Good point, I'd forgotten about that damned allen. However, not all of the 123s have allens in the starter. TO's '85 300DT had them but my '83 300TD has regular hex bolts. My 240 parts car and the ones I've hosed around on at the boneyards all had hex headed bolts.

Good luck.

The shop that rebuilds them for $500 is called Midwest Mercedes in Milwaukee. They said they only work on Mercedes and would also rebuild mine for $500 including shipping but I figured for an extra $100 I could keep mine and save the hassle of having to ship it them. I still need to confirm that my 85MPH speedo is actually electronic as they claim. If I go mailorder, I'll probably install it myself.

Thanks for the time estimate kip, I too would be doing the plywood and dirt R&R.

Has anyone bought from Adsitco? They have rebuilt trans for $1,200 with a rebuilt torque converter for $265. There is a one year warranty for the trans, extended to two years if you buy the torque converter. I need to check about a whether the warranty covers owner installed units...

Chuck