A good friend of mine has an '84 318i, it's very simple to work on just like MB's of the vintage most of us drive about

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I've got an extra set of wagon (W123, 300TD) springs I'll sell for $50 each, and I can get you a brand-new set of Bilstein HD shocks for $60 apiece. For a little over $250 (it'll cost ya' to have the stuff shipped) you can try it yourself.

I've owned a first-generation RX-7, a Volvo 242 Turbo, an Audi 5000, and a Volvo P1800 with Bilstein sport springs and shocks. My '83 Euro 300D - - with the wagon springs - - is the best handling car of them all.

My 300TD isn't too far behind. I replaced the SLS with SEDAN springs and HD shocks. A little rough on the bumps, but on sweepers it's on rails!

The "conversion" is a breeze. Remove the brake calipers and drop the diffy; the springs will just fall out. No spring compressors required. The shock replacement procedure has been previously discussed.

Jay.

Buy a F'n BMW, if you want a car that will handle like a BMW... There's no way you can get a W123 to handle like one, however you can get a W124 too...

i believe you can pump up your td with propane injection...

i heard there was an 800 dollar kit you could buy and it would
make your car have power....

here is the propane injection stuff....

turns your car into a porshe and increases your mileage...

http://www.diesel************************/home.html

I'm more on the custom-modified turbocharger and intercooler train than propane. It'll be cheaper, and should improve the fuel economy as well. I don't have the numbers in front of me - - I can only guess at the output for the modified 617 motor - - but power-to-weight should be getting close to that of a 318 (E28). Hopefully, 40+ mpg on the highway to boot. On recycled veggie, yo!!!

Jay.

P.S. I know where there's a 524 TDi that may be going on the market soon.

Good grief, if you want a BMW go buy one. If you want an MB, enjoy what you have. The natural aging process will take care of this desire...

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Brian,
I'll be darned . . . they both have air brakes???

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Steve
'87 300TD - 132K - Soon 4-Sale
'84 300D Turbo - 122K - Driving
'77 VW Type II - 77K - Restored
'08 250EX Ninja
English Bulldog (Brier) - My best friend. Passed away 12/02/04 while in my arms.

The tire pressure thing is because most people use "street" tires, and the higher pressure keeps the sidewalls from rolling under...increasing tire pressure is a common suggestion.

But there is a point beyond which the high pressure does more harm than good.

And cars with much lower profile tires don't need much pressure at all.

Short answer - Forget it. There are few, if any, performance parts available to make a W123 handle anything close to BMW-like. I totally rebuilt the front end of my 123 and while it was much better it was still a wallowy land barge. The answer is to upgrade to a W124 (1986-1995 E-class). There are a TON of aftermarket and OE (Sportline) parts to make the W124 equal or exceed BMW performance (well, depending on the year/model BMW your are using as a benchmark). I have owned several 123's and several 124's and there is a huge, enormous, gigantic, immense difference in handling between the two. Like, a couple of orders of magnitude. The best handling 123 would have a hard time even staying in sight of the worst handling 124.

That said, the only upgrade I know of for the W123 is to install vented front brake rotors for more fade resistance, and you can get Porterfield pads. I don't know of any performance springs nor any larger sway bars of any kind. Not sure you get even get sport shocks, and Bilstien HD's may be more annoying (harsh) than helpful. Wider/larger wheels & low-profile tires would at least reduce the sidewall "swimming" but you'll still have tons of body roll. The 123 may be cheap and indestructible, but "performance" was a term never really used to describe it...!

(flame suit on)



Best regards,

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

OK...I want to stick with diesel...and preferable a wagon...so which 124 would be best?

Thanks...

That's a tough question. If you want a diesel wagon you have exactly one option... the 1987 300TD. Expect to search for months to find a nice one, and to have to travel out of state to go get it. There are only 1600 or so that were imported to the USA I think.

If you want a diesel sedan, it depends if you want horsepower or MPG. The 1987 is the most powerful, the 1990-93 has less power but more MPG, and the 1995 is in the middle but is not turbocharged so it lacks a little high-altitude performance (but the '95 has all the body updates which is nice).

Some guys in Finland have been playing with the 6-cyl versions of these diesels and have gotten 400-450rwhp, if you're REALLY a power junkie, lol...

OK, these guys have been beating up on you, but I'll chime in and say you're not nuts. You may not get your wagon to BMW levels, but you can improve it a lot. I've been slowly improving my '81 300TD -- it's helping and making corners more enjoyable.

The only helpful comment so far has been to upgrade all the rubber in your suspension. That's a good starting point. Get your suspension back to showroom specs. And not just the rubber, but the balljoints, shocks, and everything else. In my opinion, the self-leveling rear suspension is a weak point on the wagons when it comes to handling. You can get the front end all shipshape and you'll still have tons of barf-inducing roll in the rear end. I'm about to rebuilt the SLS and I think it will help a little.

We 123 owners face two basic problems, IMHO: No aftermarket performance suspension parts available, and a horrible mounting configuration for the front swaybar that makes upgrades a chore.

However, the rear swaybar is relatively easy to change out, and replacing this with a thicker unit would bring more handling improvement anyway. There are several places that will custom build swaybars for reasonable prices, and I may go that route eventually. Here's one: http://www.sanerperffab.com/

You can also do a lot with alignment. More negative camber up front would help things a lot.

In the meantime, I have upgraded to 16" Ronal wheels and performance tires. This gives me a lot more grip and confidence in corners, and no more of the sidewall scrubbing that makes the car feel like a rowboat.

Yeah, you could go with a 124 wagon, but then you are dealing with LOTS more complexity and expense to maintain the rest of the car, as anybody on this forum will admit.

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'81 300TD turbo <<sold 12/05 to another diesel nut

as a person who has owned two bmws and a slew of mbs i personally dont see a huge difference in the handling. the bmws are compromised a little more toward sport and the mbs are a little more toward safety and feeling safe. i dont think if you put a watch to it there would be much diff.

imho the 123 wagon if in top condition is a very sweet handling machine with its aoutomatic leveling system (like the expensive and sporty mbs and like the four seat ferraris).

i say just make it right and try that. if it doesnt seem sporty enough then i would go for some shorter stiffer springs. anything more will get expensive fast and the compromises would not be anything i would want.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My sister recently bought an '87 318i? It's a 4 door sedan with I believe a 2.7 liter L6 engine. It had a 5 speed and she bought it solely for track purposes. She's planning on installing race seats and stripping the rest of the car so it loses some weight. Anyways, I drove it and it was probably the funnest car I've ever driven and I've driven some nice cars ('03 Porsche 911). It didn't matter how high the rpms went it was just fun. It also was a lot of fun because it is somewhat of a beater and the car didn't even have power steering. I recall her mentioning something about it being regarded by BMW motorheads as being the last "true" driver's BMW. It had a 50% weight distribution which made for great handling. I still think the 124 falls short as it's terrible for sway in turns and doesn't have the best weight distribution I believe.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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