In this study, we demonstrate the effects of the acidic properties of montmorillonite (MMT), which is commonly used as a catalyst, on the conversion and selectivity of the dimer acid methyl ester (DAME) synthesis. We synthesize DAME by the dimerization of conjugated linoleic acid methyl ester (CLAME) and oleic acid methyl ester using MMT KSF. Incidentally, trimer acid methyl ester was formed as a by-product during the DAME synthesis. There is a necessity to adequately adjust the strength and quantity of the acid site to control the selectivity of DAME. Therefore, we vary the pH of the MMT acid by using various metal hydroxides. The purpose of this study is to increase the yield of monocyclic dimer acid methyl ester, which is a substance with adequate physical properties for industrial applications (e.g., lubricant and adhesive, etc.), using a heterogeneous catalyst. We report the dimerization of fatty acid methyl ester by using base treated-KSF, and apply it to conjugated soybean oil methyl ester. Then, we transmute the acid site properties of KSF, such as pH of 5 wt.% slurry KSF and various alkali metals (Li, Na, K, Ca). Characterization of base treated-KSF using a pH meter, x-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface analysis, and temperature-programmed desorption. We conduct an analysis of CLAME and DAME using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and gel permeation chromatography. Through these experiments, we demonstrate the effects of the acidic properties of KSF on the conversion and selectivity of the DAME synthesis, and evaluate its industrial potential by application to waste vegetable oil.