Newbie..in surrey
After a year of negotiation with my better half.. a G is on the cards.. for sometime late this year... I want a G500 463 SWB Black G Wagen, black leather and AMG 55 looks with side exhausts.. not asking much then!!.... but that is the ultimate aim... I know from reading this forum that there are only 8 RHD models in the UK.... the other issue is Budget mine is small...i know i shouldnt boast !! only 5-8 grand..however im lookinh for a sound project car to convert over the next 2-3 years.. so wrong colour/interior/etc can be changed... my two ideas are Get a left habd drive 500 SWB and convert to RHD... or......... a sound g300 swb and convert the engine and gearbox to a 5 litre... i have basic mechanical skills.. but am tenatious and enthusiastic! (sounds like a lonely hearts ad!!)
and advice would be greatfully recieved....
BRT
hi brt,
welcome. i think for your budget you would be very hard-pressed to find a V8, either here or on the Continent. Go for the 300 and see if you like it. I don't know what's involved with changing the engine/gearbox/transferbox, but others on this forum do.
Good luck,
Phileas
You won't get a 500 for that money, nor will you be able to do a conversion. You'll need alot more to finish it. The interior parts are expensive too so you can't just replace the interior with a different colour.
Get a 300 and enjoy it until you have more money.
Your budget is low for what you want. If a project is what you are after, my suggestion would be to buy a very cheap rolling chassis and either work that body or replace it with one that may not be badly rotten as in my mind's eye, your rolling chassis would be like.
Whilst you are doing your cosmetic body work repairs to replicate your G500 bling, the interior can be locally commissioned to upholster, but not necessarily to copy the G500, remember there are some compromises you will need to make, given the budget and keep your other half sweet, don't ever forget her.
Do not, go into this project lightly, research this well, don't let your heart rule the issue for you, think it out in your mind, you have to consider options on donor vehicles, doyou want Mercedes power unit or willing to accept other power units; one of the major complaints of G-Wagen owners is the lack of power and economy. This should be your consideration. This is for a very determined individual, otherwise buy what best you can in your budget and be content with that, at least you would have the experience of the vehicle and not keep dreaming of it. The experience will give you better insight in what you need to do in latter undertaking your own agenda.
Between five and eight grand is what it costs to run a G500 never mind buy one !!!
HI BRT,
welcome to the forum! I must say you certainly have a task ahead of you. I will be careful and ask the question 'Do you have more than a basic experience in changing/ rebuilding cars?' Out of the two options I would say the second option would be the best course. I would advise against taking on such a project, as Piston Head has pointed out there is someone else in the equation...the Mrs!
As big block pointed out...... it does cost a few bob to run a 500 (on this matter I am VERY sure).
The benefits of the second option is that you can do it over time, find the right bits, but for your budget you would have greater chance of getting a working truck. If your not to fussy a LHD import from Germany could fit your budget, but of its RHD you want, I am afraid you will have to pay (just ask Aero 94). Though never rule out finding the 'Barn Find'.
One plan could be; Buy the best condition G you can find (300 or LHD 500) and get the Mrs to come out and have a play when we next go on a Green Lane or Salisbury plain jolly and, if you can, let her have a go, soon she will have the bug, budgets can s-t-r-e-t-c-h and you maybe able to get a nice condition SWB 500 as an 'investment'.
Once again Best of luck what ever you decide/do and welcome to the GWOA
Spider1V
You won't get a LHD g500 other than a complete basket case for that kind of money. LHD vehicles are more expensive and hold their value better than RHD because the demand for them in Europe is much greater. Check out mobile.de. How many G's have you driven, I would imagine a G55 or even a G500 to be terrifying given its height, weight and poor handling characteristics. In the case of the G sometimes less is more.
So all in all your budget is £20k, so why not wait 2 years, save the money and buy a 500 for £15k, rather than get a project, you'll end up spending too much time away from wifey,she'll get fed up with you in the shed, so will run off with the builder, take you to the cleaners and you've lost the lot!
Mod it my way you got £5k spare to spend on the wife, all happy ever after.
Big red,
When it comes to the fuel, have now changed my name to BpessoMcShell!
First the not so good news.....
Assuming the only difference is that you get a SWB v's LWB (which is what I have) cost from flat to fill up the G ranges between £110 - £120 per tank, driving at a steady 60-70 MPH currently returning around 290-320 Miles per tank (circa 14-16.8 MPG). There is also the serving costs the G 500 run's 16 spark plugs so that can also get expensive when they need changing!
Now the great news..............
ITS A V8!, ITS A V8!, ITS A V8!......... :).
Not withstanding the AMG, which I think most members would love, the benefit the G500 has over the AMG version is that at least one can off road in it, the power is more than adequate and if you don;t have heavy duty AT tyres the MPG will go up as far as 19MPG! (the wife did that on a run down to her parents). Which for a V8, hefting around a couple of tones is not bad at all. One can pick up a good MB500 engine from either an SL or CL . However if you wanted to do 'the street thang' then I would drop a PM to 'Gooch', he is a dab hand at changing anything to it looks like an AMG! (He has the only V8 G300 I have ever seen! LOL :)
Yes sitting almost up a meter can get a bit scary around corners at speed, but you will be suprised just how far one can push it at speed (so do a search on the forum and you can find the time I was 'tugged' at a silly speed.....). The AMG is much better at this, and the AMG noise is very 'rude boy'. The 500, i find , is much more understated.... which as other members will tell you fits my profile perfectly!
If you are a gifted technician I would say go for the work, however looking at your total spend you may want to take your time and look around, it is getting more and more difficult to find a G500 with less than 90K on the clock, however if it is a standard G500 and the engine has been looked after, I would say its only just run in......
Hope this helps..
Spider1V (aka BpessoMcshell)
Agreed. 8k would get one a reasonable condition 300GE on the continent with limited options (e.g. no sunroof, no headlamp washers, no electric windows for the back).
Sometime ago there was a 98 G500 with 668k km on mobile.de and the seller was asking for €16.8k.
Also, if one gets a relatively more expensive LHD, one could always sell it back to the continent for a good price :D
When you have settled and decided what you want to do, I have a favor to ask, and that is to document your project with photos and post them on site; the club might be able to use the material for their magazine.
If you can manage a video, that will be even nicer.
Enjoy,
I wouldn't recommend a lhd/rhd conversion. There will be many parts which you will end up having to make yourself.
If you do a v8 conversion you will end up with a with a bit of a dog. You have the choice of two engines in reality. One from the 80s which is largely mechanical and uses plenty of fuel. The other is the one used in the g500 made from 1999 onwards. It is electronic. If you source the engine from a wrecked car without the key fobs you will need to bypass the imobiliser system which is part of the ecu. MB spent alot of effort to ensure you couldn't.
The G500 uses the newer engine which is substantially better on the fuel than the previous mechanical version. It also uses a 5 speed gearbox and a different transfer box to the 300. This means that it is possible to get high teens maybe 20 mpg out of the vehicle.
Stick an older engine in a 300 with standaard gearbox, transfer box and diff ratios and you will get 10-12 mpg. Ask Peter Perfect. He had a very good 300 converted to g500. Is was good off road which was its primary purpose. And the conversion cost plenty. The transfer box alone is £3500. Gearbox who knows.
Buy a g300 leave it standard and you will be happy with 180hp
mate, i thought i was over enthusiastic with my G dreams and projects....!
this is gonna be interesting to read up on.
btw , why do you want a V8 ? sound, power or just want to be another spider on the wall !
here is an intersting read up for you...
http://www.clubgwagen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2821&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
i would not advice you about the lhd to rhd conversion... its very very costly and time consuming.
i would rather buy a high spec swb 463 drive it a while and really look into all your options.
i will eventually convert my G300 like the mr per in the link above . his brother has a dyno tested 400 bhp 606a in his w129 sl !!
good luck.
rgds hus
Welcome to the club - you have a new private message (PM).
dump the cat add a free flow filter and you could bring it up to nearly 200bhp, not as much as a bent 8 but enough
Thanks for the advice and replies guys.. As and when I decide on the route to nirvana I am taking I will share with all if you.. I have a lot to think about.. I am still keen on a V8 and SWB.. I think when it comes to cars.. Anything is possible.. Given enough time and sufficient funds.. I agree with the comment converting LHD to RHD might have more issues than shoehorning a v8 lump into a G300.. All things considered I think a RHD car might be the best starting point.. My plan is to reserve and source a car august time.. Which is when the funds will be available.. Which is the best sequence to restore a car.. Mechanical first or bodywork / respray I'm keen to find a rust free car .. But it has to be a 463.. I plan to do all mechanical work myself.. With the assistance of a friendly mechanic friend( hopefully)! I'm not in a huge hurry..
You might as well get a V8 Range rover Vogue 2000'-2001 for £4-5k mate. Cheap alternative for a V8 In RHD.
or.
G300 W436 SWB you'll prob get one for £7k then you can fit an old S-class M117 5.0 litre or 5.6 litre (S500,S560SEC) Convert reardrums to discs, 300 Gearbox hacks the 500 power unit, it has been done over and over. A cheap engine £500 to £1000 Merc Breakers
Stick to 4Matic (autoboxes) and early engines (SEC, S-CLASS).
Hello,
Dont want to pi** on your chips but serioulsy you wont fing a decent 500 for less than £30K and if you want to make anything look like one of the new 55's or 350's then you had better have deep pockets. I have just done a full job on a 300 and have insane money in the sodding thing......but then it does look brand new inside and out!! just remember G wagons (wood and leather division) are not buddget motoring whatever way you look at them.
The cheap ones are 460's and they will never look like a new 463.
a 463 in half decent condition should cost you around 11-15K for the base car. then remember it will be off the road for a minimum of 6 months. and also think of all of the extra small bits you will replace as you are ripping it apart and you just want to get it all right..... an extra switch here £40 a rubber door seal there £120 the list will go on and on and on...
g
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Jaffa_JIM_23
- Wrabstar
- GG
- KTMSCANIA22
- 280ge
Thanks for all the replies... you have all given me much to consider... I should have mentioned there will probabily be 5-10k more in the budget to complete my G.. the origional figure would be for the purchase of the base vehicle for the project ! athough the extra money will be spread over the two years so as not to bust the household budget...slow but sure... my dream is like most i imagine... throbbing V8 5.5 AMG Gwagen... however i am realistic ( up to a point!) which is why i wanted a G500.. yesterday while out shopping with the wife...i passed Mercedes Benz Epsom.. and outside was a black G350 Bluetec on 5000mils (ex demonstrator for Brooklands)with its rear in the air on a display ramp... i went in and blagged a test drive!! (my first in a G Wagen!!_))) i fell in love with it instantly... and wanted to take it home... the only stumbling block was the 80k price tag!! when i explained after to my wife my project car could look that good for 15k she was much happier!! the dealer still thinks i am buying one... letting them down gently!!... anyway back to my project...
I have never attempted anything like this before...i dreamed of a kit car since i was 16... now 46!! i am aquiring tools and space in my garage at the moment...
My questions to you guys...
How difficult will it to be to convert Left to right hand drive/? my favored option.. looks like more Lefties to choose from (wife wont drive a leftie) i found that out with a corvette in the 1990's
will a v8 fit onto a g300 gearbox... and how hard to convert?
I will find some AMG seats from a write off for interior and retrim panels to match... maybe an engine too!!! mmmmm
sorry if this has been done to death spyder just how deep will my pockets need to be to 'run' a V8 Gwagen?
I have looked at the buyers guides but the V8 isnt mentioned... and a LHD to RHD will increase the numbers from 8 to 9 !!
do Left to right hands drive conversions have problems with insurance (a remember the question about being UK vehicle)
Appreciate the welcome.... one other point... once mine is finished i will never ever sell it... so it has to be the dream car!! nothing inbetween will do!!
BRT