2014 G Project - sold

jbtradingco

New member
2014, 50,xxxx miles
sold

stock upon purchase. Some basic mods/add ons.
I want to put some info in this to help other basic people that are searching for info on what to do, what fit, lessons learned.
I do all the various searches of forums and internet for generic info when looking at a rig to buy. Some things you find out, some you have to learn yourself.

So pictures are basically as bought.
it did have the stainless/chrome and black front brush guard. So one of the many things that people google about "can i do this or that?". Well can you powder coat that stainless??? I found things that said yes, some no. I thought why not. Powder guys thought yes. So far so good. Granted 2 years from now what will it be, i guess we will find out. One other tid bit on that. Some vendors have a tool to remove the brush guard "bolts". I just used an allen key and put into one of the slots and turned it. It is more of a locking pin vs bolt. Once putting back together you can screw that fittings in and out to adjust the stand off distance and their is a small pin in it that fitting that must align with the metal bracket to prevent it from turning as your tighten it back up and to allow it all to get close enough to clamp down. Took a few to figure that back out.

current plans -
wheels - 463 industries, their just released 18" overlanding specials. bought 5 on pre-order. should ship any day per their info.
tires - some coopers - probably either 265/65/18 or 275/65/18. - no serious off roading and just a smidge over current photos, stock size.
slider - don't necessarily need but I don't really care for running boards. tall enough that they just get in the way. so I want to remove. But, then the mufflers stick down really far, more than i would care to. so some G wagen accessories, Rockmeister sliders. they appear to cover the pipes. I also bought some blemished rocker panel guards. they don't stick out near as far as running boards. could possibly leave off.
spare tire - like the cover/tool box door that is available but. not sure if compatible with new wheels. so i bought the tire flipper to provide the offset to reverse mount the spare.

I like some old parts of the g wagon and some newer features. Wife has new rig. I like driving older rigs but my family doesn't like to ride with me. recent past daily rigs - FJ60, tacoma, 87 trooper, 89 montero (probably my favorite, will work on it more while driving the G). But new rigs are nice on the main open road and all the reasons they make improvements over the years.

This rig from internet car site, dealer in CO. good photos and stuff. looked pretty. various google searches all the normal stuff to look for. early G electrics, 2013 was a interior change. Well about 30 seconds of it arriving by transporter and the right angle, right sun i noticed the bubbles under the windshield. Two decent areas. so some right away google searching and there it is - a known issue with g wagons. nothing i had seen before. so part of the reason i am even doing this post is to help the next person out. ask about windshield rust. i had photos on undercarriage and other basic areas, but never had windshield issues before. haven't started down that road yet but will need to. doesn't sound fun or cheap depending on the real condition.

nothing hard core out of this rig. other rigs can do that. i do like to fix them up some. its your persona in my opinion. do i need a strider clip knife when a swiss army/case would do most of my cutting needs, not really, but if i really need my knife i know the strider can take a whole lot more abuse than the others, granted at a price point. I see lots of comments on mall rigs and such. My mini soap box - more power to them. Their rig, life and money. Plus good ole capitalism at work, buy tons of the racks, bars, winches and all so that way more companies get in the game and drive the price possibly down some and innovation up. I'm 50yrs old. Options and stuff for everything in life vs in the 80's is really nice. if no one but serious movie people bought LCD/LED tv's they would still be 2400.00 for 42 inches that i paid way back vs that same size (much better now) tv that is probably 300.00. I understand the mall crawler theory and issues but this rig will semi be that for me, no grand overlanding adventures. Nothing serious in it but if it needs to do some things for whatever reason I want to be able to. if it was all about practicality and sense maybe a prius would make more sense but that is not me.

Trying to post a bit. been a member lots of years. but will contribute some. other projects are the ones listed earlier. I have an 89 RRC that is needing help, posted in rovers board. Pitchblack rally guy in mitsu forum is good inspiration for that rig. Over the years way too many inspirational posts to mention but thanks to all that have shared. it is dirty, but is the matte black, paint option. i don't wash rigs much, this one a shade more but you get the idea. I'll post other photos, especially after wheels/tires, b/c we all know that is a huge #1 question most ask when new, stock, rigs arrive - what will fit???? and how does it look with XXX size.
later
jb


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RobMBush

Member
Congrats! A 2014 550 is a great modern G and being pre turbo/adjustable suspension it keeps you safer mods too. I really love my 14 550 build.

Regarding wheels/tires, I would strongly recommend getting to a 17" and into a C or D rated BFG k02 tire as the best combination on this truck for mixed use primarily for rotational mass and ride comfort (285/70-17 C, 34/10.5-D). The BFG k02s in 34*10.5 on custom braid winrace S 17" ET25 wheels comes in about 81lbs (wheel is ~27.5lbs). There are more light weight tire options in BFG Ko2 as well for 17"s and I don't believe any for the 18". Using a stock 18" rim and an E rated BFG K02 tire in sizes you are looking is going be north of 94lbs per wheel/tire. I don't know the weights on the 463 wheels but I'm doubting they're light. The rotational mass makes a huge difference in performance especially for daily driving.

Here's my setup, I can get you a set of these through my contact at Briad USA (or you can potentially get them direct):

Custom Braid Winrace S 17*8 ET25 in anthracite milled for OE caps Mounted on my 2014 G550:

DOT Compliant
~$550 each in anthracite (Other colors available at upcharge)
Weigh approx 27.5lbs each (~81.5lbs with selected tire)
TPMS sensors worked perfectly
Mercedes OE caps fit perfectly
Required 37mm Mercedes ball seat lugs as the mounting pads were more shallow than OE, sourced from H&R
Mounted on OE tire carrier with some modifications (trimmed top of mount, used 911 motorsports extensions to push the mount from the back of the truck by ~1")
VTS 18" tire carrier cover worked with some small modifications
BFG k02 in 34*10.5-17

InkedPXL_20201204_210441828.MP_LI.jpgPXL_20201204_200623177.jpgPXL_20201204_210017396.jpgPXL_20201204_224543042.jpg
 

jbtradingco

New member
Good points and suggestions above. The ball was already rolling prior to any of the postings. So here is my current set up
463 industries, 18 inch, overlanding edition wheels. yes fairly heavy, didn't exactly balance the wheels perfectly on the scale so about 42-45lbs for the wheel.
Tires - Cooper 265/65/18 AT3 LT tires.
reverse tire mount - they came with some lug bolts. due to the wheel being thin at the bolt holes and other factors I'm sure, the partial threaded bolts don't work. I had to order some full thread wheel bolts to keep the spare tight.

pretty minimal height increase so no noted issues on any sensors, full lock, etc....
one photo is from front on to try to show how much they stick out from stock tires.
still on same gas tank so haven't done mileage or even checked the speedometer variance.
Firmer tire than what was on there and the weight so I can perceive a difference in the rolling resistance.
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jbtradingco

New member
RobMBush - I just noticed on both of your rigs you have a trim piece down the side of each front door pillar/windshield area. Black on your silver one. My rig goes not have that on either side. I see the stamped/welded metal seam. Am i missing a factory piece or is that an accessory? If an accessory is their a specific reason? As i mention in my first post i have the windshield rust issue and not sure if that trim would influence that issue any.
Thank you. jb
 

RobMBush

Member
RobMBush - I just noticed on both of your rigs you have a trim piece down the side of each front door pillar/windshield area. Black on your silver one. My rig goes not have that on either side. I see the stamped/welded metal seam. Am i missing a factory piece or is that an accessory? If an accessory is their a specific reason? As i mention in my first post i have the windshield rust issue and not sure if that trim would influence that issue any.
Thank you. jb

Yeah it looks like yours are missing. They just stick on with adhesive tape so its likely not a difficult fix. Curious though on why they would be missing. Windshield rust could have been the driver for removing them I suppose. Post some close up pics as I would like to understand this problem better especially the rust areas.
 

RobMBush

Member
Also get some SEM rust seal and a hypodermic needle and inject it into the rust bubbles. Should slow it down at least. You don't want that to continue!
 
I am excited to see how this build will turn out. Cooper tire is a good choice, I like the fact that you've chosen a black wheel to replace the old one. It added an additional accent to this beautiful vehicle.
 

jbtradingco

New member
Few more updates. Probably not much more for now.
g wagen accesssories - vts rock sliders and the small sill protectors vs running boards.
removed center accent piece on side trim.
front runner 3/4 roof rack and ladder. possibly mounted further forward than some would show the 3/4 rack but with boats i like them better centered than the rack all the way back. using ladder still easy to reach the top or step across as necessary.

removing running boards: remove about two small screws holding fender mud flap, pull it out a bit, it bends. then unscrew a screw that goes in to side step front and end trim pieces. bend flap back in, screw it back. six bolts holding running boards. yes, bend the heat shield some, especially on front and rear ones. center one the muffler is right in the way. the flat gear wrench style wrench is almost required to keep sanity. not quick but not hard. now putting back on the rock sliders was less fun. front and back bolt sets not too bad. i kept loose, tried front first, rear first, one bolt, two bolts, etc.. to try to line stuff up better. threads were good on bolts and holes. but the center ones where you have little to no access took me about an hour to get 3 of the 4 bolts to bite and work out. bailed on the top center bolt on one side.

trim inserts. just pulled off. scraped off the adhesive and some goo b gone. not hard, just a little time.

with larger tires, weight have noticed about 1-2 mpg loss in mileage. only about 1 mph off speed at around 60 range.
received two trim pieces on side of windshield that had disappeared btwn selling dealer and me getting it, both sides were gone. assume theft at some point.

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jbtradingco

New member
I'll work on putting an add in the for sale forum but this one has more history and info and give mini first dibs to the g wagon crowd.
FOR SALE
$66,000
71,000 miles
quickly addressing some info from this thread.
windshield frame rust - repaired by MB dealer (my dime, not MB, MB basically said pound sand). removed whole frame and put in replacement, of course windshield broke upon removal so new OEM windshield as well.
looks real good and can't tell ever any issues.
While in shop did the service B. During my ownership i have done A and B services.
all the extras: roof rack, ladder, brush guard, sliders, sill extenders, wheels, tires etc... are all listed in the thread.
i have original wheels/tires and factory running boards.
jeff AT jbtradingco DOt com
 
Last edited:

nickw

Adventurer
Congrats! A 2014 550 is a great modern G and being pre turbo/adjustable suspension it keeps you safer mods too. I really love my 14 550 build.

Regarding wheels/tires, I would strongly recommend getting to a 17" and into a C or D rated BFG k02 tire as the best combination on this truck for mixed use primarily for rotational mass and ride comfort (285/70-17 C, 34/10.5-D). The BFG k02s in 34*10.5 on custom braid winrace S 17" ET25 wheels comes in about 81lbs (wheel is ~27.5lbs). There are more light weight tire options in BFG Ko2 as well for 17"s and I don't believe any for the 18". Using a stock 18" rim and an E rated BFG K02 tire in sizes you are looking is going be north of 94lbs per wheel/tire. I don't know the weights on the 463 wheels but I'm doubting they're light. The rotational mass makes a huge difference in performance especially for daily driving.

Here's my setup, I can get you a set of these through my contact at Briad USA (or you can potentially get them direct):

Custom Braid Winrace S 17*8 ET25 in anthracite milled for OE caps Mounted on my 2014 G550:

DOT Compliant
~$550 each in anthracite (Other colors available at upcharge)
Weigh approx 27.5lbs each (~81.5lbs with selected tire)
TPMS sensors worked perfectly
Mercedes OE caps fit perfectly
Required 37mm Mercedes ball seat lugs as the mounting pads were more shallow than OE, sourced from H&R
Mounted on OE tire carrier with some modifications (trimmed top of mount, used 911 motorsports extensions to push the mount from the back of the truck by ~1")
VTS 18" tire carrier cover worked with some small modifications
BFG k02 in 34*10.5-17

View attachment 633267View attachment 633268View attachment 633269View attachment 633270
I recognize that driveway and that truck (I think)....off Hewett?
 

jbtradingco

New member
the frame plus glass, right about 3k. pleased actually. they broke glass so new windshield. i dont have breakdowns. i guess bestcomplim is that you cant tell anything was done, beyond rust gone. i call that a win
 

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