A few new facts about our rebuild:
From looking at what is defective and renewing it has now become a complete rebuild. And if we are already so far we will also take technical improvements that are not immediately visible and thus of course move away from the pure original.
Our goal is an optically nearly original looking truck with improved technology and a roadspeed without beeing an obstacle. Unfortunately you need to bring the old engine always near stress limit as i know now just by going through the normal roadtraffic. I have to stay behind any truck with road limit on 80 km/h on highways and if you want overtaking them.... So the aim is to reach a cruising speed around 120 km/h out of coming in a stress limit of the engine.
The Classic Car registration (H-approaved) we are aiming for is dead the moment we install a new engine that does not match the original. Many discussions with that issue with the authority of approval bring no other result. This means exactly every Optimizer Engine will lead to exclusion. The moment we want to disregard this registration any upgrade is possible which is allowed by the German TÜV. For who not now that authoroty: it control any technical equipment in Germany about safety in case of the Truck -> Motor vehicles tested for technology and road safety and approved for road use.
We have in germany a difference between Trucks and for example Blazer/Surburban. This both are SUV and will be declare on annual tax by the engine size. A truck will declare on annual tax by comlete weight on the truck. In our case 3,5 to - the truck is decreased from 3,9 to 3,5 load as above 3,5 you had to use a tachograph and you have annual technical tests on the road safety not more all 2 years. If you own a Blazer or Surburban with an old 6.2 Diesel Engine than you pay annual 2036 Euro just as it is not a truck.... than the H-Registration of that old engine give you an annual tax of 192 Euro for any classic car no matter if it is a truck, a motorbike or a sportcar. The gasoline engine 5,7l is annual tax on an old SUV with 1200 Euro. So all want to reach that classic car registration usually to safe money on the taxes.
Our aim on that Classic Car-Registration was only that you have no restriction on environments zones in Germany. Also our daily drivers (diesel) from 2007 and 2014 are not allow to drive in environment zones if we have an ozon alert.
The engine we ordered from the dealer was unfortunately not a GEP but a GM 141 and is now back to the seller. There was no problem in that as it was a clear order for a GEP engine not older than 2002 and a wrong deliver. I am glad that we did not take the complete package with installation, otherwise the wrong engine would have been installed and it would have been much more time-consuming to undo it.
Since we don't want to waste any more time with any combinations of old and new we will now buy a new engine. Then we can choose exactly the combination that is right for us and finally after renew all wearing parts we have a new Truck in front of us.
About AMGeneral I got a list of all suppliers, so that a new purchase is no problem. A little bit more difficult is the implementation for the road approval. The big German US car tuners I contacted gave up these conversions on CUCVs because hardly any customer is willing to pay the effort especially in the truck area. For a Corvette it looks different, but for a 35 year old ordinary military truck.... well there a some less crazy people like us who spent a lot money on that what could also costs a new truck. Only someone who is as crazy as we are understands why money doesn't matter anymore as long as you can afford it and don't ruin yourself.
For this reason, the road approval is now also finished and we have no more time pressure.
I am waiting for a statement from an expert AMGenerel from Sweden regarding the conversion to another engine. Here in Germany I have to prove that the vehicle is designed for the engine power i want use. He told us he can help in that issue.
I received the following reply from the TÜV head office as a summery:
In principle, when modifying the engine of a vehicle first registered in 1984, it is necessary to prove that the vehicle complies with the regulations in terms of rated power, maximum design speed, noise emissions, braking system, chassis and body strength.
The evidence relating to the braking system, maximum speed, chassis and body strength could possibly be provided by means of the maximum power variant installed as standard.
A driving and stationary noise measurement must be carried out in any case.
If the vehicle is H-approved, special requirements for the contemporary conversion of the vehicle must still be observed.
So now we will see in what we end up
More HP could result in some improvement on Brakes and frame.
Some talks before ordering are finally necessary
1. Choosing an engine
2. Checking if the HP is in the above declared parameters with/without upgrades
3. Talking to the TÜV Examiner with a finally statement of approve that choice
4. Buying the engine
5. Built in
6. Got the road approval
Would i go out of that way it can be that we not got the approval
The German TÜV is very bureaucratic but if it is asked beforehand and you talk about it you usually get an approval.
The worst way is to install an engine and drive up without technical documentation with only a performance certificate from the engine test bench. Then you have already lost and wasted a lot of money.
Unfortunately, the whole thing is very time consuming so that I do not expect in 2022 to have the truck back on the road. On the other hand a year is long ....
It has never been cheap to build something special