It appears that the 300D linkage expects the reverse arm to be in the exact opposite of the 200D. I don't know if anyone else had encountered this issue but I was buggered for sure about not having R. I pulled the linkage again and inspected and was convinced that I had it setup correctly. I noticed that the shifter lever was pushed back quite far and when in this position I couldnt get the shifter to go into R (wouldn't move to the left at all). I adjusted the R arm so what it was straight up and down when IN GEAR and voila!

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42