torque I was looking for, and the driveability for cross country trips out to Moab, Johnson valley, and stuff like that. Sort of a "Jack of All Trades" that will do everything WAY better than it did from the factory, with a lean toward more serious trails out west, around here it's mostly trees, mud, and limestone.

 

[Smileyshaun]

THANKS..! Thats a big compliment to coming from a guy who built his ENTIRE rig from different vehicles to make it exactly what you wanted, I totally appreciate it..!
Oh cool about your friends swap..!
Oh no, about your friends swap... LOL..!
What did he not like about the Merc diesel if you remember..?

Part of the reasoning behind why I'm building it the way I am is, doing repairs down the road. I've put help put together other rigs that ended up with alot of custom parts and it's all fine and good until something breaks and you have to source out a replacement part . For the most part it's just a SAS 87 Toyota pickup so most all replacement parts will be super easy to find.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Don't get me wrong I love diesel and really miss my Cummins with all its power and surprising fuel economy but I'm also cheap and diesel usually comes with a healthy repair cost , but thankfully they hardly ever go bad

 

[H3Coyote]

..."but thankfully they hardly ever go bad."
That's what I'm hoping for...
Well, that, and I'm hoping I rebuild it right the first time... LOL

 

[darthyota]

Your wanting for a diesel swap begs the question have you considered the new cummins R2.8?

 

[H3Coyote]

Your wanting for a diesel swap begs the question have you considered the new cummins R2.8?

Hey darthyota (I really like that username), I have really thought about the Cummins, and I would seriously, immediately, not even give that 2.8 a second thought, and in the future would TOTALLY dig it, and even promote it for that matter, I'd even go so far as to paint their name across the side of the Hummer... Actually, that might look really cool.
But at this point it's strictly a monetary issue.
I'm a big fan of Cummins, and would reccomend their engines to anyone, especially the new line that they've completely reworked and done so much research and development on. They've compiled mountains of on road data, and worked with the elite in automotive publishing just to design a real world product.
I just can't financially do that yet. But I'd TOTALLY DIG IT..!

 

[H3Coyote]

Darthyota, I really like your Raptor too by the way, they're a great truck..!