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Solved - there are at least two antenna types
After a visit to the worst junkyards in the world ($150 for a used 25-year old cruise control amplifier? YGBSM!!) I figured it out.
I checked the hulks in the yard and saw two different mounting schemes in 123s. There's a short-pigtail/high-mount and a long-pigtail/low-mount. My problem was that I had a short-pigtail antenna (6000U) and a low-mount car ('83 300 CD, w/ electric sunroof) so the cord from the antenna couldn't reach the plug on the car's harness. Never assume the PO gave you the original factory parts...
I don't know if it's a model-year thing or an electric sunroof thing that determines whether it's a high- or low- mount. It's not a coupe thing, since I saw the two set-ups on sedans.
Fortunately, the MB wiring harness in the coupe has enough slack that it could accomodate either. I simply moved the grounding point on that harness about 5-6 inches higher up on the fenderwell seam. The bolted-in grounding point was the limiting factor in the location of the antenna plug.
Pic 1 shows the short antenna cord (pigtail) attached to a bracket on the top of the antenna. If you look closely you can also see a rectangular connector-cutout on the bottom galvanized antenna bracket. And that's only dirt/dust in the bottom of the fenderwell, no rust whatsoever back there.
Pic 2 shows the harness plug in the factory position not quite reaching the antenna connector.
Pic 3 shows the re-routed cable connected to the antenna. You'll note the loose screw at the end of the brown ground wires. I moved this fitting from a hole that is out-of-frame from the pic and will tighten it down when I'm finished. You also get a better view of where the long pigtail would connect. On some antennas, the longer cord would go down the left side of the motor casing and connect at the square rectangle.
Joe Y.
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