No one is addressing the transmission differences...

As an owner of a '77 300D with engine troubles, I looked in to a motor swap over a year ago. a '77 auto transmission doesn't have a vacuum modulator, and most people here seemed to feel the transmission would either fail, or simply be an unbearable pain to live with if a turbo OM617 was put in front of it. No one had real world answers, though.

This thread is now of extreme interest to me. Maybe someone will come forward with some good solid info on whether or not a non-turbo to turbo swap is possible with the original '77 non-vacuum modulated transmission in place.

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- K.C.Adams

'77 300D Euro Delivery
OM617 turbo / 4-speed swap
404 Milanbraun Metallic / 134 Dattel MB-Tex

Current status:
* Undergoing body work

My '77 300D progress thread