Kent Bergsmas 1979 300SD with DTC Ultimate 4000 Conversion Installed.

You are looking at Kents pristine 1979 300SD turbo diesel that he recently acquired from the original owner. This sedan is so cherry the original spare tire has not been out of the trunk. Kent prefers the 116 chassis over the 123 or 126. He feels the ride and handling are smoother and quieter and the their transmissions better shifting and much more predictable.

To make this the ultimate road cruiser, Kent designed and installed his all weather all terrain DTC Ultimate 4000 Vegetable oil fuel conversion. The components he manufactured and chose for this kit came out of his own experience of working on and driving a number of different vegetable oil fuel systems. All the old nagging problems were addressed and we are happy to share with you some pictures of the results.

We love filters

If you have been around vegetable oil fuel operations at all you know that most performance problems are related to either air in the fuel lines or plugged filters. Other nagging problems are difficult and messy SVO filter changes, fueling spills and fuel leaks into the trunk, excessive heat buildup and smells in the trunk, overpriced filters that don't live up to their promises, and difficult service and repair procedures. All of these issues were carefully considered when Kent set to work building this ultimate dual tank conversion.



To deal with the filter issue this diesel Benz has seven filters installed. That is right - I did say seven! Each fuel system (diesel and veggie) has two main filters - a primary filter and a final filter. In each system the primary filter can be bypassed on the road (in a pinch) and the car continued to be driven on just the final filter. 2 stage filtering extends the filter life of both filters and allows for better water separation from the fuel. Along with the four main filters there are three clear plastic pre-filters. They are primary used for inspection purposes. With a quick glance you can see the type and amount of fuel passing through each of these inspection filters. They will also let you know if you have excess air in any of the lines. Each of the main filters were chosen for the speed and ease of changing the filter element on the open road. Both SVO filters are heated with coolant coils. The rear mount primary filter can be lifted out of the coil housing without unhooking it for inspection (note the full clear bowl) and for quick element removal and replacement. We learned early on that all fitlers are not created equal. We settled on the Stanadyne filter for final filtering of the WVO. Their reputation in the diesel industry speaks for itselft. Their filters are the best on the market and priced right. Our tests showed we get a better flow rate through a 5 micron Stanadyne than a more expensive and bigger 10 micron Racor.

The deal with air in the system extra fuel pumps were installed to speed the purging of air especially after filter replacement. The SVO fuel system has an electric boost pump in the trunk that pushes the vegetable oil through both filters before it arrives at the fuel injection pump. This extra boost of pressure not only speeds air bleeding but it can extend usable filter life and increase engine horsepower. A hand bulb pump is used in the diesel fuel system to assist in bleeding

The main factory tank holds the SVO and an auxillary trunk mounted 15 gallon aluminum tank holds the diesel fuel. To eliminate the heat buildup and moisture in the trunk a sump heater is used (rather than an in-tank heat exchanger) to heat the vegetable oil just as it leaves the fuel tank. This method also eliminates moisture buildup inside the WVO tank and keeps the vegetable oil more stable longer. Electric boost heaters are used at both ends of the system for maximum performance.

This baby really purrs on veggie and is an absolute joy to drive. You have to love that exhaust smell on a warm summer day with the sunroof open. The icing on the cake is how he feels when he drives by the pumps and notices the latest increase in diesel prices.

This see a list of all our SVO WVO conversion kits for sale CLICK HERE. Sorry but the Ultimate 4000 is one of a kind and not currently in production.