So heres what happened. The white '83 300D with the engine noise was never really diagnosed. I ended up pulling the engine out of the white car and my silver '84. Since I had hit a deer with the '84, the core support was pushed back a little bit, making it just tight enough to where I had to remove the oil cooler. (Didn't have this issue with the pulling the motor out of the white one). Well, upon doing so I totally wrecked the threads on the bottom of the oil cooler and had to cut the cooler line. So, yes. I have a friend in Texas who is willing to sell me a used cooler and line assembly which would be fantastic.
Thing is, I was pondering the benefits of going with new lines instead... They're a little hard to find (quality units, that is). Basically, without going through the dealer, the only ones I have found are being produced by Cohline. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these or if I should just install the older factory Mercedes units that my friend will supply with the cooler. He said they're in good shape and aren't leaking but they're still old.
Also, here are some pictures of what's been going on:
