230 to 500 upgrade
Hello there,
In a junk yard near me i found two Gwagens:
1- 1985 230 GE, body in good condition , no engine
2- 1998 G500 engine in good condition, auto trans,
and body severely damaged.
I wonder if i can buy both cars and transfer all the g500 engine and all
other mechanical parts to the 230GE body.
The local MB dealer insists that i cannot do that but i do not believe them.
They say that the engine, tranny and transfer are very differnet in the two
models, and that the chassis of the 230 GE will not take the G500 parts.
The mounting is different !
So the question is : how different is the body of 460 (230 GE) from the 463 (G 500) ?
Does any one have diagrams/ schematics for both cars ?
Can anyone out there help me decide ? :? if the swap works i will add
another G to my collection if is does not i will have a G junk yard sitting in
my backyard.
Yor local dealer is unfortunately right: not only engine, gearbox, transfer box and axles are totally different, but also the chassis of the 463 is very different to that of a 460. Your only other option is to try to find an early 463 in a condition similar to the 230 GE you describe and do the transplant to it.
This is getting very confusing Mortinson.
I got a second opinoin from an ex-engineer at the dealer and he said that
it could be done, the dealer will just say no to avoid taking the job.
Also, i got a pm form a guy who did a 300 to 230 trasnplant and worked
fine for him. And a few other +ve replies on other G-forums.
If you have any other info please let me know.
Thank you ... Ashraf
As they say, the only things for sure in life are death and taxes. Of course that any thing can be done, it just depends on how difficult would the job be.
Assuming the set of frame and bodywork of the 230 G are in good condition, you can always take engine, gearbox, transferbox, axles and propshafts of the G500 and fit them to the frame of the 230 G and then add all other components together with the bodywork. Sorry I misinterpreted the question in my previous mail, and I meant that you cannot add the bodywork of a 460 to the chassis of a 463 without major re-engineering of the bodywork mounts. In any event, what you are proposing is a major transplant, with things that are different in aither car, such as axles, brakes, fuel system, etc.
In any event, before attempting the job, I would suggest that you make yourself aware of all the differences between a 460 and a 463. A good start is getting hold of the MB manual "The new cross-country vehicles - series 463, 200 GE, 230 GE, 300 GE, 250 GD and 300 GD, edited by MB on May 1990, which you can find, together with the rest, through the GWOA
God I just love this man he is an absolute sage!!
God I just love this man he is an absolute sage!!
Nick,
Many thanks for your kind words but it is my pleasure as you know to help fellow GWagen enthusiasts and human beings in general, particularly if I can do it before they fall prey to scrupleless cowboys who just want to rip them off. The good thing of the internet is that we can all share however little we know we similarly-minded people world-wide while just a few years back we had to make do with telling things to a wife who would not care or a pillow which would not listen (or was it the other way around?).
This might be the only good thing about computers, though...
ha ha .... agree to that!! :lol:
Ashraf,
I have a buddy transferring to Oman soon, can I trouble you to get some bits and bobs off the car such as the rubber trims from the rear door and back section, plus the rubber strip below the RHS doors (I am assuming the cars are LWB)? Pls let me know the cost and I can pass the $$ to him now and let him contact you.
He'd have to find a way to get it to Malaysia ... but that's another story ..h :roll: .
Cheers,
Jeff
Ashraf,
Someone closer to home will be going there mid next month .... really hope to get some replies before then .. cheers,
Jeff
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