Hello, and welcome!
You undoubtedly know that the '65 Unimogs, model 404, came with an inline 6 cylinder engine, 2.2 L, gas. No other engines were used. That V8 is a swap in. That could be good, or it could be bad.
404 mogs are notoriously low powered. Some people think they are underpowered. Some of us are perfectly content to go slow and use the gears. Adding power can be a problem. The transmission in a 404 is a slow speed tractor transmission, evolved from an early Unimog with 25 or 34 hp. The low power engine protects the transmission.
Running such a tranny behind a more powerful motor can cause heating of bushings in the tranny and burn them up. Any speed over roughly 45 - 50 mph range for long stretches can cause trouble. There might be nothing wrong with this tranny or this engine installation, but be forewarned, it's not standard issue.
How was such a wide engine shoe-horned into the 404 engine compartment? That's normally not possible. Would this happen to be an installation with the engine behind the tranny and with connection through a V-drive?
There's nothing wrong with a French-owned Unimog. My '57 is ex-French and was a fine truck. The same basic 404 chassis went to the French, who had a slightly different bed installed, different from Swiss 404s, or German/Belgium/etc 404s.
The French had a poor reputation for maintenance though. Since this truck has been privately owned for some time that is not an issue, probably.
I normally say that getting any Unimog is a good thing, but please be aware that you are getting a highly modified truck that will put you up against problems not common with unmodified trucks, and that other 404 owners might not be much help with specialized troubleshooting or parts. The distributor is a good example. What engine and distributor do you ask for parts for?????
Best of luck,
Bob
Good afternoon, I am brand new to the site and I have some questions. I am looking at a 1965 unimog. The guy told me that it was a French version and has a flathead v8 powering it. He told me that the distributer is cracked, but it will still run. Is the flathead v8 a common engine in the mogs? How hard is it to find parts for this engine? Also he told me that it is tagged, titled and street legal, does this just transfer with me registering it or do I need to additional paperwork to get a tag? Should I stay away and wait for a diesel mog? Please help me out, I am very excited to get a chance to own one. I have always wanted one but never found the right one for me. I like this one and the price.
But with the registration and tags you will not get the license plate that is on it right now as it belongs to the last owner in Florida. What you will get would be a signed title that you will take to DMV. You will need to pay for new plates unless you have a current plate from a vehicle you recently sold. If the vehicle was not registered in Florida it will need to have the VIN verified. Will also need to bring proof of insurance with you to DMV in order to get the tags.
