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I expect you aren't going to be satisfied even if in A-1 condition. A 404 (and most other unimogs) are road going tractors. The 404s are known to not take kindly to high speed driving as the drum rims retain to much heat around the portals. Once the portals overheat you will be peeling off 100 dollar bills to cure the problems. Propane sure doesn't help, far lower BTU content than gas. Odds are the engine was set up low compression to run on low octane military gas.

Maybe I should do a beehive swap instead of an engine swap. That would make it run real sweet! But yeah, it runs real slow! Will climb over anything, just not fast. @peakbagger Thats what I kind of figured unfortunately. I would like to use it as a weekend excursion camper but I guess I will just have to trailer it to the mountains instead of driving it. Do you think I could shave down the head, and put a thinner gasket on it? What about a possible turbo? Odds are the head that I have isn't high compression, and I know propane likes a little higher compression than gas. I have a propane tractor which i did the same thing to and it picked up a bit of power.

Yes, you can do a few things - or even a lot of things to the engine, and gain a little more power, but not an impressive, or measurable mount. Nothing about its design includes being a highway truck.

The old 404 will do much better than that. That sweet little overhead cam engine will turn to 5500 rpm when tuned right. Rated speed is 96 kph and they will do better than that. That rated speed was tops for Unimogs until displaced by much later models, and only if those later models have faster axle ratios.

If you keep lube in the portals they will never over heat. The transmission is the weak link, having two bushings that can starve for lube at sustained high speed.

Synthetic trans fluid helps a lot.

The tranny will last forever at speeds around 50. It's when high sustained speeds, like on a level highway, approach 60 that transmission failure occurs. Quick runs up to 60 plus don't hurt it, as for running down hill fast to help on the next hill.

The Petronics ignition will not make it run better than the points it peplaces, but Petronics will not degrade over time like points do. And, there is no dwell to set! With the shielded cables, the spark plug gap is only half a mm and fouls easily. The gap cant be increased or the shielded cables will break down at the higher discharge voltage.

If the original shielded spark plug wires are still on it, that and the dissy cap, and shielded plugs should be replaced with a civilian kit as available from Expedition Imports.

That and a carb rebuild should help immensely. Oh, you said propane, so my carb advice can be ignored until you swap back to gas

Your 404 will need some TLC but you will like the results.

Farmallmilitary said:

Maybe I should do a beehive swap instead of an engine swap.

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Yep, you'd have that engine buzzing right along if you did.

Ok so thats good news meaning they can hit 50 if tuned right. That shows I have some room for improvement! I forgot to mention, it has already been converted to 12 volt and has upgraded spark plug wires. Do you think I could run a .025 gap on it, maybe that would help out a tad bit? Honestly I am debating on switching it back over to gas, never have been a real big fan of propane. With my past experience on propane, they seem real finiky.

Propane is wonderful if you anticipate driving slopes over about 45 degrees because the normal carb can't go much higher. In the case of off-road use, in lower gears the loss of power from propane is less of a concern.

How do you plan to use the 404?

The 404 can hit 60-65 on flat roads but for short runs only (transmission gets hot).

Yeah, I will admit that, propane is good for very steep angles and offroad use. My plans for it are to cruise it around on the weekends, maybe take it to the lake and use it as a camper. Since I have two communications boxs (one on the unimog and one on a trailer) I was hoping to fix up the insides of them and have a nice little camper/offroad rig. I just really need to figure out the low power issue I am having because as of right now I can barely hit 40 mph unloaded. I couldn't even begin to imagine how slow it would be right now if I put a trailer behind it!

My plans are to fill both the 50 gallon propane tanks up so I know there is good pressure, check spark plugs, timing, possibly rebuild the carb and regulator. Change all fluids in everything and go through the brake system. Right now, I just want to get it road worthy before I start putting money into the camper part of it. Although, both boxes are already wired for 110 along with 2 big solar panels and a controller. Just need to go through both boxes and rip out all the insulation since they both reek of mildew and mold. :/

tennmogger said:

How do you plan to use the 404?

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I might have the solution for you, Farmall. Next time you drive by, stop in and take a look at the Lotus Super Seven replica and/or the Austin Healey Bugeye I have for sale.
Both are faster than a 404, corner a whole lot better, and chicks dig them. Plus, they're plain fun to drive...while you figure out the Unimog.

Although that sounds very tempting, it also sounds very expensive! Well in the unimog, it technically is a 2 door Mercedes Benz convertible. All I have to do is tell the chicks that I drive that and they will be all over me....... Until they actually see it!

At $20K for both, it's not overly expensive.
And you can imagine (or maybe you can't, not really knowing me) my friend's reaction when I told them that I bought "a Mercedes with 20s".

So you want a engine swap?

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/unimog/1705510-404-engine-swap-again-6.html

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/unimog/2188393-404-tdi.html

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=426252

Unimog 404, late 60's, early 70's. Kinda cramped if you have more than 2-3 people in it with gear, but a nice place to get out of the cold! Heater works good!

I spent an interesting night in one at the Lüneburg Heide Training area about 1986? I was on an NATO inspection team, doing a AFCE TAC-EVAL. Allied Forces, Central Europe, Tactical Evaluation. We were inspecting a German HAWK, Air Defence Unit. I had climbed up into one of the COMMO vans to check if the unit had COMM's with higher headquarters. It was warm inside and the guys wanted to talk about the States, so I hung out awhile. All the sudden, the sky lit up, like we had a nuke go off over the roof! I about crapped my drawers. The COMMO van was about 200 meters away from a German 155 gun unit, and they fired in Battery. I thought I would never stop hyperventilating. It happened again the next night, while I was stumbling around in the dark. I was flash blinded, and liked to never found my way back to our vehicle.

Farmallmilitary said:

Although that sounds very tempting, it also sounds very expensive! Well in the unimog, it technically is a 2 door Mercedes Benz convertible. All I have to do is tell the chicks that I drive that and they will be all over me....... Until they actually see it!

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In Germany wie say, the 404 drives as fast as a hiking dune. The chicks will be enthusiastic.

Guyfang said:

Unimog 404, late 60's, early 70's. Kinda cramped if you have more than 2-3 people in it with gear, but a nice place to get out of the cold! Heater works good!

I spent an interesting night in one at the Lüneburg Heide Training area about 1986? I was on an NATO inspection team, doing a AFCE TAC-EVAL. Allied Forces, Central Europe, Tactical Evaluation. We were inspecting a German HAWK, Air Defence Unit. I had climbed up into one of the COMMO vans to check if the unit had COMM's with higher headquarters. It was warm inside and the guys wanted to talk about the States, so I hung out awhile. All the sudden, the sky lit up, like we had a nuke go off over the roof! I about crapped my drawers. The COMMO van was about 200 meters away from a German 155 gun unit, and they fired in Battery. I thought I would never stop hyperventilating. It happened again the next night, while I was stumbling around in the dark. I was flash blinded, and liked to never found my way back to our vehicle.

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I have been thinking about it and maybe a tdi would be a good way to go. They are a fairly cheap engine as well as being small. The only concern i would have would be the rpm range the tdi would have. Also, in the mean time I am probably going to pull the comm box off of the 404 for "weight reduction" as well as it being less top heavy for when I take it on some trails. How much you guys think the comm box weighs? Maybe 1,000-1,500lbs?

Die Box wiegt etwa 800kg (etwa 1750lbs). Je nachdem, welche Einrichtung vorhanden ist.

The box weighs about 800kg (about 1750lbs). Depending on which equipment is available.

Dang, those boxes are heavy, no wonder the comm 404s are so slow!

Die 404 sind auch ohne Box lahm wie eine Ente.


The 404 are also lame without a box like a duck.

Nicht schlecht!

Wie meinst Du das?

How do you mean?